Who Beat the '85-'86 Celtics at the Garden?

It's a well known fact that the '85-'86 Celtics own the record for the best home record in a single NBA season going 40-1 at the Boston Garden en route to an NBA Finals win over the Houston Rockets. So who beat the Celtics on their home floor? That would be the Portland Trail Blazers on December 6th, 1985 by a score of 121-103. So who were these guys? Let's take a look at the eleven Blazers who saw the floor that night:

Jim Paxson - Paxson made two all star teams in his career and actually finished his career in Boston where he played his final 2 1/2 seasons. The 6'6" swingman averaged 14.3 points per game in his career and had 16 points and 5 rebounds in this one.

Photo Credit: http://www.iamatrailblazersfan.com

Clyde Drexler - This would be the first of ten All-Star seasons for "Clyde The Glide". An original Dream Teamer, Drexler was inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame in 2004 after scoring 22195 points in 16 NBA seasons. Drexler had 19 points, 6 assists and 5 steals in the game.

Photo Credit: http://hoopshabit.com/2013/04/05/top-10-portland-trail-blazers-of-all-time/

Mychal Thompson - Drafted #1 overall by the Blazers in 1978, Thompson was named to the NBA All-Rookie First Team in 1978, but was never an All-Star. Thompson joined the Lakers in 1987 at the Trade Deadline to back up Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and play kryptonite to Kevin McHale. As a Laker, Thompson won two NBA Championships. Thompson had 13 points and 6 rebounds in the game.

Photo Credit: http://bleacherreport.com/articles/409162-nba-draft-ranking-the-number-one-picks/page/20

Sam Bowie - Bowie is most famous as being the player the Trail Blazers selected 2nd in the 1984 NBA Draft when they could've had Michael Jordan who went third. The 7'1" Center had his number 31 retired by the University of Kentucky, but he averaged just 10.9 points and 7.5 rebounds in his career. That other guy Jordan won six NBA Championships. Whoops. Bowie had 18 points, a game-high 13 rebounds, 5 assists and blocked three shots.

Photo Credit: http://articles.latimes.com/2012/dec/12/sports/la-sp-sn-sam-bowie-1984-nba-draft-20121212

Darnell Valentine - Portland's starting Point Guard would get traded to the Clippers later during the '85-'86 season. His best all-around season was the previous one where he averaged 11.6 points and 7 assists while shooting a career best 47.3% from the field. Valentine scored just 2 points in the game, but had 7 assists.

Photo Credit: http://blog.oregonlive.com/behindblazersbeat/2009/11/trail_blazers_top_40_no_33_dar.html

Steve Colter - Colter was the starting Point Guard for Portland by the end of the '85-'86 season, but was in a Bulls uniform before the next season started. This would be Colter's best season as he averaged 8.7 points, 3.2 assists and 1.4 steals. Colter had a monster game off the bench scoring 22 points (12 of them at the free throw line) and dishing out 5 assists while turning the ball over just once in 27 minutes.

Photo Credit: http://www.iamatrailblazersfan.com/MessageBoardRoot/tabid/158/aff/488/aft/3781/afv/topic/Default.aspx

Jerome Kersey - A second round pick in 1984 (46th overall), Kersey was an overachiever sticking around for 17 seasons, and finally winning a ring in 1999 with San Antonio. Primarily a reserve during the '85-'86 campaign, Kersey averaged 8.5 points and 3.7 rebounds. His best season came two years later when he averaged 19.2 points and 8.3 rebounds. Like Colton, Kersey had a monster game off the bench hitting 11 of 15 field goals and finishing with 22 points. He added four rebounds and five steals in just 22 minutes.

Photo Credit: http://kicksoncards.tumblr.com/post/239427983/jerome-kersey-nike-big-nike

Caldwell Jones - One of the legendary Jones brothers, all four of whom starred at Albany State and in the NBA, Caldwell Jones was an ABA All-Star in 1975 and was a 2-time NBA All-Defensive First Team member. Standing 6'11", Jones tallied over 10000 points and 10000 rebounds between the ABA and the NBA. Jones came up with 7 points and grabbed 3 rebounds off the bench.

