Arriving in the opposing team’s hometown does not warrant warm welcome and cheerful fans. Players may be greeted by taunts and comments to affect the way they play their game. The most seasoned athletes understand the ritual and move past the controversial event.

They move past the crowd, grab a bite to eat and condition in ways that will assist them in the away game that is going to take place. Staying focused is something that all professional athletes are required to do, but some fail miserably at the task.

Derrick Caracter, a rookie on the Los Angeles Lakers roster, has seemingly not arrived at the conclusion that his behavior is placed under a major microscope. Not only is Caracter deemed in a separate league than his peers because he was drafted to a team that is already monumental in championship appearances. He is also under an enormous public eye because of how inconsistent his history in the game of basketball has been. [..]

It has been a while since Chris Paul showed visions of his rookie self in a regular season, let alone in the postseason at the Staples Center against the greatest active player in the league. No one would take kindly to being shown up by someone barely scraping six feet tall, but Paul seems like everyone else’s expectations of him matter much less than his leadership obligations to his team.

CP3 has not been denied his mark on this series against the Lakers, even though Phil Jackson is throwing everything except for sticks and stones his way to stop him. We are beginning to see him recreate an image that was thought to be long lost in Hornets history.

In the post game interview, after Paul’s triple-double lifted the Hornets past the lengthy Lakers, he was bright-eyed and smiling. He and his teammates answered questions with a sense of relief and security. Yet, the memory of when they were clawing their way back into competitive relevance is still fresh on New Orleans’ fans minds.

When Chris Paul entered the league for the 2005-06 season, winning the rookie of the year at the end, the roars regarding his athletic abilities and strategic maneuvering were heard around the world. His first career triple-double was achieved on April 2, 2006, during a game against the Toronto Raptors. [..]

Miami Heat was leading the Philadelphia 76ers going into game four, 3-0, and there was not a soul in the universe that would have predicted a Sixers surge that would guide the series to a game five in South Beach. Yet, the Sixers camp was smiling all along, knowing that this series would not be over until the fat woman sang. That overweight woman has not belted her last lyric and Philadelphia’s Lou Williams hit a three-pointer to take a two point lead over Miami’s newly installed big three.

The first quarter was a look into the future, as the 76ers took an early lead over Miami. There has not been many teams able to route the Heat in transition, but there was a play early on that caused LeBron James, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh to stumble over each other as the 76ers retrieved buckets on the opposite rim. Smiling for the cameras and performing for their lives, Philadelphia tried their darndest to claw towards victory. [..]

Can I be candid for a moment? The New York Knicks have been touting Carmelo Anthony around like some kind of show pony ever since he arrived at Madison Square Garden. Even after losses, the potential that he allowed the Knicks to hope for in the future was only second to how much South Beach rose in value after LeBron James and Chris Bosh’s arrival on the Miami Heat squad. His first game with New York, a win against Brandon Jennings and the Milwaukee Bucks, produced 27 points and 10-of-25 shooting from the field.

The very next game, along with another 27 points from Anthony, the New York Knicks could not get past the Cleveland Cavaliers. They wound up falling by a mere six points and once again, people were beginning to question if the trade had given up too much for another scoring threat.

With everything that they had to contest with, mentally and physically in the regular season, they finally made it back to the playoffs. If no one understands how important this moment in the postseason is for the team, the fans, Spike Lee included, do fathom the brittle journey the franchise endured to get there.

The Knicks have had to deal with so much getting to back to this point, but seem to be making an exit just as they did before.

The Eastern Conference in the NBA is no stranger to giving due where it may not be deserved. The history of this region in the playoffs includes many teams who were not even over .500 at the end of their 82 games. The New York Knicks of 2003-2004 were one of those teams. Even though the Knicks finished with a record of 39-43, they were still granted the right to compete in the Playoffs, their first round antagonist being the New Jersey Nets, who were led by Kenyon Martin at the time. [..]

By Jessica Mitchell

The game of basketball is known for calling plays, talking smack to the players on the other team and of course, hyping up the players on their team to win the game.  Recently, I found out that talking can be contagious on the court.  U.S. health officials say, 21 players on 13 teams got a stomach virus that spread through certain pro basketball teams.

Wow, now this is crazy!  They are going to have to start using one hand to dribble the ball, and the other to cover their mouths. [..]

The I AM NBA Staff would like to send a HUUUUUUGGEEE Congrats out to our Boss Teyana M.J. Taylor for her role as “Sabrina” in Tyler Perry’s: Madea’s Big Happy Family.  The film hits theaters today, 4/22/2011!

Photos Courtesy of Google Images, by way of:
crunktastical.net
freesworld.com

Nikki1

Please go and support the film, LET’S MAKE IT #1!!!!!!

[..]

Weight, Height: 211 lbs, 6’6

College: Washington

Team, Position: Portland Trailblazers, Shooting Guard

Draft Year: 2006 1st round, 6th by Minnesota Timberwolves

Brandon Roy was injured and had to sit out two months, while watching his team build towards the playoffs without him. That would be emotional for anyone, however, his feelings were deeply hurt when he was not able to play against Dallas in the Game two loss in which the Mavericks held the home court advantage. Should he have made his feelings known? No. This is the postseason and far from the time to put your emotions front and center. Portland is already a lower seeded team than  Dallas and at the time were at a 2-0 series disadvantage. [..]

This is the billion dollar question that no one has really had an answer to since the Melo-Billups trade rocked the core of the Nuggets franchise. The moment it was announced, there was a feeling of “Uh oh. What do we do now?” in the eyes of many Denver fans, but that emotion was dismissed when Carmelo had his shaky start in New York and the Nuggets were taking off in superstar fashion without their superstar.

Raymond Felton, Danilo Gallinari and Wilson Chandler have jumped in rather swiftly into George Karl’s system. Some might say they are coasting by, but we all know there is no escaping actuality in the postseason. Oklahoma City discredited any adjustments that the Nuggets made to defend any of their players last night by birthing as much as a 26-point lead over a team that usually annihilates teams in second chance opportunities. [..]

Last night in game two of the Lakers-Hornets series, Pau Gasol and Kobe Bryant went missing. Milk cart missing as Boe Money would probably put it. It is crazy how they combined for only 5 of 20 baskets and eight rebounds. Andrew Bynum pulled off more boards than that and it is a little weird that even with their two best players invisible in the box scores, the Lakers still pulled out a win at the Staples Center.

So of course after every Kobe game, he does something that people feel the need to debate about. The hot topic today is whether or not Bryant was playing a pouty game, by shushing all the critiques of him shooting too often or if he was taking a step back to let the rest of the team fall into a groove because him carrying them across the finish line was not working in game one. Think about it before you respond. [..]

Alright, Alright(my voice)… it’s that time of the week again for my SnIcK of the week.  I wouldn’t normally do this… but let’s do a ReMiX.  I’m gonna bring those JoRdAn 7′s back.  This time it’s the BoRdEaUx’s.  I rocked a pair at Jordan Classic, and they got so much love I had to bring em’ back!

(These r my feet lol)

In honor of Michael Jordan, and the Jordan Classic…On this date 4/20/1986 when M.J. dropped 63-pts on the Boston Celtics without attempting a 3-pt FG; I present to you…ThE BoRdEaUx!  LOL

Teyana M.J. Taylor

Photos Courtesy of Google Images, by way of:
dond87.blogspot.com
8and9.com