Incredible 11-Year-Old High School Point Guard

Meet 11-year-old prodigy Julian Newman. He is 4′ 5″ and starts at point guard for Downey Christian High School in Florida. Reports say that other Florida High Schools have forfeited their games against Downey Christian because they were scared to face this 11-year-old and possibly be embarrassed. But why would a loss to this tiny kid be embarrassing? He averages more than 12 points, 10 assists and 4 points a game. Here’s a quick look at what this kid is doing down in Florida.

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The Greatest Moments in Sports (VIDEO)

This video will leave you with an extreme sensation of chills. Even if you are not a sports fan at all, you will highly enjoy this amazing collection of incredible sports moments. It is a brilliantly touching video that anyone can appreciate; The greatest moments in the history of sports.  Read more of this post

Basketball Player Makes A Buzzer Beating Shot Lying Down (Video)

I personally have trouble making shots from near the three point line during practice.

Having said that, I can’t even imagine how much better this college basketball player is than me, considering he made a shot near the three point line, with seconds left in an important game, FROM HIS BACK!

seriously… Read more of this post

What Do Steve Nash and Peyton Manning have in Common?

They are the classiest athletes in the world, that’s what they have in common.

Steve Nash released a very humble and appreciative statement after the news broke of the sign-and-trade that sent him to Los Angeles.

It sounded much like the statement that Peyton Manning made when he was released by the Indianapolis Colts.

Here is what Nash said: Read more of this post

Who Is Under The Most Pressure To Win An NBA Title?

With the completion of the NBA Draft and free agency looming, it is the perfect time to see who is under the most pressure to bring home an NBA title to their team and city. With LeBron finally getting the monkey off his back, this list may surprise you on who may be under the most pressure to win. Read more of this post

If You Love SportsCenter, You Will Love This

SportsCenter has changed the way sports are covered and it has given the average fan incredible access to their favorite’s teams and their players.

However, if there is one thing that I absolutely love about SportsCenter, it is their “This is SportsCenter” commercials. Read more of this post

LeBron Earns His Throne

With the Miami Heat victory over the Thunder, LeBron James and Chris Bosh finally got the monkey off their backs for their first title.

Now the pressure to finally win their 1st title is over and done with. LeBron had one of the best postseasons in recent memory, and what makes his postseason even better is that when his team was in need, LeBron came up HUGE. Read more of this post

Funniest Lebron James Pictures

Since the start of his struggles in the 4th quarter, Lebron James has been a victim of much criticism regarding his NBA career, and his personal life.

You might have heard people say:

  • Lebron chokes in the 4th quarter.
  • Lebron doesn’t take the final shot.
  • Lebron will never be clutch.
  • Lebron’s hairline is that of an 80 year old.
  • and Lebron’s mom – ya know. Read more of this post

Knicks Get Embarrassed as Heat Win Series 4-1

First off, it’s good to be back on Zazenlife.com!

What better way to come back from a 2-week hiatus than to bash the New York Knicks.

I’ve watched this series pretty closely and I have learned a couple of things about this Knicks team. Read more of this post

Show “Love” For the MVP!

Kevin Love 2012

The MVP Nobody Is Talking About, Kevin Love

With the NBA season coming to its final stretch of games, a new name has emerged as one of my favorites for NBA MVP, Kevin Love. Love is currently averaging 26.5 PPG, 13.8 RPG with 2 APG, and shooting 45% from the field. Read more of this post

Deron Williams Lights Up Knicks, Nets Win

Deron Williams

Deron Williams Was Dominant Tonight

The Nets started this LinSanity talk when Jeremy Lin lit them up a couple of weeks back. Now the Nets might have laid out the blueprint to stop LinSanity.

Deron Williams was awesome tonight with 38 points that included eight 3-pointers. Williams remembered when Lin outplayed him last game and boy did he return the favor.

However, Williams fouled out with just over 3 minutes left in the game to damper his great performance.

The Nets played very physical and took Lin out of his game tonight. To add to Lin’s frustration, Carmelo Anthony played his worst game as a Knick tonight.