Photo Credit: http://bleacherreport.com/articles/914567-50-greatest-second-round-nba-draft-picks-of-all-time/page/3

Kenny Carr - A member of the 1976 Gold Medal winning U.S. Olympic Men's Basketball Team, Carr was drafted sixth overall in 1977. The 6'7" Power Forward averaged 11.6 points and 7.4 rebounds a game in his career, but had just 2 points and 2 rebounds in 9 minutes in this game.

Photo Credit: http://blog.oregonlive.com/behindblazersbeat/2009/10/trail_blazers_top_40_no_36_ken.html

Terry Porter - Porter was a two-time All Star for the Trail Blazers and averaged at least 17 points a game for 5 straight seasons at his peak. As a rookie during the '85-'86 season, Porter primarily came off the bench and averaged 7.1 points and 2.5 assists. Now an assistant coach for the Minnesota Timberwolves, Porter missed all three of his shots in this game and turned the ball over three times in nine minutes. He did have two rebounds and two assists.

Photo Credit: http://apacktobenamedlater.blogspot.com/2010/10/2010-upper-deck-basketball-greats-of.html

Ken Johnson - This would be the only season of Johnson's career. He appeared in 64 games off the bench averaging 4.1 points and 3.8 rebounds. The 6'8" Power Forward from Michigan State saw just two minutes of action in this one and did not otherwise figure into the box score.

Photo Credit: http://isportsweb.com/2012/05/17/michigan-state-basketball-all-time-10-best-power-forwards/

Remembering the 1995-96 Bulls

As it becomes more evident that yet another NBA season is going to go by where the Chicago Bulls record of 72 regular season wins won't be matched, I figured we'd take a moment to look back at that team and see who actually beat them.

Loss #1 - Game 6 - Orlando Magic 94 Chicago Bulls 88

Photo Credit: http://hoops-nation.com/community/topic/

Even without the injured Shaquille O'Neal, the defending Eastern Conference Champion Orlando Magic were a force to be reckoned with. While starting center Jon Koncak (career average of 4.5 points per game) didn't make anyone forget about Shaq, Penny Hardaway scored 36 points and the Magic overcame 24 turnovers to defeat the Bulls in Orlando 94-88. The Bulls shot just 39% from the field and missed nine of nineteen free throws in a losing effort. Despite the absence of Dennis Rodman, the Bulls won the rebounding battle 44-38 and grabbed 19 offensive rebounds, but ultimately their poor shooting doomed them, particularly in the third quarter when they scored just 14 points. Michael Jordan led the Bulls with 23 points, Scottie Pippen added 17 points and 10 rebounds and Toni Kukoc scored 16 off the bench. The Bulls would face the Magic three more times during the regular season and again in the Eastern Conference Finals winning all seven match-ups.

Loss #2 - Game 12 - Seattle Supersonics 97 Chicago Bulls 92

Photo Credit: http://www.hoopglobal.com/2013/09/top-10-alley-oops-gary-payton-to-shawn-kemp/

In a Preview of the 1996 NBA Finals, the Bulls took a 64-51 lead into the intermission, but mustered just 28 points in the second half, falling on the road to the Supersonics 97-92. Gary Payton and Shawn Kemp combined to score 51 points on 20 of 29 shooting and Seattle as a team shot 56% from the floor. Michael Jordan led the Bulls with 22 points but hit just 6 of 19 field goals and Scottie Pippen missed 9 of his 11 free throws. Starting center Luc Longley was one of the few bright spots for Chicago on offense as he had a season high 21 points in 28 minutes. Perhaps the toughest match-up for the '95-'96 Bulls, the Sonics would also take two games from Chicago in the NBA Finals before ultimately falling in six.

Sunday Sports from A to Z - 12/22/13 Edition

A is for Andy Dalton. The Red Rocket threw for 366 yards and 4 touchdown passes as the Cincinnati Bengals routed the Minnesota Vikings 42-14 today. The win clinched a playoff berth for Cincinnati and marked the first time in Bengals history that they've clinched a playoff berth in three consecutive seasons.

