Most Acceptable Jerseys to Wear

At every game I go to I see guys wearing questionable jerseys. That guy wearing the Dion Waiters jersey at the Thunder game or an Alex Len jersey in Phoenix. Complete head scratchers, like dude, where did you even find that Hollis Thompson jersey? It's time we hang up these illegitimate jerseys and start rocking acceptable ones. Don't worry guys, Sideline Sports Reports is here to save you the embarrassment and to show you the way of the jersey. Now donate that Swaggy P jersey to Goodwill and check out the list of the most acceptable jerseys to wear for each team. This is an idea I got from radio DJ Peter Rosenberg while he was filling in on Friday's edition of Russillo and Kanell.

Atlanta Hawks- Kyle Korver, Not the best player on the team, but a perfect fit with the Hawks
Boston Celtics- Isaiah Thomas
Brooklyn Nets- Brook Lopez
Charlotte Hornets- Kemba Walker
Chicago Bulls- Jimmy Butler, Sorry D-Rose
Cleveland Cavaliers- LeBron James
Dallas Mavericks- Dirk Nowitzki
Denver Nuggets- Danilo Gallinari
Detroit Pistons- Andre Drummond
Golden State Warriors- Stephen Curry, Most Warriors jerseys are acceptable
Houston Rockets- James Harden
Indiana Pacers- Paul George
Los Angeles Clippers- Chris Paul
Los Angeles Lakers- Kobe Bryant, Legends are allowed to suck
Memphis Grizzlies- Marc Gasol
Miami Heat- Dwyane Wade, Not their best player, but a life long member of the Heat
Milwaukee Bucks- Giannis Antetokounmpo, Must have broad shoulders to wear this one
Minnesota Timberwolves- Kevin Garnett, *See Kobe
New Orleans Pelicans- Anthony Davis
New York Knicks- Kristaps Porzingis, Can you really trust Melo to stay in New York?
Oklahoma City Thunder- Kevin Durant/Russell Westbrook
Orlando Magic- Nikola Vucevic
Philadelphia 76ers- Jahlil Okafor
Phoenix Suns- Eric Bledsoe
Portland Trail Blazers- Damian Lillard
Sacramento Kings- DeMarcus Cousins
San Antonio Spurs- Tim Duncan, *See D-Wade
Toronto Raptors- Kyle Lowry
Utah Jazz- Gordon Hayward
Washington Wizards- John Wall

Grayson Gold-Garvey, Twitter @TheGraygo

MVP So Far and Who To Watch

The NBA season is almost to Christmas Day and we still have a team that’s unbeaten, the Golden State Warriors are 24-0 and are creeping up on the 1971-72 Lakers’ 33-game winning streak. If the Warriors are to get passed that mark and establish a longer streak, I’m not sure when they’ll lose. The 1995-96 Steve Kerr led Chicago Bulls set the bar high with a 72-10 record and when you talk to NBA people across the league they know that record could be in jeopardy. Nonetheless, there are other players and teams in the NBA so let’s focus on that.

Who’s Got The MVP So Far? This might be an easy one for some but for the sake of me writing this article I’ll throw some names out there.

1. Steph Curry: It’s simple, the Warriors are 24-0 and Steph Curry is leading the way. 32.2 PPG, 52% FG, 46%
2. Paul George: The Pacers weren’t really thought of as a team to beat in the Eastern Conference, and they probably aren’t, but don’t tell Paul George that. George only played in 6 games last season after coming back from injury and has the Pacers quietly in 4^th place in the East at 13-8. If PG13 can keep putting up the numbers he is the Pacers could sneak into the Conference Finals. 27.9 PPG, 8.2 RPG, 4.3 APG
3. LeBron James: James isn’t having his best season but he has the Cavaliers atop the Eastern Conference. He won’t say it but the four-time MVP has revenge on his mind after losing to Steph Curry not only in the MVP race last year but the NBA Finals as well. Don’t count out The King. 26.5 PPG, 7.9 RPG, 6.4 APG
4.  Russell Westbrook: With Kevin Durant missing some time Russell Westbrook has been the catalyst for a Thunder team that sits third in the Western Conference at 14-8. Last season Westbrook was on a triple double watch nearly every night and this season is no different. Right now not many teams look like they can challenge the Warriors but the Thunder might have the firepower.  26.2 PPG, 9.9 APG, 7.3 RPG.

