Mavs find Heat's kryptonite... high fives

One might say that Lebron's no-show in game 4 or Dirk's performances in the fourth quarter have led Dallas to a 2-2 tie with the superstar-laden Miami Heat. But that might not be the case, high fives could be the Mavs' secret weapon.

The Mavericks, with 250 slaps, hugs, taps or bumps, are almost twice as touchy-feely as the Heat, who had only 134 instances of televised contact. In those three games, the Mavericks were 82% more likely to high five.

The concept of "chemistry" on a sports team has become the stuff of cliché over the years. Nobody seems to have the same definition for what it is, or what produces it. But last fall, three researchers at the University of California, Berkeley, took a serious look at one of the most obvious signs of camaraderie on a team—touching.

The study, which was titled "Tactile Communication, Cooperation and Performance: An Ethological Study of the NBA," was authored by Michael W. Kraus, Cassy Huang and Dacher Keltner. After reviewing broadcasts of games from the 2008-09 season, they concluded that good teams tend to be much more hands-on than bad ones. Teams whose players touched the most often were more cooperative, played better and won more games, they said.


Hear that Lebron!?!?!? Get your high-fives together!

The Good, the Bad and the Ugly of the NBA Playoffs

Haven't been watching the NBA playoffs? Why the heck not? In what could easily be the best post season product out of all the major sports, the NBA playoffs have not disappointed so far.

Mas Sports' Riley Lemm has a rundown on The Good, the Bad and the Ugly of the NBA Playoffs so far. You can read that right here. 

NOTE: He does not mention the Spurs. Why? Because the Spurs do not matter. They're not entertaining. They're old. They're completely irrelevant. Is anyone really on the edge of their seats for the Portland-Dallas playoff series. No, because the Western Conference this year is a relative old folks home compared to the hip and exciting teams in the East.

I'm not talking about who's better from an actual X's and O's. I'm talking about from a fan's perspective. Other than fans in those cities, nobody is going to be thrilled about whoever makes the Finals from the West except for the Thunder. Lakers? Been there, done that. Spurs? Gag me and throw me down a well. Hornets? All four of their fans will be jumping for joy. Grizzlies? Yeah right, like that will happen. Blazers? Brandon Roy doesn't quite have the Bazinga! as Lebron James. Nuggets? Wait, who's on that team now? Steve Kerr?

Polson soccer player better than Blake Griffin

Move over Blake Griffin. Polson soccer player Riley Lemm shows how hoops are done in Lake County...



(Check out his blog, MasSports)

Homeless man gets jobs offers from NFL Films, Cleveland Cavaliers

This man has a crazy good radio voice, and after drugs and alcohol had him living in a tent near the road, the Columbia Dispatch did a story on the "Man with the golden voice" and now he's gotten job offers from NFL Films and the Cleveland Cavs.

Ted Williams, a former radio announcer, was living in a tent near a highway, his life ruined by drugs and alcohol, until the Columbus Dispatch posted a video of him begging for money, thus showcasing the man with the golden voice.

The video, which highlighted his majestically silky voice, went viral on the Internet. Williams, 56, has since been flooded with job offers, including one from NFL Films and another from the Cleveland Cavaliers, who offered him a two-year contract and volunteered to pay for his living expenses.

"I don't know which one to choose, which one is the right one," he said on "Today," regarding the job prospects.

Williams flew Wednesday to New York to see his 90-year-old mother, Julia, whom he said supported him through his struggles with addiction.

"She has always been my best friend," he told the Associated Press on Wednesday, crying. "When I was a kid, she would take me down to Radio City Music Hall and on the subway. I'm just glad that she is still around. I prayed that she would live long enough that I could make her proud and see could her son do something other than stand along the side of the road with a sign asking for money."

Wow. What an uplifting story. Best of luck to him! Only in America.

Is this what the Heat need to do to win?

Remember when the Nets were considered possible suitors for King James?

Well that bridge has officially been burned.

