Sports
NBA Scoring Binges 3-Point Shooting Leads
Giannis Antetokounmpo established a career-high with 55 points in Milwaukee’s win over Washington last Tuesday, yet it wasn’t even the top-scoring performance in the NBA’s Central Division for the week.
That honor went to Cleveland’s Donovan Mitchell, who had a game-high 71 the night before.
In the last few weeks, the best scorers in the NBA have been trying to outdo each other almost every night. Whether it was Mitchell’s outstanding performance for the Cavaliers or Dallas’ Luka Doncic topping 50 points three times in a nine-day span, it seems like another guy is putting up massive numbers everywhere you look.
“I believe there are several layers to it. “You simply see guys have huge offensive games night after night,” Wizards coach Wes Unseld Jr. said. “Of course, it’s entertaining to watch as a fan. “It’s difficult to devise a game plan to stop some of these guys because they score at all levels — in the paint, on 3s, and at the line.”
A Small Number of NBA Players Have 50 Point Games
According to Sportradar, no more than eight different players have ever had a 50-point game in a single season before 2016-17. Since then, at least ten people have done it every season, with a record 14 doing it in 2021-22. Some of this is to be expected in an era of record-breaking scoring. As of Monday night, NBA teams were averaging 113.8 points per game, which would be the highest number for the league since 1969-70. However, the total scoring context only communicates part of the story.
Teams averaged 116.7 points that season, while only two players had 50-point games. Teams averaged 110.8 points in 1984-85, the highest-scoring season of the 1980s. However, just five players that season — Bernard King, Kevin McHale, and Moses Malone — scored 50 points.
So the recent trend isn’t merely higher scoring across the league. The top players are also consistently generating massive games. The expansion could be a factor. The number of teams has increased by 30% since 1985. With more teams, there will be more games. Therefore, it stands to reason that there are more instances of a player getting 50 points.
The Sport Is Evolving
But the sport has evolved in other ways as well.
“The most impressive thing about these guys is their skill set—the handle and the shooting,” Golden State coach Steve Kerr said. “What’s missing is the foundation that players used to have when they came into the league after a few years of college.” The defense isn’t up to par. “In this league, transition defense is at an all-time low.”
Nowadays, almost every elite scorer has some level of ability from 3-point range, although in the 1980s, some stars totally avoided the shot, and few attempted it.
“Guys are taking 15 or 16 three-pointers in some games,” said Los Angeles Clippers coach Tyronn Lue. “Teams encourage guys to take those shots, and if you take a lot of shots and get hot and make some, you can score a lot of points.”
Racking Up Points Quickly
Current players have a number of ways to rack up points quickly, and the 3-point shot has a far-reaching impact on the game. With so many players hitting open threes, teams can stretch the floor to the point where double teams are punished.
“You have to choose the guys you try to double team and get the ball out of their hands; they are not excellent passers,” Lue said. “So, when you have men like that, you want to let them attempt to get theirs and take everyone else out, but it may also backfire on you.”
King scored 60 points on Christmas in 1984; he didn’t shoot a single three-pointer in the NBA. Antetokounmpo’s 55 points this season went unnoticed. On the other hand, Mitchell attempted 15 shots and made seven in his 71-point performance.
“As we’ve seen throughout the years, that 3-point line has transformed the game,” Memphis coach Taylor Jenkins said. “You’re getting more guys to accept it now.” The sheer volume of tries creates those opportunities. It’s unusual for men to consistently shoot 2 to reach the 50-point plateau. More of that is definitely part of our game’s evolution. “That trend is likely to continue.”
SOURCE – (AP)
The opening ceremony of the Paris Olympics promises to be unlike any other.
In a novelty for the Games, the show will be held on Paris’ famed River Seine rather than in a stadium.
Here is everything you need know about the ceremony…
What to expect from the spectacular opening ceremony.
The eye-catching celebration will take place over a 6km stretch of the Seine. It will start at Austerlitz Bridge and culminate among the gardens, fountains, and palaces in the shadow of the Eiffel Tower at Trocadero.
Almost 100 boats will carry over 10,000 athletes and dignitaries as they cruise past Paris’ prominent monuments such as Notre Dame Cathedral and Pont Neuf.
