Anthony Silio Staff Blog
NBA Playoffs and Referees
Anthony Silio
5/3/16
This year’s NBA Playoffs has put its referees in a lose lose situation. In years past NBA fans would yell and scream at their TV’s for the sake of a player, over a call made by the referee, this year the inverse is true. In a seemingly universal referee decision, when the game gets into its final four minutes, the referee’s practice what the media has dubbed, “swallowing the whistle.” Thanks to NBA transparency policies fans get the opportunity to see what the referees missed during the last two minutes of an NBA game.
Breakdown: Everything that went wrong of final play of Thunder-Spurs
Zack Harper (CBS Sports)
5/3/16
During game two of the Thunder versus the Spurs series, the NBA admitted that its referees had missed a total of five calls in the last two minutes of the game. CBS NBA writer, Zack Harper, posted in the early a.m. hours after the game, an article highlighting the details of what can only be compared to a circus. The final 13.5 seconds of the game happened in a blur, not a single whistle was blown despite multiple instances of questionable play. Zack Harper along with Ananth Pandian, listed each grievance against the NBA officials during those final 13 seconds, and couples them with video evidence, and direct rule book quotations to defend their stance. Earlier this evening the NBA released a statement confirming the analysis, that these two NBA writers for CBS Sports quickly and correctly released.
My Opinion
I wonder what Spurs Coach, Gregg Popovich, would of wanted on that play? After the game he released his typical no-statement, post game statement, but I think in a moment of honesty he would admit that he would rather that the fouled was not called on the inbound. NBA fans now find themselves in an interesting situation. Are they more or less upset when referees insert themselves into the outcome of the game? In my opinion, the less power the referees have on the outcome of an NBA playoff game, and the more power the players have on that outcome, the better.
The Players Tribune, and Larry Fitzgerald
Anthony Silio
4/26/16
So often sports coverage comes from a source that did not play the sport being covered; and that is ok, the media makes up a very important part of the sports equation. Before those reporters and commentators were members of the sports media, they were part of an even bigger portion of the sports equation, sports fandom. I am saying all of this to preface my sometimes unpopular stance of preferring to learn about sports from those who played. The Players Tribune is an excellent website for people like me. In 2014, former Yankee great Derek Jeter launched The Players Tribune in hopes to provide a platform for the athlete to use and not have to go through a news outlet. The goal was to provide some transparency and allow messages to be conveyed without an agenda
An Open Letter to the 2016 NFL Draft Class.
April 25, 2016
Larry Fitzgerald
Larry Fitzgerald is a 32-year-old Arizona Cardinal veteran. He is a seven time 1,000-yard receiver and has had five seasons with ten plus touchdowns. For the rookies just entering the NFL, Larry is who they strive to someday become. On April 25, Larry Fitzgerald wrote an open letter to all of the incoming rookies and welcomed them with open arms to the league. He writes how they should be proud of their accomplishments as most young men do not get their dream job straight out of college. He writes on how they should not enter the league feeling special as all members of the NFL were drafted and at some point highly coveted. He explains that the games are tougher and the hits are harder, but the reward is greater, but perhaps the most important thing he tells them is the importance of the game they are playing. He reminds them explicitly that this is a job, and that they must conduct themselves accordingly. In the letter, Fitzgerald explains that people from now on will question every move, on and off the field, and that it is important to block out all of that and only pay attention to those you love. Larry covers the basics such as money, friends, fame and how they all relate; but talks to them as if they are equals because now they are. Larry ends his letter with a sincere congratulations and the quote “see you on Sunday.” At 18 0r 20 years’ old, who wouldn’t want this letter from their hero turned peer.
2016 NBA Playoffs
Anthony Silio
4/18/16
The NBA Playoffs started this past weekend, and even the most casual fans can find something to root for. The obvious favorite is the Golden State Warriors, but there is something to the Spurs attempting to get Timmy Duncan that sixth championship ring. LeBron attempts to do something these playoffs that Michael Jordan has not done, by reaching the NBA Championship game for the sixth straight time. If you watched the Clippers and Trailblazers first game, you saw Blake Griffin continue his playoff dominance, and looked reminiscent of vintage Barkley; and, Dwayne Wade’s Heat enters the playoffs as a three seed, looking to add a fourth ring to his collection. The point is, no matter who you are rooting for, there will be a storybook ending to the end of the NBA Playoffs. One fan base will rejoice, and flood the streets with joy, while 15 others will feel disappointment, sorrow and resentment. The NBA does the playoffs right, it is a representative sample size, that elevates play to an unseen level during the regular season. This year, join the nation of fans as they careen to the extremes of emotions.
