NBA Basketball Games: Dec. 18 - 20, 2005

Sunday (12/18)

garnet hill sandals

Best:
T'Wolves @ Mavericks: Garnett and Nowitzki are as always the showcases of this match-up. If either Dallas or Minnesota wants success in June, they'll need help from the supporting cast. Josh Howard is back for Dallas, as is Troy Hudson for Minnesota. Szczerbiak is the T'Wolves #2 man, but Dallas has an enigma with Terry, Howard and Daniels all producing sporadically.

GARNET HILL

Runner-up:
Rockets @ Lakers: This was always the game where Yao Ming would breakout for a 30-pt performance. With Shaq gone and Chris Mihm in, is Yao going to come and play? McGrady and Kobe provide perhaps the only one-on-one match-up in the NBA where both players are assured to score 30+ points.

Blowout:
Spurs @ Hornets: Western teams are always going to give their best against the Spurs, but even then it doesn't translate to a W. The Warriors were in a similar spot earlier this year and lost at home by 30. The Hornets have had to travel between Baton Rouge and Oklahoma City just for home games, so facing the Spurs isn't much of a break. How long can the Hornets continue play hard before they crack like the Saints did?

Monday (12/19)

Best:
Pistons @ Grizzlies: Two of the best defensive teams in the NBA face off in Memphis. Stoudamire and Jones have added veteran leadership on defense, something that Jason Williams and Bonzi Wells didn't have the patience for. Detroit wins all their close games, so Pau Gasol will have to step up (again) to give Memphis a win.

Runner-up:
Warriors @ Celtics: These are two teams that might miss out on the playoffs solely because of inexperience. Only Fisher, Davis and Calbert Cheney have been in the playoffs for Golden State. Boston isn't much better and doesn't have a player who has been to the Finals. Golden State has a slight advantage, since Delonte West will have issues covering Baron Davis.

Blowout:
Raptors @ Magic: Toronto's willingness to play hard has begun to waver. Jalen Rose is now on the bench for a serious lack of production. Jose Calderon is injured, which means there's a lot of standing around. With Grant Hill back, Orlando's offense is more fluent and shouldn't struggle to take advantage of the Raptors weak D.

Tuesday (12/20)

Best:
Sonics @ Suns: Last year, the Sonics were the only team to win in San Antonio, Phoenix, Dallas and Miami. This year the Supersonics can't even maintain their home court. Phoenix is better version of Seattle; still the two teams play exactly the same way. Expect no defensive pressure in this one. Both teams are prolific scorers and lethargic defenders.

Runner-up:
Spurs @ Bucks: Both teams rely heavily on their supporting cast, particularly Milwaukee. The Bucks need Ford, Redd, Simmons, Magloire and Bogut to all produce. The 3-pter is going to be tough for Milwaukee; they lead the League in 3-pt shooting, but San Antonio is one of the best teams in terms of defending the outside shot. Simmons and Bogut will have to get points in the paint for a Bucks win.

Blowout:
Hawks @ Heat: Only if Shaq and Wade don't try at all; that's the only way this isn't a 30-pt blowout by halftime. Zaza Pachulia and Al Harrington are far too undersized to make a dent in Shaq's box score. Joe Johnson wants to be a superstar but will get a rude awakening when he faces Dwyane Wade. If Miami is anything close to Detroit, they'll put this game away after the 1st quarter.

NBA Basketball Games: Dec. 18 - 20, 2005

GARNET HILL

What Makes NBA Basketball Games Famous

NBA games are the most famous in all of competitive sports. It probably has something to do with the game alone. Basketball is simple and easy game to follow. Run up and down the court and aim to place the ball with the hoop. As expected, there are subtleties and there's a lot more to the game rather than satisfies the eye nevertheless for the regular observer it is simple to understand. For this reason basketball seat tickets are often sold out like the Celtic Tickets.

garnet hill dress

Some sports demand a huge time investment to sit and watch. The pace can be shatteringly slow at times and this can discourage new fans who are on the lookout for something with more thrills and a quicker pace. Basketball moves very quickly especially when the players are as skilled as some of the players at the NBA level. When you might get two or three really exciting performances in a baseball game, basketball game have tons. One guy steals the ball, rushes down and throws a dunk through the hook, the very next play the other team's border shooter can place them right back in it by launching a three pointer.

GARNET HILL

There is always a possibility to return in basketball which makes it more fascinating to watch, particularly the last few minutes of a tight game once strategy comes in to play. This may be another factor that attracts fanatics to the game. You are totally out of the game. This is one of many reasons that admirers are able to be engaged in NBA games and continue getting basketball tickets like the Celtic Ticket. Their team has a fighting chance.

NBA players and their personalities are another part of what makes the NBA such a well liked league. You've got almost everything from hero to villain and everything in between - sometimes you might even get everything on the same roster. There are actually avid gamers with crazy emotions. Players who play with amazing performance, nearly ridiculous strength just like Kevin Garnett. Players whom you like to root for the reason that they are great people such as Tim Duncan and Dwyane Wade. And players who may just be the second coming of Michael Jordan such as Kobe Bryant and Lebron James.

