Sports

With Longtime Powers Sidelined, NBA Playoffs Have Fresh Look

Published

9 years ago

May 8, 2015

Houston Rockets guard James Harden (13) and guard Pablo Prigioni (9) react to a Harden 3-pointer against the Los Angeles Clippers during Game 2 in a second-round NBA basketball playoff series Wednesday, May 6, 2015, in Houston. The Rockets won 115-109. (AP Photo/Houston Chronicle, James Nielsen)

PAUL NEWBERRY, AP Sports Writer

Spurs and Celtics? Already eliminated.

Lakers and Heat? Didn’t even make the playoffs.

There’s a new look to this NBA postseason, which will crown a champion that hasn’t won the title in at least 17 years — or, quite possibly, a franchise that has never been on top.

“There is not just one dominant team,” Washington’s Bradley Beal said Thursday. “You’re not going to see the same teams.”

Indeed, of the eight conference semifinalists, the most recent to win a championship is the Chicago Bulls, who claimed the last of six Michael Jordan-era titles in 1998. The Houston Rockets are the only other multiple champion still playing, winning back-to-back titles in 1994-95.

There are two franchises that won their only championships so long ago, well, one had a different nickname (the Washington Wizards were the Bullets when they took the 1978 title) and another was in a different city (the 1958 St. Louis Hawks, who moved to Atlanta a decade later). The Golden State Warriors are 40 years removed from their lone championship season, but at least they’ve got a banner.

The Los Angeles Clippers, Cleveland Cavaliers and Memphis Grizzlies have never won a title.

“I don’t think there’s any question that fresh faces and new teams invigorate the sport,” Grizzlies general manager Chris Wallace said. “It adds new flavors for the fans to sample. And they like it. The game has never really been more popular on a global standpoint than it is right now.”

While the NBA was the first major North American league to put in a salary cap, it’s had the most exclusive group of champions. Over the last 16 years, just three teams — the Los Angeles Lakers, San Antonio Spurs and Miami Heat — have hogged a total of 13 titles.

Going back even farther to the launch of the modern NBA in 1950, two teams — the Boston Celtics, with 17 banners, and the Lakers, who have a total of 15 including their time in Minneapolis — account for nearly half the championships.

That’s why this season really stands out for the NBA.

“Whoever wins is going to be a brand new face,” Warriors coach Steve Kerr said. “That’s exciting for those of us who are still playing.”

Some possible reasons for this changing of the playoff guard:

TEAM BALL

San Antonio proved last year that a team doesn’t need a megastar to win the title, and plenty of teams are trying to follow the Spurs model.

Most notable is Atlanta, where the roster was expertly assembled by former Spurs executive Danny Ferry and the coach is Mike Budenholzer, a longtime assistant under San Antonio’s Gregg Popovich. The Hawks went 60-22 and claimed a top seed in the East for the first time since 1994 with an absurdly balanced lineup; the five starters averaged between 12 and 17 points a game.

Ball movement is now the order of the day, the isolation play largely viewed as a forgettable relic. With everyone sharing in this fast-paced style, it’s no longer necessary to have one of the five best players in the game to be a title contender.

“It’s more of a team game,” Hawks guard Jeff Teague said. “A team like us, that doesn’t have what you would call a superstar, can be a really good team.”

TOUGHER CAP

While the NBA first instituted a salary cap in the 1980s, it was long nothing more than an annoyance for the power franchises, which were still able to go after pretty much anyone they wanted.

The lockout of 2011 changed that. Under the current collective bargaining agreement, there are shorter contracts and tougher financial penalties for teams that spend too much.

While it’s still too early to know exactly how much this CBA will affect the competitive balance, the league touts the measures as a means to getting more teams in the mix (and making the owners a lot more profitable).

With franchises now selling for astronomical amounts, the players figure to push back on these measures the next chance they get. No matter what, it figures to have a long-term impact on the way rosters are built and maintained.

WHERE’S LEBRON

It still helps to have the best player in the world. And there’s no one better than LeBron James.

After heading to South Beach to join Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh in 2010, James led Miami to four straight NBA Finals and two championships.

When James returned to Cleveland this season, the balance of power shifted northward. The Heat missed the playoffs, while the Cavaliers finished second in the East behind Atlanta.

Even with the King in the mix for another title, there will surely be a different look to the celebration.

“That’s what the NBA really wants,” Atlanta’s Kyle Korver said. “They want everyone to feel that if you manage your team well, put a good team together, coach them well and play hard, it doesn’t matter if you’re a big market or a small market. You’re going to have a chance.”

___

AP Sports Writers Teresa Walker in Nashville, Antonio Gonzalez in Oakland and Beth Harris in Los Angeles, and AP freelance writers Benjamin Standig in Washington and Clay Bailey in Memphis contributed to this report.

___

Follow Paul Newberry on Twitter at www.twitter.com/pnewberry1963

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Rajah Caruth: Young Trailblazer of NASCAR

Imagine you’re only 22 years old and already making a name for yourself in NASCAR, one of the most thrilling sports in the US. That is the life of Rajah Kirby Caruth, an American professional stock car racing driver.

Published

14 hours ago

May 4, 2024

Oakland Post

Rajah Kirby Caruth, an American professional stock car racing driver. (File Photo)

By Tamara Shiloh

Born June 11, 2002, in Washington, DC, he was drawn to the sport as a child after seeing the Disney Pixar film “Cars.”

Caruth dreamed of tooling around the track like the main character in “Cars,” Lightning McQueen. His enthusiasm grew when his parents surprised him with a trip to the NASCAR Cup Series race at Richmond Raceway when he was 12.

In 2018, while keeping busy with school, sports and a summer job, Caruth and his family held fundraisers so that he could buy an iRacing simulator. Then, at age 16, he traded a real driver’s license to race virtually in the eNASCAR Ignite Series, which led to him being recruited by the NASCAR Drive for Diversity Program.

His first big opportunity came in 2019 when he competed in a “Legends” car at Charlotte Motor Speedway in the Bojangles’ Southern Shootout and recorded two top-third in the semi-pro points.

People began to recognize Caruth’s talents. In 2020, he stepped up to the NASCAR Advance Auto Parts Weekly Series and became the first African American to win at Greenville-Pickens Speedway in a late model race. The next year, he won at Tri-County Motor Speedway and picked up his fourth overall late model victory.

Then, he became the first person of color to win at the South Carolina track.

In 2021, Caruth announced he would compete full-time in the ARCA Menards Series East for Rev Racing, where he finished third in the standings, including a series of top-five finishes. He made his NASCAR Xfinity Series debut on a bigger stage as well.

Then, in 2022, thing really took off. A new chapter found Caruth at NASCAR’s unofficial Triple A league with GMS Racing, where he drives full-time for the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series, with a sponsorship from The Wendell Scott Foundation. After a few setbacks, he broke into the top 10 several times, finishing at a career-high 6th at Darlington Raceway.

Fast-forward to 2024, and Caruth’s took the third major step in his career. He is now driving full-time in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series for Spire Motorsports and has been making the news for putting on stellar performances. Oh, and he won at Las Vegas: his first career victory.

From an impressionable young racing fan to a professional NASCAR driver, Caruth is charting a new path, creating history, and inspiring people to always remember that if you have the talent, the drive, and most of all, the heart, anything can be achieved.

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Salesian Coach Knew Angel Jackson Could Play in WNBA

Back in 2019, Salesian Girls Basketball Head Coach Stephen Pezzola made a bold prediction about one of his players, Angel Jackson. “If she keeps putting in the work like she did for us, she could be in the WNBA,” the coach said. That turned out to be very true. Last month, the Las Vegas Aces selected Jackson with the 36th overall pick in the 2024 WNBA Draft. She is the second player from an Historically Black College or University, or HCBU, to be selected in the draft in 20 years.

Published

18 hours ago

May 4, 2024

Oakland Post

Angel Jackson. Photo courtesy of Jackston State.

The Richmond Standard

Back in 2019, Salesian Girls Basketball Head Coach Stephen Pezzola made a bold prediction about one of his players, Angel Jackson.

“If she keeps putting in the work like she did for us, she could be in the WNBA,” the coach said.

That turned out to be very true. Last month, the Las Vegas Aces selected Jackson with the 36th overall pick in the 2024 WNBA Draft. She is the second player from an Historically Black College or University, or HCBU, to be selected in the draft in 20 years.

Jackson’s success came as little surprise to Pezzola, who last year led the Pride to their 8th North Coast Section championship since he took over the program in 2008-2009. In 2019, Pezzola commended Jackson as “a very coachable kid” from the time she arrived at Salesian.

Tomekia Reed, her coach at Jackson State, shared similar sentiments, noting Jackson worked “very hard” to reach this moment.

“She came into our program doing great things and never looked back,” Reed told the Clarion Ledger. “She has trusted our leadership as we were able to develop her into an amazing player. I have watched her improve tremendously over the years.”

The 6’-6” Jackson played three seasons at the University of Southern California before transferring to Jackson State. She was ranked 10th in the NCAA in blocked shots and averaged 10 points per game in her final college season.

