@kingsfan

28d

Icons of the W, Part 1: This is For Pat

To start off this series, why don't we start with my beloved Sparks? The 2016 Los Angeles Sparks were led by two stars, both first overall picks, in Candace Parker and Nneka Ogwumike. (who returned to the Sparks this season!) Ogwumike won her 1st and only MVP in 2016, finishing third in the league in scoring with 19.7 PPG, third in the league in rebounding with 9.1 PPG, and first in field goal percentage at .665 On the other side, we have Candace Parker, a 2-time MVP, the second option behind Ogwumike, averaging 15.3 PPG. A very important part of this story that should be known is that Candace Parker came from the University of Tennessee, becoming a 2x NCAA champion under the leadership of legendary Pat Summitt. A coach that was highly impactful to Parker throughout her basketball career, Pat Summitt died after battling Alzheimer’s for five years. On that same night, Candace Parker had 31 PTS and a season-high 13 REB and exclaimed after the Sparks’ victory she would be playing for Summitt “from here on out”. However, the Sparks did have an X-factor. Chelsea Gray. Now, I know today you may know Gray as a star player on those oh-so prevalent Aces teams, but before all that, she was a backup to another Sparks star, Kristi Toliver. Traded freshly off the Connecticut Sun in 2016, Gray came off the bench playing 33 games and averaging 5.9 PPG. Nonetheless, she would average 17 a night throughout the Sparks’ last five outings. These four players (well, technically three. Sorry Kristi Toliver, you don’t get a positive mention beyond these parentheses) were pivotal to their Finals run. It wouldn’t be easy to be as dominating as Pat at the professional level. Well, besides one team. The Minnesota Lynx. A star-studded cast of players, including Maya Moore, Sylvia Fowles, Seimone Augustus, Rebekkah Brunson, Lindsay Whalen, alongside just a solid bench overall. They had won championships in 2011, 2013 and 2015. A fourth one would absolutely cement them as a dynasty. On the other side of the coin, a competitive Western Conference kept the Sparks out of the conversation for a championship for an achingly long time. When L.A. finally broke through, they had finished 28-6 with the second seed. The team at the first seed? Minnesota, also at 28-6. Both of these teams received a bye to the semifinals, where they handily defeated their opponents, coming down to a final between two Western Conference teams. The Sparks stole Game 1 after Alana Beard, off a pass from Chelsea Gray, made a buzzer-beating jumper. The defending champions Lynx responded with Maya Moore’s 21 points and 12 rebounds helping the Lynx to even up the series. “We were soft, we were feeble.” said Cheryl Reeve, coach of the Minnesota Lynx, after the Sparks won 92-75 in Game 3 to be within a win of a WNBA title. Maya Moore scored 31 points, alongside a great defense, to lead the Lynx to another win. Chelsea Gray scored 20 points off the bench, but it wasn’t enough. The back-and-forth had the finals tied at 2 apiece. Enter Game 5. This is where all three of our stars come into the spotlight. At the end of the 3rd quarter leading into the beginning of the 4th, Chelsea Gray put up 11 straight points as the Sparks matched the speed of the Lynx, preventing them from going on another one of their signature runs. At the end of her run, the Sparks were up 60-59. At 3:06 in the 4th quarter, the Sparks were up 71-63! It was NOT as easy of a win as you would think it would be, though. Maya Moore (We’ve been hearing a lot about her in a story where she loses, eh?) hit a 3 to bring it within 4. She then proceeded to assist a Rebekkah Brunson jump shot to bring it within 2. Then, Lindsay Whalen stole the ball from Kristi Toliver and made a fast break layup. The game was tied at 71. On the next play, Ogwumike hit a jumper. It WAS a shot clock violation, but the referees didn’t review it right away. Violation not counted. Action continues. 73-71. Seimone Augustus answered with another jumper. 73-73. Rebekkah Brunson makes ½ FTs. 73-74. Candace Parker, off a pass from Nneka Ogwumike, makes a 2-point layup. 75-74. Maya Moore’s turnaround jump shot goes in. The Lynx crowd is a deafening roar, eager to see the Los Angeles Sparks fall to achieve the dynasty. 75-76. With no timeouts remaining, Chelsea Gray goes up the floor. With six seconds left, she decides to shoot. She misses. Ogwumike makes an offensive rebound. Nneka Ogwumike jumps to make a shot… and it’s blocked by Sylvia Fowles. Yet, Ogwumike rebounds it again, and makes a clutch shot. The ball goes in while she falls back to the floor, watching the game-winning points sitting on the court, with 3.1 seconds to go. Lindsay Whalen had to make a heave down halfcourt, and the loud “THUD!” sealed the deal. The Los Angeles Sparks had won the WNBA finals, a score of 77-76. It was their first championship since their back-to-back titles in 2001 and 2002, and is still their most recent title to date. During an interview after

Sparks

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Larry O’Brien Legends, Part 7: The 2nd Greatest Comeback

