Tag: Kobe Bryant

15 ‘2015 Sport Highlights’ I won’t forget

su da Ennio Terrasi Borghesanin Basketball, Football, Other SportsLascia un commento

Roberta Vinci’s interview after Serena’s Us Open Upset

A 300/1 favorite to win her US Open Semifinal, Roberta Vinci shocked the Tennis and Sport World by stopping Serena Willams’ run to a Calendar Year Grand Slam.

After an amazing comeback win, Vinci won fans heart with a joyful and open-heart on-the-court interview.

Kobe Bryant announces his retirement from Professional Basketball

With an emotional letter on the Players’ Tribune, NBA legend Kobe Bryant announced his upcoming retirement from Pro Basketball.

The rest of the 2015-16 Lakers Season is going to be a long Farewell Tour to the Black Mamba, a unique catalyst of feelings, and an occasion to reflect on a long and incredible career.

Robert Lewandowski scores 5 goals in 9 minutes

On September 22 Bayern Munich striker Robert Lewandowski entered the game against Wolfsburg right after halftime, but not even the most optimistic fan would have ever dreamed what happened in the second half first 15 minutes.

The Polish number 9 made history, scoring 5 goals in a 8 minutes and 59 second arch. And they were one better than the other.

Usain Bolt stays on top of Athletic’s World

Jamaican World Record Holder Usain Bolt entered the 2015 World Athletics Championships in Beijing not in the best physical shape, with the concrete chance of losing his long primacy to controversial former Olympic Champion Justin Gatlin.

But in the Stadium where his legacy started, he reminded us why he’s the number one.

Gregorio Paltrinieri breaks the oldest Swimming World Record

Young Italian freestyle Swimmer Gregorio Paltrineri has had a breakout year in 2015.

He finally consecrated himself with winning the Gold medal in 1500m Freestyle at Kazan’s World Championship, but he was able to do more of that, by breaking the oldest Swimming World Record on books, the 1500 Freestyle Short Course one, made in 2001 by Swimming Legend Grant Hackett.

Danilo Gallinari breaks Germany’s heart at 2015 EuroBasket

After a long series of injuries, in 2015 Danilo Gallinari reminded us why he’s one of the best European players of his generation.

He scored an impressive 47-point-game Career High early in the year with his Denver Nuggets, but his most impressive performances were during the 2015 EuroBasket, where he led his Italian team through a though Group Stage with lots of impressive plays and numbers.

His clutch Game-Tying shot against the host German team has been an inexplicable moment to witness live.

MSN is alive, leading Barcelona to Football Dominance

My generation has grown up with MSN messenger, the first viral system to chat and communicate with friends worldwide.

Windows Live Messenger was discontinued in 2013, but the acronym regained new life with the explosion of the outstanding FC Barcelona trio of striker: Lionel Messi, Luis Suarez and Neymar led the Catalan team to their second Treble (first team in Football History to accomplish that) in 6 years in 2015, scoring (as of today) 135 goals in the calendar year for Barça.

Golden State Warriors made Sport History

2015 was, without a doubt, the ‘Dubs Year’.

The Golden State Warriors won their first NBA Championship in 40 years, after an historical season (their 83 wins, combining Regular Season and Playoffs, is the 3rd highest in NBA History). But they were often labeled as ‘lucky’.

After that claims, they started the 2015-16 NBA Season with 24 consecutive wins, crashing by far the previous League Record (no team had done better than a 15-0 start in NBA history) but also making an all-time record for North American Professional Sports.

Klay Thompson’s Insane 37-point Quarter

Basketball fans could have feel that 2015 was going to be the ‘Warriors Year’ already on January 23rd.

Golden State entered the second half against the Sacramento Kings with the game in balance, when Klay Thompson made a 2-pointer for the 61-58 Warriors lead, with 9’45” remaining to play.

That basket was the beginning of an NBA Record: 37 points in a Quarter, the result of a perfect shooting display (13/13 from the field, 9/9 from the 3-point line, 2/2 on free throws).