Who Are The Other Guys? Those players above are likely your MVP candidates going forward, minus Drummond most likely, but there are also some guys who could make some noise as the season really starts to heat up.

1.  Andre Drummond: You might be asking yourself, who is Andre Drummond? Well if you haven’t seen the Detroit Pistons center player, you should. The term “walking double double” is often thrown around for centers but rarely does it actually happen. Through 24 games he has a double double in 21 of those games. If the Pistons are going to make a run in the East, it’s going to fall on the 22-year olds shoulders. 18.0 PPG, 16.7 RPG
2. Kevin Durant: The former MVP is usually at the top of the MVP race but missing some time this season has put him down here. He’s still putting up KD-like numbers but his teammate is leading the charge. 27.7 PPG, 8.1 RPG, 4.2 APG
3. Rajon Rondo: Now when you’re team most likely isn’t going to make the playoffs you aren’t going to get any recognition among the voters, but Rondo is making as strong of a case as someone can whose team is 9-15. The Kings probably won’t make the playoffs like I said, but watching the Rondo that we all know and once thought of as the best point guard in the league sure is fun. 12.6 PPG, 11.0 APG, 6.9 RPG

      Stephen Springer, Follow him on Twitter @Stephen_Springs 

NBA Power Rankings (Week 7)

After a week of exciting match-ups and a Monday night featuring some great finishes, not much has changed from a week ago. The East is starting to come back down to reality and the West is still completely top heavy. The team of the week was once again Golden State. After a 3-0 week including a clutch win at Toronto, the Warriors remain undefeated. A lot of people are anticipating the streak to end during this road trip, with a popular pick being an upset loss in Indiana tonight. Needless to say, the Warriors are in a league of their own right now. Another team to keep an eye on is San Antonio. The Spurs have been the second most impressive team all season, having won 4 straight games and 9 of their last 10. San Antonio is right where they want to be, just 4 games back from the unbeaten Warriors, while flying under the radar of the general public.

1. Golden State Warriors (22-0) [1]
2. San Antonio Spurs (18-4) [2]
3. Cleveland Cavaliers (13-7) [3]
4. Oklahoma City Thunder (12-8) [4]
5. Indiana Pacers (12-7) [5]
6. Chicago Bulls (11-7) [6]
7. Los Angeles Clippers (12-9) [9]
8. Atlanta Hawks (13-9) [7]
9. Miami Heat (12-7) [10]
10. Toronto Raptors (13-9) [8]
11. Memphis Grizzlies (12-9) [11]
12. Boston Celtics (12-9) [12]
13. Dallas Mavericks (13-9) [14]
14. Detroit Pistons (12-19) [15]
15. Charlotte Hornets (12-8) [13]
16. Utah Jazz (9-9) [16]
17. Orlando Magic (11-9) [19]
18. Houston Rockets (10-11) [22]
19. Washington Wizards (9-10) [21]
20. New York Knicks (10-12) [20]
21. Milwaukee Bucks (9-13) [23]
22. Phoenix Suns (9-13) [17)
23. Portland Trailblazers (9-13) [24]
24. Minnesota Timberwolves (8-12) [18]
25. Denver Nuggets (8-13) [26]
26. Sacramento Kings (7-15) [25]
27. New Orleans Pelicans (5-16) [27]
28. Brooklyn Nets (5-15) [28]
29. Los Angeles Lakers (3-18) [29]
30. Philadelphia 76ers (1-21) [30]

 Grayson Gold-Garvey, Twitter @TheGraygo

Big Ten/ACC Challenge (Day 3)

The Big Ten/ACC Challenge does not disappoint. The night featured six match-ups, two overtime games, one three point shootout, and five games decided by 8 points or fewer. This was a great night of college basketball. The night ended in a 3-3 split, keeping the challenge even at 4-4. These conferences are so balanced top-to-bottom that this could easily be the third time in four years that the challenge ends in a draw.