At the risk of sounding like Bill Simmons, there were MANY options to pick from in Celtics history. However, in light of a certain recent event, I thought it would be fun to reminisce on a legendary Finals comeback. If you’ve been following the NBA for more than a year, you know the story of the 2008 Celtics. For those that don’t, here is the summary: The Celtics had gone from decent to horrible in the years since their conference finals appearance in 2002. After the 06-07 season, Paul Pierce was very frustrated, so general manager Danny Ainge executed arguably the best offseason in NBA history. He traded for Ray Allen and Kevin Garnett while retaining promising youngsters like Rajon Rondo and Tony Allen. The Celtics went from 24 wins to 66, the largest single season turnaround in NBA history. In the playoffs, the Celtics ran into their fair share of hurdles. The 37-win Hawks and LeBron carry-job Cavs both took the Celtics to 7 games in rounds 1 and 2 respectively. Boston then met the paragons of East dominance in the Detroit Pistons and beat them in 6, making it to the Finals. For the Celtics Big 3, their head coach Doc Rivers, and 90% of their teammates, it was their first ever finals appearance. This was a veteran team, but one that didn’t have much experience on this stage. The team they went on to face was far from lacking in that department. The LA Lakers had finally made it back to the Finals. Kobe Bryant was leading the way, coming off his first and only MVP alongside the return of head coach Phil Jackson. For context, the duo of Kobe and Phil had played/coached in more finals games than Garnett had in the playoffs entirely before arriving to Boston. The Celtics were the better team on paper, but there was some that believed that LA could use their experience to win this series. Boston managed to win both games 1 and 2 at home, but the Lakers counter punched with a win in game 3 thanks to a masterful 36-point performance from Kobe, which set us up for a game 4 that could shift the balance of power either way. The 1st quarter was just about as bad as it possibly could’ve been for Boston. The Lakers were up 35-14 after 12 minutes. To make matters worse, the Lakers continued the beat down in the 2nd. They built up a 24-point lead (45-21) with less than 5 minutes to go in the quarter. The Celtics did finish the half strong with a 19-10 run, only for Jordan Farmar to hit a last second 3 to give LA an 18-point lead at halftime (58-40). The Celtics started the 2nd half well with an 8-2 run, only for the Lakers to build their lead back up to 20 (68-48) with 7 minutes to go in the 3rd. Doc Rivers then called a timeout. I do not know what he said, but whatever it was, it’s the best idea he’s ever had because the Celtics went on a 23-5 run to end the quarter and cut the deficit to just 2 points (73-71). There was still a quarter to go and Boston made sure their incredible comeback wasn’t for nothing. After a tight 8 minutes, the Celtics finally took their first lead of the game with just 4 minutes remaining, never gave it up and completed, at the time, the greatest single-game comeback in NBA finals history to put themselves up 3-1 in the series. That game basically won them the championship. LA did manage to steal game 5, only to get OBLITERATED in game 6 by 39 points as the Celtics claimed their 17th championship. Paul Pierce, the same frustrated star in 2007, was named Finals MVP. It’s hard to pick an MVP of the comeback as it was truly a team effort. Each member of the big 3 put up 10+ points in the 2nd half while James Posey and Eddie House provided valuable 3-point shooting to add an extra punch. However, I’d pick Paul Pierce who led the way in both scoring and assists (14 and 5). This Big 3 Celtics never won another championship and are sadly remembered more for massively overrating themselves in every TV segment and podcast any of them are on. Ironically, I’ve never heard any of them brag about this, so of course the basketball gods punished them by letting the Knicks have the new greatest comeback in Finals history. Still, during that game and this season, Paul Pierce, Kevin Garnett, Ray Allen and most shocking of all, Doc Rivers, became Larry O’Brien Legends.

@Landon

The Neverlands?

The Netherlands have always been at the door step of the ultimate trophy but they always come up empty handed. 16 years ago they finished runners up against Germany. Back in 2026 they hope to put the doubt aside and get the job done. The Netherlands had a short and sweet WCQ going 6-0-2 netting 27 goals and conceded 4 goals. Out of all the teams Poland gave them the most trouble drawing 1-1 both meanings. Memphis Depay scored 8 goals and had 4 assists. Ronald Koeman is a first time World Cup manager of any team. He took charge in 2023 so he understands his team and has 3 years of experience with them. He is a tough speaking well disciplined coach that preaches maximum effort. His legacy as a player gives respect from the Dutch. They have a incredible midfield with Reijnders, De Jong, and Gravenberch. They will control the center of the pitch and create chances. The Orange have a lack of depth in the center forward position but I’m not to worried about that. I am worried about the inconsistency of the wingers. The Netherlands might be in trouble goal scoring wise if the wingers go cold. Talking about the Jerseys I like them, simple yet eye catching. I like the orange on the home kit and the orange and white stripe on the away hit. Going forward I’m going to be sharing my thoughts on these national team’s jerseys. Will the Orange be able to finally break through and win their first World Cup? How far do you think they will get?

@ChuckieHussy

Mr. Cub Joins the 500 Club

On May 12, 1970, Ernie Banks stepped up at Wrigley Field in the second inning against Atlanta Braves left-hander Pat Jarvis. He was sitting on 499. He hit the next pitch into the left-field bleachers. Career home run #500. Mr. Cub became just the 9th player in MLB history to reach the milestone, joining a club that to that point included Babe Ruth, Mel Ott, Jimmie Foxx, Ted Williams, Willie Mays, Mickey Mantle, Eddie Mathews, and Hank Aaron — every name a Hall of Famer, every name an icon. Banks circled the bases under heavy May rain that delayed the game shortly after. The Cubs eventually won 4-3 in 11 innings. The 39-year-old Banks would play one more season after this one, retiring with 512 career home runs — every single one in a Cubs uniform. Banks never played a postseason game. His Cubs never won a pennant in his 19 seasons. But he was the most beloved player in Chicago history and "Let's play two!" lived on long after he hung up the glove.