The rivalries in basketball are compelling story lines that keep the supporters riveted to the games and continually buy this excellent tickets just like the Celtic Tickets. Most of these rivalries have got a historical past much like the Boston Celtics and Los Angeles Lakers or the San Antonio Spurs and Dallas Mavericks. Even personal rivalries such as Kobe versus Lebron are exciting to watch out.

NBA games are usually played indoors so that they don't have weather as a factor. You can buy tickets like the Celtic Ticket to take your little one to a game and not have to worry about getting rained out or freezing cold. The sights and sounds of an NBA game are fascinating to kids and parents likewise.

What Makes NBA Basketball Games Famous

GARNET HILL

Basketball Fitness Training - Why Every Hooper Should Hill Sprint

Serious basketball coaches are always looking for ways to get an edge on the competition - to gain an advantage. It's why you spend so much time researching methods of training that will make your players faster and stronger - and jump higher - without taking up too much time to get results.

garnet hill shower curtain

That's why I believe that running hill sprints (which includes running bleachers and stairs) is a must for any basketball player.

GARNET HILL

This is because hill sprints provide a number of benefits to the basketball athlete. Here are the Top 6:

1. Hill sprints provide the perfect combination of strength and speed training.

It's like lifting weights and sprinting at the same time. The hill gives resistance to your athlete's sprints, making them more difficult while being shorter in distance and duration. Including hill sprints in your training program can bring great results in as little as 15 minutes 1 or 2 times per week.

2. Hill sprints build stamina.

Endurance is something that every basketball player needs - but it is a special kind of endurance. If you want your athletes to perform at their peak, then low, slow distance types of cardio just won't work. Their endurance training needs to mimic the demands of the game. Those needs being - short bouts of intense exertion broken up by periods of lower intensities.

Hill sprints provide just this type of interval training. They will take your players' hearts and lungs to intensities far greater than those found in jogging or traditional types of endurance training. Their body will become used to reaching these higher levels, and recovering quickly in between the "sprints."

More and more scientific studies are showing that VO2 Max (the traditional measure of aerobic endurance) is improved as much - or more- by using high intensity interval-type exercise like hill sprinting.

Want your team to have their "wind" at the end of the game? Hill sprint.

3. Hill sprints increase ankle strength - helping to prevent one of the most common injuries in sports - the ankle sprain.

Ankles are made stronger due to the need to push off harder when sprinting up the hill. Because of the incline, more drive is needed than when sprinting on a flat surface. Improved ankle strength also leads to the ability to push off harder during the game - benefiting a player's important "first step" and lengthening their stride when sprinting in a breakaway on the court.

4. Hill sprints increase basketball players' speed and explosiveness.

This is because hill training promotes two key factors in running faster and jumping higher. First, it forces proper knee lift - essential for driving the legs downward and back for more force. Second, hill sprinting makes the sprinter dorsi-flex their foot while running. The closer the toes are brought to the shin, the more force they can apply on ground contact. Think of dorsi-flexing as loading your foot - then unloading it into the ground - pushing you forward.

Explosiveness is also shown in the way hill sprints can increase your players' vertical jumps - a key measure of power. Jumping is really the same as sprinting - pushing your body forward (or up) against gravity. The more power you can generate from your legs when pushing, the farther or higher you will go.

5. Hill sprints provide a way to safely train your athletes.

In addition to protecting your ankles, hill sprinting protects your athletes' from other types of injuries as well. The last thing you want to do is to injure your athletes while conditioning.

Hill sprinting provides safety in two ways: One, the slightly shorter stride length while running a hill sprint is a great way to protect hamstrings. Most hamstring pulls and strains result from over-extension - something which rarely occurs when sprinting hills.

Second, hill sprints can decrease the pounding on your players' legs. Studies have shown that even a slight grade added to sprints can decrease the impact on the runner's legs by as much as 25%. Shin splints, foot problems and sore knees can be greatly reduced by getting on the hills for your sprints.

6. Hill sprints as mental training

Besides all of the physical benefits of hill sprinting, they also promote mental toughness and goal-setting behavior in your athletes. Looking up at the hill can be daunting when your players are fatigued and nearing the end of their sprint session. By using the hill as a metaphor, you can show them the importance of having a goal (the top of the hill), taking the steps necessary to reach it (one step at a time up the hill), and celebrating their success when they reach their goal (their very own Rocky imitation at the top of the hill). Looking back down the hill after their workout, your athletes can feel the satisfaction of accomplishing something that may have seemed an impossible obstacle.

With all of these benefits for your basketball team, adding hill sprints to your training program should go to the top of your To Do List. It's no coincidence that we found out that this year's NCAA player of the year Kevin Durant made hill sprints a key part of his training. You can develop your own "special" players the same way.

Make your athletes stronger, faster, better conditioned, injury resistant and mentally tough with this "old school" training. You, your team and your fans will be glad you did.

Basketball Fitness Training - Why Every Hooper Should Hill Sprint

GARNET HILL