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The article discusses the coaching style that head coach Mike Budenholzer employs with the Milwaukee Bucks National Basketball Association (NBA) team that is led by star athlete Giannis Antetokounmpo, and it mentions Antetokounmpo's athletic skills and three-point shooting. Budenholzer's work in crafting the Bucks' offense and defense is examined, along with rebounding by Antetokounmpo and the addition of center Brook Lopez and forward Ersan Ilyasova to the Bucks' roster. Players Khris Middleton and Malcolm Brogdon are assessed.

The article discusses various aspects of 37-year-old National Basketball Association (NBA) player Jamal Crawford's career as of 2017, and it mentions his passion for the game of basketball, as well as information about Crawford's Minnesota Timberwolves basketball team. According to the article, Crawford has played for seven basketball squads and 18 head coaches during his tenure in the NBA. Crawford's basketball skills are assessed, along with free agent players and older athletes.

The article discusses the success of the Golden State Warriors National Basketball Association (NBA) team despite the loss of the squad's coach Steve Kerr who is dealing with complications from a back surgery procedure in 2015. It states that the Warriors have posted a 48-4 win-loss record in two seasons under interim head coaches Luke Walton and Mike Brown. Basketball players such as Steph Curry, Kevin Durant, and Draymond Green are assessed, along with Kerr's basketball coaching system.

The article discusses forgiveness in relation to the lessons that former National Basketball Association (NBA) coach Monty Williams has learned from the death of his wife Ingrid Williams, and it mentions Monty Williams' role as a father to five children, as well as Williams' potential return to the coaching. According to the article, Ingrid Williams was killed as a result of a head-on collision. The Oklahoma City Thunder basketball team is assessed, along with religious faith.

The article discusses the success of high school freshman basketball player Niccolo "Nico" Mannion who resides in Phoenix, Arizona as of 2017, and it mentions his athletic ability, his popularity on the Instagram photograph sharing service, and the author's claim that 15-year-old Mannion might be a basketball prodigy. Mannion's potential future in American college basketball and the National Basketball Association (NBA) is examined, along with NBA player Steph Curry and free merchandise.

The article discusses former National Basketball Association (NBA) player Robert Swift who is attempting to resurrect his basketball career and repair his family life after years of drug abuse. Swift's heroin- and methamphetamine-related problems are examined, along with his former life as a millionaire basketball player who played for the Seattle SuperSonics team beginning in 2004. Swift's parents Bruce and Rhonda Swift are mentioned, along with Robert Swift's basketball skills.

The article focuses on Kelly Jack Swift, a minor league baseball pitcher of the early 1950s. Swift's career, particularly his 1953 season with a team in Marion, North Carolina in which he won 30 games, is examined in terms both of Swift's own accomplishments and the role of minor league baseball in the smaller towns of the U.S. South in that period and the subsequent decline of the minor leagues in the 1950s.

The article focuses on Kevin Durant, U.S. basketball player for the Oklahoma City Thunder team of the National Basketball Association (NBA). It mentions the two things Durant was famous for, including being the national college player of the year as a freshman at the University of Texas in Houston. Based on detailed statistics from HoopData.com, Durant is finishing a higher percentage of shots at the rim as well as getting fewer shots intercepted. According to assistant coach Ron Adams, the player is constantly asking for feedback, even during games.

The article presents a profile of former major league manager Bobby Valentine, now manager of the Chibe Lotte Marines in Japan's major leagues. Valentine's status as one of Japan's most popular sports figures and his success there are presented. His career in the U.S. is described. Valentine admits his aggressive and candid personality has earned him both admirers and detractors. His happiness in Japan and the unlikelihood Valentine will return to U.S. baseball are cited.

The article focuses on a lack of shot blocking which is seen in the NBA. Since 2003 the league wide average for blocked shots has declined to 385.3, the lowest since 1975-1976. A discussion of the factors which have led to the shortage, which include shorter centers, and a lack of athletes who have been taught how to correctly block shots is presented.

This article details three of the most important professional basketball players in the National Basketball League in 2006. Drafted in 2003, LeBron James of the Cleveland Cavaliers, Carmelo Anthony of the Denver Nuggets and Dwyane Wade of the Miami Heat have brought back spectatorship and excitement to the game. Competitors on the court but close friends off, the three players discuss the ways in which they can improve the game of basketball and create legacies for their generation.

The article discusses Major League Baseball's American League (AL) Central division and how it has gone from being one of the worst divisions to the best. The author and a fellow journalist embarked on a six-day road trip to various baseball games featuring AL Central division teams. Years back, this division would not have piqued as much interest as other divisions, but now players say it is like playing in the playoffs every night.