Photo Credit: http://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/nfl/2013/12/22

B is for Bowl Games. The Bowl Season kicked off on Saturday with four games. Colorado State scored 18 unanswered points in the final 3 minutes of the Gildan New Mexico Bowl as the Rams rallied to shock Washington State 48-45. Sophomore running back Kapri Bibbs ran for 169 yards and 3 touchdowns in the win, while Washington State's Connor Halliday threw for 410 yards and 6 touchdown passes in a losing effort... 25th ranked USC jumped out to a 35-6 halftime lead over Fresno State and cruised to a 45-20 win in the Royal Purple Las Vegas Bowl. Quarterback Cody Kessler threw for 344 yards and 4 scores to lead the Trojans... The San Diego State Aztecs routed Buffalo 49-24 behind 229 yards and 3 touchdowns from junior running back Adam Muema in the Famous Idaho Potato Bowl... Finally, in an interstate showdown at the R+L Carriers New Orleans Bowl, a missed 48 yard field goal with 9 seconds left allowed the University of Louisiana-Lafayette to hang on for a 24-21 win over Tulane. Tulane Senior running back Orleans Darkwa tied a career high with 3 rushing touchdowns in a losing effort.

Photo Credit: http://campusinsiders.com

C is for Champions League Draw. The Champions League draw for the Round of 16 is set with some big-time match-ups now on the slate. Here's a rundown of the eight pairings: Manchester City (England) vs Barcelona (Spain), Bayer Leverkusen (Germany) vs Paris Saint-Germain (France), AC Milan (Italy) vs Atletico Madrid (Spain), Arsenal (England) vs Bayern Munich (Germany), Zenit St Petersburg (Russia) vs Borussia Dortmund (Germany), Galatasaray (Turkey) vs Chelsea (England), Olympiakos (Greece) vs Manchester United (England), and Schalke 04 (Germany) vs Real Madrid (Spain). Some of the highlights involve Didier Drogba (Galatasaray) taking on his former club Chelsea and German star Mesut Özil (Arsenal) getting matched up with the German Champions Bayern Munich. Bayern Munich knocked out Arsenal in the first round of last year's tournament en route to the title. 

Photo Credit: http://www.eastbengaltherealpower.com

Top Tens - 12/18/13

MEN'S TENNIS RANKINGS (12/3/13)

Photo Credit: http://en.beijing2008.cn/news/sports

1. Rafael Nadal (Spain) - 13030 points
2. Novak Djokovic (Serbia & Montenegro) - 12260 points
3. David Ferrer (Spain) - 5800 points
4. Andy Murray (Great Britain) - 5790 points
5. Juan Martin del Potro (Argentina) - 5255 points
6. Roger Federer (Switzerland) - 4205 points
7. Tomas Berdych (Czech Republic) - 4180 points
8. Stanislas Wawrinka (Switzerland) - 3730 points
9. Richard Gasquet (France) - 3300 points
10. Jo-Wilfried Tsonga (France) - 3065 points

WOMEN'S TENNIS RANKINGS (12/3/13)

Photo Credit: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/tennis/australianopen

1. Serena Williams (USA) - 13260 points
2. Victoria Azarenka (Belarus) - 8046 points
3. Li Na (China) - 6045 points
4. Maria Sharapova (Russia) - 5891 points
5. Agnieszka Radwanska (Poland) - 5875 points
6. Petra Kvitova (Czech Republic) - 4775 points
7. Sara Errani (Italy) - 4435 points
8. Jelena Jankovic (Serbia & Montenegro) - 4170 points
9. Angelique Kerber (Germany) - 3965 points
10. Caroline Wozniacki (Denmark) - 3520 points

ENGLISH PREMIER LEAGUE LEADING SCORERS

Photo Credit: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/football

1. Luis Suárez (Uruguay) - Liverpool - 17
2. Sergio Agüero (Argentina) - Manchester City - 13
3. Daniel Sturridge (England) - Liverpool - 9
4. Wayne Rooney (England) - Manchester Utd - 8
4. Loïc Remy (France) - Newcastle Utd - 8
4. Aaron Ramsey (Wales) - Arsenal - 8
4. Romelu Lukaku (Belgium) - Everton - 8
4. Yaya Touré (Ivory Coast) - Manchester City - 8
9. Robin Van Persie (Netherlands) - Manchester Utd - 7
9. Olivier Giroud (France) - Arsenal - 7
9. Álvaro Negredo (Spain) - Manchester City - 7

Sunday Sports from A to Z, 12/15/13 Edition

A is for Asiata. With injuries to running backs Adrian Peterson and Toby Gerhart, the Minnesota Vikings were forced to turn to Matt Asiata in their tilt against the Philadelphia Eagles today. Asiata, undrafted out of Utah, entered the day with 3 carries in his CAREER, and none of those coming in 2013. The result? THIRTY carries for 51 yards (not that impressive), but hold on... THREE touchdowns. He also added 3 catches for 15 yards. I know Asiata isn't going to make anyone forget about Adrian Peterson, but Peterson hasn't rushed for 3 scores in a game since October of 2011.

