A tip of the hat to the North Carolina Tar Heels, as they did something that is difficult to do in playing the role of Goliath. They won the title and it wasn't even close as they defeated the Michigan State Spartans 89-72 in the NCAA title game Monday night in Detroit.
In order for the Spartans to win it, they needed all the stars to align properly and it didn't happen. With Michigan State having a decided home court advantage playing just down the road from its campus it was imperative that they look after the ball and score early to stay in the game. That would have given them a bit of confidence, particularly since Carolina spanked them in the same venue earlier in the year, and maybe cast a bit of doubt in the minds of the boys from Carolina. No such luck as turnovers and superb play by UNC put the game out of reach early.
Some say that cheering for North Carolina is like rooting for Donald Trump in a real estate or money deal but I will take my hat off to Tyler Hansbrough, Ty Lawson, Danny Green and Wayne Ellington who all considered the NBA after last season's final four loss to Kansas. But good for them as they chose to return to college for a chance to win a title and whether you're a Carolina fan or not, it was good to see them forego the potential riches of the NBA and come back to school. It says here, as I recall a words to the effect from Milwaukee Buck Richard Jefferson, that in college people still try to help you get better but in the NBA the bottom line of winning leads to everyone trying to get ahead and get better and not necessarily trying to help others. It says here that the extra year in school will benefit all the Tar Heel stars at some point later down the road.
It looks like the Dallas Mavericks threw the final shovel of dirt on the Phoenix Suns on Sunday when they buried them on the scoreboard and maybe figuratively when it comes to the Suns playoff hopes. So if things are going to be re-tooled in Phoenix, what do you do with Shaquille O'Neal. Well take a read here, because it sounds like "The Diesel" could be on the road again, this time heading for Dallas.
There are many former players at different levels turned NBA referees. Official Leon Wood has a gold medal as a member of Bob Knight's 1984 U.S. Olympic team and a first round pick of the Philadelphia 76ers. John Goble is another official that played during his high school days in Miami with Heat forward Udonis Haslem. "UD" as he is known in Miami still says he has to look out for his guy Goble.
No question, the Boston Celtics need everyone healthy for a back-to-back title run. The C's are hopeful that Kevin Garnett will be ready to go for the post season but not it's not just KG there are a number of other key pieces that Boston needs to have ready to go in late April.
The Minnesota Timberwolves are positioning themselves for the off-season as interviews are underway to hire a new general manager. It still says here that Fred Hoiberg will eventually get the job. It will be interesting to see if Kevin McHale does indeed return as coach. He has done a good job with the young Wolves on the court and in practice even though there are many other facets of the coaching professions that he does not particularly enjoy.