This article previews a list of the top 25 sports bars in the United States according to "Sports Illustrated." Today there exist multistory Shangri-las of sport, cavernous, cacophonous places that hum with televisions of all kind. To watch a game at one of these sports theme parks is to have, in the words of John Pierce, who oversees the marketing of the ESPN Zones for Disney Regional Entertainment, "an immersive sports dining experience." On a recent NFL playoff Saturday at the Baltimore ESPN Zone, the flagship location which opened in 1998 and serves a half million customers a year, fans were gathered at tables and booths and in big cushy recliners--Recliners! At a freakin' bar!--staring up at a curved 16-foot-by-13-foot screen like so many teenagers parked at a drive-in. If that weren't enough stimulation, one flight up, 10,000 square feet of sports video games buzzed and blinked. Is this what sports bars are about: roving packs of tourists, de facto day care and an in-house gift shop, all in a space so large and amorphous that at any given time it takes 200 employees to run the place? Can it be a sports bar when there's such a bewildering array of visual and aural experiences that spontaneous conversation is all but impossible? In sum, can a sports bar be a place where nobody knows your name and, what's more, likely never will? Undoubtedly, people will continue to flock to the megabars, which will continue to multiply. And this is a good thing--such places fill a niche and provide an "event" atmosphere. But at the same time, there will always be more intimate places, rich with character; they may just be harder to find amid all the blinking neon lights. At its best, a sports bar is like a petri dish. You put all these people together, you put the games on, and you see what happens.

This article presents a list of the 25 best sports bars in America according to "Sports Illustrated." 1. The Fours, Boston. Though some swear by the Cask 'n Flagon, this is the choice of Boston insiders, from sportswriters to assistant coaches all the way up to team owners. 2. Ricky's, San Leandro, Calif. During the Oakland Raiders' 13 years of exile in Los Angeles, from 1982 to '95, Ricky's was the Penelope of sports bars. 3. Nemo's, Detroit. When this Detroit standard-bearer opened in 1965, it was across the street from Tiger Stadium, near the Lions' offices and only minutes from Joe Louis Arena, where the Red Wings play. Only the Red Wings are still nearby, but the bar thrives. 4. Major Goolsby's, Milwaukee. A city institution since 1970 and once tabbed "Milwaukee's mother of all sports bars" by the hometown Journal Sentinel, Goolsby's is a major hangout for Bucks and Marquette hoop fans, thanks to its location a block away from the Bradley Center. 5. McDuffy's, Tempe, Ariz. The folks at McDuffy's have an impressive claim to fame: Since opening in '88, the bar has shown every NFL and NCAA men's basketball tournament game.

The article profiles Spurs player Manu Ginobili, an Olympic idol and the highest-paid athlete in Argentina. In San Antonio he is known for his clutch shooting, creative passing and slicing drives to the basket. In Argentina Ginobili long ago ceased being merely a talented shooting guard. There, he is not only the country's finest basketball player and an Olympic hero, but--in a country wracked by economic turmoil--he is also living, dribbling proof that anything is possible. Even his fellow members of the Argentine national team call him the One and Neo, nods to the destiny-bound hero of The Matrix. When the NBA season begins this week, he will resume the privileged life of a multimillionaire professional athlete in the U.S. It began in August 2002, after the national team upset the U.S. at the world championships in Indianapolis and finished second to Yugoslavia. His popularity soared even higher after the Spurs won the 2003 title. Ginobili averaged 7.6 points and 2.3 rebounds in his rookie season, winning converts Stateside with his headlong energy and rococo spin moves. This summer Ginobili experienced something of a personal triple crown: domestic, economic and professional success. In July he married Marianela Orono, the daughter of a former Argentine basketball star and the only woman he ever seriously dated. They tried to have a small, private ceremony, but the media crashed the affair. After averaging 12.8 points, 4.5 rebounds and 3.8 assists as a starter last season, Ginobili signed a six-year, $52 million deal with the Spurs in July, making him the highest-paid Argentine athlete. In July police intercepted a phone call between members of a kidnapping ring and learned that Ginobili's father was on a list of targets. At the time Manu and his parents were on vacation in the Patagonian Andes.

Focuses on basketball player Sebastian Telfair, who is likely to become the first point guard to go directly from high school to the National Basketball Association. Inside the gym at Lehman College, Brooklyn's Lincoln High and Manhattan's Wadleigh Secondary School are about to tip off in the second round of the Public Schools Athletic League playoffs. The crowd is here to see Sebastian Telfair, Lincoln's 6-foot point guard, nicknamed Bassy. Telfair has posed for magazine covers, hung with Derek Jeter and Jay-Z and played on ESPN2, making him basketball's second-most-hyped high schooler ever, behind his friend LeBron James. In interviews Marbury often mentioned his young cousin, as did Telfair's brother Jamel Thomas, who played at Providence and now serves as Sebastian's personal coach when he's not playing in Greece. INSET: NINE MORE WHO MIGHT GO PRO.