2016 NBA Playoffs: Picks, Best Series, and More for Western Matchups
Ben Golliver
Sports Illustrated
4/15/16
Sports illustrated has without a doubt gotten thinner and thinner, I have been a subscriber since I was 8 years old, and have seen the page count dwindle. What Sports Illustrated does right, however, is the season previews. No matter the sport they provide over forty pages sometimes of analysis, on every single team. For the NBA Playoffs SI has split their coverage between the two conferences in the sport. Ben Golliver had arguable the easier task of covering the West, but he did a great job. Ben accurately states at the beginning as a pseudo spoiler alert to readers saying “it you’re looking for potential upsets… you’re better off turning your attention to the East.” The West features the one seed that has the NBA’s near unanimous MVP, and a two seed that has the NBA’s Defensive Player of the year. Oh, and the number one seed with the MVP also had the runner up to the Defensive Player of the Year. Ben Golliver writes for the first round if you’re looking for a good matchup, you should watch the four seed versus the five seed, which features the LA Clippers versus the Portland Trailblazers. This is a series that can go deep and feature some very entertaining three point barrages, and alley-oop slams. Golliver’s prediction is that the Clippers will win in six.
2016 NBA Playoffs: Picks, Best Series, and More for Eastern Matchups
Rob Mahoney
Sports Illustrated
4/15/16
The East is arguably wide open. Rob Mahoney argues in favor for the Cleveland Cavaliers, who represent the one seed in the east, but admits it won’t be easy. Seeds three through six are mathematically even, as they all finished with identical 48-34 records. Miami, Atlanta, Boston and Charlotte represent those middle seeds and they make it difficult for any series to be a forgone conclusion. Rob writes the one vs. eight matchup of, LeBron’s Cavs versus the young and athletic Pistons, is a difficult matchup for the older members of Cleveland’s rotation. If you’re looking for the most entertaining series out of the East, Mahoney says, watch the Hawks versus the Celtics, which is another four versus five seed. The Celtics have surprised all this season, and the hawks have disappointed most as they have fallen from the two seed to the four seed this season, but their identical records call for a good game. Mahoney has the Hawks prevailing over the Celtics in seven games.
Kobe Bryant & Trevor Story
by Anthony Silio
4/12/16
The Last True Days of Kobe Bryant
Baxter Holmes (ESPN)
TrueHoop
4/11/16
Lucky for us, as Kobe gets older he and his peers become more honest about their time in the NBA. We have already seen a more relaxed and open Kobe Bryant in interviews, but retirement should bring some great Kobe stories to light. Baxter Holmes of ESPN has collected several accounts and interview transcripts to create his article about the end of the 2013 Lakers Season. Kobe Bryant had promised to the fans a postseason berth and he played against all advisement to the limit of his 34-year-old body. With three games left Kobe tore his Achilles and was notably never the same player. Now, since time has passed, old wounds are not as painful as they once were, and the fans get the true story and emotion behind the career ending drive to take an underwhelming team to the playoffs.
How Trevor Story is Defining a New Normal for Rookie Shortstops.
Nick Groke
Denver Post
4/11/16
For those unaware of Trevor Story’s dominance over the Rockies’ first two series, Nick Groke does an excellent job at putting it in perspective, and in Story’s case there is no perspective. Nick Groke of the Denver Post writes, “Trevor Story is defining a new normal – not just for Rockies rookies, but for power-hitting shortstops.” He is right, shortstop is primarily a defensive position. Sure, we have had the likes of Cal Ripken, Ernie Banks and Alex Rodriguez, but these are the exceptions not the rules. Nick explains how, Story’s home run numbers over six games, are more than entire team totals. Not only has no rookie ever hit 7 home runs in six games, but no Major League player has ever accomplished the feat. Read Nick’s article for more amazing statistics, and all the details of Trevor’s path to the starting lineup all the way to his future with the ball club.