Wawrinka defeats Djokovic in Roland Garros Final

2015 was a Record year for World Tennis Number 1 Novak Djokovic, whom was able to win 3 Grand Slam titles, 6 Master 1000 Tournaments, playing 15 consecutive finals (out of 16 tournaments played) and making All-Time record in Prize Money earnings.

He was only the third player in tennis history to reach, in a calendar year, all 4 Major Finals (after Rod Laver and Roger Federer), but the surprising loss to Stan Wawrinka in Roland Garros Final prevented him from a Year (and Career) Grand Slam. For now.

Flavia Pennetta wins US Open and announces her retirement from Tennis

Roberta Vinci’s exploit against Serena Williams was only one half of the fantastic cake baked by Italian Tennis Player in 2015 US Open: the american Slam saw a first-ever all-Italian Major Final in Pro-Tennis history between Vinci and Flavia Pennetta, two longlife friends both coming from Puglia.

Pennetta later prevailed over her fellow national, conquering her first Grand Slam title (on her first Final), and after that she shocked Tennis World by announcing her retirement, in ‘Sampras style’.

Jamie Vardy, Leicester making Premier League History

After 16 games into the 2014-15 Premier League Season, Leicester Football Club was at the bottom of England’s main Football League, with only 2 wins and 10 overall points.

Today, with 16 games into the current season, the Foxes are on top of England’s Football, with 10 won games and 35 points.

One of the reasons for such a turnaround is Jamie Vardy, a striker whom was playing semi-professional league Football only in 2012, able to make a new Premier League Record scoring in 11 consecutive matches.

Chelsea’s Downfall in just 7 months.

Chelsea Football Club began 2015 in fashion, winning their 5th League Cup and, later in May, their 4th Premier League title in 10 years (5th in team history). José Mourinho’s return to Blues’ bench paid off.

What no one could have ever imagined is that, as of today, Chelsea is living an authentic nightmare and one of the most unthinkable and quick downfalls in Football History, being only one point over Relegation zone after their loss to Leicester, a one resulted in the end of Mourinho’s second spell at Stamford Bridge.

Dinamo Sassari Historical Italian Treble

2009/10 was a season of ‘firsts’ for Italian Sport. For example, FC Internazionale became the first Italian Football Team Ever to accomplish the ‘Treble’. It was also the season, in Basketball, of the First Ever Promotion to ‘Serie A1’ for Dinamo Sassari.

5 years later, Sassari made Italian Basketball History by accomplishing a National Treble, winning ‘Supercoppa’, ‘Coppa Italia’ and ‘Scudetto’ after an amazing and unthinkable ride.

Wisconsin Stuns Kentucky’s Perfect Season Dreams

I started the piece with an amazing upset in 2015, I end it with another one.

The Kentucky Wildcats entered the NCAA Basketball 2015 Final Four with a 38-0 record, looking to becoming the first College Team in almost 40 years to accomplish the ‘Perfect Season’ and doing that with the best overall record.

Between Calipari’s Team and the Championship Game there were the Wisconsin Badgers, led by National Player of the Year Frank Kaminsky.

The Badgers took down the previously unbeaten Wildcats on the grand stage of the Final Four. And they did it in fashion.

5 (+1) reasons why I will miss Kobe Bryant

su da Ennio Terrasi Borghesanin BasketballLascia un commento

With a wonderful letter on The Players’ Tribune, NBA Legend Kobe Bryant has announced that he will retire from Basketball at the end of this season.

He has surely been a unique player in Basketball History, capable of generating a variety of strong feelings, both positive and negative. It’s hard to recall an athlete of such level able to cause both extreme loyalty or ferocious hater-ism.

His style and his legacy has influenced today’s generation of NBA Stars through their maturation as players and as adults.

Kobe has been able to win in extreme fashion but also to ‘lose loud’.

We are going to miss him, mostly because our passion for the NBA has grown up alongside his career.

I’ve admired Kobe Bryant’s career although he hasn’t been one of my favorite players.

Here are five (+1) reasons why I will miss him.

