The NBA: Where Instantaneous Connection Happens

I now wish I had NBA TV. But even without it we can see history unfold.

Many have said that the power of social media is in how quickly news can be spread throughout the world. Some of it is false (a la false death reports about Joe Paterno last week), but some of it is reaction to amazing things that just happened. That's how I found out about this little gem.

I saw instant reaction on Twitter after the dunk, and people like Bill Simmons demanding the video on YouTube. People responded quickly and got it up for all to bask in. My mouth just hung open the first time I watched it. Reactions went from praising Blake Griffin to eulogizing Kendrick Perkins.

That's the blessings of sports today: it's literally global. I'm sure basketball fans around the world are following in on something like this. Being amazed at what is probably the dunk of the year, sharing with their friends, and just as a global community, taking in this sight. Sharing their thoughts about it. The wonder of the Internet, firmly on display. The NBA is really thriving because of the instant reaction the YouTube/Twitter generation is having. Take part in it. Enjoy it.

And if you're a politician who wants to "crack down on piracy", look at what happened with this amazing dunk. The time taken to share this moment globally would be destroyed because YouTube and Twitter would be out of commission, and we'd have no way to really share these amazing moments with others other than at the water cooler at work tomorrow... when all we have to rely on is memory and if we're lucky, SportsCenter, rather than being able to watch the clip from our computers, tablets, or phones.

Let it thrive online for the greater good... and also so future generations of Perkins know that their ancestor had his soul stripped from his body in midair by one of the most athletic freaks of nature this world has ever known.

Once More Through the Gauntlet

Bear with me if some of the content seems out of place; I'm trying to work on this in bits and pieces from my iPhone. Obviously I will do some editing after the fact so it should be okay.

With my latest Game Notes done, the CCIW slate is halfway done, with each team playing everybody else once. They have one more date apiece, so I will get to see every school in action.

Men's Basketball

The Cardinals are back where they were last year: right in the title hunt, with Wesleyan only leading due to a better overall record, but the Cardinals hold the tiebreaker due to the head-to-head win. The lone loss came in double overtime at Wheaton, but they were it not for their collapse near the end of regulation they likely would have run the table.

Coach Raridon said after the win over North Park on Tuesday that his team has come out sluggish the last few games, but they've gotten away with it. You can't expect it to work every night though.

The second time through, the Cardinals have to travel to Kenosha and Bloomington, both difficult trips. But I can see at worst 4-3, given those tough road trips, plus home dates against Wheaton and Augie, but it's likely 5-2 or 6-1 en route to hopefully another conference title and the right to host the tournament.

Women's Basketball

Official scorer Tye Thompson said last night that the North Park game would tell us a lot about who this team is. And unfortunately, 2012 is not their year. This team has found just about every way to lose, from blowouts (Carthage, Wesleyan, Wheaton) to not coming out with intensity in the second half (Elmhurst, Millikin, North Park) and even a loss by buzzer beater (Augie).

We know the identity of this team. They play pretty good defense and can do well when it leads to fast breaks, they rebound fairly well for their size (except last night), and they don't perform well in the halfcourt set on offense. This is a first-half team; they always seem to come out with energy and play very well in the first half, only to lose that edge after the intermission. It's frustrating to watch.

For the future, this team will have some personnel that can compete on a higher level. As for the second half, trips to Kenosha and Bloomington will probably see similar results, but this Cardinal team can't possibly go 0-14 in conference play... right?

Game Notes: North Park University @ North Central College (1/25/12)

Final Score
North Park 62, NCC 50

Summary
The Cardinals (6-12, 0-7) fell behind 10-3 early on, forcing coach Roof to call a timeout. From that point, the Cardinals went on a 15-0 run before the Vikings (8-10, 2-5) came back to make it a game. NCC led 23-21 at the break. It was fairly even early on in the second half, seeing a tie game at 33 and a three pulled the Cardinals within 2 at 43-41. But then the Vikings went on a 12-0 run to put the Cardinals away and keep them winless in conference play.