U.S. Women’s National Team, Taking a Stance on Wage Descrimination.
by Anthony Silio
4/5/2016
Top Female Players Accuse U.S. Soccer of Wage Discrimination.
Andrew Das
3/31/2016
Something that most around the sport are aware about is finally at the forefront of sports news. The female to male wage ratio is not in the female’s favor for any sport, let alone soccer. Always relevant and dominant in the world of soccer the U.S. Women’s National Team, is attempting to make a stand when it counts the most. Getting ready for another world cup run, several top U.S. Women’s National Team members are voicing their concerns over the pay discrepancies. Andrew Das of the New York Times wrote a well researched article regarding the case that was brought forth to the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission.
The findings are staggering as the numbers were released showing major pay differences in victories, even more egregious was the pay for losses or ties, in which men will receive up to 5,000 dollars in bonuses for a loss, while the women receive no bonuses for losses or ties. The discrepancies can be itemized to every category from bonuses, endorsements and even per diems which women get less awarded to them than men.
The argument opposing female athletes’ claim to more earnings, has always been that the product is different, or that the product does not sell as well as the men’s product. The U.S. Women’s Soccer team realizes that this is not the case for them, and this is why they are choosing to make this stance. Last summer when the U.S. Women’s National Team won the World Cup, they broke the record for most views of any televised soccer match, men’s and women’s, with 25.5 million viewers. The audience is there, now it is time for them to get paid like it.
A Different Perspective on Lebron James
Anthony Silio
3/29/2016
The LeBron James Handbook: He’s Complicated but Still Worth It.
ESPN Senior Writer, Brian Windhorst
3/29/2016
The sociological aspect, to me, is the most fascinating thing about sports. Millions of people watch their favorite star, but never consider the star as just another person. The fact is that those people who are paid millions to be watched by millions are just that, people, doing their job, living their life. A lot has been said in recent weeks about LeBron James. Admittedly, he has brought the vast majority of it onto himself, with his social media presence.
When James unfollowed the Cleveland Cavaliers on Twitter, and several other basketball writers, he was questioned from every angle. Only he knows if this was a spiteful move, or just some Sunday morning twitter house keeping. Weeks before, the press had analyzed James’ visit to Miami, and his media dubbed cryptic tweets about regret and acceptance. The story, to me, is not about the unfollows, or the hidden message, it is about the unwarranted analysis not of his moves on the court, but of his moves on twitter.
Brian Windhorst of ESPN has spent more time with LeBron James and his camp, than anyone else in sports media. Brian understands LeBron better than anyone at ESPN, but even he admits it is only to the extent that LeBron allows. Brian writes a well written and insightful article, ignoring basketball prowess, and twitter blunders, and simply writes about who LeBron is as a person. The article discusses how much of a difficult person LeBron is to understand. How he wants attention, then doesn’t want it, then again, the amount is not enough. How his loyalties are undefined, careening from, team loyalist and teammate lover, to team hater and self lover.
James is passive aggressive, in that he knows his worth, and won’t bother dealing with anybody who doesn’t. He’s hard to coach, He’s hard to play with, but never hard to watch. Unfortunately, for LeBron less and less people are watching, as they divert their attention to the historic performances of Steph Curry. How do you think LeBron feels about that? LeBron is more valuable than any player in the NBA. He is more valuable than any coach in the NBA. He is more valuable than most teams in the NBA. He is his own coach, his own team, his own economy, and more importantly his own enemy.
People forget that LeBron James was a child star. ESPN televised his High School games. Writers were covering him in Middle School. How does that affect someone? We afford certain exceptions to child stars in other aspects of the entertainment industry, but LeBron James is held to a standard that is impossible to obtain. In the minds of sports fans, James’ greatness on the court somehow directly correlates to a maturity in emotional and intellectual intelligence off the court.
LeBron James has been a good person, and a great image of what the NBA wants for its players. He has, at times, shown his immaturity off the court, but for it to be covered with such zeal every time, lends to the belief that it should never happen. Here are the facts. LeBron never went to college, his first job ever paid him close to 13 million dollars. Before he even got his first job he signed a 100-million-dollar contract with Nike, not for his success, but simply for his potential for success. LeBron James’ life is basketball; he knows nothing else. So I ask, how would you expect him to behave.
