Jamal Crawford Is Using Street Ball-Style Play to Succeed in NBA

Jamal Crawford is playing his best basketball right now for the Clippers. (nba.com)

Jamal Crawford is having a coming out party for the Clippers in LA.

His numbers are up across the board. His field goal percentage is the highest it’s ever been in his 13-year career. He’s been lethal from behind the arc and at the charity stripe. The only time he averaged more points per game, he also averaged 12 more minutes per game. And he only averaged one measly point more per contest.

Crawford has had six games where he’s scored 20 or more points off the bench this year for the Clippers. However, the most impressive aspect of Crawford’s exploits this season is how he’s achieved these numbers; playing a street ball-style of basketball that has left some of the NBA’s elite icing sore ankles and egos.

On November 7, The Clippers were taking on a then-undefeated San Antonio Spurs team. Crawford had been quiet throughout the night, shooting just 3-7 from the floor and finishing with 10 points for the game. However, while the match did feature impressive highlight reel dunks from Blake Griffin and DeAndre Jordan, Crawford would have the most memorable moment in the contest.

With 30 seconds left in the game and LA looking to run out the clock, Crawford took the ball out to the right wing, guarded closely by Spurs rookie guard Nando de Colo. Colo acted aggressively towards Crawford, seemingly wanting to prove himself as a good defender who plays till the final horn.

Bad idea. Admirable, but still a bad idea.

Crawford took a few steps back, drawing Colo to him. Then, in a “watch what I can do” moment, Crawford bounced the ball between Colo’s legs, drove to the hoop, took the foul and headed to the free throw line. Colo stumbled, backpedaled, threw his arms back, searching for an imaginary support, and fell to the court.

Ankles twisted? Check. Tailbone sore? Check. Ego bruised? Absolutely. Lesson learned? Without question.

Crawford has always had a street ball-style of play and broken many more accomplished ankles in the NBA than Colo’s. Proficient defenders such as Kirk Hinrich, Paul Pierce, Ray Allen, Metta World Peace, Rudy Gay and many more have fallen to Crawford’s handles. However, because of his increased efficiency shooting the ball (practice, anyone?) and his overall numbers at career highs, Crawford’s been more effective and exciting than ever before. 

However, Crawford is not the first street baller to excel at the professional level. For years, fans of basketball have been enthralled with the exaggerated crossovers, the no-look passes, and general showmanship that comes from a street-ball style. The NBA has been fortunate enough to have a few players translate their game from the playground to the court and there are a few notable names that have come through the league.

Let’s go down the list:

First up, Jason “White Chocolate” Williams. His numbers, while not overwhelming, are those of a solid point guard in the NBA. Williams finished up his career with 10 points and six assists per game and a knack for finding himself on the highlight reel for either a crazy crossover or a no-look pass. Williams consistently gave crowds and opponents exhibitions on ball handling. Even famed defender Gary “The Glove” Payton fell to the handles of Williams. While he was healthy, Williams was certainly an above average player in the league.

Next, Stephon “Starbury” Marbury. At the peak of his career, Marbury was one of the better point guards in the NBA, putting up 20 points and eight assists per game. Marbury was known for a devastating crossover and array of moves that left many opponents scratching their heads, wondering if what they’d seen had actually occurred or was simply a figment of their imaginations. There’s no denying that during his time in the league, Marbury was a true spectacle of street-style basketball.

Who could forget Rafer “Skip to my Lou” Alston? While his time on the court was inconsistent, Alston still managed to have solid career, putting up decent numbers and spectacular highlights. Unfortunately, Alston is probably best known for taking a shot at sharpshooter Eddie House. However, Alston also had the ability to break a defender down and leave them in the dust on his way to the hoop.  Don’t believe me? Ask Dwayne Wade.

Then there’s always J.R. Smith. While his defense leaves something to be desired, Smith has shown to be a very good offensive threat off the bench. He has incredible athleticism, as displayed through his participation in the 2005 dunk contest. While he's been criticized at times for shooting too much, when he’s on, Smith has the ability to really pour it on from downtown. His crossover is nothing to sneer at either.