This article focuses on the unexpectedly impressive performance of Michael Redd in the National Basketball Association All-Star Game. It's two p.m. on Friday of All-Star Weekend in Los Angeles. On one side of a cavernous ballroom, reporters crowd three deep around the tables of Shaquille O' Neal and Kobe Bryant, pressing forward as if stageside at a Springsteen concert, tape recorders held aloft. Amid the chaos, there is a pocket of serenity in the back of the room, where Milwaukee Bucks guard Michael Redd, a first-time All-Star, is sitting patiently at his table, wearing a blue button-down shirt, jeans, white sneakers and--no doubt breaking a clause in the Players Association contract--not a single piece of jewelry. Redd's confidence was on display on Sunday in the East's 136-132 loss. Though he was the last player to get in the game, he managed to hoist 12 shots in 15 minutes, hitting three three-pointers and scoring 13 points.

Focuses on the impact of talented forwards Jermaine O'Neal and Ron Artest on the Indiana Pacers basketball team. League-best record of the Pacers at 35-13; Contrast between the two players' tastes, work habits, and playing styles; Background of each player; Failure of the two to click as teammates during their first year on the team; Performance of each player in the 2003-2004 season.

This article focuses on the unexpected success of the Utah Jazz following the departure of veteran players John Stockton and Karl Malone. Imagine turning on the CBS news one night and, instead of Dan Rather sitting there, in all his square-jawed solemnity, there was some bony Russian kid with a spiky hairdo. Then imagine quickly surfing in search of Tom Brokaw--steady old Brokaw--only to see, occupying his chair, a baby-faced Puerto Rican with an earring. For 17 years Salt Lake City was the domain of John Stockton and Karl Malone, the city's own Rather and Brokaw--or, to use a sports analogy, its Joe Montana and Jerry Rice. Now, in the wake of those two Dream Teamers comes 22-year-old Andrei Kirilenko, a power forward with swizzle-stick arms, and 24-year-old Carlos Arroyo, a vagabond point guard. Behind the coaching of a rejuvenated Jerry Sloan and the play of Kirilenko and Arroyo, Utah was 9-6 through Sunday and had already beaten such Western playoff contenders as the Houston Rockets, the Portland Trail Blazers, the Phoenix Suns and the Minnesota Timberwolves (twice). Even with Arroyo sidelined by a sprained left ankle, Utah players ran the floor, hustled like crazy, threw alley-oops for dunks, swatted Yao Ming's shots against the backboard and--in a definite Stockton and Malone no-no--had the gall to be animated during a fourth-quarter scoring burst.

This article focuses on the role of pitcher Dontrelle Willis in the 2003 championship season of the Florida Marlins. Even Dontrelle Willis will tell you that the Dontrelle Willis story is becoming a tad surreal. In early May, Willis was a little-known prospect pitching for the Double A Carolina Mudcats in Zebulon, N.C. In June the 21-year-old Florida Marlins rookie lefthander was at a Hooters outside Miami, autographing large baseball cards for a flock of fans. Drafted in the eighth round by the Chicago Cubs in 2000, Willis came to Florida as a highly touted prospect last year, along with righthander Julian Tavarez and two other minor leaguers, in a deal for righthanders Matt Clement and Antonio Alfonseca. As eye-catching as Willis's numbers were this season, his windup was even more so. The entire motion, when combined with Willis's excitable demeanor--full of high fives and glove slaps and huge grins--has generated comparisons with everyone from Juan Marichal and Vida Blue (the leg kick) to Mark Fidrych (the quirkiness) to Luis Tiant (the back-to-the-batter position) to Fernando Valenzuela (the skyward glance).

Focuses on the University of Louisville Cardinals basketball team during the 2002-03 National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) season. Performance of the team through their first 20 games of the season; Praise for guard Reece Gaines; Intensity displayed by second-year head coach Rick Pitino; Expectations for the remainder of the season.

Focuses on Chicago Bulls players Tyson Chandler and Eddy Curry. How both players stand seven feet tall; Expectations for both as the Bulls attempt to rebuild their team; Plans for the 2002-03 National Basketball Association season.

Presents information on the Primal Quest adventure race held in Telluride, Colorado in July 2002. Amount of the prize money; Victory of the SoBe/SmartWool team in the race; Details of a controversy involving team Montrail; Corporate culture of the sport.

