How to be successful: A hooper’s perspective

It’s a question many have asked for sure, many have figured it out and many more are still trying to come up with answers to what seems to be a question with a variety of possible responses.  And whether or not those responses would suit your outlook in life what I believe that matters is for you to reach your own success  after defining what is it at the first place. The important thing to bear in mind is do what you love to do or passionate in doing instead of doing what the system or the society tells you what you must because I think it will be sweet that at that the end of the day you can say “I did it my way.” But is doing–it–you–own–way a feasible code to live by? To be honest, it’s a question that would share the same treatment with how to achieve success; subjective – depends on where you’re from, what you want, your bias, your friends, yourself. This is when we need someone to look up to: icons, idols, and superheroes. People who we would like to be our benchmark, adviser, and direction that at some point we make it a habit to quote them and imitate their activities. In this entry, I’d like to share five known basketball personalities, in a descending order, with their very own rules to success as guide to some weary and almost already fallen warriors out there.

5. Steph Curry

4. Lebron James

3. Kevin Durant

2. Kobe Bryant

1. Michael Jordan

There you go! I hope that helped you, what’s your favorite rule/s of success mentioned by the five? Leave it on the comment section. I would like to personally recommend Conor Mcgregor’srules for success, Joe Rogan’s rules for success, and Neil Strauss’ rules for success for you try. Special shout out to Evan Carmichael for the awesome videos. Let us all have a story share, boys! #BallisLife

The Flu, The Flash, and The Worse Way to get 'ROB'bed

Game 5's all about momentum shift. On a  2-3-2 format, this is the game the either sends you home via 4-1 or prolonging the anxiety via 3-2. Game five is the last home game of the lower seeded team in the NBA finals so this game is a deciding one for the series and for the past few NBA championships we, basketball fans, have witnessed game five is as good as advertised.

Let's take a look back at game 5 performances of the ages.

1. Michael Jordan (1997)

"That was probably the most difficult thing I've ever done" - Michael Jordan

In front of a 19, 911 anxious crowd, being diagnosed with stomach virus, and Utah winning two straight games, his airness gave the basketball world a performance with no excuse.  Tim Grover, Jordan's athletic trainer, claimed that MJ's sickness was brought by a food poisoning because of the pizza he ate a night before the game. You can read the story here. MJ was told by his trainer that there is no way he can play for game 5 due to the fact that he can even barely sit up. With the series tied at 2-2 and the Bulls' fate unclear as their leader's presence remains questionable hours before tip-off, Jordan, visibly weak and pale carried the Bulls to win the game putting them in command of the series 3-2.  Forever remembered as "the flu game", Michael Jordan, just gave the Utah Jazz' fans one more reason to hate him. Playing with flu-like symptoms or, we should say being food poisoned, yet providing 38 points, 7 rebounds, 5 assists, 3 steals, and 1 block all in a jam packed 44 minutes of action add insults to injury. Witness the flu game here.

2. Dwayne Wade (2006)

Wade torched the Mavs with 43 points and setting an NBA Finals record of 21 free throws made in a single game.

Before the Big 3, "the flash" was already a force to be reckoned with in the NBA. His first NBA Finals appearance was, up to date, the most highly adored performance of all-time. Topping the ESPN's Greatest Finals Performance defeating Michael Jordan on the race; 2006' NBA Finals was a series to remember because of this man and game 5 of that series out-shined all his other games. He was clearly very unstoppable at that time that the only way to minimize his damage was to send to him to the stripe - Wade then attempted 25 free throws on that game alone. Mark Cuban, Mavs' team owner, was fined with a head shaking 250,000 dollars for "acts of misconduct" on this game due to controversial fouls and questionable officiating he violently questioned. Judge it for yourself, watch as "the flash" rolled his way to his first championship ring here.

3. Robert Horry (2005)

'Big Shot Rob' does it again!

12 lead changes and 18 ties, Spur-Pistons series came down to the wire. Game was so close that even 48 minutes of basketball isn't enough so they proceeded to overtime. Disregarding Duncan and Manu's stats because we are always expecting them to deliver big numbers, Robert Horry was more like the story of the game. Providing 21 points off the bench with a 5-out-6 shooting beyond the arc, and more importantly, the late game winning jumper were Horry's contributions. Watch as the Pistons got robbed here. How's that for a Horry's scale, eh?