Photo Credit: http://www.sbnation.com/nfl/2013/12/15

B is for Ballon d'Or. The three finalists for the prestigious Ballon d'Or award have been announced by FIFA: Portugal's Cristiano Ronaldo (Real Madrid), France's Franck Ribéry (Bayern Munich) and Argentina's Lionel Messi (Barcelona). Messi has won the award every year since its inception in 2010 but, thanks in large part to a torn thigh muscle, is considered to be out of the running meaning Ronaldo and Ribéry are the two front runners. While Ronaldo is no surprise having been the award's runner-up the past two years, the 30 year old Ribéry is a bit of an aberration. A staple with Bayern Munich since 2007, the French winger helped lead Bayern to wins in the Champions League, and DFB Pokal (German Tournament) as well as first place in the Bundesliga this past year. The winner will be announced in January at the Ballon d’Or award ceremony at the Kongresshaus in Zurich.

Photo Credit: http://www.uefa.org/uefa-best-player-award/news

C is for Club World Cup. We're down to the Final Four in the 2013 FIFA Club World Cup: Guangzhou Evergrande (China), Bayern Munich (Germany), Raja Casablanca (Morocco), and Atlético Mineiro (Brazil). Raja Casablanca, the host club for this year's tournament, has pulled off a pair of upsets so far, knocking off OFC Champions Auckland City (New Zealand), and CONCACAF Champions Monterey (Mexico) by identical 2-1 margins. Guangzhou Evergrande punched their ticket to the semis by defeating Egyptian club, and the African champs, Al-Ahly 2-0. Monterey and Al-Ahly will now face one another for 5th place while the semifinal match-ups will feature Bayern Munich and Guangzhou Evergrande, and Atlético Mineiro and Raja Casablanca. Since the rebirth of the Championship back in 2005, only one country from outside of South America or Europe has reached the finals: TP Mazembe from the Democratic Republic of the Congo back in 2010.

Photo Credit: http://www.stamfordadvocate.com/sports/article

Top Tens - 12/11/13

FIFA MEN'S RANKINGS (11/28/13)

Photo Credit: http://thebadassitudeblog.com

1. SPAIN
2. GERMANY
3. ARGENTINA
4. COLOMBIA
5. PORTUGAL
6. URUGUAY
7. ITALY
8. SWITZERLAND
9. NETHERLANDS
10. BRAZIL

FIFA WOMEN'S RANKINGS (8/2/13)

Photo Credit: http://intrepidmg.wordpress.com/2012/08/17

1. USA
2. GERMANY
3. JAPAN 
4. BRAZIL
5. SWEDEN
6. FRANCE
7. CANADA
8. AUSTRALIA
9. KOREA DPR
10. NORWAY

MEN'S TENNIS RANKINGS (12/3/13)

Photo Credit: http://en.beijing2008.cn/news/sports

1. Rafael Nadal (Spain) - 13030 points
2. Novak Djokovic (Serbia & Montenegro) - 12260 points
3. David Ferrer (Spain) - 5800 points
4. Andy Murray (Great Britain) - 5790 points
5. Juan Martin del Potro (Argentina) - 5255 points
6. Roger Federer (Switzerland) - 4205 points
7. Tomas Berdych (Czech Republic) - 4180 points
8. Stanislas Wawrinka (Switzerland) - 3730 points
9. Richard Gasquet (France) - 3300 points
10. Jo-Wilfried Tsonga (France) - 3065 points

Sports From A to Z, 12/8/13

A is for And we're back! After about a year and a half away from the blogging game, the blog is back.  If you know me, you know how it is with me and sports. Just can't stay away. Gonna try and do a piece every Sunday, we'll see how it goes.

