Are you watching March Madness? College sports is not usually my interest, but I'm so proud of my daughter's alma mater, Abilene Christian University, for making history.
It is the first time they have been in the NCAA Division I basketball playoffs. Yes, they got whooped by Kentucky. Everyone expects that when #2 plays #15. But just being there is remarkable. The ACU Women's basketball team, not to be outdone, made it to the NCAA Division II Elite Eight for the second year in a row. Way to go, Wildcats!
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.
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.
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!
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.
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'!
It's playoff season! For hockey and basketball, anyway. Since we don't even have a hockey team here anymore, and we don't ever get snowy weather, I'm much more interested in basketball.
Here are some little known basketball facts.
1. Shaquille O'Neal has several rap songs. It's kinda funny.
2. 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.
3. Pau Gasol, who plays for the San Antonio Spurs, went to medical school in Barcelona, but left when he was drafted into the NBA.
4. 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.
5. Moses Malone was the first high school prospect who skipped college and went straight to the NBA. He was signed to play for the University of Maryland, but the Utah Stars (in the ABA) came calling instead. He was an NBA All Star 12 times, 5 of those while he was playing for my favorite team, the Houston Rockets.
6. Did you know that jump balls used to be after EVERY BASKET? I can't imagine that!
7. The only player to average a triple/double for one season is Oscar Robertson who played for the Cincinnati Royals in 1962.
8.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.
9. The Miami Heat is the only team to win both the slam dunk and 3 point contests during all-star week. This happened in 1995, the same year Houston won their second championship in a row.
10. Charles Barkley was cut from both his freshman and sophomore basketball teams. He did, however, play his junior and senior years.
11. Kareem Abdul-Jabbar was known as Lew Alcindor before he converted to Islam.
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.
The only way my New Year's Eve could have been better is if I had been able to see ALL of the kids (saw three of them) and if the Rockets had won their game. Everything else was pretty much... perfect!
You may (or perhaps may not) know that I consider myself a big Houston Rockets fan. I have for some years now. When I was pregnant and on bed rest with my twins over 17 years ago, I have vivid memories of watching the Rockets. For a few years, I quit watching, but about 7 years ago, I began again. They are MY team!
I've been listening to news about Dwight Howard becoming a Rocket for a couple of hours now. I'm happy for him, and I know that he made a tough decision, leaving behind millions of dollars in LA in hopes to help the Rockets become a championship team again. But, he's a center, and we already have a center that we like. Omer Asik (pronounced O' mare Ah' shik). We've trained Asik, watched him grow, seen him improve so much, and he is starting quality, but now that we have Howard, who also plays center, they will either move Asik to second string, a different position, or worse, possibly trade him. So, I do have mixed feelings about Howard. I'm pretty sure they won't move Howard to power forward
Not to mention... getting our "good" lower bowl seats may become more difficult with Howard on board. We got spoiled this past season by being able to get some great seats at several games as well as seats at two playoff games. With Howard on board, that may make getting our prized seats a bit more difficult.
I'm going to have to learn more about our newest Rocket, but one thing I do like is that he is a man of faith. He's also a southern man (from Georgia). And there's no doubt he's a great basketball player. So, welcome to the Houston Rockets, Dwight Howard!
We went to the Houston Rockets last home game of the season Monday night. It was awesome! I just love the whole in-person experience. My favorite player (pictured below) was on the injured list, but the rest of the guys rallied and almost brought us a victory.
The game went into overtime with a tie of 89. Then, our guys got sloppy without Scola and Lowry on the court. They handed over the win to the Mavericks, 91-98. There is only one more game (away), so we can't go. The Rockets aren't in the playoffs, but we are the only team that isn't in the playoffs that has a winning record. I guess we're in a league of winners! I will be rooting for my Rockets again next year! For now, I'm gonna say, "Go Spurs!" (You may never hear me say that again!)
I gotta support my hometown Rockets. Tonight they got a blackjack - they won their 21st game in a row, setting the record for second place in the history of basketball for number of consecutive games won. In addition, they defeated Charlotte to tie the Lakers for first place in the Western Conference. Sunday we play the Lakers. That'll be the game to watch.
The game tonight was awesome, AND I WAS THERE! I don't know how my husband scored tickets for this game, but he did it. We had a great time!
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