The boats will transport the parade’s participants as well as the artistic portion of the celebration, which will highlight Paris and France’s history and culture.
The performers’ identities, however, have been kept a mystery.
Thousands of people are still expected to line the river and streets, with millions more watching on television all over the world.
“I’d like to show France in all its diversity,” said Thomas Jolly, the French actor and theatre director appointed as the ceremony’s creative director, a post previously played by Danny Boyle in London 2012.
“Illustrate the richness and plurality shaped by its history, which has been influenced and inspired by the diverse cultures that have passed through it, while itself serving as a source of inspiration.”
The ceremony will also involve the ceremonial opening of the Games, led by French President Emmanuel Macron, as well as the lighting of the Olympic cauldron.
Many of the finer elements have been maintained as a surprise.
What is the date and time of the opening ceremony?
The ceremony will commence at 19:30 local time (18:30 BST) on Friday, July 26.
It is scheduled to take little under four hours, with the last parts taking place as the sun sets over the French city.
Fortunately, the Paris weather forecast for Friday evening is positive.
In what sequence will the nations be introduced?
In accordance with tradition, Greece will be the first nation introduced during the ceremony.
Giannis Antetokounmpo, an NBA star, is one of their flagbearers for the games.
Greece will be followed by the Refugee Olympic Team, with hosts France being the last to be unveiled.
Because of their countries’ involvement in the Ukrainian conflict, Russian and Belarussian athletes participating as individuals will not participate.
How to follow the opening ceremony on BBC.
The opening ceremony will begin live at 17:45 BST on BBC One, BBC iPlayer, and the BBC Sport website and app.
BBC Radio 5 Live and BBC Sounds will provide radio coverage beginning at 19:00 BST.
There will also be live text coverage on the BBC Sport website and app, bringing you all the action from Paris.
Source: BBC
Sports
Coco Gauff To Be Female Flag Bearer For US Team At Olympic Opening Ceremony, Joining LeBron James
PARIS — Coco Gauff, a tennis player, will join LeBron James as a flag bearer for the United States Olympic team at Friday’s opening ceremony.
Coco, the reigning US Open winner, is ready to make her Olympic debut at the Paris Games, becoming the first tennis player to carry the American flag. Team USA athletes selected her and James.
“I believe the Olympics are the priority. It’s equal to the Grand Slams. I wouldn’t put it above or below because I’d never played before. “This is my first time,” Gauff explained earlier this year. “I always want to do well and get a medal.”
Coco Gauff | AP News Image
Coco Gauff To Be Female Flag Bearer For US Team At Olympic Opening Ceremony, Joining LeBron James
Coco and James, the 39-year-old NBA’s all-time top scorer, engage in sports outside the traditional Olympic realm and receive media attention year-round rather than every four years.
Coco, 20, joined the American team for the Tokyo Olympics as a youngster three years ago but had to withdraw because she tested positive for COVID-19 just before flying to Japan.
Coco, who now lives in Florida, has won Grand Slam titles in both singles and doubles. She earned her first major triumph in New York in September, defeating Aryna Sabalenka in the singles final of the U.S. Open, and then won her first Grand Slam doubles title at the French Open in June with Czech Republic’s Katerina Siniakova.
The Paris Olympics will be played on the same clay courts at Roland Garros used for the French Open. The bracket draw will take place on Thursday, and play will begin on Saturday.
Coco is seeded second in singles, matching her current WTA ranking behind Poland’s No. 1 Iga Swiatek, and will be one of the medal favorites.
Coco Gauff | AP news Image
Coco Gauff To Be Female Flag Bearer For US Team At Olympic Opening Ceremony, Joining LeBron James
She and her normal doubles partner, Jessica Pegula, are seeded first in the women’s doubles. Gauff may also compete in mixed doubles; however, those pairs have yet to be determined.
“I’m not putting too much pressure on it, because I want to fully enjoy the experience,” Gauff said of her Olympic debut. “Hopefully I can have the experience multiple times in my lifetime, (but) I’ll treat it as a once-in-a-lifetime experience.”