B is for the Brooklyn Nets. Thought to be a legitimate challenger to the Miami Heat in the NBA's Eastern Conference with a core of Kevin Garnett (15 All-Star Games, 1 MVP), Joe Johnson (6 All-Star Games), Paul Pierce (10 All-Star Games), Deron Williams (3 All-Star Games), and Brook Lopez (1 All-Star Game), the Nets dealt the Heat their first loss of the season back on November 1st, 101-100. Since that time though? Just 5 wins in 18 games and with a record of 6-14, they sit tied for 12th place in the Eastern Conference. Of their projected starting five, only Johnson has appeared in every game with Williams missing 11, Lopez 7, Pierce 5 and Garnett 2. On top of that Garnett's averaged a career low 6.5 points per game while shooting just 36% from the field. Their only saving grace? The East is so weak this season that the 8th place Bulls are just 8-10, a mere 3 games up on the Nets.

Photo Credit: http://www.bostonglobe.com/sports

C is for Cano. Robinson Cano and the Seattle Mariners have agreed to a 10 year, $240M contract as the AL West just keeps loading up on star power. The 31 year old second baseman has enjoyed 4 straight all-star seasons, and in the past five years has never hit less than .302 while adding at least 25 homers, 85 runs batted in, and 41 doubles. Seattle used 5 different second basemen in 2013 (Nick Franklin, Dustin Ackley, Robert Andino, Carlos Triunfel and Brad Miller), but none of them can compete with Cano in terms of numbers. In fact, the five of them combined to hit fewer homers (24) than Cano did last season (27). Still, 10 year contracts are a dangerous thing as evidenced to those previously given to Alex Rodriguez and Albert Pujols. That said, it's a definite upgrade for the Mariners right now.

Photo Credit: http://espn.go.com/new-york/mlb

NBA All-Summer League Team

The 2012 Las Vegas Summer League wrapped up on Sunday night. Here's a look at the 13 players who made this year's All-Summer League Team:

Co-MVP - Damian Lillard - Portland Trail Blazers - PG

6th overall pick, 2012 NBA Draft (Weber State)

26.5 ppg, 4.0 rpg, 5.3 apg

Photo Credit: usatoday.com

Co-MVP - Josh Selby - Memphis Grizzlies - PG

49th overall pick, 2011 NBA Draft (Kansas)

24.2 ppg, 2.4 rpg, 3.2 apg

Photo Credit: facebook.com

Malcolm Thomas - Chicago Bulls - F

Undrafted, 2011 (San Diego State)

11.4 ppg, 12.4 rpg, 1.4 apg

Photo Credit: bleacherreport.com

Bradley Beal - Washington Wizards - SG

3rd overall pick, 2012 NBA Draft (Florida)

17.6 ppg, 4.6 rpg, 1.8 apg

Photo Credit: cbssports.com

Tobias Harris - Milwaukee Bucks - F

19th overall pick, 2011 NBA Draft (Tennessee)

20.8 ppg, 7.0 rpg, 1.6 apg

Photo Credit: bleacherreport.com

John Henson - Milwaukee Bucks - PF

14th overall pick, 2012 NBA Draft (North Carolina)

18.3 ppg, 6.8 rpg, 1.5 apg

Photo Credit: bleacherreport.com

Jeremy Lamb - Houston Rockets - G

12th overall pick, 2012 NBA Draft (Connecticut)

20.0 ppg, 4.4 rpg, 0.8 apg

Photo Credit: thedreamshake.com

Dominique Jones - Dallas Mavericks - SG

25th overall pick, 2010 NBA Draft (South Florida)

16.4 ppg, 4.8 rpg, 5.0 apg

Photo Credit: nba.com

Cory Joseph - San Antonio Spurs - PG

29th overall pick, 2011 NBA Draft (Texas)

17.0 ppg, 4.4 rpg, 5.2 apg

Photo Credit: nba.com

Jimmy Butler - Chicago Bulls - SF/SG

30th overall pick, 2011 NBA Draft (Marquette)

20.8 ppg, 6.5 rpg, 2.0 apg

Photo Credit: bleacherreport.com

Kemba Walker - Charlotte Bobcats - PG

9th overall pick, 2011 NBA Draft (Connecticut)

15.8 ppg, 3.6 rpg, 5.8 apg

Photo Credit: dimemag.com

Donatas Motiejunas - Houston Rockets - PF/C

20th overall pick, 2011 NBA Draft (Lithuania)