Remembering Two of The Most Memorable NBA Finals Game 1 Performance

Teams winning game 1 have more chances of wining the series in the NBA Playoffs, at least that advanced statistics would enlighten you how crucial a series opener is. It puts your team ahead of the series and could serve as a stepping stone to clinch a 2-0 lead. You steal a game on road or you \protect the home court advantage, it doesn't matter, giving your all is  what matters in the grandest stage of NBA playoffs - the Championship. In this article, we take a look back on NBA Finals Game 1 performances that totally deserves a distinction.

1. Allen "The Answer" Iverson (2001)

After draining a deadly step-back jumpshot over Tyrone Lue, AI walks past his defender .

The Lakers were 12-0 prior to this game as they swept all of their opponents from the Western Conference and many predicted that the Sixers-Lakers series would also end up the same. Iverson says "no-no" to that as he carried the load to win a game on road by chipping in a magnificent 48 points(30 of those were produced on the 1st half), 5 steals, and 6 assists giving the Lakers their only loss in that championship run. The Iverson-led Sixers won 107-101, imagine how Iverson singlehandedly carried his team with 48 points yet only winning by six. Watch the epic performance here. 

2. Michael "Air" Jordan (1992)

Jordan lit up the scoreboard on the game 1 of 1992 finals by scoring 35 points in the first half.

Before the memorable game winner by his airness at Utah called "the shot" there was this thing they called "the shrug" which transpired on a championship series against Portland. Analysts thought that Bird-Johnson rivalry would be relived as two elite guards on their prime battled it out, Jordan and Drexler respectively, but it would turned out that MJ would own the series. Game 1 was a taste of MJ's unparalleled greatness setting an NBA Finals records for most points scored in the first half and shot six three pointers to set another record which then was broken years later. Jordan dominated the game in his fashion finishing 39 points and 11 assists in a game 1 blowout against a future team mate for the Barcelona Olympics, Clyde "the glide" Drexler. Watch "the shrug" game here.

A 1st Round Performance to Remember

Playoffs has started and so does the excitement. We are just in the very first round of playoffs and we could already see a lot of players on fire. Speaking of that, what’s your favourite 1^st round match-up of all time? Is it AI’s 55 points against the Hornets way back 03’, Mt. Mutombo’s  1^st seed upset against the Sonics, Golden State Warriors upset Dallas on 07’, or was it when the Bulls swept the defending champs the same year?  

Played as good as advertised, the 1^st round of the playoffs is home for jaw dropping performances that captivated the past, the present, and the future.  And for us to see the best among the rest, in this case, we need to go back to time when Michael Jackson was still hitting his moonwalk, the Guns n’ Roses was still intact, the old Converse was still the majority choice for basketball shoes, men wore short shorts (still freaks me out until now), and practically the time when HD TV’s aren’t yet invented.  It was that classic performance and not those short shorts made me wish to see the matchup live. I’m talking about the greatest single game scoring performance set by an individual in playoffs history and still stands far from reach. It is from no other than,  Michael Jordan’s 63 point game at Boston Garden on April 20, 1986.

After finishing the season with an awful win/loss record of 30-52 yet made it to the playoffs and Jordan missing 64 games in the regular season due to a broken foot; it’s no surprise that the Bulls would face in the first round the eventual NBA champions, Eastern Conference 1^st seed Boston Celtics. 

Losing by 19 points in the 1^st game against the Bird-led Celtics, which regarded by many as the greatest team of all-time, Jordan bounced back on game 2 with an effort remembered as the greatest playoff performance. Then the bombardment on Boston materialized with MJ dropping 63 points on a double overtime showdown. Though they end up being swept despite MJ’s 43.7 ppg, his airness’ lights out performance still stands out until now as the greatest playoff performance of all time.

Jordan's spectacular numbers provided a sure lift for the Bulls and almost succeeded on making an upset against the Celtics. Larry Bird himself, Celtics ace player, expressed his awe to MJ's epic performance that he even said that it was God disguised as Michael Jordan.

Remarkable, isn't it? But wait there's more! Jordan didn't attempted a shot beyond the arc. 63 points without a 3-point basket? Well, I guess the shoes has something to do with it.