Scores Are A-Rising
The new ball has finally paid off for the league. Everyone’s been saying it gives shooters a much kinder roll.
Well, the first big shot was made this season because of the ball in the Nets/Wizards game last night. With 2.6 seconds left and the Nets needing a 3 to tie, Vince Carter’s 3 hit the back of the rim, stuck, and rolled in. According to the shooter himself:
Would the old ball have gone in on Carter’s last-gasp tying shot?
“If it would’ve hit like that? Heck no,” he said. “No way.”
Somewhere, David Stern is popping expensive champagne from I’d say, circa 1950.
Nets 105, Wizards 93 (OT) [NBA.com/video]
Recap: Nets at Wizards [ESPN.com]
La Pelota Du Jour
Mr. Henry Abbott over at TrueHoop wrote a guest spot for ESPN discussing the controversy over the new synthetic ball to be used this year in the L.
Henry doesn’t get a lot of time to put together lengthy pieces, so when he does, it’s worth the time to take a look.
He also mentions our own J.E. Skeets’ experience with the new ball when he visited the NBA Store way back in June. You may recall Skeets was in New York attending the NBA draft doing Skeets-type things like seeing how he measured up against Rebecca Lobo. Then again, you may not.
Thanks to Henry for the TBJ shout out.
The NBA’s New Rock [ESPN]
NBA Draft Photos … Finally! [The Basketball Jones]
Grandpa Balls, Baby Balls and Gourds
Dan may file this under “weirdness”, but I file it under “awesomeness”.
All day today, Dan “Mr. 5 Miles” Steinberg will be posting the results of some scientific experiments he and his team conducted with the NBA’s old basketball, the NBA’s new basketball and a pumpkin.
I won’t give away too much here, but let’s just say that some of the tests may or may not include, dropping them off RFK stadium’s fourth level, rolling them down a bowling alley, having politicians try to grip them, and/or getting J.J. Reddick to piss on them.
Old Basketballs, New Basketballs and Pumpkins [D.C. Sports Bog]
(Bonus: The Association also weighs in on Stern’s shiny new balls.)
(And oh, that picture? I found it here. Hahaha… check out the page’s intro:
It started in the fall of 2002. It was late, Colleen and I were bored and didn’t know what to do. Our neighbors Jami & Jason Jeffery had put these pumpkins on their stoop. Thus, we thought it a fun idea to take the pumpkins, photograph them around campus, and leave the pictures on their front door.
Oh you crazy, crazy kids, you…)
Comments (0)Score Up, Score Down
Sometimes when my hands are dry, I pull a Steve Nash. You know, I lick my fingers. Get a little saliva on there and I feel a lot better - but that won’t be Nash’s trademark anymore. Apparently, the new game ball is so sticky that Nash will no longer have to touch his taste buds.
There seem to be far more negative reactions to the composite ball than positive. Players and coaches are saying the ball feels cheap and there’ll be a transitional period. Some go as far as saying it will lower shooting percentages and increase turnovers. As an occasional betting man, that got me thinking. Are we going to see some low scoring games this season? Can we bet on some serious ‘under’ totals especially early on when the players are still adapting? Maybe there’s some money out there to be made.
My bet is that everyone gets used to it sooner rather than later. According to Executive Vice President of Basketball Operations Stu Jackson, composite balls are used in every league throughout the world and have been used in American high schools and the NCAA for the last 10 years. Players like Shaq are having trouble now, but how long can an NBA player struggle because of a ball?
NBA Says New Ball is Better [The Ledger]
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The Basketball Jones is a NBA blog and podcast, written and recorded five times a week by J.E. Skeets, Tas Melas and Jason Doyle. Comments, questions and cold hard cash are always welcome and much appreciated. Contact us.
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