The Basketball Thread

[Vesper 28,993]

8 Sneakers That Prove Scottie Pippen Has HOF-Level Footwear Game

https://www.highsnobiety.com/p/scottie-pippen-sneaker-roundup/

Scottie Pippen was the unexpected star of the first two episodes of ESPN’s The Last Dance. The Michael Jordan documentary, featuring never-before-seen footage, chronicles the 1997/98 season of the Chicago Bulls and what ended up being MJ’s sixth and final NBA Championship.

Pippen was given some of the limelight when The Last Dance aired on April 19. The docu-series outlined his importance to the ’90s Chicago Bulls and their championship runs, and gave insight into his family and life off of the court. Among basketball fans, it’s generally accepted that Scottie Pippen was the Robin to Michael Jordan’s Batman, and that he played an enormously important role in helping MJ achieve GOAT status. In The Last Dance, Pippen is described as being “the best second star of all time.”

What many people forget, though, is that Pippen was a mega star in his own right and — just like MJ had his line of Air Jordans — Pippen wore an incredible rotation of some of Nike’s most popular basketball shoes of that era, some of which are still produced and sold today. With that in mind, we’ve rounded up the best sneakers Pippen wore on court.

8. Nike Air Flight ’89

The Nike Air Flight ’89 had a design that was slightly based on the Air Jordan 4 and is one of Pippen’s sneakers that has endured the test of time, still available on occasion over 30 years later. Pippen was one of the faces of the model when it was first released in 1989.

7. Nike Air Pippen

Pippen got his first signature sneaker in 1996 for the 96/97 season. The sneaker featured a full-length Air Max sole, though Pippen wore his with a modified Zoom Air sole, the cushioning system he preferred.

6. Nike Air Max Uptempo

The Nike Air Max Uptempo was the precursor to the Air More Uptempo and the first basketball sneaker to feature a full-length visible Air Max unit. Pippen wore the model during the 1996 NBA All-Star Game in San Antonio.

those are my favourite (the black swoosh colourway in the top pic)

snip

 

[Vesper 28,993]

Emoni Bates is the face of a coming basketball revolution

https://theathletic.com/1747621/2020/04/14/emoni-bates-coming-basketball-revolution/

Whatever you make of Emoni Bates, he is certifiably unprecedented.

He has been regarded as the best player in high school basketball since he was a freshman a year ago. He receives some heady comparisons, and some have called him a Kevin Durant clone. On Tuesday, Bates became the first sophomore ever to win the Gatorade National Player of the Year award.

“It feels good,” he told The Athletic. “Man, it feels good.”

There’s immense hype around him, and so far he has validated it. So what is waiting for him in the NBA and how can he reshape the way the game is played?

Bates is already 6-foot-9, having just turned 16 in February, and so much about his playstyle and on-court mannerisms already mirror Durant. The sophomore averaged 31.6 points, 9 rebounds and 2.6 assists per game for Lincoln High School in Ypsilanti, Mich. His team was the overwhelming favorite to repeat as state champions with Bates at the helm before the national shutdown. He plans to be the first high schooler to make the leap to the NBA in nearly two decades if the one-and-done rule is rescinded in time for the 2022 draft, as expected.

But he is insistent that he doesn’t want to fall into any one paradigm, whether it’s comparisons to Durant, Tracy McGrady or Penny Hardaway. He appears to be a blend of all three, which is going to be a problem for the NBA.

The past decade has seen the role of on-court choreographer diffused throughout the NBA offense. No longer does the point guard run every single action to set up everyone else. The Celtics’ Jayson Tatum, the 2016 winner of the National Player of the Year award — who called Bates Tuesday with the news he won — has seen his star rise this season as he’s transformed into a pick-and-roll playmaker.

Now, to be a star wing, you have to be able to run it throughout the game. To be a great point guard, you need to be able to pull up and shoot from anywhere. To be a center, you need to get out and defend on the perimeter as much as at the rim. Watching the way Bates embodies all these traits, he thinks he could become a point center of a sort the league has never quite seen before.

“Yeah, definitely,” he said. “Playing point guard is a title I feed off of.”

The idea of the point center is not completely new. For decades, the moniker was applied to players like the Nuggets’ Nikola Jokic, who could create for others as a center posting up and running pick-and-roll. But LeBron James ushered in a new generation of big wings who could run point on one end and take on big-man duties on defense. The Bucks’ Giannis Antetokounmpo has brought a new variation, although he is limited as a perimeter scorer. The 76ers’ Ben Simmons is following in a similar vein, with an emphasis on limiting the perimeter scoring. The Pelicans’ Zion Williamson is looking to perfect what Antetokounmpo has started. Durant, now sitting out the year in Brooklyn due to an injury, gradually grew into that role during his Golden State tenure.