16.3 ppg, 7.8 rpg, 0.8 apg

Photo Credit: ridiculousupside.com

Jae Crowder - Dallas Mavericks - SF

34th overall pick, 2012 NBA Draft (Marquette)

16.6 ppg, 5.4 rpg, 1.6 apg

Photo Credit: probasketballtalk.nbcsports.com

Smitty's Sunday Mailbag - Jilted Boston Fans Edition

How do you fell about Ray Allen’s decision to go to the Heat?  Disappointing certainly from a Celtic fan’s viewpoint. - Steve S., Scarborough, ME

Photo Credit: zimbio.com

Honestly, I was shocked. If the relationship between Allen and point guard Rajon Rondo had really deteriorated to a point that the two couldn't play together any more, then I can understand him opting to play somewhere else. For me the real shocker is that he opted to go to Miami, who is essentially Boston's biggest rival right now. The Heat eliminated the Celtics from the last two postseasons, and I didn't get the impression that there was any love lost between the two franchises. I guess it just shows how much the culture of the game has changed. Can you imagine Kevin McHale signing on with the Bad Boys Detroit Pistons late in his career? Isaiah Thomas running the point in Chicago? That's basically the equivalent. We're not talking about Steve Nash, who has 0 rings, trying to get one late in his career by joining the Lakers. We're talking about someone who has won a ring, leaving a championship-caliber team (the Celtics were one win away from the NBA Finals) and going to the team that knocked them out of the playoffs. The part that I find funny is that Ray Allen thinks that the Boston fanbase is going to be understanding. Have you met the Boston fanbase, Ray? You're Johnny Damon. Roger Clemens. Eric Mangini. 

Photo Credit: forums.realgm.com

The good news for Celtics fans is that while Ray Allen's perimeter game certainly makes the Heat more formidable, Boston is poised to make a run without him. The addition of Jason Terry gives them a veteran scorer who has embraced his role as super-sub (a la James Harden in Oklahoma City). Terry, who won a ring in Dallas, also has the ability to play both guard positions which is something Allen did not bring to the table. A healthy Avery Bradley gives them a substantial defensive upgrade at shooting guard as well. So Boston's going to be all right, and if they can stay healthy, they may even be better than they were this past season. The only real question that remains is who is going to get booed louder when the Heat come to Boston, LeBron or Ray Allen?

What is with the Sawx and their terrible trades this season? Earlier, Cherington traded for Marlon Byrd who has since been released and now Youk, who may have been slumping but is still Youk, for Lillibridge (batting under .200) and Stewart (ERA over 6.00). AND they paid $5.5M on top! Am I missing something oh swami of the sports world - The Dude, Chesapeake, VA

Let's review some of Red Sox GM Ben Cherington's trades since taking over:

*Traded Josh Reddick, Miles Head and Raul Alcantara to Oakland for Andrew Bailey and Ryan Sweeney.

Photo Credit: savannahnow.com

Sweeney hit .373 with 11 doubles in April. Since then he's hitting .224 with 6 doubles and has yet to hit a home run this season. Andrew Bailey has been out the entire injury with a thumb injury. By comparison, Reddick is 10th in the American League with 20 home runs. Meanwhile 21 year old Miles Head (1B) tore through the California League (.382, 18 HRs) and was promoted to AA. On the year he's hitting .362 with 27 doubles, 20 home runs, and 69 runs batted in. At least Alcantara hasn't blossomed yet. He's 5-8 in 17 starts with a 5.38 ERA in A-ball.

*Traded Jed Lowrie and Kyle Weiland to Houston for Mark Melancon.

Photo Credit: zimbio.com

Melancon managed to get himself demoted to AAA until early June after starting the season by compiling a 49.50 ERA in just 4 appearances; not easy to do. While he's pitched well in his return (1 earned run in 13 2/3 innings) and lowered his ERA to 6.89, he hasn't been pitching in pressure situations which is what Boston brought him in to do. While Lowrie and Weiland are both on the DL in Houston right now, Lowrie has put together a solid campaign for the Astros hitting 14 home runs and leading NL shortstops with a .343 on base percentage.

*Traded Michael Bowden and Hunter Cervenka to the Cubs for Marlon Byrd.