Profiles Jermaine O'Neal of the Indiana Pacers. His record for points per game and rebounds; His leadership position on the team; Support he receives from his high school coach, George Glymph; Idea that O'Neal acts older than his age.

Focuses on the Detroit Pistons basketball team, in light of their unexpected success during the 2001 season. Their defeat of the Seattle Supersonics; Idea that they have won with defense, hustle, and heart; Coaching of Rick Carlisle; Approach of Joe Dumars, president of basketball operations, to rebuilding the team; Play of Cliff Robinson and Ben Wallace.

Examines adventure sports in the mountains of West Virginia. Topography of New River Gorge in West Virginia, making it an ideal for adventure sports enthusiasts; Description of the town of Fayetteville, the gate way to the gorge; Social conditions of Fayetteville; History of Fayetteville in the coal industry; Population declines throughout the years; Social change occurring in the Fayetteville and the state.

Tom Brown Junior can track a mouse across a gravel driveway. To someone with such developed tracking skills, a muddy boot mark stamped onto a white linoleum floor is the equivalent of a giant blinking neon sign saying 'He went that way.' So in his role as technical adviser on the film 'The Hunted,' a Paramount film in which Tommy Lee Jones plays a fugitive-hunter based on Brown, the 53-year-old New Jerseyite was skeptical when just such a boot print was used as a key clue. Brown learned to track while growing up in Toms River, New Jersey. The grandfather of one of his best friends was an Apache elder named Stalking Wolf, a man Brown now reverentially refers to as Grandfather, and the old man taught him the ways of the land. In his late teens he began helping local police in missing persons cases. Brown wrote a book about his life entitled 'The Tracker.' He also wrote the 'Field Guide to City and Suburban Survival.' In 1978 Brown started the Tracker School. There is a branch of the school that works with Special Weapons and Tactics teams and other elite forces. INSET: FAST TRACK LEARNING.

Discusses women's basketball programs at a number of schools, and the competitiveness of the programs at the University of Connecticut at Storrs and the University of Tennessee at Knoxville. Mention of players Michelle Snow, Sue Bird, and Asjha Jones; Outlook for programs at Vanderbilt, Oklahoma, Texas Tech, and others.

Reports on the success the San Antonio Spurs have enjoyed during the second half of the 2000-01 National Basketball Association (NBA) season. Role of Derek Anderson, who was added to the roster mid-season; Strengths of the Spurs, as they prepare for the playoffs; Outlook.

Reports on the Hi-Tec Adventure triathlon at Ceder Hill State Park in Dallas, Texas. History of the event which began in 1996 by Michael Epstein; Emphasis of the Adventure Racing Series which is teamwork; Events of the competition which includes Blindfolded Trolley.

The article discusses the author's views protests involving National Football League (NFL) players, racial inequality, and police-related violence in America as of 2017, and it mentions his reaction to U.S. President Donald Trump's decision to withdraw an invitation for the Golden State Warriors basketball team to visit America's White House. The author's role as the coach of the Warriors is addressed, along with basketball player Stephen Curry's plan to skip the White House trip.

The article discusses 23-year-old swimmer Alex Ngan who traveled to Omaha, Nebraska in July 2016 in order to take part in the 50-meter freestyle swimming event at the U.S. Olympic Trials, and it mentions several air travel delays, as well as Ngan's goal of competing in the 2016 Summer Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. According to the article, Ngan missed his U.S. Olympic Trials opportunity due to a failure to account for a one-hour time zone change on Ngan's trip to Nebraska.

The article focuses on basketball player Allen Iverson and his ten year tenure with the Philadelphia 76ers in light of Iverson's request for a trade in the 2006 season of the National Basketball Association (NBA). The author examines the strong and endearing relationship Iverson had with fans in Philadelphia, peaking during the team's 2001 run to the NBA Finals, but suggests trading Iverson is the right move considering the team's woeful performance and need to develop young players.

Focuses on former University of North Carolina basketball player Marvin Williams. Author's view that Williams and his North Carolina teammate Sean May are likely to be lottery picks in the 2005 National Basketball Association (NBA) Draft; Statistics on Williams' college basketball career; Question of whether or not Williams is competitive enough to compete on a professional level; Comments from Williams' college coach Roy Williams regarding his competitiveness.

Presents a chart of basketball players on teams that made it to the 2005 conference semifinals who have the largest surges in points per game. Success of San Antonio Spurs player Manu Ginobili; Points per game for Seattle SuperSonics player Jerome James; Shots made by Miami Heat player Damon Jones; Success of the shots made by Washington Wizards Juan Dixon; Points per game for Detroit Pistons player Ben Wallace; Others.