The Heat defeated the Nets 101-78 tonight and what was most surprising was nobody from the Big 3 had a huge night. James had 20 points, Wade had 17 and Bosh had 18. This begs to question... is this what Miami needs to do to win?

Rondo's big adventure tonight

Rajon Rondo has an absolute sick night tonight. There's good nights. Then there's great nights. Then there's ALMOST BREAKING BOB COUSY RECORDS nights. Rondo had the latter.

Rondo had a triple-double with a career-high 24 assists on Friday night to lead Boston to a 105-101 victory over the New York Knicks. It was second-most in franchise history and the most since Bob Cousy had 28 in 1959.

"It means a lot, but I'll try and catch him," Rondo said of being on a list with the Hall of Famer. "[It's] all about the teammates. If they don't make the shots, we don't get team assists."

Rondo had 10 points and 10 rebounds and topped his regular-season best of 18 assists set against Sacramento in March; he also had two playoff games with 19.

I don't want to make any overstatements, but we're watching one of the best point guards in NBA history in the making. If he continues to do this it will be Rajon Rondo and then that guy named Cousy.

And if you missed it, the freakin' Heat gave the Magic a whooping.

Lebron was Robin to Dwayne Wade's Batman again. Uh-oh legacy trackers...

Celtics lose to Cleveland

I'm not sure exactly how this happens, but it just goes to show you that the NBA season is 82 games. The Celtics lost to the Cleveland Cavs last night 95-87, prompting a wave of "Cleveland doesn't need Lebron!" talk from ESPN and probably a few delusional fans.

Brandon's rants and rambling about the NBA

I'm a closet NBA fan and chances are this blog will have a bit of NBA commentary from time to time. Last night the league kicked off its season, which could become one of the most intriguing and interesting one in years. If you missed the Heats-Celts game last night, you missed a heck of a game... for Boston. Here's what happened...

Last night in Lake County Sports... Oct. 14

Click "read more" to get the full breakdown of sports in the Mission Valley last night. (And no, Michael Jordan did not dunk of Craig Ehlo in the Mission Valley last night).

What would Toni Kukoc do?

His nickname was "The Waiter" because he would dish up so many oppourtunities for his teammates. I just remember playing him on NBA Live 98 and thinking "Why the heck am I not playing Jordan, why can't I play as Jordan."

There seriously needs to be a Tony Kukoc day for all 90s NBA fans to remember another wonderful footnote in the history of the Bulls dynasties. Could we also have a Steve Kerr Day? A B.J. Armstrong day? Remember jacking threes in NBA Jam with Armstrong, was he not the best threat from three-point land in that game?

So when you're having a bad day, remember, what would Toni Kukoc do?

NBA Lockout looking more and more real

This is not the information you want to hear about one of your favorite sports leagues.


NEW YORK -- Insisting that the NBA's financial projections "don't hold water," players' association executive director Billy Hunter says he's seen nothing to change his belief that a lockout is possible.


Hunter disputes commissioner David Stern's forecast of nearly $400 million in losses this season, countering that the league's basketball-related revenues increased to their highest point ever in 2009-10.


The league's collective bargaining agreement expires next summer, and the sides remain far apart on talks for a new one, creating fears of the first work stoppage since 1998-99.

I remember 1998-99 and it sucked. SUCKED, not to have basketball. This is not good news.

Lebron will wear No. 6 in Miami

Good luck burning No. 23 jerseys, Cleveland fans, because Lebron is changing his number to no. 6. I'm trying to figure out why but other than merchandising reasons, the no. 6 makes absolutely no sense. Although one could take it like Lebron is no longer trying to live in the shadow of Jordan? Or is that too poetic?

As we all know, LeBron James(notes) filed papers to change his number from 23 to 6 back when he was still in Cleveland. But now that he's switched teams, that's irrelevant. However, judging by what the NBA's online store is offering, James will be wearing 6 when he joins the Heat this fall. 

Well my no. 23 Heat jersey is totally worthless now.

How Cleveland is taking the news...

7 years, no rings in Cleveland. Ouch.

Lebron Day!

So I'm trying to wrap my brain around what is going to happen to the NBA tomorrow. Lebron will single handedly change the landscape of the league or leave it the same if he stays in Cleveland. Here's the teams that I think he should go to:

Tune Squad - Lebron, Michael Jordan, Bill Murray and Tweety Bird. Unstoppable!
WCW Wolfpack - Nothing would be better than Lebron descending from the rafters and hitting Clay Bennett with a steel chair. I want this to happen so bad.
Duke - I know this violates the NCAA rules, but like USC, they wouldn't do anything until five years after the fact.
Cleveland Browns - Wait... the Browns would have an actual athlete on their roster?
Jersey Shore - Lets compare him and Snooki.
Washington State Football - Please god, let this happen. PLEASE GOD MAKE THE BLEEDING STOP.

Golden State Warriors just got a whole lot cooler

Check out the new (or old) logo that the Golden State Warriors are going for. It hearkens back to the day of when sports uniforms weren't gawdy Star Trek uniforms.

Awesome. I'm so pumped about this. You can read the full story here.

New jerseys are marvels

Check out the new threads for Team USA. And as usual, Nike has gone scientific on us.

When the United States men's national basketball team heads to Turkey for the FIBA World Championships this summer, they're going to look pretty cool. It's hard to mess up red, white and blue, and the various manufacturers who have supplied their uniforms throughout the years haven't made very many missteps. But this year, they're also going to feel cool thanks to a couple tweaks by Nike.

Through some kind of clothing wizardry, Nike has eliminated more than 13 inches of fabric from a typical basketball jersey, and probably double that when compared to Allan Houston's tarp-like mid-90s shirt. The back of the jersey will once again feature "Aerographics," which you probably know as those intricately-designed perforations that make it look like everyone has a super sweaty back like Patrick Ewing. And yes, that's two zings on the New York Knicks, who have been the antithesis of on-court aesthetics for two decades running. Make that three.

Aside from the extra tailoring, the jerseys are about the same. The shorts are the big story, as far as international basketball clothing news goes. Thanks to Nike's new Hyperelite design, the shorts are about half as light as a normal basketball short when dry. Get them wet — like, you know, from sweating during a game — and they're even better, weighing less when soaked (10.1 oz.) than a normal pair does when dry (13.6).

Don't ask me how that's done, I think they're defying the laws of physics.

Shot Doctor

Wally West, left, works with Robert Faoa of Ronan during the Shot Docter basketball camp being held this Thursday and Friday at Ronan High School. West came from Georgia and was the fifth-round draft pick by the Utah Jazz in 1980. West played college ball at Boston College under Rick Pitino.

Don't forget about Derek Fisher

This gets me every time when the Lakers are in the Finals. Derek Fisher turns in a clutch performance and the media acts like they've been blindsided. He's been doing this for years! Granted, he has played old and washed-up for most of the season but one thing you can never do in the NBA playoffs is underestimate somebody that has been there before.

Fisher took over in the fourth quarter last night, scoring four clutch baskets to help LA beat Boston 91-84. That gives the Lakers a 2-1 lead in the series and lets them regain home court advantage. He finished with 16 points, second highest to Kobe's 29 on the team.

Now, many people have said he's been playing like a wet suitcase all season. Many people were right, but mark my word, you can always count on Derek Fisher coming up big in the clutch. He's hit big threes, he's caused Sacramento Kings fans to contemplate jump off a building and he's been every bit a staple of the Lakers' greatness as Kobe.

Is he as good as Kobe? Heck no. Not even close. He's a role player for sure. However, Fisher is also a veteran that knows where he needs to be at the right time. When the moment is right, he knows when to pull the trigger. He understands that no matter how terrible he is during the regular season, all it takes is some plays in the post-season to help your team.

That is why, you can never count out Derek Fisher. He'll come back to bite you.