Category — Michael Jordan

Like the NCAA Tournament, some NBA player makes a name for himself during the playoffs. Stephen Curry, 1 of the best shooters we’ve ever watched and 1 who almost helped the Warriors stun the Nuggets today in Denver, could be 1 of those players. Writer Shaun Powell compiles a good list of some who might emerge. Another name we would add to it is San Antonio forward Kawhi Leonard. He isn’t spectacular at anything but good at plenty of things.
Sports On Earth

The Heat are the overwhelming favorites to win the NBA title again, and why shouldn’t they be? We’re hard-headed though. Actually, we’re sticking with our betting slip.
Eastern Conference
Heat over Bucks in 5; Nets over Bulls in 7; Pacers over Hawks in 5; Knicks over Celtics in 6.
Heat over Nets in 5; Pacers over Knicks in 6.
Heat over Pacers in 6.
Western Conference
Thunder over Rockets in 6; Clippers over Grizzlies in 7 (the Charles Barkley factor); Nuggets over Warriors in 7; Spurs over Lakers in 5.
Thunder over Clippers in 6; Spurs over Nuggets in 5.
Spurs over Thunder in 6.
Championship: Spurs over Heat in 7.

Michael Jordan, Will Smith, Don Cheadle, Bruce and Brody Jenner, Chevy Chase, Michael Phelps, Dr. J, Jerry Rice and Wayne Gretzky and a host of other celebs kicked off the Michael Jordan Celebrity Invitation Celebration at ARIA Resort & Casino in Las Vegas.
Also in the house: Jordan’s fiancée Yvette Prieto, Michael Phelps, Marcus Allen, Stuart Scott, Roger Clemens, Vince Coleman, Jonathan Ogden, Ron Harper and Jerome Bettis.
John Legend, Blue Man Group and Wayne Brady headlined the entertainment.
Images courtesy of Getty Images Entertainment, Isaac Brekken and Bryan Steffy

What, no Charles Barkley?
John Legend will entertain during a private performance at Aria Resort & Casino in Vegas during the 12th Michael Jordan Celebrity Invitational Celebration on Friday. Legend will perform at an invite-only party.
Seeing that you probably can’t score that, maybe you might try getting a glimpse of the celebs and high rollers during the golf tournament, which runs Thursday through Sunday. A 2-day celebrity-amateur affair, which pairs 1 celebrity with 4 amateurs (they didn’t tell us what kind of “amateurs”), will tee off Thursday and Friday. The main event is a 36-hole scramble format tournament.
Among the celebs scheduled to attend: Marcus Allen; Anthony Anderson; Miles Austin; Brian Baumgartner; Jerome Bettis; Wayne Brady; Chevy Chase; Brandi Chastain; Chris Chelios; Roger Clemens; Vince Coleman; Brian Cushing; Richard Dent; Julius Erving; Josh Freeman; Dwight Freeney; Wayne Gretzky; Ken Griffey Jr.; Penny Hardaway; Brett Hull; Dan Jansen; Dustin Johnson; Janet Jones-Gretzky; Toni Kukoc; Mario Lemieux; Greg Maddux; Win McMurry; Christina Milian; Von Miller; DeMarco Murray; Kevin Nealon; Jonathan Ogden; Paul O’Neill; Jake Owen; Michael Phelps; Ahmad Rashad; Jerry Rice; Salli Richardson; Rob Riggle; Stuart Scott; Ozzie Smith; Jason Taylor; Alan Thicke; Winky Wright; and Adrian Young.
Daily general admission passes: $30/Thursday-Sunday; weekly general admission passes: $100/Thursday-Sunday; daily VIP passes: $150/Thursday-Sunday; and weekly VIP passes: $500/Thursday-Sunday.
Info: AriaLasVegas.com

With the latest toast coming at the expense of a Canadian club, Miami has now won 22 in a row. Should the old Lakers of 33 straight be shaking in their boots? Uh, no. One test of the streak comes Monday when the Heat visit the C’s.
But the NBA this year? Well, yeah. The Heat are huge favorites to repeat, particularly as they continue to play like this.
Makes us foolish dropping a quarter on the Spurs at 4-1 (from 5-1 on 2nd night of my last Vegas venture, sum bitches) to hijack the title, no?
Miami Herald

Where’s Arte Moreno? Magic Johnson?
The usual suspects such as Roger Goodell, David Stern and Bud Selig are among a list of the 50 most powerful people (only 3 women) in sports. But Ed O’Bannon? That’s right. The former UCLA star could change the landscape of college sports with his suit against the NCAA.
SI.com

We’re trolling around in our 2nd home, the always entertaining Las Vegas. Hit the over (202.5) for the Spurs-Clips blowout, but due to a brief case of blindness at the betting window, we bet the Clips instead of the Spurs. And the old lady wondered why I was cussing?
Anyway…
Your favorites for the NBA championship? The Heat (+165) and the Thunder (+280) are the picks now, but we all know how quickly that can change. The rest: Spurs (5-1); Clippers (6-1); Lakers (13-1); Knicks (12-1); Bulls (14-1); Warriors (16-1); Pacers (25-1); Celtics and Nuggets (35-1); and Rockets (60-1).
Us? We like the Spurs. That could change too. If we’re wrong, we’ll plead another case of blindness. Seriously.

Unlike ESPN, I could care less about the hoopla and the circus centering around Michael Jordan turning 50. But I couldn’t resist reading this awesome piece by the outstanding Wright Thompson, who pens some of the finest pieces I’ve read the past few years.
Of course it’s all about Mike, but Thompson, as he is prone to do, explains some of the nuances about Jordan, and even better, why he’s still an asshole. It just goes with the territory. Right Kobe?
ESPN The Magazine

The veteran broadcaster, best known for his work as an NBA announcer, particularly his stint with the Bulls, passed over the weekend as his farm outside of Houston of unknown causes. He was 65.
Houston Chronicle

Questions always consume NBA fans on opening night. And they will have more as the season dribbles along. Can the Heat repeat as champs? Can the Lakers win the West? Can the Thunder continue to be the best in the West after trading James Harden? Or will the Nuggets emerge? In the East, can any club seriously challenge the Heat?
We know this. LeBron and the Heat are the favorites (7-4) to win it all again, while the Lakers (2-1) are the No. 2 pick. The Thunder (7-2) are the No. 3 choice, but after that it gets dicey.
Vegas Insider