Sports Economics & Sports Politics
March 21,2016
For the first time this blog will not cover sports stories as much as it will cover the economics and politics of sports. First, we will learn about the exorbitant amount of money that will be gambled during this month, then we will see how an entire population’s past will be forgotten for the sake of advancing relations between two nations, through a baseball game.
This is How Much Americans Will Spend Betting During March Madness Games
Maria LaMagna (MarketWatch)
3/19/2016
March Madness is a wild time to be a sports fan, but also an incredibly lucrative time for the Nevada Gaming Commission. Maria LaMagna of Market Watch writes on just how much money will be gambled away during this month’s tournament. She writes that according to the American Gaming Association “This year, Americans are expected to wager a total of $9.2 billion on ‘March Madness’.” Now this number is an estimate figure based on both wagers made legally and illegally combined, but since there are a variety of different avenues to place sports bets the true figure will never be known. In 2015, 263 million dollars was gambled away in Las Vegas Casinos alone during the March Madness tournament. Maria LaMagna goes Into detail on just how and why these gambling, numbers continue to increase, and then puts the numbers into perspective with some eye opening infographics.
Obama in Cuba Brings the Pain of Loss to a Miami Exile family
Dan Le Batard (Miami Hearald)
3/21/2016
MLB decided to host a spring training game in Havana, Cuba, and the US Government decided to tag along. Stealing the show was Barack Obama who joined the fanfare and visited Cuba becoming the first sitting president to do so since Calvin Coolidge. As most of the country has a mostly positive and neutral stance on the normalization of relations with Cuba, most South Florida mourns. In a column written by Dan Le Batard of the Miami Herald, the true emotions of an entire population are shown. I don’t want to spoil too much of this must read personal story of his father and mother both born in Cuba, both refugees of the communist political system. Dan uses this personal perspective to touch on the amount of disrespect he and his people feel as businesses swarm to this new market that is open to become a tourist port of call. He uses his own perch as a sports commentator to discuss how Cuban born players such as Jose Abreu, who had to leave his toddler son in Cuba to pursue a career for himself and a future for his son. Le Batard touches on the simple fact that there is a difference between a baseball game and a visit from the President. On the one hand the baseball game is an acknowledgment of the wealth of talent the country of Cuba produces, but the President makes an appearance to talk to a regime that had meant pain and suffering for so many Cubans is something that should not have been coupled with something as feel good as a baseball game. This is a very similar story to that of my father’s and his father’s, but Dan Le Batard writes it in a way that I cannot. This article is a great read and one that cannot be disputed as so many have this story to tell.
Manning and Conor McGregor
March 8, 2016
The Audacity of Peyton Manning
Kevin Van Valkenburg
Sept. 25, 2015
I know that usually this blog covers articles that took place over the last week, but I thought this article was appropriate being that Peyton Manning just retired. Written on September 25, 2015 during week three of Manning’s final season, ESPN senior writer, Kevin Van Valkenburg wrote a poetic piece on just how difficult it is for Manning to play at his age and physical state. The piece highlights the 15-minute post game ritual Manning goes through to undress after a physically depleting performance on the gridiron. Kevin refers to Manning’s Uniform as a suit of armor and the removal of Manning’s tape is compared to that of a surgical procedure. I highly recommend this piece to understand the magnitude of pain that Manning overcomes every time he plays the sport that he loves. Fans fail to see the actual work put in and the sacrifices made by every NFL player, and Kevin Van Valkenburg perfectly captures the courage in Manning’s decisions and the love he has for the game. By the end you will feel just like Kevin, when he writes, “you have to admire the man’s audacity.”
