The Voice Sports Blog

Words and pictures by Colin A.J. Murphy

Sit To My Lou: Lou Williams looked relaxed during pregame warmups, and the smooth 76ers guard went on to score 31 points in Team Philly's 131-122 victory over Team Melo in Philadelphia on Sunday.

The latest edition of this summer’s nationwide trend of wildly entertaining, player-organized exhibition games hit Philadelphia on Sunday, as NBA superstars Carmelo Anthony, LeBron James, Chris Paul and the rest of Anthony’s Baltimore-based ‘Team Melo’ squared off against Philly’s best—a.k.a ‘Team Philly’—at The Palestra on the campus of the University of Pennsylvania in a matchup dubbed “The Battle of I-95”. Team Philly rolled out a roster featuring city native Hakim Warrick, 76ers guard Lou Williams, Houston Rockets guard and former Villanova Wildcat Kyle Lowry, and the Sacramento Kings’ Tyreke Evans, and much to the delight of a revved-up capacity crowd, Team Philly upended Melo’s collection of stars by a score of 131-122. James led all scorers with 43 points, but the duo of Lowry (34 points) and Williams (31 points) packed enough punch to earn their squad a victory.

“It was fun man. Just a night in the gym with the fellas,” said Williams after the contest, displaying the characteristic childlike love for the game so many of the players have demonstrated throughout this summer’s string of exhibitions. “And on top of that, we win. We got bragging rights now, so nobody can take that from us. You could tell from our tempo when we came out, here in Philadelphia, we’re not trying to get embarrassed. You know how these fans get.”

Chris Paul never quite got it going against the spry defense of Lou Williams, and Team Philly beat Paul and Team Melo 131-122

To be sure, the fans made it quite clear that they weren’t there just to see some of the world’s best players put on a show. James was greeted by a chorus of boos as soon as he stepped on the court, and the crowd continued to hound visiting Team Melo as they cheered their Philadelphia squad. After three scoreless possessions by Team Melo to start the game, a thunderous alley-oop slam dunk by Warrick sent the crowd into hysterics and put Team Philly on a wave of momentum they would ride for the remainder of the half. Philly built a double-digit lead just minutes into the first quarter, extending the margin to as much as 19 in the first half, and they were able to fend off Anthony’s 31 points and Team Melo’s second half charge to put away the win.

“Right now, after beating that team, we got to be the champs,” said Warrick with a smile after the game. Asked if Team Philly could beat any team in the country, Warrick was happy to entertain the possibility of facing other cities’ best ballers. “We’re taking on all challengers, but they’ve got to come through Philly. Whoever’s next has got to come through us.”

LeBron James led all scorers with 43 points, but it wasn't enough for Team Melo to overcome Team Philly's energy and home court advantage.

The game comes just days after the NBA announced the postponement of training camp and cancellation of the first week of preseason games due to the lockout and ongoing labor negotiations. Throughout the summer the players, for their part, have made the best of a less-than-ideal situation by putting on several showcases like the one on Sunday in Philadelphia both as a way to stay in shape and keep their competitive edge as well as to do what they can to tie the country’s basketball-hungry fans over in the event of a prolonged lockout.

“If the NBA was on schedule, this game and the game at Morgan wouldn’t have happened,” said the San Antonio Spurs’ Gary Neal, who played on the Melo Squad, after the game. “It’s a unique situation with the lockout that gives us a chance to showcase our abilities in the cities where we’re from. So I just think it’s NBA guys making the best of a lockout situation.”

GAME NOTES

The players weren't the only ones putting on a show at The Palestra.

• It was clear from the beginning of the game that Team Philly held the favor of the referees. The spectacular alley-oop finish by Warrick in the opening minutes was accompanied by a foul on a Team Melo player, and as if the crowd wasn’t already going nuts on its own, the referee emphatically performed the “count-the-bucket” motion not once, not twice, but three times, complete with his own personal ‘do-the-twist’-style dance move, sending the crowd into a hilarious frenzy. When making out-of-bounds calls throughout the rest of the evening, the referee would frequently bust out his shimmy before pointing in Team Philly’s direction, drawing laughs from the crowd. Though the referees still called a mostly fair game, Anthony, Paul, and James did not seemed to be amused, but given that the ref immediately won the crowd over in the game’s opening moments, there wasn’t a whole lot they could do about it.

