Sports Then and Now

As we all continue to get used to the “new (and hopefully temporary) normal”, lack of live sports has likely been one of the things mostly missed in the evenings. Instead of unwinding while watching an NHL or NBA game or catching up on March Madness, the evenings has become a time for Law & Order SVU reruns and watching the same shows over and over on HGTV.

Fortunately, YouTube is home to a plethora of vintage sporting events that can help pass the time before live sports return.

In part two of a multi-part series, Sports Then and Now has selected 10 college basketball NCAA Tournament games that include some of the all-time moments and players in college basketball history. In part one we selected great conference tournament games and you can check those out through this link.

In this edition, we have chosen 10 games from the first two weeks of the NCAA Tournament, so these are games up through the Regional Finals. For each one we have included the records, rankings, coaches and notable players at the time of the game, but are not spoiling the game with a summary in case you don’t remember the outcome and want to enjoy the moment without spoilers.

Among the players you can check out during their college days are all-time greats Larry Bird, Michael Jordan, Stephen Curry, James Worthy and Sam Perkins. You can also watch some great upsets and last minute heroics.

There are certainly other great games to watch on YouTube, but we have chosen these party because the entire game is available on YouTube and the game epitomized the excitement of March Madness.

Enjoy!

2008 Second Round – #10 Davidson vs. #2 Georgetown

Records Entering Game: Davidson 27-6; Georgetown 28-5

National Ranking: Davidson: #23; Georgetown:

Coaches: Davidson:  Bob McKillop; Georgetown: John Thompson, Jr.

Notable Players: Davidson: Stephen Curry, Jason Richards, Thomas Sander; Georgetown: Roy Hibbert, DaJuan Summers, Jonathan Wallace

2006 Regional Finals – #11 George Mason vs. #1 University of Connecticut

Records Entering Game: George Mason: 26-7; Connecticut: 30-3

National Ranking: George Mason: not ranked; Connecticut: #1

Coaches: George Mason: Jim Larranaga; Connecticut: Jim Calhoun

Notable Players: George Mason: Jai Lewis, Tony Skinn, Lamar Butler; Connecticut: Rudy Gay, Rashad Anderson, Josh Boone, Hilton Armstrong

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The NBA All-Star Weekend has become a great mid-season opportunity to celebrate and enjoy the great athletes of the NBA.

NASCAR does things a little different than other sports as they start each year with their biggest and most prestigious race, the Daytona 500.

NBA All-Star Game is a Star Studded Event

Professional sports All-Star games are kind of like new pennies. They are too bright and alluring not to pick up, but you quickly realize that they aren’t really worth much.

Of the “big 3” sports, the NBA All-Star Game is probably the best, if only because the rosters are small enough that you have some of the best stars on the court from opening tip to final horn.

In recent years, the NBA has turned the concept of the All-Star Game into a star-studded three-day extravaganza where the actual game can almost be anti-climatic to all the events that precede it.

The idea of special events in advance of the All-Star Game actually dates back to the ABA when Julius Erving dazzled fans with his famous foul line dunk. The NBA created its own dunk contest in 1984 and added a three-point shootout two years later. The weekend now includes a celebrity and rising stars games that were played last night as well as the dunk contest, three-point contest and skills challenge that will happen tonight.

By the time the actual All-Stars take to the court on Sunday night, seemingly half the players in the NBA will have participated in one event or another. Read the rest of this entry →

The NBA season is less than two months old, but it already seems clear that we have a pretty good idea of where things are heading.

If you were putting down betting odds, it would be a pretty safe bet that come June, Stephen Curry and the Golden State Warriors will be facing LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers in the NBA Finals for the third straight year, but anyone who is interested in the top betting websites can click here and enter sportsbettingsitez.co.uk to give the online sports gaming experience a try.

After winning an NBA record 73 games a year ago, the Warriors added one of the top five players in the NBA during the offseason with the addition of Kevin Durant. After losing two of their first six games, the Warriors have lost only two more times and again have the best record in the NBA with a 23-4 mark.

Though they may not finish the season with as many regular season victories as a year ago, the Warriors are arguably a better team than a year ago. Their scoring average is up 2.4 points per contest and they are connecting on 49.4% of their field goals, compared to 48.7% a year ago.

The addition of Durant has given them a third scorer capable of posting big numbers any night. Though he is third on the team in shots attempts, Durant is leading the team in scoring at 25.5 points per contest and is second at 8.4 rebounds per contest.

Though Curry’s overall statistics are down a bit from his MVP numbers from a year ago, he is still averaging 24.9 points and 5.9 assists per contest.

While Klay Thompson’s scoring average is down slightly (from 22.1 to 21.7 ppg), his recent 60 point game is a reminder that he is an elite level scorer.

The Golden State player whose statistical numbers have taken the biggest hit following the addition of Durant is Draymond Green. Still an important player for the Warriors, his scoring has dropped from 14 to 10.8 points per game and he is averaging 8.5 rebounds per game (compared to 9.5 last season).

As was the case a year ago, the true test for the Warriors will come in the postseason. Last year they overcame Durant and the Oklahoma City Thunder. This year, with Durant now wearing their uniform, it appears the San Antonio Spurs will provide the biggest challenge. Read the rest of this entry →

At the halfway point of the 2014-2015 NBA season the league seems to be turned upside down.

The best records in the league are held by the Atlanta Hawks and Golden State Warriors, two teams with marginal pedigrees.

The Warriors last hoisted the NBA championship trophy 40 years ago when Rick Barry and Jamaal Wilkes led the way.

The last championship won by the Hawks was in 1958 when the team was based in St. Louis and Bob Pettit was the quintessential NBA star.

Conversely, two teams with nearly half of the titles in NBA history between them, the Boston Celtics and Los Angeles Lakers, are out of contention and already looking at next season.

According to top sports betting sites listed at www.sportsbettingacumen.com, the Warriors and Hawks are now among the favorites to win the NBA title.

However, given that neither team has a great track record of playoff performance, it is hard to slot them in as the likely finalists just yet.

Even with a 36-8 mark to start the season and two legitimate stars in Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson, it will be tough for the Warriors to make it out of the tough Western Conference. With seven teams in the conference already with 30 victories, the Phoenix Suns close behind (28 wins) and the Oklahoma City Thunder (23-23) now healthy and likely to push for a spot in the playoffs. Read the rest of this entry →