UFC 196: Conor McGregor Loses to Nate Diaz and Holly Holm overcome
Josh Gross
March 7, 2016
The Guardian’s Josh Gross wrote probably the most comprehensive breakdown of UFC 196 in his Monday, March 7, article. It’s hard to write an article on a two round event which happens so fast that you really don’t have time to look away. When UFC Featherweight Champion Conor McGregor tapped out from Nate Diaz’s rear naked choke the UFC lost a little shine it its brightest star. Josh Gross writes this article highlighting the differences in weight Conor McGregor had to endure during his impressive climb through weight divisions. Conor had to gain enough weight to move three weight classes higher than he was in his previous fight. Josh Gross touches on Nate Diaz’s ten pounds and four-inch advantage over McGregor, but does not cite it as an excuse. It does take a little pressure off McGregor, but he lost fair and square. Once Diaz started landing spots to the head, and eventually took McGregor down to the mat it was fairly obvious that Conor McGregor had never faced an opponent of that strength before.
Steph Curry and Von Miller
March 1, 2016
It’s Stephen Curry’s Game Now
Scott Cacciola
29 February 2016
If you were not watching Saturdays, 121 to 118, Golden State overtime victory over the Thunder, you missed a record breaking, league wide revelatory game. Steph Curry dropped 46 points in 37 minutes. He broke not only the record for most three pointers in a single game with 12, but also his own record for most threes in the season (which he has done for three consecutive seasons). Oh, and I haven’t even mentioned that Steph scored the game winning shot from over 38 feet away with absolute ease.
Cacciola of the New York Times wrote a great piece that puts Steph Curry’s greatness into perspective on Monday February 29. Scott touches on how Stephen Curry is not someone who is unprecedented in the sport of basketball but in all sports in general. Curry hit 286 threes all season last year; he has already broken that record with 288 while still having 24 games reaming on their schedule. Curry is on pace to hit 407 threes this season, which is over 40 percent more than his previous record breaking season.
According to Scott Cacciola the only two athletes that come close to Steph Curry’s game changing abilities are Babe Ruth and Wayne Gretzky. Babe Ruth broke the record with most home runs in a single season with 29 in 1919, then in 1920 Babe Ruth increased that total by nearly 90 percent when he hit 54. Gretzky has similar greatness in terms of efficiency and scoring prowess.
Cacciola hits on Curry’s true amazement toward the end of his article and this point is why I personally think Curry is more impressive than all previously mentioned. Ruth and Gretzky were scoring at the same rate as everyone else in the sport; Curry is not. The NBA three is worth three points where as the traditional two is worth two points. Curry is shooting a shot that is worth 50 percent more than anyone has before, because he realizes the math is in his favor. No matter the percentage Curry is shooting threes (which in Curry’s case is more efficiently than anyone at that sample size) he will score more than everyone else if he just takes more of those higher value shots. Curry and the Warriors are winning in the margins and no one is noticing because their style of winning in the margins is blowing people away by a league leading differential.
Von Miller Receives Exclusive Franchise Tag from Broncos
Troy E Renck
1 March 2016
Earlier today, the Denver broncos tendered the franchise tag to Von Miller. Troy Renck of the Denver Post has written an article laying out the details of this breaking story that happened just hours ago. Essentially the franchise tag allows the broncos exclusive rights to Von Miller’s contract. Meaning no other team can negotiate with miller unless he declines the offer. Franchise tags are not favorable with veterans because it essentially takes the negotiating out of contract talks. Von Miller, who, after a Super Bowl MVP experience is due a raise, but the franchise tag only allows him to make the average of the top three players in his position. Granted, this would be a raise for Miller, but it’s a non-negotiable one that Miller could have increased through agent talks with the team. The Broncos tried last year to franchise tag Demaryius Thomas, but Thomas declined and negotiated his own contract while practicing a hold out during training camp.
Anthony Davis and NBA Trade Deadline
Anthony Silio
2/23/16
Anthony Davis’s 59/20 Game Was a Throwback to the 1960’s
Neil Paine
2/22/2016
Anthony Davis had an amazing game during the Pelicans’ win against the Detroit Pistons on Sunday, February 21. Davis posted 59 points and 20 rebounds in his 43 minutes of play. On Monday an article was posted that highlight Anthony Davis performance in relation to all-time great performances in basketball history. The article was posted on a website called FiveThirtyEight, which is an online publication that reports on issues such as election results, sporting events and economics, but all within the confines of statistical analysis. Neil Paine wrote the article for FiveThiryEight and he really emphasized on the efficiency in which Anthony Davis played with on Sunday night. Paine’s conclusion is that not only did Anthony Davis put up an impressive stat line, but more impressively he put up those numbers efficiently. Even more so Anthony Davis put up a true shooting percentage of 77 percent on a team that plays a faced paced offense which inherently accounts for a lower efficiency. The article is a good read and while the math seems a bit overwhelming, there are plenty of great info graphics to help the digestion of some good points.