• Josh Selby’s freakish athleticism has been discussed on this blog before, but it warrants mentioning again that seeing him play up close is amazing. His drives to the basket are incredibly aggressive, and in the open court he skies to the rack. It wouldn’t be surprising if, after spending significant chunks of his summer playing alongside James, Anthony, and Paul, Selby takes a big step forward in rounding out his game in the upcoming season (whenever that happens).

Josh Selby on the floor...

...and Josh Selby off the floor.

• Kyle Lowry and Lou Williams both had great games for Team Philly. Lowry hit a handful of jump shots and was aggressive driving the ball to the basket. Williams hit an array of jumpers and knifed his way to the basket in the open floor and out of the half court set. He also did a great job defending Paul, several times poking the ball away to either disrupt the Team Melo offense or create a turnover.

• It was an unusual time of year for The Palestra to be fully packed for a basketball game, and the unexpected wrinkle of the game was that the gym was incredibly hot. Lowrie and Warrick both made mention of it after the game, and it seemed like fans and media members were all sweating along with the players.

• Aside from the Warrick dunk in the first quarter, Tyreke Evans drew the largest response from the crowd, not just once, but twice. In the fourth quarter, Evans showcased his ball-handling wizardry with an insane fury of crossovers on Gary Forbes before driving to the hoop, drawing a foul and finishing the layup. On the next possession he practically hypnotized Forbes with a slow back-and-forth dribble—rather reminiscent of this scene from The Jungle Book—then used another burst of crossovers to shake him to the ground—Forbes literally stumbled backwards—and Evans simply held the ball and stared at him for a moment before taking a 16-foot jump shot. It didn’t matter that he bricked the jumper; the damage had been done and the crowd ate it up.

You're getting sleepy, Gary Forbes. Verrrry sleeeepy...

• The full roster for Team Philly was Kyle Lowry, Tyreke Evans, Hakim Warrick, Lou Williams, Jason Thompson, Mark Tynsdale, Aaron “AO” Owens, Mardy Collins, John Salmons, Wayne Ellington, and Ronald “Flip” Murray. The full roster for Team Melo was Chris Paul, LeBron James, Carmelo Anthony, Gary Neal, Josh Selby, Donte Green, and Gary Forbes.

• Click here to see a slideshow of this game and other NBA exhibitions from this summer.

• Return to the Voice Sports Blog in full for more summer NBA exhibition coverage.

• To see highlights of this game and many more, visit The Mars Reel.

• Fans of the Wizards/Bullets, be sure to check out the D.C. blog Truth About It. For additional national NBA news, columns, photos, and features, visit Hoopspeak.

• Contact Colin Murphy at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it ; follow him on Twitter @ColinAJMurphy

By Colin A.J. Murphy

NBA stars Carmelo Anthony, Chris Paul, and LeBron James were in Baltimore Tuesday night, playing in an exhibition along with dozens of fellow NBA players. Anthony's team defeated Kevin Durant and the Goodman League squad, 149-141.

It has been made abundantly clear this summer that NBA players are not letting the league’s ongoing labor dispute and resulting lockout stifle their appetite for basketball, and specifically their appetite for playing in front of fans. Instead, the players are putting on exhibition after exhibition on playgrounds and in small gymnasiums across the country, from Los Angeles to New York to Washington D.C.

On Tuesday night, perhaps the highest-profile of all such exhibitions this summer came to the 4,500-seat arena on the campus of Morgan State University in Baltimore, where the likes of LeBron James, Carmelo Anthony, Chris Paul, and Kevin Durant delivered a sensational, two-hour long basketball highlight reel before a positively giddy capacity crowd in the Carmelo Anthony League vs. Goodman League showdown. Anthony’s squad, which featured James and Paul along with a host of other NBA players, defeated the Goodman League by a score of 149-141 despite an eye-popping 59 points from Kevin Durant of the Goodman League team.

LeBron James wowed the capacity crowd at Morgan State with a barrage of highlight-reel dunks en route to 32 points.

“Lot of fun, man,” said Paul after the contest. “One of the funnest games I’ve been a part of in a long time.” Paul scored 16 points on a dazzling collection of dribble-drives, and after the contest he spoke of what it means to be continuing to play in front of fans this summer. “A lot of people I think got an opportunity to see us up close and personal who may not get that opportunity a lot of other times.”