Ranked teams fared well on Tuesday, with the exception of number 2 ranked Maryland who fell at the hands of a full strength Tar Heel Squad. This was the match-up that had everyone excited and basketball fans got what they had hoped for. This had the feel of a classic ACC contest with little brother Maryland trying to knock off UNC in the Dean Smith Center. On Tuesday UNC wasn’t having it. The highly anticipated return of Marcus Paige lived up to the hype, as the senior went off for 20 points and 5 assists, while turning the ball over only once. This game ended up being the point guard battle that we thought it would. Trimble matched the play of Paige by posting 23 points and a career high 12 assists. However, Trimble has ball control issues and turned the ball over 8 times, contributing over a third of the Terps 22 turnovers. Sulaimon pitched in for 18 points for Maryland and Brice Johnson contributed 16 points in the winning effort for UNC. Both teams shot over 50% from the field and 45% from behind the arch in an 89-81 shootout.

Tuesday’s Betting Results
*Picks are in bold

Correct Picks
Michigan (-1) at NC State           Michigan 66-59 NC State
Miami at Nebraska (+6.5)           Miami 77-72 Nebraska
Purdue (+1) at Pittsburgh             Purdue 72-59 Pittsburgh

Wash
Northwestern (-2) at Va Tech     Northwestern 81-79 Va Tech

Incorrect Picks
Virginia (-8.5) at Ohio State         Virginia 64-58 Ohio State
Maryland (+6) at UNC                Maryland 81-89 UNC

Wednesday’s Selections
(24) Louisville (5-0) at (3) Michigan State (7-0) (-5.5), 7:15 ET, ESPN
Wisconsin (4-3) at (14) Syracuse (6-0) (-4.5), 7:15 ET, ESPN2
Penn State (3-2) (+1) at Boston College (3-3), 7:15 ET, ESPNU
Indiana (5-2) (+10) at (7) Duke (6-1), 9:15 ET, ESPN
Notre Dame (4-2) (-2.5) at Illinois (3-4), 9:15 ET, ESPN2
Florida State (4-1) at Iowa (4-2) (-4.5), 9:15 ET, ESPNU

Grayson Gold-Garvey

Bean Bryant: Part 1

Dear Kobe Bryant,

First and foremost, thank you. Thank you for being Kobe Bryant. Thank you for being one of the greatest players we have ever watched pick up a basketball. But a simple thank you isn’t enough.

When I first started watching and understanding the game of basketball it was around the time the Lakers started their three-peat, and one of the first players I really started to watch was Kobe Bryant. Kobe was “cool”; he came straight from high school, Lower Marion High School, and while he didn’t make a splash right away, you could tell he was going to be something special. Nineteen seasons later he’s one of the greatest players in NBA history.

Kobe was the player who when you were outside shooting in your driveway and counted down, 3…. 2…1, you pretended you were number 8. He’s also the guy who when you’re throwing something in the trash you must yell, “KOBE!”. You could say that’s a cultural impact.

For that Kobe, basketball fans across the globe say, thank you.

­­_________________________________________________________________________________

If we’re looking at strictly numbers for Bryant, here are some of those numbers.

• ·      32,638 career points (3^rd all-time)
• ·      15x All-NBA Team
• ·      12x All-Defensive Team
• ·      17x All Star
• ·      5x NBA Champion

Those are just some of his legendary stats that will no doubt land him in Springfield, Massachusetts.

Much has been made throughout Bryant’s career about how Kobe didn’t pass, over 6,000 assists might say otherwise, but Kobe has always been one of those players who likes to shoot, a lot. But you don’t score over 32,000 points without taking a couple shots here and there.

I never got to see Michael Jordan in his prime but I can imagine that it looked similar to the way Kobe has played the game. Kobe doesn’t have “friends” on other teams, he doesn’t really care about other players, and he sure as hell didn’t care what other people thought. That made him a player people loved to hate, and for Kobe, that was perfectly fine.

There is a lot to say about Kobe Bryant, you can love him or you can hate him, but if you’re an NBA fan one thing you have to do is respect him. Respect what he has done for t

he game not only for the NBA, but also for basketball everywhere.

There are going to be plenty of emotions during the rest of the season wherever the Lakers go, one of those emotions is going to be sadness. It’s sad because Kobe is at the end and you never wanted to think the end was going to come for him, but it has and while the season progresses let’s all take a couple minutes to just sit back and appreciate the greatness that is Kobe Bean Bryant.