Nylon Notebook: Trade Deadline Recap
Ian Levy
2/20/2016
The NBA trade deadline has come and gone and while everyone was expecting a big named to be moved a majority of the NBA just did some spring cleaning. Most of the trades made were to improve the foundation in order to build a better future. Some teams got younger like the pistons, but most dumped a lot of money in order to avoid taxes and better position themselves for the 2016 off-season. There were some trades that were made to make this year’s playoff push easier for some teams and Ian Levy has written a detailed article about them. Ian Levy is an editor for a column known as NylonCalculus, which is a basketball analytics site, and known as the premier publication for advanced metric stats. In this article Levy discusses the two trades that he thought were made with intentions of affecting this year’s playoff chances. The Jeff Green trade, and the Donatas Motiejunas trade were the highlights of this article and Ian breaks down each advantage and disadvantage of these newly acquired players. The analysis you will find here is not your typical sports analysis, you will not find clichés or measurements of an individual’s determination on this website, instead you will find trends over time based on factual numbers that aid in understanding the game of basketball.
A look back on the week of sports coverage
February 16, 2016
In case you aren’t aware Tuesday is the last viable day in the sports media week. Wednesday is often regarded as the end of a sports week, all of the weekend activities have been over digested, and the following weekend is too far away to start pre-chewing. This weekly post will cover the week in sports media. Several instances of sports coverage will be highlighted and aggregated for your reading pleasure.
The Cruel, Unrelenting, Back Breaking, Knee-Busting Anti-Logic of the NBA Schedule
Tom Haberstroh
ESPN staff writer, Tom Haberstroh, gifted us an article on Friday, February 12. Slated to appear in the February 29, issue of ESPN the magazine, Tom released it early via the ESPN website. This article is a bird’s eye view of the NBA, but interestingly enough, from the standpoint of the travel heavy schedule. After talking to several sleep doctors, running coach, human performance experts and physiology professors, Haberstroh concluded that the schedule is not only hurting its players, but also its on court product. NBA Players fly a whooping 50,000 miles and often are coming into a city as visitors at 3:00 in the morning. These outstanding numbers are debilitating its players by causing them to be less efficient in the fourth quarter of the game and the metaphorical fourth quarter of the season. This article is well researched and well written, while not a traditional sports article, it is a humanizing look at athletes and the toll they put on their body before they even hit the gym. Tom Haberstroh’s article could not be timed more perfectly as All-Star Forward Chris Bosh enters the second half of his second consecutive season worrying about blood clots.
What Are the Allegations Against Peyton Manning?
Shaun King
The New York Daily News, on Saturday, released a 74-page court document containing details of Peyton Manning college sexual assault case. Specifically, this thirteen-year-old document contains details of a cover up of massive proportion. Shaun King writes a long, and heavy handed article discussing the finer points and the grander message. This may be a tough read for Bronco fans, but King’s take away from the whole scenario is excellent. In his article he discusses the impact of social media, or in this case the lack of social media, and how it affects media coverage and public perception. Shaun King reacts against the media’s handling of the current and past issues of Cam Newton. The slow sport weekend devoured this article causing Shaun King to write a second article, on Monday, regarding the backlash against his first article for allegedly being one-sided; both articles are an interesting read, placing the media frenzy surrounding superstar athletes into perspective for the reader.
The Vertical With Woj
Yahoo Sports
Adrian Wojnarowski
The NBA trade Deadline is February 18, at 3:00 p.m., and no one will have better coverage of roster transactions than Adrian Wojnarowski. Over the last three years Wojnarowski has been and continues to be the most informed NBA insider, while working for an inferior outlet Wojnarowski has been the at the forefront of breaking news in the NBA. Adrian has a new column on Yahoo Sports and a podcast on iTunes called The Vertical. During this week of trade rumors and illogical propositions there will be none more accurate than The Vertical. So you may not subscribe to his podcast, but do yourself a favor and check out The Vertical this week to find out if your favorite players are on the move.