For just $28 a ticket—a fraction of what it would cost to sit within 30 rows of the court at any NBA arena—with the proceeds going to Carmelo Anthony’s youth charity, it was easy to understand why the capacity crowd of Morgan State students, Baltimore locals, and media was in a continual state of awe, wonder, and celebration throughout the night. As the players entered the arena a short while before tipoff, security allowed fans to descend onto the court to seek autographs and photos, and the players willingly obliged while trying to get in at least a little bit of a stretch and warmup before the game started.

After twenty minutes, the court was cleared, and the players put on a show to remember. James and Durant, the world’s two best players, defended one another throughout most of the night, and they took turns wowing the crowd with an endless array of moves. In addition to swishing several turnaround jump shots, James broke free for multiple dunks throughout the contest and finished with 32 points. Not to be outdone, Durant came back at James with a fury of shake-and-bake crossovers to free himself for jump shots and drives to the bucket. As the two stars traded blows and poured in the points, their respective supporting casts likewise joined the highlight party.

James and Kevin Durant battled back and forth all night. Durant won the individual matchup, scoring 59 points, but James's team prevailed 149-141.

Anthony scored 27 points for his namesake squad in the victory. The Grizzlies’ Josh Selby, a Baltimore native, scored 16 points for the Anthony team, and the Clippers’ Eric Bledsoe also had 16. Despite playing alongside some of the most recognizable athletes on the planet, Bledsoe and Selby also garnered some of the biggest crowd responses on the night. Selby skied way above the rim to slam home an alley-oop pass from James in the game’s opening moments, and in the second half, Bledsoe converted a fast break, in-traffic, off-the-backboard pass from Paul with a thunderous two-hand dunk that nearly brought the house down.

Carmelo Anthony scored 27 points for his namesake squad in the victory.

Baltimore native Josh Selby flashed serious hops on this dunk in the game's opening moments.

The Los Angeles Clippers' Eric Bledsoe springboarded off the rim after a putback slam in the second half. Moments later Bledsoe caught an off-the-backboard alley-oop pass from Paul and dunked it home, sending the already jazzed crowd into a frenzy.

On the Goodman side, the Detroit Pistons’ Austin Daye impressed by racking up 23 points from the inside and outside. The Spurs’ Gary Neal scored 17, while the Hornets’ Jarrett Jack scored 13.

Afterwards, the players were asked about the looming threat of an abbreviated or altogether wiped-out NBA season.

“I’m worried because I want to play,” said Anthony to a group of reporters. “October is right around the corner, and it don’t look like we’re going to start on time.”

As is evident from Tuesday’s game, it is important to the players that the fans get to see basketball, a point Paul reiterated after the contest when asked about the lockout. “Our fans deserve a season, so we’re going to do the best we can [to get a deal done].” Asked about whether he thinks that this summer’s hugely popular exhibitions such as the one on Tuesday night will influence the NBA labor negotiations in any way, Paul expressed a sentiment that has consistently come from the players throughout the summer. “We don’t do it for that reason. We do it for the love of the game…This is what we grew up doing.”

• View a FULL PHOTO GALLERY of this game.

• For more photos from Goodman League action this summer, as well as from the recent Goodman vs. Drew League (Los Angeles) game, return to The Voice Sports Blog in full.

GAME NOTES

• Anthony spoke afterwards of how important it was for him to hold the game in his hometown: “I think Baltimore needed this. I think they definitely needed this. I think it’s great to bring to the fans and the city something they haven’t seen.”

• Juan Dixon played in the game for Carmelo Anthony’s team. The former Maryland star and NCAA champion—as well as native of Baltimore—definitely got some love from the crowd when he swished a three from the left wing in the second half.

• The house was so packed that the Goodman League reserves didn’t have anywhere to sit.

Fans were so tightly clustered around the court that they took over the Goodman League bench.

• Wake Forest product Chris Paul and former UNC Tar Heel Ty Lawson had a little bit of a sparring match going on throughout the game, much to the delight of goading fans. In the first half, Paul hit a three in Lawson’s grill, then shook him for another swished jumper on the next possession. Lawson got his revenge on the next possession with a drive to the hoop and layup.

• View a FULL PHOTO GALLERY of this game.

• To see highlights of this game and many more, visit The Mars Reel.