Photo Credit: espn.go.com

Byrd lasted about a month and a half in Boston uniform. The former all star started the year in a 3 for 43 funk with the Cubs before getting traded. While he hit .270 with the Sox he struck out 21 times and walked just twice, he was released on the 12th of June. Bowden has posted a 7.45 with the Cubs since the trade and since been demoted to AAA but has started to find his form down on the farm. In 13 games with the Iowa Cubs Bowden has a 2.12 ERA and is holding opposing hitters to a .180 average while striking out 20 in 17 innings. The 22 year old Cervenka, who was a player to be named later in this deal, has an ERA of 2.00 in 14 minor league relief appearances since joining the Cubs' single-A affiliate Peoria. He's struck out 26 in 27 innings while allowing just 21 hits.

*Traded Kevin Youkilis to the White Sox for Brent Lillibridge and Zach Stewart.

Photo Credit: bleacherreport.com

In 15 games since the trade, Youk has hit .316 (18/57), is driving in a run a game and has an on base percentage over .400. Typical Youkilis numbers. Lillibridge is 2 for 15 in a Red Sox uniform which has actually lowered his average to .167 from .175 at the time of the deal. Stewart currently isn't on the Sox roster instead heading straight to AAA where he's made 4 starts (1-1 3.74 ERA).

So yeah, in terms of value, I think you could argue the Sox have lost every single one of those trades so far. There's a chance Andrew Bailey could change that, but even if he does, you're looking at a record of 1-3. And that's a stretch to say Bailey will be worth more than Reddick moving forward. I know the issue with Youkilis was driven by clubhouse chemistry (seems to be a common issue in Boston right now), but I'm shocked the Sox couldn't get more than Lillibridge, at best a utility infielder, and Stewart (career ERA 5.92). As for the other deals, I don't know what to tell you. It will be interesting to see what the Sox do at the deadline, and to see what exactly Cherington's plan is. I'll tell you what though, if he keeps making deals like this, he won't be around very long.


That does it for this issue. As always a special thanks to everyone who wrote in. And remember, as the great G$ Meyer says Reading is for Winners, especially when you read Smitty's Mailbag.

Got a question for the mailbag? Click on the link at the top of the page or email us directly at smittysports.blogspot@hotmail.com. 

How Good Was the Dream Team?

Photo Credit: interbasket.net

Kobe Bryant made headlines this week when he said that his 2012 Olympic team would be able to beat the 1992 version, aka the original Dream Team. That's quite a statement. And some people were actually AGREEING! Is it possible that people have forgotten just how good that team was? Christian Laettner aside - that team was ridiculous. ELEVEN Hall of Famers. Let's review:

Michael Jordan
Scottie Pippen
John Stockton
Karl Malone
Magic Johnson
Larry Bird
Patrick Ewing
Chris Mullin
David Robinson
Charles Barkley
Clyde Drexler

Now Bryant made the comment that the Dream Team was past their prime and his younger, more athletic version would be able to take advantage of their more seasoned counterparts. Were the members of the Dream Team really past their prime though? AFTER the Olympics:

Jordan won 4 more scoring titles, and 4 more NBA championships.
Pippen made 7 all-defensive first teams and 3 all-NBA first teams.
Stockton led the NBA in assists for the next 4 seasons.
Malone made 3 all-defensive first teams, 7 all-NBA first teams, and won 2 MVPs.
Ewing made 5 more All Star Teams and averaged at least 22 points and 10 rebounds the next 5 years.
Robinson won an MVP, made 2 all-defensive first teams, and made 7 All Star Teams.
Barkley won an MVP and made 5 All Star Teams.
Drexler won a title and made 4 more All Star Teams.
Mullin averaged 26 points the next season.

So the only players on the team who were truly 'past their prime' were Bird and Magic. Let that one sink in. On the other side of the fence, you have Anthony Davis who has never played a game against an NBA player, Tyson Chandler (0 all star appearances), Andre Iguodala (1 all star appearance in 9 seasons), James Harden (0 all star appearances), and other than Kobe, Tyson Chandler and LeBron, the team has combined to win 0 titles. Kevin Love hasn't even played a postseason game yet.

And how would this year's team match up on the court against the Dream Team?

Let's start at the center position. You've got Ewing and Robinson, two of the best low post players in NBA history. And the only true center on this year's roster is Tyson Chandler. After that you have Kevin Love and Anthony Davis as your only real size. Advantage: Dream Team, big time.

