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Repped. True that. You're so right, B! Here's the back of "Adidas Sucks": http://i42.tinypic.com/30skoqw.jpg

Chauncey Vows to Return After a basketball life of comebacks upon comebacks, Los Angeles Clippers guard Chauncey Billups is determined to make the greatest of his career: a full recovery from a torn Achilles tendon. “I will be back,” Billups told Yahoo! Sports by phone. “I’m not done. I’m not retiring. I will definitely be back. This has been the story of my career, coming back, fighting, scrapping and I will play again.” Billups suffered the tear on Monday night in Orlando, crumpling to the floor without warning. No collision. No contact. Just like that. He hadn’t felt any tenderness in the Achilles prior to the injury, he said. An MRI taken in Cleveland on Tuesday confirmed the tear. SOURCE

Wow!! I can't believe CP3 made that: http://i44.tinypic.com/jjr4ur.png Also, Reggie Evans was huge! We couldn't have won without his hustle!!!

Kevin Love would like the NBA to take the MLB’s approach on All-Star games http://media.zenfs.com/en/blogs/sptusnbaexperts/KLJKJKJK.jpg No. NOOOOO. No, and no. And we're upset about this enough to "ratchet up the intensity" here at Ball Don't Lie and take Kevin out of consideration for the first-team All-NBA selection he has clearly earned so far in 2011-12. The NBA All-Star Game decides who gets home-court advantage in the Finals? The only group that could possibly be in favor of that are sports writers who often have to figure out if they have to pack for Miami or Chicago in the last second after a conference final ends and the Finals start a couple of days later. Everyone else? That's a big fat "BOO!" Sorry, Kev. And I say this coming from a StL Cardinals fan, who utilized a late-season run last summer to sneak in the backdoor of the postseason, and a nice home-field turn a few weeks later on their way to a World Series win. Did the loss of home-field advantage destroy the Rangers' chances in the World Series? Maybe not. Did it hurt them, especially when it came down to a Gm 7 in Missouri? Perhaps. I'm sure they would have preferred to play the deciding game in Texas. In basketball? Where the best team usually ends up winning it all? Things are different. Let's not mess with that to make a Sunday night game on TNT a little more interesting. As if Bud Selig's 2004 ruling about home-field advantage has made his All-Star game any more compelling. Full Story Your thoughts?

Kobe @ MSG: Career: 30.5 Pts // 48% FG // 44% 3P Tonight: 34 Pts // 11-29 FG // 1-5 3P

BACK IN TIME National Basketball Association's History Key Facts February 8, 1998 http://i.cdn.turner.com/sivault/multimedia/photo_gallery/1002/this.day.sports.history.feb8/images/michael-jordan.jpg Michael Jordan scored 23 points, grabbed six rebounds and also dished a team-high eight assists on way to being named the 1998 NBA All-Star Game MVP. Jordan became the oldest All-Star Game MVP, winning the award nine days before his 35th birthday. One night earlier, Utah's Jeff Hornacek survived an overtime en route to winning the 1998 AT&T Shootout while Cleveland's Zydrunas Ilgauskas, who scored a game high 18 points, is named the Schick Rookie Game MVP. Houston Rocket Clyde Drexler and Houston Comet Cynthia Cooper captured the title in the debut of the Nestlé Crunch All-Star 2ball competition with a 73-61 win over Utah. February 9, 1980 Houston's Rick Barry connected on 8-of-12 three-pointers in a Rockets victory over Utah, setting a record for three-pointers that would last 10 years, until Seattle's Dale Ellis sank nine on April 20, 1990. February 9, 1986 Isiah Thomas of the Detroit Pistons scored 30 points and handed out 10 assists to lead the East to a 139-132 win and capture the All-Star MVP Award in the 36th All-Star Game in Dallas. February 9, 1991 Craig Hodges of the Chicago Bulls set an All-Star Saturday record in Charlotte by hitting 19 straight shots in the AT&T Shootout. That streak, which helped Hodges capture his second straight shootout title, broke Larry Bird's consecutive shot streak of 11 set in 1986. February 9, 1991 http://wannadunk.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/10/dee_brown_no_look_dunk.jpg DeCovan Kadell "Dee" Brown won the Nestle Crunch Slam-Dunk Contest in Charlotte with a "no-look" dunk. February 9, 1992 Magic Johnson, playing for the first time since announcing his retirement on Nov. 7, 1991 scored a game-high 25 points and dished off for a game-high nine assists to lead the West to a 153-113 win over the East in the 42nd annual NBA All-Star Game at the Orlando Arena. For his memorable effort, Johnson was honored with the second All-Star Game MVP award of his career. February 9, 2000 http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/features/2000/year/images/photos_sm/saying_goodbye/phills_square.jpg Bobby Phills, who died in a car accident on January12, 2000, became the first Charlotte Hornets player to have his number retired before the Hornets faced the Cavaliers. Phills wore No. 13 for eight seasons.