• Fans of the Wizards/Bullets, be sure to check out the D.C. blog Truth About It. For additional national NBA news, columns, photos, and features, visit Hoopspeak.

• Contact Colin Murphy at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it ; follow him on Twitter @ColinAJMurphy

By Colin A.J. Murphy

Kevin Durant and Austin Daye squared off at center court to tip off the 2011 Goodman League Finals on Monday night. Durant's Lincoln Park defeated Daye and the DMV Hoopers, 113-92, to take a 1-0 lead in the best of three series.

In Game 1 of the Goodman League Finals on Monday night, Kevin Durant and Lincoln Park overpowered the DMV Hoopers, 113-92, despite the Hoopers’ attempt to fortify their squad by bringing the Detroit Pistons’ Austin Daye to complement Western Kentucky’s Cliff Dixon. Lincoln Park’s Dele Ojo (see a compilation of Ojo highlights here) led all scorers with 29, while Baby Shaq had 28 and Durant 27.

Dele Ojo led all scorers with 29 points in Lincoln Park's 113-92 Game 1 win over DMV Hoopers.

While the DMV Hoopers are obviously a strong squad, they looked overmatched throughout most of the game due to the offensive firepower of the KD-Ojo-Baby Shaq trio. Daye was the logical choice to guard Durant during the game, being the DMV Hoopers’ longest and most versatile player and Durant’s only NBA peer on the court. But over a seven-possession stretch in the first half, KD nailed two fadeaway jumpers from the left wing over the fully outstretched arms of Daye; a top-of-the-key burst of crossovers into a 15-foot jumper (think Iverson on Jordan); a ridiculous posterization plus the foul of a Hooper who will remain unnamed via an alley-oop pass from Ojo (see below); a cupping-the-ball, reverse slam on the baseline (reminiscent of this Jerry Stackhouse dunk, complete with the and-one and all); and a stepback three over Daye to put Lincoln Park up 56-46 at the half.

To Sarah Hicks and all my female readers: it's not a manicure...

It's not a pedicure...

It's a FACIAL.

While Durant was putting on his usual show offensively, Ojo was the perfect Robin to KD’s Batman. Playing point guard, he is one of the Goodman League’s leading rebounders, and it only requires a few possessions watching him to see why. He attacks the glass defensively and loves to get out and push. Offensively he drove the DMV Hoopers and their coach crazy all night by flying in for the board and putback several times too many. He should likewise be given some frequent flyer miles for his repeated coast-to-coast trips.

Ojo skied past Daye on this coast-to-coast finish in Lincoln Park's 113-92 win.

After Lincoln Park had built a double digit lead in the second half, they coasted on the shoulders of Baby Shaq. They cleared out for him on four straight possessions, which he used to take his man baseline off the dribble on the ride side for the one-handed tomahawk dunk, drive from the right wing and finish with a nifty finger roll, stop and pop from about 10 feet, and nail a three pointer from the right wing. At that point, Lincoln Park was up by 20 points and DMV Hoopers looked thoroughly defeated.

I don't think this qualifies as getting a hand in the face of the shooter. Baby Shaq had 28 points.

NOTES

• A note to young ballers out there: it's cool to start warming up before you put your shoes on.

• As I mentioned above, this dunk by Durant (see below) reminded me of Jerry Stackhouse.

• The Melo-Goodman game on Tuesday night has been moved to Morgan State University.

• Game 2 of the Goodman League Finals will be played Wednesday at 7 p.m.

• To see highlights of this game and others from the Goodman League, visit The Mars Reel.

• Fans of the Wizards/Bullets, be sure to check out the D.C. blog Truth About It. For additional national NBA news, columns, photos, and features, visit Hoopspeak.

• Contact Colin Murphy at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it ; follow him on Twitter @ColinAJMurphy

By Colin A.J. Murphy

The reigning champion Shooters gave Kevin Durant his share of double teams, but the NBA star still led his Lincoln Park squad into the Goodman League finals. Photos by Colin Murphy

On Saturday, Kevin Durant delivered a magical offensive performance in the Goodman vs. Drew game at Trinity College, scoring 44 points and earning MVP honors in Goodman’s 135-134 victory.

Playing in the Goodman League semifinals on Wednesday, Durant and his Lincoln Park squad took on the three-time defending league champion Shooters, and this go ‘round, KD had a much harder time finding his way to the basket thanks to a hounding and hard-fouling Shooter defense.