I couldn’t overlook Nate Robinson, could I? (It’s a height joke.) A 5’9" sparkplug of energy off the bench, Robinson has stunned audiences over the years with his athletic ability, primarily in the dunk contest. No one will ever forget Robinson’s aerial assaults on the hoop over fellow little man Spud Webb and big man Dwight Howard en route to two dunk contest championships. He can also give defenses headaches with his jump shot and ball handling ability.

Who’s number one, you ask? Well here’s “The Answer.” Despite being an undersized guard, Allen “The Answer” Iverson was one of the most prolific scorers the NBA has ever had, putting up 27 points per game. He also affected the game in a big way on defense; collecting two steals a game for his career. While no one will accuse Iverson of being unselfish, he did manage to put up good assist numbers (six per game) along with his scoring. While, unlike Crawford, Iverson never learned the importance of practice, he did make the greatest player to ever walk on an NBA court look like Chevy Chase opening for SNL with his devastating crossover.


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Mourning and Mapping the Washington Wizards' Apatow Era

No more, Knuckleheads. (Jesse D. Garrabrant/Getty Images)

Gilbert Arenas signed with the Washington Wizards before the 2003-04 season. The only holdover from Arenas' stay with the capital city's roundball club, Andray Blatche, was ejected from the premises and ushered beyond city limits by the amnesty clause on a Tuesday this summer; July 17, to be exact.

These two events unofficially bracket the Knucklehead Era — a distinction that will forever be inseparable from a certain few players and their actions during their times under the Wizards flag. For better or worse, it will also stick with the franchise and stay in the not-so-deep reaches of its fans' minds until John Wall and Bradley Beal become a yearly threat to make playoff runs.

Or — if Wall turns his summer hoops hangover injuries into an annual ordeal — until the Wizards find the right combination of draft picks, role players, free agents and trade acquisitions to contend in the Eastern Conference.

But the legacies of Arenas, Blatche, JaVale McGee and Nick Young in Washington may as well be imprinted on the Verizon Center's court like a sponsor's name, or banging about in the rafters like specters waiting for a final "yes or no" on absolution.

Their actions played out much more like a low-brow comedy on the big screen rather than a force on the basketball court. Like it or not, that statement would probably have drawn smirks or guffaws from the Knuckleheads at a certain point.

When he was hired in the summer of 2003 and Arenas' signing was one of his first official acts as Wizards general manager, Ernie Grunfeld couldn't have known that he was crafting one of the modern era's greatest metaphors of sports and pop culture — that, silently, he had asserted himself as the NBA's version of Judd Apatow and would soon accrue his cast of Jason Segels, Paul Rudds and Seth Rogens.

Grunfeld's personnel moves and behind the scenes work makes him the de facto producer. His cohorts directing the action, obviously, are the four coaches the Wizards have employed from 2003 to 2012: Eddie Jordan, Ed Tapscott, Flip Saunders and Randy Wittman. They're the Era's Adam McKay, Greg Mottola, and whoever elicited the *ahem* fantastic performances in Drillbit Taylor and Year One. (Steven Brill and Harold Ramis, for what it's worth.)

Arenas wasn't so much a member of the Knuckleheads as he was a swaying influence whose presence mattered more than erstwhile Wizards like Antawn Jamison and Caron Butler. For all intents and purposes, the Artist Formerly Known as Agent Zero is Will Ferrell. His franchise introduction in 2003 even coincides with the production of Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy. If Arenas makes his way back to the NBA from playing ball overseas and Washington finds itself in need of a veteran guard, Gil could even reprise his role a la Ferrell in the upcoming Anchorman sequel.

(By the way, this will never, ever happen. The cleansing process is effectively finished and even one of those ceremonial retirement contracts would be poison for the Wizards.)

Blatche and McGee made rebounding a science. (Getty Images)

Andray Blatche — the longest tenured Knucklehead, having been drafted in 2005 and remaining a Wizard until his amnesty expulsion — was the crew's Jonah Hill. Blatche developed as a prospect and played his last non-professional ball at Henninger High School then went straight to the NBA, you say? Hill was a bit actor who got weird for less than a minute in The 40 Year Old Virgin the same year Blatche started getting boneheaded in Washington.