@ Guru: Now that's closer to a great game. Even though I placed some bets on the Lakers (and lost), tonight's game was much greater than last night's one (LAL @ BOS). And here's an interesting stat: Jeremy Lin's last 4 games: Sat. vs NJ: 25 pts. 7 assists Mon vs Utah: 28 pts, 8 assists Wed @ WSH: 23 pts, 10 assists Fri vs LAL: 36 pts, 7 assists Most in first four starts since NBA/ABA merger.

I'm so proud of the Raptors.

Kobe Bryant fires a few hilarious salvos at Jeremy Lin The video, which contains some NSFW language (since overdubbed) from the Kobester, puts Lin squarely in his place, whether Jeremy deserves it or not. From WEEI's Ben Rohrbach: "I know who he is, but I don't really know what's going on too much with him. I don't even know what he's done. Like, I have no idea what you guys are talking about. I'll take a look at it tonight though." [Asked again about Lin] "I don't even know what the [fudge] is going on. What the [fudge] is going on? Who is this kid? I've heard about him and stuff like that, but what's he been doing? Is he getting like triple doubles or some [stuff]? He's averaging 28 and eight? No [stuff]. If he's playing well, I'll just have to deal with him." [Would he consider guarding Lin?] "Jesus Christ. Let's not get ahead of ourselves." Remember, Kobe comes from the Michael Jordan school. Nobody is to be appreciated, nobody is to be lauded, and nobody is to be talked up unless there's some reverse psychology involved. Jordan lessened that public stance a bit in his last few years with Chicago, but by and large he wouldn't say very many sincere or even nice things about any opponent unless he was sure he wouldn't have to play them again at any point that season.

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Ever since the 1999-'00 NBA season road teams were obliged to wear a unifrom darker than the home team's one. I noticed that in all of the games I saw over the week, it's actually the other way around: the Lakers used their home jerseys in Boston, the Kings played in dark road unis at home, the Clippers are using their white home unis on the road for the second straight time. Has there been a change in the rule?

Wow! Toronto w/ a 12-4 start! EDIT: RAPS UP 25-9!! YEAH!!!! GO RAPS!!!

Clippers All-Star PG makes sure he thinks of those close to him before each game, and digs deep to bring out the best in others http://www.latimes.com/media/photo/2012-02/67981615.jpg You hear about someone and how impressive he is as a person, solid and all that. It has to be just a good show for the cameras, doesn't it? No one is too good to be true until you talk to Chris Paul. He has it, whatever it is that allows someone to have such an impact on those around him. It's one thing to feel chills while watching the Clippers' peewee guard go razzle and dazzle on everyone on the court. It's quite another to be moved and feel what his coach and teammates have been saying all along: He's special. He's talking about the national anthem when we get together for the first time. He begins each game the same way, he says, hand over heart and head bowed. "I say a prayer — and I've never told anyone this before — but this is how it goes: I begin by thanking God for bringing our team here safely; their team as well. "And I tell God, 'I know you know already who the winner is, but I ask that you will let it be us. I thank him for my entire family back home, my grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousins, friends, and I thank him for my parents, brother, wife and son. Then I say, 'My Lord, I want to thank you for Papa Chili and my Grandma Rachel. I know they are in heaven smiling down on me.' That's how I end the prayer every time." Early in his career he would hold a laminated picture of his grandfather Papa Chili in his hands during the national anthem. Now it's enough to just hold him dear in his heart. "Most kids have a teammate who might be their best friend," he says, "but it was my Papa. He was the first black man to open a service station in North Carolina." FULL STORY

I kinda pimp 'adjust' my ragz clothes - some o' my designs: Hav' NO Fear http://i44.tinypic.com/am83yv.jpg http://i42.tinypic.com/2zg4rvb.jpg Adidas SUCKS! (I hate those three stripes! Three's just too much, man! It's ugly! <_<) http://i44.tinypic.com/t7o077.jpg http://i41.tinypic.com/5otq89.jpg

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:huh: :huh: :huh: http://i43.tinypic.com/1zqr9yp.png I don't sound like I 'hate the Lakers more than anything'. I sound like I hate Steve Blake and Pau Gasol. And, I actually hate the Celtics more than anything, fyi.

A good story on A.I.: http://www.sbnation.com/nba/2012/1/31/2761217/the-tragedy-of-allen-iverson

J.R.Smith and the Zhejiang Chouzhou Golden Bulls are mathematically out of the CBA playoff picture after they lost at Guangsha J.R. Smith's Chinese team has been mathematically eliminated from the postseason. Smith will be eligible to sign a contract as an unrestricted free agent "shortly after" his team's last regular season game on February 15. There is still uncertainty about where he will land, but Smith will serve as a volume scorer regardless of what team he winds up with this year. He's been connected to the Clippers, Lakers, Knicks, Thunder and Timberwolves. Smith averaged 12.3 points, 4.1 rebounds, 1.2 steals and 1.6 treys in 25 minutes per game with Denver last season. SOURCE: Jon Pastuszek's Twitter

Why not? BTW, the Uzbeki nation may not even exist in the near future... -_- And it's 'lifetime', not 'life time'. Props but take a look at the bigger picture: 2008 Beijing Olympics medal table Pos. Country G S B (Total) 25. New Zealand (NZL) 3 2 4 (9) 40. Uzbekistan (UZB) 1 2 3 (6) Let me help you digest -- Team NZL finished 15 spots ahead of Uzbekistan in the final rankings. Team NZL won three Gold medals. Uzbekistan -- only one. Team UZB (Uzbekistan) won two Silver medals -- NZL matched that. Uzbekistan finished with only six medals compared to New Zealand's nine. OLYMPIC PARTICIPATIONS: First Ever: NZL in 1908; UZB in 1952 First Independently: NZL in 1920; UZB in 1994 New Zealand first participated at the Olympic Games in 1908 in a combined Australasia team (for their first two Games only: in 1908 and 1912). That's 44 years before Uzbek athletes first competed (in a combined Soviet Union team, 1952-'88) at the Olympics. New Zealand first sent an independent team to the Olympics in 1920, while Uzbekistan first sent an independent team 74 years later -- in 1994. Both countries have sent athletes to compete in every Summer Olympic Games since each country's first respective appearance. OLYMPIC MEDALS: Gold: NZL - UZB 36 > 4 Silver: NZL - UZB 16 > 5 Bronze: 34 > 8 TOTAL: 86* > 17 Uzbek athletes have won a total of seventeen medals at the Summer Olympic Games (mostly in wrestling and boxing): Gold: 4, Silver: 5, Bronze: 8. The nation has also won a single medal at the Winter Olympic Games. New Zealand athletes have won a total of 86* medals at the Summer Games. The most successful sport is athletics. Just like Uzbekistan, New Zealand has only won a single medal at the Winter Games, but the silver medal won by Annelise Coberger in alpine skiing at the 1992 Winter Olympics was the first medal won at the Winter Games by a Southern Hemisphere nation. The 87 medals won by New Zealand put New Zealand at Number 36 on the All-time Olympic Games medal count for total number of medals and Number 33 when weighted by medal type. *The total (NZ) does not include the medals won by New Zealanders as part of the combined Australasia team (ANZ) at the 1908 Summer Olympics and 1912 Summer Olympics: bronze medal won by Harry Kerr in Men's 3500 metre walk in athletics (1908) gold medal won by Malcolm Champion as a member of the 4×200 metre freestyle team in swimming (1912) bronze medal won by Tony Wilding in indoor singles in tennis (1912) A few questions: How many times has Uzbekistan qualified for the FIFA World Cup, and what's their best performance? Has Uzbekistan ever qualified for the FIBA World Championship? How about the IRB Rugby World Cup? How many Uzbek players are currently playing in major soccer leagues like the English Premiership or the MLS? P.S. I only saw your replies today.

That's the Lakers' chance to save their season.

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Insider: How Clips replace Chauncey The landscape in the Western Conference was altered by this week's injury news regarding the L.A. Clippers' Billups. Chauncey is definitely out for the rest of this season and may never play in the NBA again. The Clippers are among a handful of teams capable of challenging the West-leading Oklahoma City Thunder in the postseason, so where do these injuries leave them? http://a.espncdn.com/photo/2011/0218/fan_g_foye_200.jpg Randy Foye will assume a larger role in Billups' absence. Depth has been an issue for the Clippers, but luckily for them that's a frontcourt problem only. L.A. had five quality guards on its roster before Billups went down, and now they have four. In terms of quantity, they should be fine. Unfortunately fit is a problem, and unlike Denver, the Clippers are probably going to have to go outside the organization to fill out their rotation. With Billups gone, Randy Foye steps into the starting lineup. Foye replaces Billups' size in the first unit, but leaves a pair of 6-foot-1 guys coming off the bench in Mo Williams and Eric Bledsoe. Nobody outside of Charlotte, N.C., would be crazy enough to play a backcourt that small for very long, and one of them is going have to play alongside six-footer Chris Paul from time to time. The Clippers have been mentioned as a possible landing spot for J.R. Smith once he finishes up his time in China. At 6-6, Smith could plug the size gap and may be a better option than Foye to play alongside Paul with the first group because he's a more consistent outside threat. That may seem like a strange statement given the streaky nature of Smith's game, but Foye has been maddeningly inconsistent during his up-and-down career, and the Clippers may not want to rely on him in a large role. Smith is a much better defender than Foye and his gambling ways might play well alongside Paul and in front of DeAndre Jordan and Blake Griffin's athleticism. Not only can he provide the same floor spacing (but not playmaking) as Billups, but he can play heavy minutes and help deflect some of the defensive leak that occurs when Williams steps on the court. The Clippers are 10.4 points per 100 possessions worse defensively with Williams in the game, which is the primary reason Billups' plus/minus numbers have been so strong this season even though he was shooting worse than he has in about 11 seasons. Unfortunately, the Clippers have only the veteran's minimum to offer Smith after burning their mini midlevel exception last week on Kenyon Martin (remember our sermon about opportunity cost?). That doesn't necessarily rule out Smith for L.A. There might be no better way for Smith to showcase his ability before another summer of free agency than to play a big-time role on a contending team -- and make it work. He might be surrendering money in the short term, but if things go well in L.A., he'd be making it up down the line.