Great question from my man Paxton:
Hi. I am a fifth grader and I am working on a science fair project. I have a question for you. Do you think it’s easier shooting with a net or without one?
Thanks for your thought-provoking question Paxton. I don’t know the science behind it, but I do believe it’s easier to sink a shot when there’s a net than it is to make a basket without one.
Good luck at the fair. Hope your project is a slam dunk!
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The NBA has always tried to make Martin Luther King Day very special by paying tribute to King’s legacy in a number of ways and celebrating this national day of unity with an outstanding lineup. Just listening to the players who have been interviewed about Dr. King, it’s evident that athletes of all ages have tremendous respect for the visionary leader and a great appreciation for his contributions to the Freedom Movement that ultimately created the opportunities they have today.
I’m honored when I’m asked to do one of the MLK Day games, and the first of tonight’s marquee matchups will take our TNT crew to “The Cradle of Liberty,” where King pursued a graduate degree at Boston University and received his PhD in systematic theology in the spring of 1955. According to his friend Cornish Rogers, when King wasn’t busy studying or ministering he played hoops in the small gym of a local church close to campus in his leather shoes.
Boston’s Hall-of-Fame crew will have their hands full hosting one of the hottest teams in the league at the Garden. The reeling Celtics (4-7), who have lost four in a row, take on the Thunder, owners of the second best record in the NBA (12-2). The speed, quickness and depth of this young Oklahoma City team will make it tough for the aging Celtics to snap the Thunder’s six-game winning streak.
It will be an emotional night for Kendrick Perkins, who returns to Beantown to take on his former NBA family of eight years for the first time since he was dealt to the Thunder last season.
Chris Webber, Kevin Harlan and I have OKC @ BOS at 8:00 PM EST on TNT.
Less than a month into his pro career, fearless first-year, 6-8, 230-pound power forward Ivan Johnson has managed to upstage his platinum and ice smile with several splashy performances worthy of a veritable diamond in the rough.
Not your typical NBA rookie, the undrafted big from Cal State-San Bernardin paid his dues in the D-League and abroad before impressing Hawks’ coach Larry Drew during their preseason training camp and earning a spot on Atlanta’s roster at the age of 27. Ivan Johnson caught the attention of scouts with his physicality and First-Team All-NBDL honors-earning average of 22.6 points, 7.8 rebounds, 3.2 assists and 1.8 steals in 49 games for the Erie Bayhawks last season.
However, Johnson was a wild card due to anger management issues that surfaced throughout his college and post-college career and culminated in a permanent ban from the Korean Basketball League due to unsportsmanlike conduct. Despite the red flags, the Hawks gave Johnson a chance to prove his worth, and Johnson appears to be making good on it.
“The other Johnson” was a surprise standout in Atlanta’s triple overtime loss to Miami earlier this month. When center Al Horford got into foul trouble, Johnson filled in and got four points, a steal and a rebound off the bench in Atlanta’s 12-0 run to close out the third quarter; and he added five points in the fourth.
Now with 2X All-Star Horford likely sidelined for the remainder of the season with a torn left pectoral muscle he suffered in last week’s loss to the Pacers, Johnson will have an opportunity to earn more meaningful minutes. Johnson got is first NBA double-double in Atlanta’s 93-91 comeback win over the Timberwolves on Saturday. He scored his team’s final four points, including the game-winning free throw with 4.6 seconds remaining, and finished with 10 points, 11 rebounds and 2 steals while playing a season-high 26 minutes in Horford’s absence.
Johnson’s hard work and hustle is earning him Coach Drew’s confidence and the respect of his teammates and fans. A tenacious defender who gets deflections and rebounds, Johnson gives Atlanta toughness on the defensive end. If Johnson continues to learn, mature and keep his emotions in check he can develop into an integral part of this Hawks team and help them contend for the postseason. Johnson and the Hawks will be tested four times this week starting with a trip to Toronto tonight.