In 2007-08, Blatche played his first full 82-game season, becoming a notable part of Washington's cadre of big men. Likewise, Superbad provided Hill his first starring role as the meatier member of a bumbling youthful duo in '07. The character was on a single-minded mission to bring to fruition his dream of a physical relationship with the girl of his dreams, and although it happened three years after Hill fell short of that goal in his portrayal, Big 'Dray's one-night dedication to getting a triple-double is one of the more selfish acts ever to happen on a basketball court, no matter how hilarious it is (except, probably, to Wizards fans).

The same kind of physical relations Hill sought in Superbad are the focal point of what may be Blatche's greatest hit as a Wizard. The forward was allegedly just that when he supposedly solicited an undercover police officer for sex, but the charges were dropped when Blatche attended a seminar for men who hire prostitutes. He was charged on August 2, 2007 — a mere 15 days before Superbad's release.

It doesn't stop there, though. In 2010, the NBA implicated Blatche in Arenas' firearms-in-locker-room incidents with then-teammate Javaris Crittenton and fined Blatche $10,000 for his participation. He was an ancillary player to Arenas' actions the same way Hill's Aaron Green had a supporting role in a major musician's antics in Get Him to the Greek, Apatow's flagship release of 2010.

For their parts, McGee and Young weren't any of Apatow's imagined people. Sure, JaVale cuts a slender silhouette for his 7-foot frame like Hill's Supderbad buddy Michael Cera, and if the film had been released after Young had been in the league for a couple years it would be mind-blowing if one of the more basketball-astute rappers didn't refer to him as McLovin'. It sounds like something Wale could work into a rhyme, but maybe that's because he actually did use "McLovin'" in a rhyme.

Mostly, though, they were there own characters. Sometimes it was on purpose (ex. the numerous Nick and JaVale Show clips on YouTube, including one where they attempt to eat spoonfuls of cinnamon with predictably disastrous results) and many, many other times McGee and Young were characters in the sense that their actions were outrageous enough to leave viewers in disbelief (see: the plentiful "Top Dumb Plays" compilations that exist for McGee).

It's the kind of stuff that the supporting characters from Knocked Up would revel in. Boxing above a pool, playing ping pong in a driveway, finding new ways to spread pink eye — name any number of attempts at sophomoric humor, and it's not a stretch of the imagination to think that Young and McGee — a man who only tweets by retweeting himself and has an alter ego named Pierre — could have been doing these things in their free time in Washington.

That's in the past for now. McGee is slowly finding his way as a Denver Nugget, posting triple-doubles and earning a contract extension with his playoff showing against the Lakers in the spring. Blatche pulled off a feat arguably more impressive than a triple-double by scoring 22 points on 11-12 shooting — good for a 91.7 field goal percentage — as his Brooklyn Nets team beat the Sacramento Kings on Sunday night. Young, although his statistics are slightly down across the board when compared to 2011-12, has .063 win shares per 48 minutes. That's not good at all, considering the league average is .100, but it will be the second best WS/48 of Young's career if he manages to sustain for the whole season.

Little by little, they could all be maturing. The same may be true for Arenas, who was served humble pie by missing out on a contract stateside despite working out in Staples Center for the majority of the summer. He'll be spending the foreseeable future in China after signing with the Shanghai Sharks this week.

Arenas' placement of firearms and the ensuing fallout is well documented, but the lasting touch of the Knucklehead Era that he inspired is encapsulated in a recent epilogue. Alongside two legs of the Knucklehead tripod, he spent a day on a paintball course. It's all in the video: him chiding McGee and Young; JaVale seeming completely serious at times and flaunting unnecessary flair (in this case, a paint grenade) in other scenes; and Young, being a sidekick to it all.

They may no longer be Wizards, but — in their hearts and, if we're being truthful with ourselves, in our hearts, too — they will always be real life versions of caricatures from Apatow's mind. As frustrating as it was, and as comical as it could be, maybe that's exactly what we need: something to laugh at when a game such as basketball seems perpetually serious.

Or maybe it's just what we want, regardless of what George Karl's strict coaching does to McGee in Denver, or the number of times Blatche records a ridiculous shooting percentage that no one ever expected from him, or even when Young facilitates enough through 10 games to account for nearly 20 percent of all his assists in '11-'12, as he has so far this season.

It could be as simple as us just wanting them to fit the same mold forever. But our wants don't matter. Blatche, McGee and Young will always be the tenants of the Knucklehead Era, and that's all we really need to remember.


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Focus On Chaminade's Win, Not Texas' Loss

Div. II Chaminade upset Texas 86-73 in the Maui Invitational Monday night. (sports.yahoo.com)

The numbers on the scoreboard at the end of the game showed Chaminade 86, Texas 73, and most people will focus first on the Texas side of the board.

Texas looked awful. What does this mean for Rick Barnes? How do you lose to a Div. II school?

The criticism is just; Texas wasn't supposed to lose that game. Chaminade is in the Maui Invitational because it is the host school, but it's not supposed to win.

Instead, focus on what Chaminade was able to achieve, and you'll see the beauty of sports. Texas didn't have a once-in-a-lifetime horrible shooting night, gift-wrapping the game to the Silverswords. The Longhorns shot 46 percent from the field, which was much better than Chaminade's 36.8 percent.

Clearly Texas didn't play it's best game, but don't use that as an excuse to take away what the underdog accomplished. Chaminade won because it played exceptional, not because Texas looked like a third-grade rec team. The Silverswords out-rebounded the Longhorns by nine, got to the free-throw line more (and made more of their attempts) and had a player step up with the game of his life. DeAndre Haskins scored 32 points and nine rebounds in 25 minutes of play, with a lot of his success coming from the charity stripe.

It was amazing to watch it all come together for the team that had no chance leading up to the tip. That is, unless you're a Longhorns fan, because then you were in a personal hell.

Fans love underdogs. We love watching them do the impossible and break brackets and pride. We throw them rare airtime on SportsCenter and make movies about them. Which is why instead of looking at what Texas did wrong, appreciate what Chaminade did well. It's fitting this win came 30 years after one of the greatest upsets of all time, when the Silverswords defeated No. 1 Virginia in the same tournament.

Chaminade enters the Maui Invitational every year with everyone expecting an easy win for the opponent. Most of the time that's what happens. The Silverswords are a small school of about 1,200 students going against the toughest competition they will face all year, so you can't fault them for their record.

But every once in a while everything clicks and comes together for the little guys from Hawaii. And the outcomes like the one we saw last night are why they play the game, and why we love sports.


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Battle 4 Atlantis, Maui Invitational, Legends Classic Headline Tournaments To Watch Thanksgiving Week

UNC and Texas included in field battling for the Maui Invitational title. (illinoisloyalty.com)

Thanksgiving week is synonymous with football, but if you're looking for a feast, look no further than the slate of college basketball tournaments taking place all around the continent. Here's a quick look at the tournaments you will want to keep an eye on this week.

Maui Invitational - Nov. 19-21, Maui, Hawaii

The favorite: UNC

The field: Marquette vs. Butler; Mississippi St. vs. UNC; Texas vs. Chaminade; USC vs. Illinois

Breakdown: Texas was an early favorite to give UNC a run for its money, but the status of guard Myck Kabongo is still uncertain. Without Kabongo, Texas will struggle to find enough scoring to keep up with the fast-pace scoring of UNC (through two games the Longhorns are only averaging 62 ppg). UNC is young, but has lots of talent and should be able to leave Hawaii with the trophy.

Legends Classic - Nov. 19-20, Brooklyn, NY

The favorite: Indiana

The field: Indiana vs. Georgia; UCLA vs. Georgetown

Breakdown: Indiana should have no trouble taking care of Georgia and advancing to the title game. But the UCLA/Georgetown game became much more interesting after the news that Bruins freshman Shabazz Muhammad is now eligible to play. Georgetown's only early test - against Florida on an aircraft carrier - was canceled, and it feels like this Hoyas team is still searching for its identity. Indiana vs. UCLA would make an entertaining final, where UCLA should stay competitive, but the Hoosiers may prove to have too much firepower offensively.