Melo was very rusty and just seemed out of sync with the Knicks offense. At times it seemed Lin deferred to Anthony instead of running the point and creating for others as he was doing during this “LinSanity”.

Kris Humphries had a good rebounding performance and got into Tyson Chandler’s head. Every time the Knicks seemed to be poised to make a run, Chandler would commit a turnover or head-scratching foul.

Amare took way too many jump shots and needs to become more aggressive in driving to the rim. The Knicks just could not get out on the fast break and once again the offense seemed stagnant at times.

However, lets not overreact Knick fans, this was the first time the starting lineup has played together since Lin took over as point guard. Lin and Melo will get on the same page as they gain more experience together.

The Nets completely out-hustled and bullied the Knicks all night. Carmelo played awful as I said earlier, played his worst game as Knick. Melo also had an inexcusable technical foul against Humphries when he blatantly tripped him.

The night belonged to Deron Williams, he played his best on the biggest stage. He set the tone early in the game with being physical with Lin and trying to post him up in the paint early and often during the game.

The Nets went right at Lin and it will be interesting to see how the Knicks bounce back and how Lin responds to the new attention he has gained through this LinSanity.

Who Is Jeremy Lin?

 

Jeremy Lin

Jeremy Lin

Courtesy: @NervousNeophyte

The majority of NBA scouts are trained to look at point guards based on how they use the ball in three ways:

1) Pass

2) Drive

3) SAT Scores

The New York Knickerbockers skipped step one and two and just got right to the Ivy league point. The MAN called Jeremy Lin has taken Madison Square Garden by storm . Jeremy Lin was originally pushing and pleading for an athletic scholarship from Stanford University about four to five years ago and was politely denied.

Jeremy Lin Harvard

Lin Before LinSanity

Mr. Lin continued to hit the books and found his way to a school called Harvard. From what people tell me Harvard is “not too shabby”. I remember hearing about an Asian kid from Harvard who had a really smooth shot and a nice step to the basket, but in retrospect, I and thousands of others never followed up on his game until he wore the Orange and Blue.

To be honest , I don’t think anyone followed up on his game in college considering he wasn’t drafted. Jeremy Lin was picked up and cut by the Golden State Warriors after sitting on the bench for a whole year and then getting another opportunity with the Houston (Home of Yao) Rockets. Unfortunately, the Houston Rockets had no room for Mr.Lin, so a team that has been up in the air for the past decade decided to give the Harvard man a shot.

Knicks head coach, Mike D’Antoni , wasn’t necessarily giving Jeremy Lin a “shot” to play. D’Antoni was giving him a chance to get paid and hold down a National Basketball Association bench spot. Lin obviously had no reason to complain.

Think about it…

If you know you can play basketball, and you have dedicated your whole life to playing basketball, wouldn’t you sit on the bench too?

At any rate , we all know the 2011-2012 Knickswere going down just as fast as the Jersey

Mike D'Antoni

Frustration For Coach D'Antoni

Shore ratings on MTV. A lot of people , outside of New York , gave the Knicks no chance to compete in their eastern conference. I don’t necessarily blame any of the fans (myself included) for their ridicu”LIN” the Knicks for their decade of abysmal performances.

The Knicks were sitting on an 8-15 record until this man, god, point guard and Harvard grad decided to take over the world wide aspect of sports. Coach Mike D’Antoni was desperate for a point guard to run his offense efficiently, and he hit the b-ball jackpot. The best part about this creature called “LinSanity” is his unlikely story.

Jeremy Lin was cut by two different professional basketball teams, and during his current tenure with the Knicks, he was sent down to the D-League to work on his mechanics as a point guard. Rumor has it that the night before the Knicks faced off against the New (Brooklyn) Jersey Nets, Carmelo Anthony pleaded to Coach D’Antoni to give Jeremy Lin a shot to get some playing time.

D’Antoni really had no other choice considering every other player he gave the opportunity to play point guard has failed. The Knicks were desperate for a spark plug to get this team back on track, and dear lord have they found one.