Bates could be the one to bind all those styles together.

He has a complete perimeter scoring game, is building up his midrange arsenal and is a force getting into the paint. This past season showed that he has begun to make passing reads at a higher level and has the mindset to become a drive-and-kick force down the road in the vein of those aforementioned stars.

“My mentality is really good, especially at my age,” Bates said. “I think it’s going to just keep growing with me being who I am. I’m my own worst critic basically, I always criticize my own game. Just having that mindset and just being able to critique my own game, myself, is something that is going to be good for me in the long run.”

What sets him apart from similar recent prospects is his fluidity in attacking and his affinity for drawing contact. For most perimeter scorers entering the NBA, the biggest adjustment is in learning how to get comfortable with the physicality they experience both at the point of attack and when they try to launch themselves to the rim. But with Bates now, it’s the strong point of his game at a time where most players are still learning how to slip by or shoot over defenders.

“I’m not going to get frustrated about it,” Bates said. “I’ll be used to it by the time I get to the pros. It should be easy for me.”

Lately, he has been studying the Grizzlies’ Ja Morant, who emerged seemingly from nowhere to become the second pick in the draft last year, and then the leading candidate for Rookie of the Year. Morant shocked the league with his incredible aggressiveness and explosiveness and has shown Bates a template for how he wants to conduct himself on the floor. Bates said he wants to learn from Morant’s leadership, how he gets people involved and fears nobody.

“It’s going to help me a lot because I like contact,” Bates said. “I like fouls and stuff like that. Getting to the basket and getting free throws, I like contact and I feel like going along my career, getting contact is something that is going to be easy for me.”

What makes scouts excited for his growth trajectory is that he is not satisfied with leaning on his height advantage to be a dominant scorer. He is continuing to diversify his skill set so he can be a more complete scorer when he gets to the NBA. Right now, Bates’ pull-up game from beyond the arc is well-rounded, with a variety of dribble moves and good footwork that allow him to shoot comfortably from 3 in almost any situation.

He has been working to perfect the behind-the-back dribble to create space. “I can capitalize on it so much, it’s just my go-to move,” Bates said. It’s made him even harder to contain, as defenders often have to load onto his shooting hand to have a prayer of stopping him. This has opened up his dribble-drive game, where he is showing he can shoot from floater range and get to the rim at will. But he’s not stopping there, as his next goal is to build up his post game.

“The post-up, I got it, I just don’t use it,” he said. “I gotta start using it, though. It’ll make the game a lot easier.”

He said he has been working to bring back the skyhook, a shot that has gone mostly extinct from the game as the post-up has transitioned from bigs to wings. Ever since the shutdown, Bates has been working out in the backyard practicing these moves, hoping to bring an even more diversified game when play eventually resumes.

It’s this mindset that has everyone from scouts to draft analysts to fans hyping Bates as a generational talent. He was gifted with enough physical tools to be a top prospect, but he is making a concerted effort to be the best player in every facet of the game.

While there are likely several revolutions ahead in his career, he is already in the midst of the first great epoch. He’d likely be a top pick even if he entered the draft today, but he still has two more years of high school before he can make the leap.

So the question is, now that he is the youngest National Player of the Year, what is the next goal for him? Bates doesn’t hesitate.

“Win another one.”

[Vesper 28,993]

The Man Who Signed Michael Jordan to Nike

[NikkiCFC 8,041]

NBA play off starts today. 

Yanks are masters of entertainment. I dont have a feeling there is no audience.

I think Clippers will win it!

[Puliiszola 519]

15 minutes ago, NikkiCFC said:

NBA play off starts today. 

Yanks are masters of entertainment. I dont have a feeling there is no audience.

I think Clippers will win it!

Same here. I think their depth is just amazing, which when coupled with kwahi and PG-13, is scary. The whole season I got the feeling that clippers were in 2nd gear. Will be great to watch them go full throttle

[NikkiCFC 8,041]

19 hours ago, Puliiszola said:

Same here. I think their depth is just amazing, which when coupled with kwahi and PG-13, is scary. The whole season I got the feeling that clippers were in 2nd gear. Will be great to watch them go full throttle

U from NY? Will Knicks ever make a good team? 

[Puliiszola 519]

3 hours ago, NikkiCFC said:

U from NY? Will Knicks ever make a good team? 

Hahahaa. Not when they keep trading kristapas and Hardaway for trash.

By the way originally from LA and a clipper through and through (had some family connections with the franchise) . Even when we were a joke. Man, steve Ballmer has really changed everything about us.

[NikkiCFC 8,041]

Come on Rockets! 3 more. 

[Sir Mikel OBE 4,920]

8 hours ago, NikkiCFC said:

Come on Rockets! 3 more. 

No chance.

[Puliiszola 519]

9 hours ago, NikkiCFC said:

Come on Rockets! 3 more. 

Let's hope. That was such a toothless performance by AD and LBJ.

Clippers vs nuggets today, really hope clips continue with the momentum. Things are looking good.

[NikkiCFC 8,041]

38 minutes ago, Puliiszola said:

Let's hope. That was such a toothless performance by AD and LBJ.

Clippers vs nuggets today, really hope clips continue with the momentum. Things are looking good.

Yeah, and Miami doing amazing things!

Rockets beat Lakers I think 3 times now in the row with small lineup. They have the formula defensively for them.

And yeah, cannot see Clippers having any troubles against Denver.

[Puliiszola 519]

33 minutes ago, NikkiCFC said:

Yeah, and Miami doing amazing things!

Rockets beat Lakers I think 3 times now in the row with small lineup. They have the formula defensively for them.

And yeah, cannot see Clippers having any troubles against Denver.

Miami has been crazy. I expected them to put up a fight, but in no way be 3-0 up. Raptors are lucky to even be in the series.

Yup, 3rd consecutive win and all by 10 or more points. 

Let's hope that's the case. 

Btw, congratulations to harrel for the 6th man of the year award. Deserved it. 

[Puliiszola 519]

Seriously? Back to back games where you lose 15+ points lead.

Un freaking believable. Unacceptable. This is not championship mentality, this is not championship mettle. This is pure bull. 

I am fine and I have been fine with a lack of quality in MY franchise all my life. I am fine with being outplayed, but not fine being out fought. What a bunch of pussies. 

[NikkiCFC 8,041]

36 minutes ago, Puliiszola said:

Seriously? Back to back games where you lose 15+ points lead.

Un freaking believable. Unacceptable. This is not championship mentality, this is not championship mettle. This is pure bull. 

I am fine and I have been fine with a lack of quality in MY franchise all my life. I am fine with being outplayed, but not fine being out fought. What a bunch of pussies. 

18 points lead in the middle of 3rd quarter. I think Clippers are much better team, do not know what happened to them. Still think they will win next game but against Lakers it will be very tough. 

[Puliiszola 519]

1 hour ago, NikkiCFC said:

18 points lead in the middle of 3rd quarter. I think Clippers are much better team, do not know what happened to them. Still think they will win next game but against Lakers it will be very tough. 

One thing I have learned through the many years of play-off watching, quality counts for shit if there is no fight.

Right now, this is the worst case scenario for my franchise. We sold our future in shai, 5 draft picks and choker we got for it is useless at clutch. It's a couple of such trades/transfers which can set back your club 3/4 years (example - torres). 

I don't think we will win the game. They have the momentum, the belief, the fight. They are anyways on "borrowed time" due to the jazz series and what's happened in this series. Infact it's a decent think, that this circus does not get blown away by LBJ.

[Puliiszola 519]

On 9/14/2020 at 1:53 AM, NikkiCFC said:

18 points lead in the middle of 3rd quarter. I think Clippers are much better team, do not know what happened to them. Still think they will win next game but against Lakers it will be very tough. 

Told you, no way were we winning this. The mental capitulation!!!! I mean i have never EVER seen anything even close to this. I have never seen your 2 All-stars and future hall of famers sitting on the bench for the final 2 minutes. It was a catastrophe. 

I have been supporting this franchise all my life, but I sincerely think I have not seen a team which were such a bunch of pussies, teams with no balls. Either doc rivers needs to go or we need to press the reset button again and start the rebuild. There is no coming back mentally from what has happened, unfortunately. Trade PG for a good 3 and D player and draft picks, if that makes Kwahi want to leave, so be it, but we just cant let them go again.

And on Doc rivers, my god, what a fucking imbecile. You yourself say that Jokic is one of the best passing centers to have EVER played. You compare him to Larry Bird, and then you try to double team him and leave people free for him to find. Instead of playing to your own strengths (1 v 1 defending with some of the best perimeter defenders), you try to do THIS. Got to go, unacceptable. Heads need to roll for what has happened. I would have taken a hard fought clean sweep over this shit. 

[NikkiCFC 8,041]

Lakers and refs. Cute love story...

[Puliiszola 519]

Doc Rivers fired. 

Thank you for everything Doc, but this is as far as you can take us. A decent coach, a great guy, but unfortunately, you need clutch and he is probably the most anti clutch coach I have seen.

In nba history, in the 70 years, there have been just 13 times that teams have blown a 3-1 lead. Doc Rivers has been at the end of it, 3 times. 3 out of 13!!! Thats 23% of the overall fuck ups ever.

Let's see who we get in, really hope it's Billy Donovan.