Battle 4 Atlantis - Nov. 22-24, Atlantis Resorts, Bahamas

The favorite: Louisville/Duke

The field: Duke, Louisville, Missouri, Memphis, Stanford, VCU, Minnesota, Northern Iowa

Breakdown: This has to be the most talent-heavy preseason tournament this year, with a good mix of blue bloods and mid-major darlings. There are no easy roads to the finals in this bracket, so the trophy is up for grabs. Duke and Louisville should both be in the running for the championship game, but don't overlook Memphis or Missouri as an upset pick. Missouri's transfers are starting to get a feel for playing together and Memphis has tons of young talent. Duke came out of the gate hot with a win over Kentucky in the Champions Classic, while Louisville has yet to be tested. The title game could be any number of matchup combinations, which makes this a must-see tournament to watch.

Others To Keep An Eye On

CBE Classic - Nov. 19-20, Kansas City, Mo.
The field: Kansas, St. Louis, Texas A&M and Washington State

Preseason NIT - Nov. 21-23, New York City
The field: Michigan, Pitt, Kansas State, Virginia, Bowling Green, Delware, Fordham, Fairfield, Cleveland St., North Texas, Lamar and Robert Morris


Old Spice Classic - Nov. 22-25, Orlando, Fl.
The field: Gonzaga, Vanderbilt, Davidson, Oklahoma, Clemson, West Virginia, UTEP, Marist


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Knicks' Undefeated Start Good for the NBA

The Knicks have cause to celebrate, as does the NBA. (D. Clarke Evans/Getty Images)

The New York Knicks let Jeremy Lin walk in favor of bringing Raymond Felton back into the fold at Madison Square Garden. The team got older by trading away Landry Fields while signing Jason Kidd and Rasheed Wallace. Mike Woodson got the assignment of being the 'Bockers' head coach for an entire season, completing the installation of a playing system entirely different than that of former HC Mike D'Antoni, and managing the minutes of two scoring forwards that have not exactly worked as a formidable tandem thus far.

Carmelo Anthony nailed his three-pointers at the Olympics and lost weight over the offseason, though, so Manhattan's finest had that going for them coming into the season, right?

No one saw a 6-0 start coming for the Knicks and if anyone says otherwise, permission granted to raise your voice. Even if they got past their bolstered-over-the-summer, new-in-town Brooklyn rivals to begin the season, the Knicks were definitely going to get crushed by the Miami Heat. That's how it was supposed to play out.

This is the Knicks' best start since 1994-95, when Patrick Ewing and Co. turned an initial 7-0 record into a trip to the Finals. Given all that has happened in the 28 years between then and now, however, everyone -- Knicks fans most of all -- should know not to jump to conclusions.

Woodson has things clicking. Carmelo Anthony and J.R. Smith can score as easily as any players in the league, but, all of the sudden, they are playing without the ball and committing to defense like never before in their professional careers. They could have let a game slide away one week ago, but buckled down late to beat the Dallas Mavericks last Friday.

Reinserting Amar'e Stoudemire into the rotation when he comes back from knee surgery in 4-6 weeks could be tricky, but for now, the Knicks are good. Unexpectedly so, but good nonetheless.

And that benefits the NBA as a whole.

Big market teams have name recognition. Even if they can't name any of the team's individual players, it is safe to say people who don't make following the NBA a priority can name MSG's marquee sports team more readily than they can tell you which city in Tennessee is home to a pro basketball team. Hearing that the Knicks are doing well means more to these people than saying the Milwaukee Bucks are on top of the Central Division standings. The news could elicit a slight head nod or mutter -- or it could make a person stop on TNT or ABC whenever they see 'NYK' on an on-screen scoreboard. Depending on the opponent, this could shed more light on lesser-known players and franchises, or -- if bad luck is in the cards -- expose casual viewers to Reggie Miller's commentary.

Yes, that's a positive spin on the slippery slope fallacy, but it's reason to be happy (except the Reggie thing).

