Atlanta Hawks Make Eastern Conference a Better Place

This was supposed to be a year of rebuild for the Atlanta Hawks. The team has finally let go of their long-standing franchise player in Josh Smith. Then there's the hiring of new coach Mike Budenholzer, a former long-time assistant coach for the San Antonio Spurs. During the time, this moves hinted a drastic change to the team, not only for the roster but with the system and culture.

In the NBA, drastic changes is often synonymous with a disastrous season. That is why prior to the start of the season, many Hawks fans were preparing for a tough year, consoling themselves with the potential to get a prime talent in what is expected to be a very talented draft pool next summer. The expectations were low.

However, two months into the season, the Hawks have been a pleasant surprise not only for its loyal followers but also for the general basketball fans. Despite the lack of a big-named player on the roster, the team has been playing great, competing well and winning against the better teams in the league. They are doing this with good ball movement on offense and solid work on the defensive end. The new way the team is playing is simply refreshing to watch, especially for Hawks fans. And to general basketball fans, the Hawks make the eastern conference a little bit more bearable.

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Spurs Continue to Struggle Against Good Teams

Despite their impressive 22-7 record, not everything is going smoothly for the San Antonio Spurs. So far this season, the team has been struggling when playing against the better teams in the league. Here are the teams and the number of losses they have so far this season:

• Trailblazers - 1
• Thunder - 2
• Rockets - 2
• Pacers - 1
• Clippers - 1

Each one of their losses had them being dominated throughout the game.  Why are the Spurs having a hard time against the better teams?

Don't Match Up Well With Athletic Teams

Having watched all their games this season, I have come to realize how poorly the Spurs match up against athletic teams. The team has a hard time stopping penetrations from speedy ball handlers which results to the entire defense being compromised. That is why against teams with an aggressive offensive player, the Spurs struggle to make stops in crucial parts of the games.

This shouldn't have to be a problem if the Spurs don't have a...

Lack of a Go-To Scorer

The lack of a go-to scorer is hurting the Spurs just as bad as the lack of an on-ball defensive stopper at the guard position. When the Spurs offense gets disrupted by the defense, the lack of a player that can create an offense by himself means that the possession is doomed to fail or requires a ton of luck to succeed. In recent years, this has become the responsibility of Tony Parker and his become quite good at it. This season, however, Tony is struggling in such situations and as a direct result, the Spurs are too.

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What's Wrong with the Spurs Resting Their Stars?

Recently, as I was visiting various forums and fan sites for NBA teams, I had a bit of argument regarding the Spurs and the way that coach Popovich is resting the old core of the team. I'm pretty sure you will remember last year's hullabaloo when he decided to send Duncan, Parker, Ginobili and Green back to San Antonio prior to the game against the Heat that resulted to a hefty $250,000 fine.

In Thursday's night game against the Warriors, Pop decided to sit Duncan and Ginobili. One reaction that really caught my attention was about how Pop is doing a disservice to the league by taking out the stars. There's the argument that it doesn't bode well with the spirit of the competition that the poster defined as playing at their highest level. The Spurs as they say with the decision to sit out players at certain games are smart, effective but wrong. 

Now, I don't mind someone telling me that they don't like these moves by the Spurs. However, saying that it is wrong is what is wrong. Saying that something is right or wrong is presuming  that the person saying it knows all about the morality of it.

If Pop sits out his stars, it is not with the intention to give the game away. What is morally wrong with that? If coaches are careful at managing his players on a per quarter minute basis for health reasons that would play an important role in the future, what makes Pop's decision to manage his team players' health in a bigger per-game basis wrong?

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Barca Secures Iniesta Until 2018

After a long-winded chronicle that involved countless rumors, the saga regarding Andres Iniesta and his future has finally ended. As reported earlier this week, the Spanish midfielder has reached a deal with Barcelona which will keep him until 2018, pretty much guaranteeing that he will be with the team until the end of his playing career.

Iniesta who came from the club's famous youth academy has been a very important piece for Barcelona during its most successful period. As a member of the Spanish national team, his goal in the 2010 World Cup helped the team seal the title.

With his old contract winding down and expiring in 2015, many wondered about the future possibilities for Iniesta. 

Due to the relative lack of reports regarding the progress of contract negotiation between Iniesta and Barcelona that started since summer, many reports started floating around that linked the 29-year old to other European teams. One of the big-named club that he was linked to was the Manchester United, a club that could really use him right now. All the rumors and conjectures have now been squashed with his decision to stay with the Barca.

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As Cavaliers Falter, Irving Deserves Some Blame

Although he did miss a good chunk of games last season, Kyrie Irving was impressive when he played. His impressive play didn't always translate to wins, but I always alluded it to the inexperience of the team and the lack of key pieces. I thought about how scary the Cavaliers can be if he is surrounded with the right talent.