1. His Finals Appearances

Having played the NBA Finals for 7 times (winning 5 of them), Kobe currently leads the league in this stat between active players.

From the Three-Peat to start the decade with Shaq to the Back-to-Back titles with Pau Gasol as his sidekick, but also going through the heartbreaking losses against the Pistons in 2004 and the Celtics in 2008, each one of Bryant’s career Finals Series is special in its own way.

His Finals Career Stats may not be the greatest possible (roughly 24.8 ppg, 5.5 rpg, 5.0 apg, 40.8% FG), but he was surely able to leave his indelible footprint in each one of this series.

2. The 2005/06 Season

In my humble opinion Bryant’s peak isn’t represented neither by his ‘sidekick three-peat’ or his ‘MVP back-to-back’, but by the 2005/06 NBA Season, one of the single greatest in NBA history.

It’s not only about his impressive scoring display that season (his career best 35.4 PPG that year is second only, in the last 40 NBA seasons, to Michael Jordan’s 86/87 season), but his ability to bring a less talented roster (Kobe’s main teammates were Lamar Odom and Smush Parker) one shot away from the Western Conference Semifinals.

His win share of 15.3, another career high, gives an idea of Kobe’s impact in 2005-06 Lakers.

It is also worth it to review some of that season amazing performances, first of all the 62-in-3-quarters against the eventual NBA Finalist that year Dallas Mavericks.

Before I mentioned the fact that those Lakers were one-shot-away from the Conference Semifinals. Kobe’s series against that powerful Suns team was definitely something to remember. Between all the moments, the two Game 4 clutch shots are the best highlight.

Last but surely not least… The 81 point game against the Toronto Raptors. One of those cases where you leave the images speaking for themselves.

3. Michael Jordan

Kobe Bryant is probably the most dedicated player of his generation.

His love for the game and his hunger to improve still are an example to young basketball players.

His career was undoubtedly marked by his rivalry with Michael Jordan, something that went on also after MJ retirement, in 2003.

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“I like Kobe, we talk a lot, I hope he comes back healthy. I think he’s one of the great players of the game, that he’s done a lot for it, and that he has a true love for basketball. I absolutely have high regard for him. Even though he stole all my moves, I still love him like a brother” – Michael Jordan, August 2015.
His duel with His Airness is something worth it to be kept in a glass case and displayed in a museum.

Jordan’s last ASG, Atlanta 2003, might represent the most unforgettable moment of this long feud.

4. Love for the Game

To express that concept, I will go with a personal Kobe memory, from my first interview with Federico Buffa in 2013.

For English-native speakers, a good will of Kobe’s devotion for basketball is his ‘retirement poem’ on the Players’ Tribune.

5. Italian Kobe

Between Bryant’s fans, Italian ones deserve a distinction.

Kobe’s relationship with il Bel Paese goes through the years, to the time when his father Joe played for seven seasons the Italian Basketball League with Rieti, Reggio Calabria, Pistoia and Reggio Emilia.

It is in Italy where Kobe Bryant has learnt to play basketball, and his bond with my home country is something that goes beyond sport.

Bryant’s relationship with Italy is something quite known inside the NBA, as we can see it in one of his funniest moment in an All Star Game.

(+1): Yesterday’s Kobe vs. Today’s Bryant

After having broken the internet with his ‘retirement poem’, last night Kobe Bryant played his first game after the retirement announce.

The atmosphere in Staples Center was more special than the usual, mainly due to Kobe’s announcement.

With the game being battled in crunch time, there was room to experience some bits of Yesterday’s Kobe, despite the fact he’s playing what it could be expressed as the “worst season of all time”

After this shot and a couple of free throws made by the Pacers, the stage was set for a possible Kobe Bryant Instant Classic.

But history does not always repeat itself.

Last NBA season won’t surely be Bryant’s best one.

But one thing is absolutely sure.

On April 13th, after a season-long farewell tour, the eyes of all basketball world will be pointed to the Staples Center in Los Angeles, where Kobe Bean Bryant will play the last (probable) game of his distinguished career.

And, in spite of these tough last seasons, it will be a moment to remember.

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