If you're not a Knicks fan, relish the fact that they may roll until your team of choice puts a stop to their unbeaten streak. If you are a Knicks fan, reeling of wins in the first six games of the season must feel good and foster hope, tempered though it may be. And if you're not a fan of basketball at all -- which is unlikely, since you're reading a hoops-centric blog that is a map-dot on the Internet -- take the time to watch the Knicks play the Grizzlies on ESPN tonight.

Then find a way to watch the Grizzlies' next game.


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The NCAA Tournament Returns To The Garden After A Too-Long Hiatus

After a 53-year break, Madison Square Garden will host a NCAA Tournament game in 2014. (nymag.com)

A mecca of basketball and the most popular postseason in sports (and I mean entire postseason, not one game like the Super Bowl) are going to be reunited in 2014, and it's been way too long.

The NCAA announced the sites for the 2014 and 2015 NCAA Tournaments this week and one name jumped off the list of venues who are getting the privilege to host. It's not one of the two Final Four sites, but the attention and atmosphere will rival anything Houston or Indy, respectfully, can do. It's Madison Square Garden, and it will be the home of the 2014 East Regional.

Why is this such a big deal? Well for one, the Garden is the most tradition-rich basketball venue with the capacity to hold an event like this, and it also happens to reside in New York City. What team would complain about traveling to NYC to play basketball in front of Spike Lee?

But part of what makes this reunion so special is that we've been waiting for this since 1961, which was the last time MSG hosted an NCAA Tournament game. How did the NCAA go 53 years without finding a way to host a tournament game in the Garden? It used to be a main-stay for the tournament, as Dan Gavitt, NCAA vice president for men's basketball, said in the announcement.

"And we are excited about the tournament returning to the world's most famous arena," Gavitt said. "Only three arenas have hosted more tournament games than Madison Square Garden, despite it being more than five decades since the last time it hosted. That gives you a great sense of the historical significance of bringing the tournament back there."

It's not like MSG hasn't played a role in college basketball for half a century. The Garden has been home to the Big East Tournament and the NIT for many years, as well as serving as the home court for several St. John's games. 

But it's a shame it's taken this long for the "world's most famous arena" to pair up with the NCAA Tournament again, especially given the two's history.

A lot has changed since the last NCAA Tournament game held at MSG. The shorts will be longer and the game broadcasted in color, while the popularity of the game has skyrocketed since the 60s. Maybe 2014 will usher in a new era of NCAA Tournament games in the Garden, because another 50-year break is way too long.


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Put-Back Dunks Steal The Show Across College Hoops Tuesday

KU's Jamari Traylor throws down a dunk off a miss against Michigan State Tuesday. (www.ljworld.com)

Tuesday must have been National Put-back Dunk Day in college basketball, because in games across the country, players were turning their teammates misfortune into huge gains while making fans frantically hit the rewind button on their DVR to get another look.

The put-back dunk is one of the most exciting plays in basketball, mainly because for it to take place, there must be a miss first. This gets the crowd down, wondering what player X was thinking and why he didn't swing the ball around to the corner, instead of wasting a possession. Then comes the star of the play, a hero to the possession, flying through the air and changing the momentum and excitement level as he finished off the dunk.

OK, so that was a little dramatic. But the play takes awareness and persistence to attack the basket instead of running back on defense, which coaches love, plus the athletic talent to bounce off the floor and jump higher than everyone else before throwing down the dunk with authority. What about that is not fun to watch?

Here are three guys who executed the put-back dunk best on Tuesday.

We start with Kentucky freshman Alex Poythress, who took advantage of no one blocking out for Duke and sprinted to the paint to throw down a two-handed dunk.


Next we have Kansas' red-shirt freshman Jamari Traylor, who only needed one hand to finish a miss. Traylor was several feet behind initial shooter Elijah Johnson the entire play, but kept running down the lane and made the effort pay off.

We're ending with the most impressive dunk of the night. Detroit's Doug Anderson finished with only eight points, but these two were most impressive of the game. No one was going to stop that dunk from going in.


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