Kobe Bryant clouds the Lakers’ chances in the playoffs

Kobe Bryant / Jenson Chan - Flickr

Los Angeles Lakers star Kobe Bryant tore his Achilles tendon on April 13 and is expected to be sidelined for nine months. Due to his absence, the Lakers lost in the first round of the playoffs after they were swept by the San Antonio Spurs.

Bryant made a tremendous contribution to the Lakers during the regular season. He led his team by scoring 27.3 points per game and adding 6.0 assists and 5.6 rebounds per game. His great offensive skills led him to become the fourth leading scorer of all time in the NBA this season.

Not only did Bryant provide his team with valuable scoring, he also motivated his teammates to do better and helped them grow as players. "Kobe is a different type of player, just like I said, just sitting back and watching Kobe and how he handled himself the whole year was great for me to watch,” said his teammate Dwight Howard to the LA Times.

Even though Bryant wasn’t able to play against the Spurs he encouraged his team to continue to make good defensive and offensive plays. “What I would say if I was there right now? Pau get ur a-- on the block and don't move till u get it #realtalk," tweeted Bryant as he coached his teammates from home.

Without Bryant, the Lakers lacked motivation and had difficulty scoring against the tough defense of the Spurs. As Bryant recovers there is hope that next year the Lakers will have a strong season. With the help of Pau Gasol and Howard, Bryant will try to make the Lakers a winning team. His main focus is to recover from this injury with the same mentality he always had.

“We don't quit, we don't cower, we don't run. We endure and conquer" said Bryant on Facebook.

The legendary sandman enters his final season

Will Mariano Rivera’s retirement lead to the downfall of the New York Yankees’ legacy? The Yankees ace closer has been with the team for 19 seasons and contributed to five World Series wins. Throughout the years he has shown consistency and reliability as a closer and he has been essential in the ninth inning.

Mariano Rivera - Wikimedia Commons

Rivera said that he would have retired at the conclusion of last season if he did not tear his ACL on May 3, 2012. He was on the shelf most of that season; however, he did not want to retire due to an injury. "I didn't want to leave like that," Rivera said in a press conference before the 2013 season. "I felt like I wanted to give everything."

The New York Yankees need Rivera to elevate his abilities with some of their best players including Mark Teixeira, Curtis Granderson, Derek Jeter, and Alex Rodriguez out due to injury. Rivera returned to baseball on April 4, 2013, leaving him a significant amount of time to recover and come back even stronger than last season. Rivera is the most tenured player on the team and his experience will play a major role for winning another World Series.

Although many did not expect the sandman to return after his ACL injury, Rivera has been very consistent this season. He started the season by saving Andy Pettitte’s eight inning performance against the Boston Red Sox in their third game of the season.

The Yankees are looking forward to a better opening to their season as far as they are concerned with their pitching. With some of their best and more reliable batters out pitching is where the Yankees really have to be aggressive. Rivera’s composure and consistency are exactly the attributes that the Yankees need during the pressure situations.

Contributed by Kian Zadeh and Din Islam

Should J.R. Smith take the last shot?

J.R. Smith - Keith Allison / Flickr

Although J.R. Smith made some highlight reel plays this season, his risky buzzer beaters have not always won games. With Smith’s inconsistent shooting, the New York Knicks have to decide who should have the ball in their hands near the end of the fourth quarter. If Smith can’t be trusted to take the last second shots in crucial moments, then should the Knicks put the ball in Carmelo Anthony’s hand once he gets back from his knee injury?

In the Knicks’ game against the Oklahoma City Thunder on March 7, Smith carried them without Anthony, by scoring 36 points with three steals and three rebounds. He shot 14-29 from the field with the majority of his misses occurring during the most crucial parts of the game. When it came down to the last minutes, Smith was an awful shooter, finishing the fourth quarter 2-9. “My jumper was pretty much good all night except for the fourth quarter and just didn’t go in,” Smith said in an interview with CBS. Games like these question Smith’s consistency and reliability to shoot the ball in the last minutes of the game.

Smith’s crazy shots make Knicks fans excited one moment and a few minutes later, he will frustrate them with his poor decisions. “One minute, he's a chucker who throws up three-point shots willy-nilly. The next minute he's either mixing up his game or slamming home a key dunk,” said Josh Benjamin of Bleacher Report.

In the most important part of the games Smith stepped up to take the shots for the Knicks and failed them. He should not be trusted with the ball in the last minute. With Anthony coming back from injury, the ball should be in his hands during crunch time. As the Knicks leading scorer he should take the clutch shots instead of Smith.

Contributed by Nasif Chowdhury

The Celtics succeeding without Rondo

Rajon Rondo - Mark Runyon / Flickr

On January 27, 2013, the Boston Celtics announced that their star player Rajon Rondo would be out for the rest of the season because of an injury he sustained during their game aaingst the Atlanta Hawks two days earlier. After Rondo’s absence the team was able to go on a seven game winning streak. The players came together and were able to develop both their defense and offense in order to produce a team that is a contender in the race to playoffs.

Without Rondo, members of the Boston Celtics had to step up and work harder in order to fill his spot. Paul Pierce, Avery Bradley and Jeff Green are a few of the players who have improved to compensate for Rondo’s absence. “It’s giving guys an opportunity to step up, being able to elevate their play, and it’s showing,” said Paul Pierce to the Boston Globe.   

The Celtics focused on coming together and developing a game plan that did not include Rondo. “You have all those injuries, you usually go the other way. I just think our guys kind of came together and realized we don’t have a margin of error anymore,” said Celtics coach Doc Rivers to the Boston Globe.

The team worked on their skills and together they were able to developed good plays. The Celtics had a few days in between games, which allowed them to have more time to practice. As a result, the Boston Celtics won games against many strong teams.

Even though many people called the season over for the Celtics, they are still going strong, holding a 13-6 record without Rondo. The team has continuously worked on their skills and they have even allowed players who aren’t starters to play during most games. They will need to continue to progress without Rondo to ensure the team a spot in the playoffs. 

Contributed by Anya Batista

Who to blame, what to blame

Super Bowl XLVI poster from CHARMERS❀Chasing a Dream•*´¨`♥'s photos

During every Super Bowl there is always a turning point  However, the person getting blamed for causing the turning point is not always at fault. Super Bowl XLVI is the best example of this. It was an intense game with the final score 21-17 in favor of The New York Giants. The turning point was when Wes Welker, New England Patriots wide receiver got open in the fourth quarter, at New York’s 44 yard line, with four minutes left, and dropped a crucial pass.

All of the attention is now on Welker as he dropped the ball at the best opportunity to score. Welker took all blame saying, “When it comes to the biggest moment of my life and I don't come up with it, it's discouraging” It seems like he had butter fingers,” at that moment. However, catching a ball that was thrown behind the himand on the other shoulder is a hard accomplishment to make. To catch a ball that complicated, Welker had to twist around in mid air and catch it. Welker already did the best he can holding it with both hands, but didn’t manage to stay with it going down. Bad throw? Yes it was. Who was the passer? Tom Brady.

This puts all of the pressure on Brady. Was he at fault for throwing terribly? No. He sprained his shoulder in the third quarter when New York Giants defensive end Justin Tuck tackled him. This was one argument for most people of why his passes were terrible. Injuring his shoulder allowed him to only complete seven of his 17 pass attempts. Before the tackle, Brady managed to complete 20 out of 24 passes. Brian Hoyer, Patriots backup quarterback describes Brady's fearlossness as, “I don’t know if I’ll ever meet someone as tough as he is.”

Welker and Brady were the two being blamed for the lost of the Patriots. However, Welker doesn't deserve full blame of not being able to capture a bad pass, and Brady doesn't deserve a full blame for throwing a bad pass with a sprain shoulder.