During the off-season, the Cavs loaded on players that in theory could work with Irving very well. The team signed Andrew Bynum to have reliable scorer down low. They added Earl Clark for to be a versatile forward who can hit shots and has good energy on defense. They also signed Jarrett Jack to back Irving in point guard duties. The rest of the roster looked solid and many believed that they could be one of the better teams in the eastern conference.

However, we are already almost two months into the season and the Cavaliers are currently out of the playoff picture at the number 9 spot of the east and have looked so bad in a handful of games. Just like many struggling teams, drama has brewed within the team. Many tried to find the reason for this debacle and as it stands right now, majority of the reason has been on Irving.

Irving hasn't quite lived up to the expectations many had for him. Looking at his stats, it doesn't look like he has improved much at all. In fact, he has struggled with his 3-point shooting. He is also being exposed as a liability on defense, often finding himself out of position and not being able to follow the defensive scheme that the coaching staff wants the team to be playing such as getting through screens. This puts the defense in peril as they don't really have guys who can cover for his mistake.

So far, the Cavs have faltered amidst expectations and Irving's performance is a primary reason for it. If the team is doing well, Irving would get plenty of credit as he is the best and currently the most important player on the team. Thus, it is also only fair that he deserves much of the blame if the team is underperforming as they are now.

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Lakers Coaching Faces a Tough Challenge with the Return of Kobe

With the return of Kobe Bryant, there are many questions that needs answer. For basketball fans, a major concern is whether he will be as good as he was before the injury. For the Lakers, the main concern is how to Kobe will be able to fit into the lineup.

The Lakers have surpassed the expectations of many who predicted the team to greatly struggle this season. In what seems like a plot for a movie, the roster full of misfits are playing surprisingly well, always giving a hundred percent effort and showcasing a brand of basketball that is simply fun to watch. Aside from taking advantage of their athleticism through transition offense, they are also moving the ball quite well in half-court sets.

There comes the concern. Kobe has always been the type of player who needs the ball in his hands to be effective. This means that his return could adversely affect that good ball-movement that the team is showcasing right now.

The Lakers coaching staff who has done a marvelous job to start this season will have their biggest challenge yet as Kobe returns. They will need to figure out how to get Kobe to fit in the system while not disrupting the way that team has been playing.

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NBA Coaches are Underappreciated

A team is winning? Go players! A team is losing? The coach sucks! Fire him!

The importance of coaching in the NBA is often underappreciated by many fans. If a team wins, all the credit are directed towards the awesome performance of the players. The only time a coach can get attention is when the team is playing bad and he becomes the one to blame. There is a double-standard against coaches in the NBA and the reason for this isn't so complicated but can be offending.

Getting straight to the point, many NBA fans lack the necessary knowledge about the sport to grasp the importance of coach's role on the team.

A Perfect Example

A good example for this is Miami Heat coach Erik Spoelstra who gets disrespected a lot by fans due to having three elite players playing for him. A common slight is that any coach can win a championship with the amount of talent on the team.

Case in Point

However, you don't need to look farther than the Heat defense to see how good of a coach Spoelstra is. As potent as their offense might be, the Heat needed to have a very good defense to win their championships.

His scheme has allowed the Heat team which plays small lineups to have one of the best defense in the league. The team is playing an aggressive yet disciplined defense that negates much of their size disadvantage. It is chaotic yet methodical.

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FIFA Unveils 2014 World Cup Match Ball

Soccer fans might not agree on who the best team or athlete in the sport, but every fan from all over the planet can agree that the World Cup can't get here fast enough. Every update about one of the most prestigious sporting events in the world is valuable. That being said, here's a new update from FIFA.com that will allow you to take a glimpse of the upcoming event.

The Brazuca: Official Match Ball

The brazuca, which means 'Brazilian' and refers to the Brazilian way of life, is the most-tested adidas ball in history. It was, over a two-and-a-half-year period, tried out by over 600 of the world’s top players or former players including Iker Casillas, Dani Alves, Lionel Messi, Bastian Schweinsteiger and Zinedine Zidane, and 30 teams in ten countries across three continents. The brazuca was also used at a selection of international football matches, albeit with a different design, including a friendly between Sweden and Argentina last February.

The brazuca’s colours and ribbon design of the ball panels symbolise the traditional multi-coloured wish bracelets worn in the country, in addition to reflecting the vibrancy and fun associated with football in the South American country. It has a new structural innovation, with a unique symmetry of six identical panels alongside a different surface structure will provide improved grip, touch, stability and aerodynamics on the pitch.

The brazuca will be available to purchase globally from Wednesday 4 December in selected adidas retail outlets, associated stockists and via FIFA.com’s official Store. Furthermore, any child born in Brazil on 3 December, the day of its official launch, was entitled to a free Brazuca courtesy of adidas.

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Images and text grab from FIFA.com