Power forwards. Karl Malone, Charles Barkley and Laettner. If Love's your backup center, do you slide LeBron up to the 4 along with Davis? Durant? I don't know if Durant could guard Malone. Or even Sir Charles. Even if we say it's LeBron, I don't think that tips the scales. Malone and Barkley were both extremely physical presences and wouldn't be phased by LeBron's athleticism like a lot of players. Advantage: Push.

Small fowards. Pippen, Bird and Mullin vs Durant, Iguodala and Carmelo. Durant and Anthony are unbelievable scorers, but the Dream Team counters with Larry Legend and one of the best defensive players of all time in Pippen. At worst, this is a push for the Dream Team. People tend to forget just how good Pippen really was since he played his prime in Jordan's shadow. Advantage: Dream Team.

Shooting Guards: Jordan and Drexler vs Kobe and James Harden. I'm sorry, there's no way I'm taking 33 year old Bryant over 29 year old MJ. MJ was the best player on four more title teams. Kobe's no slouch, but he's not doing what young MJ was any more. And if you disagree with that, there's no way Harden is better than Clyde the Glide. Advantage: Dream Team.

Point Guards: Stockton and Magic vs Westbrook, Paul and Deron Williams. The '12 team has more depth, but Stockton, the NBA's all-time assists leader, wasn't exactly a slouch, and Magic is such a mismatch. Even an old Magic was still 6'9". The '12 team counters with athleticism, but how do you get into the lane when the other team has David Robinson AND Patrick Ewing? Advantage: Push.

So I don't really see any area that the '12 team has an advantage, except maybe in transition. But how many transition opportunities do you think they'd get against a team of this caliber?

And one more thing worth mentioning, the '12 team isn't even the best team these guys could've put together. Derrick Rose isn't there, Dwight Howard isn't there. Same with Chris Bosh, Dwyane Wade and now Blake Griffin. How do you expect to beat the 'best team ever assembled' with less than your best?

Sorry Kobe, there will only be one Dream Team.

Tuesday-ish Trivia

This week's question:

Photo Credit: latimes.co

Last night's Major League All Star Game featured two pitchers with less than ten wins (Matt Cain and Justin Verlander both have 9) for the first time in a non-shortened season since 1993. Who were the starting pitchers in the 1993 All Star Game?

Last week's question:

The Kentucky Wildcats recently tied a record when they had six players drafted in the 2012 NBA Draft: Anthony Davis, Michael Kidd-Gilchrist, Terrence Jones, Marquis Teague, Doron Lamb and Darius Miller. What other team had six players drafted in an NBA Draft and who were they?

U.S.A. Men's Basketball Finalizes 12-Man Roster

Photo Credit: telegraph.co.uk

With the Olympics drawing near, the United States has finally named their 12-man roster for the upcoming tournament. Here's a closer look at the squad looking to give the U.S. back-to-back gold medals:

The Thunder are the only NBA team to have three players selected as two thirds of the Miami Heat's "Big Three" - Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh - are skipping the tournament to recover from injuries. The L.A. Clippers and the New York Knicks both have two members on the team while Philadelphia, the Lakers, Brooklyn (that's right, they're not the New Jersey Nets any more), Miami and Minnesota all have one representative.

Some other interesting things to note:

*Tyson Chandler is the only center on the U.S. roster.

*Kevin Durant, Russell Westbrook, Andre Iguodala, Kevin Love and Tyson Chandler were all members of Team USA's 2010 FIBA World Championship team that won gold in Turkey. Durant was the tournament's third leading scorer (22.8 ppg) and MVP for a USA team that went 9-0.

*LeBron James and Carmelo Anthony are the only U.S. players playing on their third Olympic team. James was 19 and Anthony 20 when the U.S. took bronze in 2004 after losing first round games to Puerto Rico and Lithuania, and then getting knocked out in the semifinals by Luis Scola, Manu Ginobili and Argentina.

*The U.S. outscored its opponents 850-627 in eight games at the Olympics in 2008. Dwyane Wade was the American's leading scorer in 2008 averaging 16.1 points per game.

*The U.S. is expected to face its biggest challenge in Spain, the 2008 silver medalists. Spain's roster boasts the Gasol brothers Pau and Marc, Oklahoma City's Serge Ibaka, and a backcourt that includes Ricky Rubio, Rudy Fernandez and Jose Calderon.