SOURCE | AP
When LeBron James was chosen for his first Olympics in 2004, he was unsure what the opening ceremony entailed.
This time, he’ll be a star of the show.
His fellow American Olympians chose James to be the male flagbearer for the United States at the opening ceremony of the Paris Games on Friday night. He is the third basketball player — and the first men’s player — to carry the United States flag at the start of an Olympics, following Dawn Staley in 2004 and Sue Bird in 2021.
“It’s an incredible honor to represent the United States on this global stage, especially in a moment that can bring the whole world together,” James told reporters. “As a kid from Akron, this responsibility means everything to not only me, but to my family, all the kids in my community, my teammates, other Olympians, and so many more people throughout the country with huge dreams. Sports have the capacity to unite us all, and I’m honored to be a part of this historic occasion.”
The 39-year-old James learned of the distinction Monday in London, just hours before the United States men’s team was supposed to play its final pre-Olympics exhibition game against World Cup champion Germany.
“We understand how much of an honor it is to be in that position and I think Bron’s entire career, on and off the court, speaks for itself as him being worthy of that honor,” Curry said on the video announcing his nomination.
“He has represented what it means to be excellent both on and off the court in his commitment to service and to uplifting the community in all ways that he knows how has been a lifelong passion,” Curry pointed out. “And the work speaks for itself.”
LeBron James Selected As Team USA Male Flagbearer For Paris Olympics Opening Ceremony
The female U.S. flagbearer is anticipated to be revealed on Tuesday. In 2020, the International Olympic Committee announced that country delegations would have two flagbearers at the Olympics’ opening ceremony, one male and one female, to encourage gender equality. The United States is set to send around 600 competitors to the Paris Games, with approximately 53% women.
“Being chosen by your teammates to carry the flag is a tremendous honor—and a testament to LeBron’s passion for Team USA and dedication to his sport,” U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Committee CEO Sarah Hirshland said.
James, a global icon, four-time NBA champion, and the league’s all-time leading scorer about to begin his record-tying 22nd NBA season, is set to compete in the Olympics for the fourth time, having previously won bronze in 2004, gold in Beijing in 2008, and gold again in London in 2012. He participated in the opening ceremony at his previous three Olympics.
This will be an unprecedented Olympic opening ceremony, with thousands of participants sailing along the River Seine at nightfall toward the Eiffel Tower. According to Olympic officials, the route is a 6-kilometer (3.7-mile) one, with some 320,000 spectators expected to watch from the river bank and an estimated 1 billion more watching on televisions around the world.
LeBron James Selected As Team USA Male Flagbearer For Paris Olympics Opening Ceremony
Not all Olympic athletes attend the opening ceremony; many miss it for logistical reasons, such as having to compete the next day. James and the four-time defending gold champion U.S. men shall begin Olympic competition on Sunday, when they face Serbia in Lille, France.
James and the American Olympians will have to wait longer than virtually any other nation for their voyage on the Seine. According to IOC protocol, Greece will lead the march, with NBA star Giannis Antetokounmpo serving as one of its two flagbearers. The Refugee Olympic Team and over 200 more national delegations will follow. The United States is slated to be next-to-last in the procession because Los Angeles will host the next Summer Olympics in 2028.
As the host, France will be the last nation to participate in the opening ceremony procession. Its men’s basketball team, which includes reigning NBA rookie of the year Victor Wembanyama, begins Olympic competition on Saturday and is not scheduled to attend the opening ceremony.
SOURCE | AP
-
World2 weeks agoFormer President Trump Survives Being Shot at Pennsylvania Rally
-
Tech4 weeks ago
Huawei Launches 5G-A Pioneers Program at MWC Shanghai 2024: Paving the Way for a Connected Future
-
Sports4 weeks ago
NBA Draft: Kyle Filipowski Withdraws Unexpectedly From The First Round
-
Tech4 weeks ago
ChatGPT Answers Undiscovered Questions and Outperforms Students.
-
News4 weeks ago
US Supreme Court Rejects Drug Deal that Protects the Sackler Family
-
Business4 weeks ago
Free Speech And Digital Rights Groups Argue TikTok Law Would Infringe On The First Amendment