Key Stats

• NPU: Outrebounded NCC 41-37 (25-12 in 2nd half). North Central didn't seem to have the energy they normally did, especially in the 2nd half tonight. The sad part about the 2nd half numbers is that North Park had as many offensive rebounds as the Cardinals did overall. That by itself is a good indicator as to why the Cardinals lost tonight.
• Maryssa Cladis (NCC): 3-5 FG (3-4 3PT), 2-2 FT, 11 pts, 5 reb, 1 ast. Another freshman with a good future. She set a new career high in points, and will be someone to reckon with from deep. She was the leading scorer for the Cardinals who struggled offensively overall once again.
• Roxanne Jones (NPU): 8-12 FG, 3-5 FT, 19 pts, 9 reb (5 off). I don't know why, but North Central has had trouble containing post players this season. 13 of Jones' points came in the 2nd half, and she made her presence known down low all game. Tough to get going when you're getting destroyed in the paint.

Cardinal Turnover Watch
We set an over/under on turnovers at the scorers' table right when the game started. The number was 20, and I took the over. I feel bad having no faith in this team to take care of the ball, but unfortunately I was right. 21 turnovers tonight, including 2 shot clock violations, but the biggest killer of all was the fact that 14 of the 21 turnovers came off steals (including 7 of the 8 giveaways in the 2nd half). Too be honest though, the turnovers weren't entirely the worst part tonight.

Final Thoughts
This was the rare game where the Cardinals got out-hustled. It seemed pretty clear North Park wanted this game more. And unfortunately, the Cardinals have lost to every team in the conference once. It's a tough go from here on out, and I'm hoping they can at least get one win before the end of the season. Tomorrow I'll have a recap of both the men's and women's teams at the halfway point of conference play.

Sports ≥ Life?

This is probably going to be one of the more complicated posts I end up putting on here. I wanted to do something regarding the passing of Joe Paterno, but in light of some recent social media events (as well as mass media events too, I suppose), I'm putting his death into perspective.

I'll admit, I was fooled briefly on Saturday when a Penn State student newspaper broke the news that Joe Pa had passed away, and I retweeted the original post... only to find out a couple minutes later that the story was in fact false. I took down the retweet and felt bad that I had fallen for it, especially since I had checked ESPN and other sources to try and confirm what I had heard. When I saw it on ESPN's website yesterday morning with confirmation from the family, you knew it was official.

The lesson in all of this? Yes, it was a big mistake on the part of a young up-and-coming journalist, but it's rule number one. Check your facts before you post something. I always want to do my research before I post something, and it's always good to have data to back up your claims. You learn this in your basic writing classes even before college. The editor of said PSU paper did resign after his mistake, so he was at least accountable. CBS did later on too, but from a professional organization, you expect better.

As for Paterno himself, it's a complicated mess. I haven't been sure what to say about it, as I am not an avid college football fan, other than trying to incite people towards a playoff. Had he passed away 10 years ago, I'm not sure I would have known who he was. To me he was the guy who was at Penn State forever. History will show him as the winningest coach in D-I history, and a legend, as well he should be remembered. But fairly or not, history will also remember him as the guy who "should have done more" about the Sandusky allegations. Yesterday morning I was listening to John Kincade on the way to church, and he said we need to remember everything about Joe Pa, not just bits and pieces. That means Penn State fans need to take the controversy with the wins, and haters need to remember that despite the presence of an alleged pedophile in the football facilities, Paterno was still a good football coach and someone who strove to help boys grow into strong young men, though some say he got off easy, passing away just a couple months after being fired, without really a chance to reflect on what he'd allowed to happen.

Gateway to Indianapolis

I've pushed this post back a ways, partially because I couldn't think of how to attack this, and also because I wasn't sure who to pick. But this is the big week: winners get 2 weeks to prepare for the biggest game of the season. And after another week of getting 2 out of 4 games right, I need to get back on track.

AFC Championship
It's not often that you see the #1 and #2 seeds matching up, but both Baltimore and New England won their divisional games. The Patriots have probably the best offense of anyone left in the playoffs, but they're going up against one of the top defenses in the league. This is a hard one to pick because the Patriots didn't beat a single team with a winning record this season, but I'm not sure the Ravens have the defensive personnel to stop Hernandez and Gronkowski. This one will come down to the wire for sure. Patriots over Ravens.