Jeremy Lin destroyed the Nets and Utah Jazz for two wins, but the real test ahead was the Friday night match up against the storied-franchise Lakers. In the past five or six years, the Lakers superstar Kobe Bryant has used Madison Square Garden as a place to put on a solo show. Kobe Bryant holds the record for most points scored in a game at Madison Square Garden.

Jeremy Lin vs Lakers

LinSanity Begins

I personally have nothing against Kobe and the Lakers, but I needed to see if Lin was legit. So I decided to stay in that Friday night to watch the game, and I am so happy I did. Jeremy Lin scored 38 points compared to Kobe’s 34 and helped the Knicks defeat the Lakers for the first time in god knows when. My friends and I were literally rolling around the floor hugging and laughing because we couldn’t believe what we were seeing.

That night, Jeremy Lin was hitting shots over 7 footers , hitting shots double teamed going down the lane, and hitting shots in the corner where Kobe Bryant practically lives. The Knicks ended up winning that game, and that’s when “LinSanity” officially began.

Lin is of Asian descent, and he’s the first Asian-American player in the NBA since 1947. Yao Ming wasn’t born in America, so he obviously doesn’t count. Lin is getting thousands of casual NBA fans to become die-hard fans and making Knick games must-see television. Knick games are now being broadcast around the world, so people can watch the “LinSanity”.

Lin has become so popular especially in the world of Twitter where my timeline has been stockfull of Lin-Puns, some funny, some pathetic, but overall a great read because my Knicks are finally back to being the talk of the town and even the nation.

Jeremy Lin

No Defense Can Stop LinSanity

Today Jeremy Lin defeated the defending NBA champions, the Dallas Mavericks. The Mavericks were throwing every defensive scheme to try to stop Lin, but it just wasn’t working. Everytime Dallas would try to double team him at the top of the key, he would just dribble around both defenders and make the pass to find the open man.

The Knicks picked up super scorer J.R. Smith as a free agent yesterday. JR played in China the past few months because he believed there wouldn’t be an NBA season, and he wanted to get that paycheck. I don’t blame him either.

What JR brings to the table for the Knicks is another spot on shooter that will help them down the line when Lin and Carmelo will be double teamed. In two weeks the Knicks have transformed themselves into a serious playoff team. Beware because this team will not be an easy out in the playoffs.

Earlier in the year I wrote about how the big three for the Knicks (Melo, Amare, and Chandler) would take them to the promised land, but that was before all this LinSanity began. Now D’Antoni finally has a point guard in Lin to run his offense the correct and efficient way.

Lin is not only a great scorer, but he is an unbelievable passer with off the charts basketball IQ. The Knicks went from weak to power house. They went from having nobody on the bench to having one of the deepest benches in the league. Only the man upstairs knows how this season will play out, but as of now the city of New York is absolutely mad for the Knicks and “LinSanity.”

P.S. Since when did Novak become the second coming of Steve Kerr?

I LOVE IT!

Linsanity

Linsanity Continues, Knicks Defeat Mavs 104-97

Jeremy Lin

Linsanity Continues

First Off, What a GREAT game.

The Knicks continued their great play today against the defending champs, the Dallas Mavericks.

This was a see-saw battle all game.

Jeremy Lin lifted the Knicks passed the Mavericks for an impressive win. However, contributions from J.R Smith and Novak were key to the Knicks holding on today.

Novak had 11 points in the 4th quarter with clutch 3-pointers to keep the Knicks ahead. J.R Smith provided a spark early in the game and gave the Knicks someone other than Lin that can threaten the middle of the defense.

However, Lin did have 7 turnovers today, that number needs to go down as the season progresses. Despite that, Lin has proven he is for real and the Knicks have found their point guard. Also with Baron Davis coming back, the depth at point guard will be a strength for the Knicks offense as the production should not drop as drastically when Lin is out of the game.

With Novak’s clutch shooting, Lin controlling the offense and the defensive mindset that has taken over this team, the Knicks can be a viable contender in the eastern conference.

Lin really seems to be the missing piece for this team.

Think about it.

