by Erika Plunkett | Dec 31, 2019 | BREAKING NEWS, News Slider, Sports
Down seven players, including leading scorer Bradley Beal, the Washington Wizards pulled off an upset win Tuesday night against the second-best team in the NBA, the Miami Heat. The Wizards’ success is due to their bench production, where they outscored Miami 80-27, including a career-high 28 points from former Lipscomb Bison Garrison Mathews. Mathews, a two-way player with the Capital City Go-Gos, was recently recalled to join the injury-ridden Wizards. Entering the game in the first quarter, Mathews quickly scored on a jumper, but it was not until the second quarter when Mathews got into a scoring rhythm. In that second period, he scored 20 points, while the Heat was only able to score 24 points. It's quick! ?#WizHeat | @gmathews_24 pic.twitter.com/oUMNsIuWZ5 — Washington Wizards (@WashWizards) December 31, 2019 Joining Mathews with a career high was Ian Mahinmi, who contributed 25 points; Jordan McRae led the team with 29 points. At the half, Wizards assistant coach David Adkins was asked about the strong performances from Mahinmi, McRae and Mathews; his response: “That’s 61 first-half points!” Speaking of Mathews, Adkins said, “Well, you know his nickname is ‘Wild Thing.’” And Mathews lived up to the name. While his offensive performance was not as strong in the second half, finishing with just 6 points after the break, he continued to draw attention, defenders and fouls, which opened up his teammates for shots. Mathews finished the night with 28 points, including four three-pointers and four assists. Mathews earned a standing ovation when he entered the game in the third quarter, accompanied by “M-V-P” chants, and the fan support continued when two questionable...
by Logan Butts | Jun 5, 2014 | Opinion, Sports
After one of the greatest playoffs in recent memory, the NBA Finals are finally here. This year’s matchup is one almost every basketball fan wanted: a rematch of last year’s outstanding Finals between the Miami Heat and the San Antonio Spurs. The Heat won last year’s series in seven games, thanks to one of the greatest shots in NBA history (taken by Ray Allen, the greatest 3-point shooter of all time no less) in the waning moments of the now-legendary Game Six. That game also featured a superhuman performance from 4-time league MVP LeBron James and an unheralded collapse from the ever-steady, machine-like Spurs. The series had everything: last second shots, thunderous dunks, role players stepping up and future Hall-of-Famers playing brilliantly. Former Miami Heat player Mike Miller, now a Grizzly, even drained a shot while wearing one shoe. This year’s series provides the veteran Spurs a chance at revenge. They were as close as you can get to winning an NBA championship last year without actually winning it. It could be the last hurrah for the quartet of Tim Duncan, Tony Parker, Manu Ginobili and coach Gregg Popovich, but people have been saying that about them for almost a decade now. For the Heat, they have a chance to join the elite of the elite when it comes to great NBA teams. Only Bill Russell’s Celtics, Magic Johnson’s Lakers and Larry Bird’s Celtics had made four straight Finals appearances before the Heat joined them this year. Only Russell’s Celtics, Michael Jordan’s Bulls and the Shaquille O’Neal/Kobe Bryant Lakers have ever won three championships in a row. A win...
by Logan Butts | Apr 18, 2013 | Opinion, Sports
After a season full of surprising upstarts, fantastic play, intriguing storylines and the Miami Heat Harlem Shake video, I am more than ready for this year’s NBA playoffs. With an unbelievably talented Western Conference and everyone in the Eastern Conference gunning for the Heat’s throne, this is shaping up to be one of the best playoffs in a decade. Let’s jump right in to my 2013 NBA playoff predictions. All seeds are my projections. Eastern Conference First Round 1. Miami Heat vs. 8. Milwaukee Bucks: Brandon Jennings and Monta Ellis will have a game where they catch fire and score a combined 60 points, which will be the only thing keeping this series from being a sweep. 2. New York Knicks vs. 7. Boston Celtics: If Rajon Rondo were still healthy, this series would be much different. The return of all their injured players, combined with the hot streak Carmelo Anthony is on, makes this series a fairly easy one for New York. 3. Indiana Pacers vs. 6. Atlanta Hawks: Josh Smith and company will end their streak of second round exits this year…by exiting in the first round. The Pacers balanced play should win them the series. 4. Brooklyn Nets vs. 5. Chicago Bulls: This Bulls team will not go away. Without the injured Derrick Rose and Joakim Noah, they still somehow managed to capture the fifth seed in the East. I think their toughness will be enough to knock out Deron Williams and the underachieving Nets. Second Round 1. Miami Heat vs. 5. Chicago Bulls: Even though the gritty Bulls ended the Miami Heat’s record-approaching win streak,...
by Logan Butts | Oct 26, 2012 | Opinion, Sports
For the decade after Michael Jordan’s last game in a Bulls jersey, the NBA went through constantly declining ratings, a lack of stars, boring playoff games, a referee fixing scandal and a number of other problems. However, the last few years have seen a return to form for the NBA. Some experts are even claiming that the NBA is now on par with the golden age of the late ‘80s/early ‘90s (or at least getting close). This season looks to be a continuation of that trend with more interesting storylines, competitive teams and talented players than the league has seen since that golden era. Eastern Conference 1. Miami Heat: Who else? After LeBron James finally played to his full potential and figured out how to effectively balance the main scorer and facilitator roles, the results were devastating. They added sharpshooters Ray Allen and Rashard Lewis to the offense in the off-season to bolster their star-studded roster. Also, a healthy Dwyane Wade will be key. 2. Boston Celtics: Paul Pierce and Kevin Garnett are not getting any younger, but luckily for the Celtics, Rajon Rondo went into full superstar mode during last year’s conference finals against the Heat. The Celtics will need more of that if they want to get past the Heat this year. 3. Indiana Pacers: The Pacers are just about as deep as anyone in the league, but the NBA is a league of stars, and who is going to take that role on this team? Danny Granger? Roy Hibbert? Somebody has to. 4. New York Knicks: They have possibly the best pure scorer in Carmelo Anthony...