Perhaps it was just a mild off day for the NBA superstar, or maybe it had something to do with his 40-mile bike ride and American history lesson earlier in the day, but against the Shooters Durant never quite caught fire like we have seen him do time and again this summer. That said, he didn’t exactly disappoint, either.

Durant scored 32 points in leading Lincoln Park to an 88-81 victory, propelling his squad into the Goodman League championship on Thursday. Though not dominant, Durant served as enough of a focal point of the Shooters defensive scheme that he freed up teammates for open shots and driving lanes to the basket throughout the contest.

The back-to-back-to-back defending Goodman League champion Shooters were certainly not afraid of any challenge, and they defended their title honorably in the loss. Led by former Maryland standout and NCAA Champion Byron Mouton, as well as the long and athletic ‘Manute’ and fan favorite and former Goodman League MVP ‘SpongeBob’ (it’s okay if you forgot that his real name is Andrew Washington; so did League Commissioner Miles Rawls), the Shooters dug themselves an early hole and were never quite able to recover against the offensive firepower of Durant, Anthony “Gumby” Williams, Supa Coop and the rest of the Lincoln Park squad.

HIGHLIGHTS

Durant nailed this three pointer over the outstretched arm of Manute in the first half of Lincoln Park's 88-81 Goodman League playoffs semifinal win over Shooters.

In the first half, Durant swished a three from the left wing, had a quick drive into an up-and-under layup along the left baseline, and a beautiful hesitation move that earned him a layin down the middle of the lane. He made another drive to the hoop down the center of the lane that he finished off the backboard, and one. Other than that, he was pretty much fouled (or believed he was fouled) by a swarm of collapsing Shooters on every drive to the basket. The Goodman officials weren’t giving him the star treatment, and while he collected points steadily at the free throw line, he also turned the ball over several times amidst swiping Shooter hands.

For the Shooter side, Manute did about as good a job defensively on Durant as anyone could expect. He is long and athletic and plays gritty, in-your-face defense. He was hounding Durant all night and doing his best to get under Durant’s skin with a steady stream of talk throughout the game. He likewise flashed his athleticism, playing above the rim and getting most of his points on dunks and putbacks.

Manute was skywalking during warmups, and he continued to play above the rim throughout the game while also hounding Durant on the defensive end.

Gumby and Supa Coop provided the offensive burst when needed for Lincoln Park. Supa Coop in particular had two shifty step-back jump shots from deep beyond the arc—swish and swish—that wowed the crowd and drew colorful praise from Rawls on the mic. Gumby meanwhile attacked the offensive boards and got several of his points on putbacks and loose-ball finishes under the rim as Lincoln Park built their lead up to 15 in the second half.

Mouton played his unique brand of inside-out game that fans of the 2001 Maryland squad will remember well. He ran the break and converted multiple easy dunks, but he also drove to the hoop and finished with short jumpers from 8-14 feet.

Durant’s “wow” play came in the second half. With Manute defending him one-on-one on the right wing, Durant blew past him with a crossover dribble and elevated for the thunderous tomahawk dunk. The DJ scratched up a special serving of the WELCOME TO THE BIG SHOW sound effect: WELCOME-W-W-W-W-WEL-W-W-W-WELCOME TO THE BIG-BIG-BIG-BIG-WELCOME TO THE BIG SHOW!

This crowd-pleaser by Durant in the second half momentarily quelled a Shooters rally, and Lincoln Park stayed in front for the 88-81 win.

Starting midway through the second half, the Shooters began double-teaming Durant every time he touched the ball. Aside from one possession when Durant managed to evade a Manute-Mouton double team and flip in a scoop shot from the right baseline—and one—it was a tactic that for the most part threw Lincoln Park out of their rhythm and forced the ball out of Durant’s hands. Shooters were able to claw their way back in, coming to within three points with just three minutes to play, but they never quite got over the hump.

To see a full photo gallery of this game, click here.

To see highlights of this game and others from the Goodman League, visit The Mars Reel.

Fans of the Wizards/Bullets, be sure to check out the D.C. blog Truth About It. For additional national NBA news, columns, photos, and features, visit Hoopspeak.

Have an idea for The Voice Sports Blog? Contact Colin Murphy at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .