Tayshaun Prince of the Detroit Pistons has been selected to play for the United States in the Olympics.
What a nice choice.
Too often in the past U.S. Olympic teams have simply been a collection of stars with little or no thought to how the pieces would fit together. Every team needs a player like Prince - a guy willing to do the dirty without worrying about being in the spotlight.
Wow, I just got done watching the Los Angeles blow a 24-point lead and lose to Boston in the third game of the NBA Finals.
I have to be honest. I didn’t see all of it. I switched to something else when the Lakers had the big lead in the first half.
Maybe the Western Conference was not as dominant and people thought.
I just got done watching the first game of the NBA Finals.
It was a strange experience. I don’t know who to root for. I don’t really like either team.
Kobe Bryant and Paul Pierce both have alienated me in the past with questionable antics and selfish attitudes. I don’t like the glitz and glamour that is Los Angeles and Boston has been spoiled with the success of the Patriots and Red Sox.
I guess the my pendulum swings to the Celtics because of Kevin Garnett. I have always kind of liked him and he deserves a title after so many years of frustration.
So, my grudging nod goes to Boston.
What a night it will be for Detroit sports Saturday!
The Pistons, Red Wings and Tigers all will be playing at home on the same night. I am certain that all three will draw good crowds. Parking will be at a premium in downtown Detroit and the sports bars will be packed.
But it is a shame that all three are playing at basically the same time. At least they could have staggered the starting times a little bit.
It is a good problem to have. No other city can boast the kind of basketball and hockey success that Detroit is enjoying.
Personally, I will stay home an soak it all in on TV. I’m lucky enough to have the night off. My TV clicker will get a workout.
Michigan State’s basketball team could have been playing at a Regional Tournament in Detroit. But the Spartans came apart in the second half of the season and wound up getting exiled to Denver.
I have no idea what to expect from this team. MSU could lose in the first round or make it to the Final Four again. Neither would surprise me. This is a strange team.
Bedford and Monroe will have a girls basketball rematch at 7 p.m. Friday in the finals of the Class A District at Ypsilanti Lincoln.
It should be a great game.
I saw the first meeting between the two teams and it was a little disappointing. The teams were coming off Christmas break and neither was sharp. Monroe coach Gretchen Elliott said it was one of her team’s worst games of the season.
That should not be a problem this time.
Both teams are playing well.
Monroe has won 12 of its last 13 games and carries a 17-4 record into the game. Bedford is 20-2 and owns a 15-game winning streak.
Monroe has two outstanding post players in Ariel Hatcher and Chae Small and guards Hanna Firchau and Staci Stadler create a lot of havoc with their quickness and hustle. The Trojans bench has really improved since that first meeting with Bedford.
Bedford is all about balance. The Mules don’t have a player averaging in double figures and no one jumps out at you athletically, but all 12 girls on the roster can play the game. Coach Bill Ryan doesn’t have to worry about using any of them in any situation.
The key to this game could be how well Monroe shoots outside against Bedford’s aggressive zone defense.
Michigan’s basketball team finally seems to be catching on to the system run by new coach John Beilein’s system.
The Wolverines have won three in a row and were very impressive Sunday against Ohio State.
Manny Harris has played well all year and fellow freshman Kelvin Grady has made tremendous strides as a point guard. Analyst Clark Kellogg called sophomore DeShawn Sims one of the most improved players in the country and freshman Anthony Wright is developing into a decent scorer.
With only two seniors on the roster, things could be looking up for the Wolverines the next few years.
Monroe and Bedford meet Thursday in perhaps the biggest girls basketball game of the regular season in Monroe County.
It’s a shame the game has to be played on the day both schools return from Christmas break. I wonder what kind of crowd it will draw. It was fun to watch Monroe and SMCC play in front of a nearly full house earlier this season. I doubt that many will be in Bedford’s gym Thursday night.
Both teams come in with 5-2 records. They have won common opponent: SMCC. Monroe beat the Kestrels 90-74 in the season opener, then 84-71 a week later.
By the way, the boys teams from the two schools play the next night at Monroe.
I was in Ida Friday night to watch Tim Leonard win his 300 game as Ida’s girls basketball coach.
Leonard might be one of the least appreciated great coaches in the Monroe County Region. You don’t hear much about him, but year after year he produces quality teams.
His 300-69 career record is staggering. He’s never won fewer than 12 games in a season.
In typical, understated Leonard fashion, the celebration of his 300th win was subdued. A short announcement was made after the game and his players hung a banner commemorating this milestone and celebrated with a giant cookie. Senior Kayla Spotts summed it up, saying “I’m honored to be on his team.”
Rasheed Wallace played it off as no big deal, but the Pistons completed a very impressive stretch last night.
The played four times in five nights and won all four, including three of those on the road. They have won five in a row overall.
Granted, the teams they beat during that stretch aren’t the greatest – Cleveland (without LeBron James), Milwaukee, New Jersey, Atlanta and New Orleans — but to survive that brutal stretch without a blemish shows the Detroit is once again one of the top teams in the Eastern Confernce.
And, they won impressively. The closest contest during that four-game stretch was 11 points.