NFC Championship
I got both of the division games here wrong. I did not expect Alex Smith to suddenly become an amazing quarterback and lead the Niners to victory over the Saints. I've already stated enough about the Giants over the Pack. For this game, the Niners have a great run defense that will keep Jacobs and Bradshaw under control for the most part, but they have an average secondary. And Eli Manning is playing out of his mind in the last month and a half at least. Plus with the pressure the G-Men can put on Smith... yeah. Giants over 49ers.

I know it's being hyped way in advance by most of the media, but it just seems like the Pats and Giants are destined for a Super Bowl rematch 4 years after their first clash. I know the stakes won't be as high this time around, what with no pressure for 19-0, but I get the feeling Jerrel Jernigan will end up making a catch off Vince Wilfork's stomach, then spin away from 7 Patriot defenders before doing a barrel roll into the end zone as time expires to give the Giants a win. There's been some crazy things this season, what's one more in the Super Bowl?

Game Notes: Illinois Wesleyan University @ North Central College (1/18/12)

Final Score
(25)Illinois Wesleyan 87, NCC 53

Summary
The Titans (12-4, 5-0) never trailed, hitting their shots early and fairly often. The Cardinals (6-10, 0-5) got as close as 3 in the middle of the opening half before Wesleyan started to pull away. The Cardinals kept it around 10, ultimately trailing by 13 at the break. I had talked to Geoff Clark and he said either the Cardinals would come out and make it a game or see Wesleyan break it open. The latter happened, as the Titans got off on a 13-2 run to start the 2nd half, leading by as much as 34 late.

Key Stats

• NCC: 19-49 FG (38.8%), 4-16 3PT, 11-19 FT (57.9%). Bad shooting nights tend to bite you. And this one wasn't necessarily terrible overall, but there were a number of forced shots, and shooting 25 percent from deep usually doesn't help. Free throw percentages need to go up too; you have to take advantage of scoring opportunities with a stopped clock... especially when trailing.
• Bobbi Johns (NCC): 4-6 FG (2-4 3PT), 10 pts, 4 reb, 3 ast, 1 stl. Her first career start, and her first mention in Confessions of a Sportscaster. She did a good job hitting shots tonight, and took them in the flow of the offense to hit double figures for the first time. She's got a lot of potential as the point guard of the future.
• Olivia Lett (IWU): 9-14 FG (3-5 3PT), 5-6 FT, 26 pts, 8 reb, 2 ast, 4 stl. The CCIW's leading scorer showed why she's at the top tonight, topping her average (20.3 coming into tonight). She scored her team's first 5 points, and had 17 at the half. She was hitting from pretty much everywhere and could have easily had more if she played more than the 28 minutes she was on the floor.

Cardinal Turnover Watch
Yikes. They took a step back tonight, turning the ball over a whopping 30 times. They had 11 at the half, and it just went downhill from there. Granted, Illinois Wesleyan played an extremely tough full court press that the Cardinals had a lot of trouble with (13 of the 30 turnovers were steals). But there were some mistakes in the halfcourt set too that caused problems. The leading culprits were Emily Murphy and Bobbi Johns (5 apiece) with Helen Muleya and Sophie Newson each giving it up 4 times. They need to cut down on these turnovers if they want to stay in games. It didn't help that the Titans only turned it over 14 times tonight.

Final Thoughts
For all the facepalming I do at the scorers' table and all the depressing remarks I seem to be making about this team lately, the one thing I cannot question is their heart. Even down 30 late, they weren't just going through the motions, they were hustling and trying to make a game of it. They weren't going to roll over. Wesleyan has long been a power in the D-III women's basketball scene, and the Cardinals have routinely been blown out by the Titans, but they didn't give up even though it would have been easy to. They will have to continue to show that heart on Saturday in Decatur as they take on Millikin, and I will have another report a week from tonight after what will hopefully be the second straight win for the Cardinals.  

Requiem of a Football Season

AP Photo/Mike Roemer

I had to give this game a couple days to sink in and let the sad feelings go away. This one was tough to swallow. As far as playoff losses go, this is one of the most depressing, but not the most heartbreaking. That one goes to either Super Bowl XXXII or the last time the Packers met the Giants. I figured Green Bay would come out strong and it would be a competitive game, but I also feared in the back of my mind that Eli Manning and company would come out really strong. Boy, did they ever.

I only watched the first half, but that was really all I needed to see. This was not the Green Bay team that came to play most of the regular season. Guys were dropping passes, Green Bay turned it over a lot more than usual, and most shocking of all was seeing Aaron Rodgers miss throws. But this is the NFL, anything can happen on any given Sunday, and most importantly for the Giants, they took advantage of the Green Bay miscues to the tune of 37 points and 420 yards of offense.

If nothing else, this game reminded me of the parity in the NFL, and just how hard it is to repeat as champions. The Packers had spent 17 weeks gearing up for opponents' best shots, and taking a lot of those best shots, only to come up standing more often than not. It can wear on a team, and that might have been the case Sunday in addition to the Giants earning the win. There's a reason we haven't seen a team repeat as champions in a decade. It's very hard to do.

I think this gives the Pack some time though, and they certainly aren't going anywhere next year. But they do need to make some key improvements.

1. Defensive Line. I noted this while watching the game on Sunday, though many have stated it before as well. The Packers missed Cullen Jenkins this year. They managed only 29 sacks on the year, down from 47 a season ago. Jenkins had 7 in 2010, and Matthews dropped from 13.5 to 6 this year. The lack of pressure up front to occupy linemen I think was a major factor. And with no pressure, you give quarterbacks time to find open targets (see Manning, Eli). I heard a lot of talk about Mike Neal coming into the year, and he didn't live up to expectations. Granted, he didn't play till later in the season, and maybe a full offseason of practice will help, but the Packers need help up front to get back to where they were last season.
2. Secondary. They gave up the most yards passing ever this season. Part of it was the lack of a pass rush, some was the loss of Nick Collins in Week 2, but guys like Tramon Williams and Sam Shields took a step back this year. I also was disgusted watching Charlie Peprah on the first Hakeem Nicks touchdown. I was disgusted watching it again on YouTube. They need to relearn how to tackle, maybe reload a little bit in the draft or via free agency. They can't possibly be as bad as this year... right?
3. Backup QB. I think it's safe to say Matt Flynn is leaving after this year. Someone will overpay him (Seattle was discussed on Sunday) to be their starter, and Flynn is not a bad quarterback. Some of it may be in the system he's in, like what happened with Kevin Kolb, but Flynn can produce elsewhere. Green Bay needs to have someone to step in just in case Aaron Rodgers gets hurt/throw for garbage time touchdowns when up 21 late in the 4th.

Most importantly, Green Bay needs to take this time to reflect on their season, learn from their mistakes, and bounce back. This is a team that has Keyser Söze potential for next year (defined by Bill Simmons as "A great team with the 'eff-you' edge"). They know how to climb the mountain; they did it last season. And according to Simmons, the anger from being dethroned is a more powerful force than what a defending champion can bring. As evidenced by Steve Kerr regarding the 1996 and 1997 Chicago Bulls:

"I could make an argument that the '96 team was better because we were more motivated. The hunger factor was huge for us that year and that helped make us a great team... When you've won a title already, there's a sense of superiority and invincibility that wasn't there before. The great teams use that in a positive way, which is what [the Bulls] did. Instead of 'eff you' mode like in '96, it's more like 'You have no chance against us' mode. We were so confident from already having won a title that we knew we were going to crush everyone that year. That's a dangerous mentality to have, obviously, if you don't have a mature team... Anyway, for what it's worth, I thought the '96 team was better because of the edge we had." -The Book of Basketball, p. 631.

A hungry team can be a dangerous team, especially since the bulls-eye won't be as big. I can see Rodgers coming out next year and throwing for 6000 yards and 60 touchdowns, and Mike McCarthy knows how to motivate his team. They'll be ready for next year. Obviously, whoever wins the Super Bowl will likely be the favorite for next year, but don't count the Pack out.