USA Beats Spain to Claim the Gold Medal

Sunday, 10 AM EST, the USA men’s basketball team faced Spain to reclaim their gold medal from the Bejing Olympics.  The gold was fought for hard by both sides.  Spain had a size advantage, led by the two Gasol brothers, Pau and Marc, who both measure up to about 7ft. However, the U.S. was more versatile on both the defensive and offensive side of the court.  Neither team had a commanding lead though out the game with Spain only trailing by one point at the end of the third quarter!

Kevin Durant led the scoring with 30 points throughout the game, while LeBron James scored a total of 19 points. He led the team through the stretch with a pivotal dunk and a 3 pointer to seal the victory.  With the win, LeBron James joined Michael Jordan as the only two players in history to win a gold medal in the Olympics, an NBA title, regular-season MVP, and NBA Finals MVP all in the same year.

After the win the team, there will still be a big debate whether the 1992 Dream Team put together 20 years ago would beat the 2012 team.  Now that they have both won gold and showed off their phenomenal talents, the answer will remain uncertain.

Written By Guest Blogger, Matt Goldberg

posted by Sandybn
08.14.12
tags: , , , , , , ,
leave a comment
Full posts →

Men’s Basketball Olympic Team Trying to Recapture the Gold

The men’s basketball Olympic Roster has just been announced! The team will be defending its Olympic Gold Medal from the 2008 Beijing games.  The 12-man roster includes five players from the last Olympic run including LeBron James, Kobe Bryant, Deron Williams, Chris Paul, and Carmelo Anthony.  The team will also include five players from the FIBA Tournament in 2010 including Kevin Love, Russell Westbrook, Andre Iguodala, Tyson Chandler, (the defensive player of the year in last years NBA season) and, most importantly, reigning scoring champ of the NBA, Kevin Durant.  Blake Griffin and James Harden, international league newbies, were also added.  Overall, the team is a versatile group with a wide range of strengths.

This year’s roster is very different from previous Olympic games.  Tyson is acting as the only center for the team.  In addition, the US is going to play without Dwyane Wade, their leading scorer from 2008, and other huge contributors Dwight Howard and Chris Bosh all due to injuries.

Things have changed tremendously since the 1992 dream team (including Jordan, Bird, and Magic) was formed and proceeded to win by an average of 43.8 points per game. With basketball growing throughout the rest of the world, the team will have some tough competition.  Almost all of the countries competing in this year’s tournament have current and former NBA players.  Back in 2008, the gold medal game against Spain was surprisingly close. However, the US pulled away in the home stretch and went home with a 118 to 107 victory.

This year Spain is going to be another big test for the US, with the seven-foot tall brothers of Pau and Marc Gasol returning trying to make a run at gold.  Additionally, Tony Parker will be key for France, as well as Manu Ginobili for Argentina.  An exhibition game will take place in Las Vegas against the Dominican Republic July 12th and the first game of the Olympics will be against France on July 29th.

Will you be tuning in?

Written by Guest Blogger, Matt Goldberg

posted by Sandybn
07.11.12
tags: , , , ,
leave a comment
Full posts →

Mark Wahlberg Goes Back to High School

News has recently broken out that Mark Wahlberg is planning on returning to the 9th grade after dropping out of high school at the early age of 14.  Recently, Mark was joking about his new plans to finish the grades in about six to eight months.

At first, I thought this was just a funny reference to Adam Sandler’s classic comedy, Billy Madison.  In case you’ve missed it, the movie is about “Billy,” an over privileged man-child and high school drop out.  In order to gain his dad’s trust to take control over the family business, he has to pass Kindergarten through 12th grade with about 2 weeks allotted for each grade.

 

It’s great to see a huge celebrity like Mark going back to school and being a positive role model for children.  There has been a lot of focus on educational matters recently and I think it’s fantastic that even big celebrities are on board. LeBron James has also been featured in television commercials, encouraging kids to graduate from high school.

What do you think about Mark Wahlberg’s decision to return to high school? Share your thoughts below!

Written by Guest Blogger, Matt Goldberg

posted by Sandybn
06.18.12
tags: , , , , , ,
leave a comment
Full posts →

The Celtics Are Back!

The Boston Celtics and Miami Heat have been very entertaining over the last few days with their intense play. Some say the Celtics were too old and the Heat will contend for the championship. This year’s playoff run has left the Heat with a very opportune chance to win it all. The Chicago Bulls, with the number one seed in the Eastern Conference, lost Derrick Rose (the former MVP of the league) in an early playoff run from a torn ACL. The injury created an opening for the Heat to pass the best team in the East.

LeBron James is still searching for his first championship win. He has been called a prodigy since he was a teenager, having been selected number one overall by the Cleveland Cavaliers in the 2003 NBA Draft. Now he is with the Miami Heat alongside two other superstars Chris Bosh and Dwyane Wade – “the big 3.” Tonight the Heat play the Celtics in a decisive game six in Boston trailing three games to two.

Don't rule them out.

The Celtics have been under the radar over the last few weeks as the media portrayed them as too weak with lingering injuries. They ruled them out from a potential championship run.

In Game 5 Kevin Garnett came up huge with 26 points and 11 rebounds. The rest of the team struggled offensively but pulled it out down the stretch with huge shots by Paul Pierce and Mickael Pietrus. Rajon Rondo also contributed with 13 assists as Pierce finished with 19 Points.

The Celtics are now at a huge advantage playing at home tonight with veteran players who have been in this position in the past. The Heat on the other hand are lacking veteran players and have crumbled down the stretch many games over the regular season and playoffs. Although the Celtics are only a 5th seed, don’t rule them out as potential champions.

Written by Guest Blogger, Matt Goldberg

posted by Sandybn
06.07.12
tags: , , , , , ,
leave a comment
Full posts →