How consistent has Fields,Chandler,Novak and Jefferies been since Lin’s emergence?

I use these guys as examples because they are important role players that each bring something different to the table for the Knicks. Amare may not have gaudy numbers, but the team is winning and I think that is what’s important to him.

I am so excited to see what happens when Melo and Davis are healthy and how they are incorporated into this team. Melo obviously will be in the starting lineup, but seeing how he meshes with Lin will be key if the Knicks want to contend this season.

Davis on the other hand, can give the Knicks a solid backup to Lin and contribute by running the offense when Lin is out of the game. It is unreal to see how stagnant the Knicks offense is when Lin is off the court.

The Knicks, all of a sudden have one of the deeper teams in the league. This team has depth, scoring ability and someone who can anchor their defense (Tyson Chandler).

Tyson has been GREAT for the Knicks so far, his defensive mentality has definitely made an impact on this team.

When you beat the defending champs, you deserve credit and I give the Knicks a ton of credit for their effort and their resilience.

Tyson Chandler

Tyson Chandler Brings Attitude To The Knicks

Happy Birthday Michael Jordan

Michael Jordan

Michael Jordan, The Greatest Of All-time

The greatest basketball player the world has ever seen turns 49 today.

Michael Jordan completely re-invented the game of basketball with his clutch play and his overall greatness.

His toughness, tenacity, and winning legacy will never be matched.

All this “closer” or “who will take the last shot” talk we hear about in the NBA today comes from how GREAT Jordan was in crushing the opposing team’s hopes and chances of winning.

Why is he the greatest ever?

How about these numbers:

6-Time NBA Champion (6-time Finals MVP)

5-Time Regular Season MVP

6-Time NBA Scoring Champion

10-Time NBA First Team

Defensive Player of the Year in 1988, 9-time NBA All-Defensive 1st team.

14-Time All-Star

Olympic Gold Medalist in 1984 and 1992

SOLID?

Not only was Jordan a great scorer, but he was an even better defender, he played the game on both ends of the court at an amazing level.

Along with his numbers, Jordan had amazing moments that will never be forgotten by basketball fans that truly appreciate the game.

Let’s not forget his impact off the court also.

Jordan became the first athlete to reach super-stardom in terms of endorsements and marketing.

All these players you see getting shoe-deals or endorsement deals, that all stems from Jordan’s success in marketing. He completely changed the way athletes are viewed and judged in the media.

I can go on forever about Jordan’s on or off the court impact, I choose to leave you with two videos of my favorite moments throughout his career.

Enjoy..

Happy Birthday Michael Jordan..

 

 

JR Smith Signed By Knicks

J.R Smith Knicks

J.R Smith To The Knicks!

Welcome to the big apple J.R Smith!

Earlier this morning J.R Smith tweeted that he will be joining the Knicks.

I like this signing a lot.

J.R Smith brings scoring ability and someone who can play either beside or behind Jeremy Lin.

Smith is a good shooter and someone who can penetrate the defense and create shots for someone else.

With Carmelo Anthony on his way back, the emergence of Jeremy Lin, and the addition of J.R Smith, the outlook for the Knicks seems very bright.

With that said, I think Smith will fit very well with the Knicks and with D’Antoni’s offensive system. However, the one negative I can see from this is that Landry Fields and Iman Shumpert’s minutes will suffer a bit.

Another risk the Knicks take with this signing is now implementing Smith into this offense. The chemistry seems to be at an all-time high and now Lin will not only have to learn how to play with Melo but now J.R Smith too.

Also, will Smith commit to playing defense?

One thing that has gone almost unnoticed during this 7 game winning streak is that the Knicks defense has improved dramatically. I understand the teams they have played haven’t been among the elite but part of being a playoff team is beating the teams you are supposed to beat and as of now, the Knicks have done that.

The Knicks have the potential to seriously challenge the Bulls and the Heat in the eastern conference. That is if Lin can play with Melo and J.R Smith can fit in without a problem.

Those are the questions, we’ll just have to wait and see for the answers.

Unless you have Time Warner Cable..

Please follow me on Twitter @PeterD024