She finished her collegiate career with 1,047 points and was twice named Southwestern Athletic Conference Defensive Player of the Year.

As the 36th pick, Jackson was the final pick in the 2024 NBA Draft. In a television interview, Jackson said she didn’t expect to be picked, and called the moment “surreal.”

“It made me feel so appreciative that HBCU is getting back on the map again,” she said.

All she could do in that moment was cry.

“I called my mom immediately, and she started crying,” Jackson said. “It was the best moment you can feel as a young lady.”

There’s no stopping Jackson now. “The sky is the limit,” she said.

Her high school coach agrees.

“I knew that Angel could do it,” Coach Pezzola told the Richmond Standard this week. “We are so proud of Angel and what she has accomplished. It was an honor and joy to coach Angel at Salesian.”

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Oakland WNBA Player to be Inducted Into Hall of Fame

The Multi-Ethnic Sports Hall of Fame (MESHOF) announced that it will induct Dr. Alexis Gray-Lawson, a former WNBA player and Oakland Technical High School graduate at its inaugural Curt Flood Platinum Award Ceremony in February. Gray-Lawson’s Platinum Award is part of the Hall of Fame’s 24th Annual Bay Area induction and award ceremony, where four other retired professional athletes will be honored.

Published

2 weeks ago

April 20, 2024

Oakland Post

Photo Courtesy of Alexis Gray Lawson.

By Post staff

The Multi-Ethnic Sports Hall of Fame (MESHOF) announced that it will induct Dr. Alexis Gray-Lawson, a former WNBA player and Oakland Technical High School graduate at its inaugural Curt Flood Platinum Award Ceremony in February.

Gray-Lawson’s Platinum Award is part of the Hall of Fame’s 24th Annual Bay Area induction and award ceremony, where four other retired professional athletes will be honored.

The banquet and ceremony will be held from 5:45 to 10 p.m. on Saturday, Feb. 24, at the George P. Scotlan Convention Center at Oakland’s Marriott Civic Center Hotel.

“I am truly honored to receive this incredible nomination,” said Dr. Alexis Gray-Lawson, who, along with college teammate Devanei Hampton, lead Oakland Tech to its second consecutive state title in 2005. “It took a village to raise me and get me here, and I truly am excited to continue the legacy.”

Gray-Lawson, a “second team” Parade All-American and an All-State honoree, as a senior in ’05, was chosen for the California Interscholastic Federation sportsmanship award. She only lost one game throughout her four-year career in high school. Her jersey was retired at Oakland Tech and placed in the National High School Hall of Fame as a four-time All-City recipient, averaging 17.2 points per game during her career.

Gray-Lawson received scholarships in volleyball, softball, and basketball before deciding to travel up College Avenue to the University of California, Berkeley. There, she played in more basketball games (143) than any other player in Golden Bears’ history. She finished her career as the Bears all-time 3-point leader (211), and she is ranked third in scoring with 1,982 points.

An All-Pac 10 and honorable mention All-American in 2010, Gray-Lawson also was the top player at 5’8” or under for the Frances Pomeroy Naismith Award. Later that year, she was a third-round pick of the Washington Mystics in 2010 and played with the Phoenix Mercury of the Women’s National Basketball Association in 2011 and 2012. She also played professionally overseas in Turkey and Israel.

Other inductees are Clifford Ray (Basketball); Lee Lacy (Baseball); Spencer Haywood (Basketball); and Mohinder Singh Gil (Track & Field).

Organizers say the event promises to be a “historic and celebratory evening,” and iconic personalities from across the professional sports industry and its various disciplines will attend.

The no-host cocktail hour begins at 5:45 p.m.; dinner at 6:45 p.m.; and the ceremony at 7:45 p.m. All times are prompt. General tickets are $250.00; Seniors (65 and older) $150.00, and students $50. This includes dinner and the ceremony. Tables of 10 are available as well, and early purchase is recommended.

MESHOF is a 501(c) (3) nonprofit organization dedicated to honoring athletes from all corners of the globe who have made significant contributions to the world of sports and broadening the public’s understanding of the contributions people of color have made to professional sports; and to provide educational life skills and mentorship opportunities for deserving youth. Proceeds will help maintain the City of Oakland’s Curt Flood Field, Oakland Parks & Recreation, and MESHOF’s after school and mental health initiatives.

Tickets can be purchased online at www.multiethnicsportshof.com. For additional information, please contact: Arif Khatlib @ afrosportshall@aol.com or India Alston @ india@beamcreativehouse.com