Stephen Springer, follow him on Twitter @Stephen_Springs

Big Ten/ACC Challenge: Day 2

After the first day of the Big Ten/ACC challenge we're all tied up at 1-1. On paper, it wasn't the most interesting kick-off to the event, as the opening night often features softer match-ups. However, the Wake Forest-Rutgers contest ended up going down to the wire with the Demon Deacons winning on a last second layup by Cornelius Hudson. The final score was 69-86 Wake Forest, giving the ACC the victory and putting me at 0-1 on my predictions (Wake -6.5). The second match-up saw Minnesota comeback from a 6-point halftime deficit in order to win by the same margin. It was a high scoring affair with a final score of 89-83 Golden Gophers. The win tied up the series for the Big Ten and brought me to even on my predictions (Minnesota, -2).

Tonight's games are much more appealing and are capped off by the must watch contest between UNC and Big Ten newcomer Maryland. Senior Marcus Paige makes his season debut in a much anticipated point guard battle against Big Ten preseason player of the year Melo Trimble. There are six games tonight, featuring 5 ranked teams. Here is tonight's schedule and my selections based on ESPN point spreads.
*Picks are in bold

Michigan (4-2) (-1) at NC State (4-2), 7 ET, ESPN2
Northwestern (5-1) (-2) at Virginia Tech (4-2), 7ET, ESPNU
(10) Virginia (5-1) (-8.5) at Ohio State (2-3), 7:30 ET, ESPN
(21) Miami (5-1) at Nebraska (5-2) (+6.5), 9 ET, ESPNU
(11) Purdue (6-0) (+1) at Pittsburgh (3-0), 9 ET, ESPN2
(2) Maryland (6-0) (+6) at (9) North Carolina (5-1), 9:30 ET, ESPN


Grayson Gold-Garvey

NBA Power Rankings (Week 6)

After five weeks of basketball, things are starting to look more like we thought they would. The good teams are starting to separate themselves from the average teams and the weaker teams continue to lose. Golden State continues to dominate the league and the Sixers keep blowing 4th quarter leads. The Spurs and Cavaliers look polished (it will be scary when the Cavs get Kyrie back) and the Thunder have pulled it together since the return of KD. The biggest disappointment continues to be the Rockets, who have a 7-11 record and needed a 50 point outing from Harden to narrowly escape a defeat at the hands of the Sixers, a.k.a. the 2008 Detroit Lions. On a more positive note, the surprise of the year, and the team of the week, is the Indiana Pacers. The Pacers have won 5 straight and Paul George is an under the radar MVP candidate, averaging 27 points and 8 rebounds per contest. Here are this week's rankings.*Number in brackets indicates previous ranking

1. Golden State Warriors (19-0) [1]
2. San Antonio Spurs (14-4) [2]
3. Cleveland Cavaliers (13-4) [3]
4. Oklahoma City Thunder (11-7) [5]
5. Indiana Pacers (11-5) [10]
6. Chicago Bulls (10-5) [6]
7. Atlanta Hawks (12-8) [7]
8. Toronto Raptors (11-7) [8]
9. Los Angeles Clippers (10-8) [14]
10. Miami Heat (10-6) [4]
11. Memphis Grizzlies (10-8) [13]
12. Boston Celtics (10-8) [12]
13. Charlotte Hornets (10-7) [16]
14. Dallas Mavericks (10-8) [9]
15. Detroit Pistons (9-9) [18]
16. Utah Jazz (8-8) [21]
17. Phoenix Suns (8-9) [15]
18. Minnesota Timberwolves (8-9) [24]
19. Orlando Magic (9-8) [23]
20. New York Knicks (8-10) [17]
21. Washington Wizards (6-8) [11]
22. Houston Rockets (7-11) [22]
23. Milwaukee Bucks (7-11) [20]
24. Portland Trailblazers (7-11) [25]
25. Sacramento Kings (7-12) [26]
26. Denver Nuggets (6-12) [19]
27. New Orleans Pelicans (4-13) [27]
28. Brooklyn Nets (4-13) [28]
29. Los Angeles Lakers (2-14) [29]
30. Philadelphia 76ers (0-18) [30]

Grayson Gold-Garvey