Basketball Playoffs are Here!

It's basketball playoff season! I'm resurrecting some older fun facts and adding some new ones.

1.  This has to be the best play of this season:  Cleanup in Aisle 3!

 2. Shaquille O'Neal has several rap songs. It's kinda funny. This one is from 1993.  I imagine Shaq would like to forget it!

 3. The shortest person to play in the NBA was Mugsy Bogues who was only 5' 3" tall. The Washington Bullets selected him as the 12th overall pick in 1987. He played in the NBA for 14 years.  Here he is pictured with Tracy McGrady.

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 4.. Pau Gasol, who plays for the San Antonio Spurs, went to medical school in Barcelona, but left when he was drafted into the NBA.  Brawn and Brains!  Brother Marc plays for the Memphis Grizzlies.  Youngest brother Adria played at UCLA but has returned to Spain to play there.

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 5. The American Basketball League, which began in 1976, was known for the flashy 3-point shots. The ABA merged with the NBA in 1976, but the 3-point shot wasn't used in the NBA until 1979.

 6.The NBA is truly a global sport.  There is at least one player from every team who is considered an international player.  Thirty-three different countries are represented by 62 players.  Utah and Philadelphia have the most with 7 players each from various parts of our world

7. Did you know that jump balls used to be after EVERY BASKET? I can't imagine that!

 8. LeBron James has not lost a first round series in almost six years playing for Miami and Cleveland. This "might" be the year they break that streak since their first round series with the Pacers is 1-1 so far.  You never know!

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9. Elvin Hayes never won an MVP award despite the fact that "he played in 12 consecutive All-Star games, won a championship and averaged 20 points per game or more in 10 of his 16 NBA seasons" (Bleacher Report) He played for the University of Houston before the NBA, then the San Diego/Houston Rockets, the Baltimore Bullets, and again for Houston.

 10. Charles Barkley was cut from both his freshman and sophomore basketball teams. He did, however, play his junior and senior years.

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11. Teams who win game 1 of their playoff series have won the series 79% of the time since the 1983-84 season.

12. Providence, Rhode Island once had a team. They were called the Steamrollers. They only lasted 3 seasons, and their overall record was abysmal: 46-122.

13. Malice in the Palace - Some call this the scariest (or most embarrassing) moment in NBA history. It took place on November 19, 2004 between the Pistons and the Pacers. Take a look.

Most information in this post came from Bleacher Report and FoxSports.
P. S. I really can't stand those GEICO commercials with the talking basketball! Just sayin'!

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