This article discusses the first round playoff series between the Sacramento Kings and Dallas Mavericks, in which the Sacramento Kings were victorious. It is an NBA axiom that teams play better at home, especially under the increased pressure of the playoffs. But no team in this postseason is quite as bipolar as the Dallas Mavericks, who went a franchise-record 36-5 at American Airlines Center and 16-25 on the road during the regular season. Perhaps sometime before Game 4 on Monday, Rick Adelman sneaked his team into American Airlines Center and made like Norman Dale, the coach in Hoosiers who had his small-town players measure the distance between the free throw line and rim of a big-city arena to reassure them about the immutability of court dimensions. Or perhaps that's what Dallas coach Don Nelson should have done, as his team, which led the league in free throw shooting, hit only 20 of 33 from the line in a 94-92 loss.That left the Mavs in the unenviable position of having to take two games at Arco to advance to the second round. The crowd at American Airlines Center isn't quite as loud--the cowbell-clanging fans at Arco are closer to the court, and there are few corporations in Sacramento to fill the prime seats with sedate execs--but Mavericks rooters don't lack for enthusiasm.

This article looks at the year Lamar Odom has been having. Last week, after the Heat had locked up its first playoff berth since getting swept in 2001, point guard Rafer Alston adopted a mock news-anchor tone as he interviewed forward Lamar Odom for a Miami TV station at the team's practice facility. Consistent is not a word often associated with Odom During four years with the Clippers, Odom served two suspensions for marijuana use, sat out 85 games because of injuries and earned a rep for having a bad attitude. But Heat president Pat Riley thought Odom merely needed a more supportive environment. Miami coach Stan Van Gundy likes to use Odom to draw attention inside, where he can use his passing skills to find open men.

This article predicts the performance of the Indiana Pacers in the 2003-04 NBA season, focusing on their new head coach, Rick Carlisle.Among the reasons Detroit ousted Carlisle were his failure to bond with owner Bill Davison and his clashes with G.M. Joe Dumars over personnel. Carlisle has put in an aggressive, helping man-to-man defense similar to the one he used with the Pistons, who allowed the fewest points in the league last year. Detroit jumped to the top rungs of the East the last two years, and Indiana will do the same, because of Rick Carlisle's little-known strength: He teaches spacing as well as any coach in the league. INSETS: ENEMY LINESan opposing team's scout sizes up the Pacers;PROJECTED STARTING LINEUP with 2002-03 statistics.

This article focuses on the acquisition of center Alonzo Mourning by the New Jersey Nets and predicts that they will finish first in the Eastern conference of the National Basketball League 2003-04 season. They don't seem like the most natural fit: free-agent signee Alonzo Mourning and the Princeton offense. Mourning is a 6'10" back-to-the-basket post man who in 10 NBA seasons has shown all the finesse of a bulldozer. New Jersey's everybody-gets-a-touch system, on the other hand, requires big men to handle the ball, make pinpoint passes and perform dribble handoffs. A month before the rest of the Nets showed up for preseason training, Mourning began reporting at 11 every weekday morning. On top of that, he's quickly learning about--and appreciating--playing with compulsively unselfish point guard Jason Kidd. INSETS: ENEMY LINES;PROJECTED STARTING LINEUP with 2002-03 statistics.

This article predicts that the Sacramento Kings will finish first in the National Basketball League in the 2003-04 season and offers analysis of players. As much of a jokester as the 21-year-old Gerald Wallace may be, he is serious about earning meaningful minutes and living up to the Kings' expectations. During three years of mostly spot duty, he has shown flashes of brilliance, especially on defense and in transition. Mike Bibby is a pass-first guy, and Bobby Jackson usually isn't, but Jackson is the toughest player on the team. An opposing team's scout sizes up the Kings. Projected starting lineup. INSETS: ENEMY LINES;PROJECTED STARTING LINEUP.

In this age of inflated expectations, what if, for once, we did believe the hype? What if the image brokers were right seven years ago when they anointed a skinny high school senior with a shorn head as the next big thing? That's exactly what's happened in the case of Los Angeles Lakers guard Kobe Bryant, which helps explain why Portland Trail Blazers coach Maurice Cheeks could honestly say last Friday that Portland's defense on Bryant "was pretty good overall," even though he'd exploded for 40 points in a 92-84 Lakers victory. At week's end Bryant had scored 40 or more in nine straight games and 35 or more in 13 straight, a run eclipsed only by Wilt Chamberlain. The numbers are astounding: During those 13 games Bryant averaged 42.4 points, shooting 48.7% from the field and 45.5% from beyond the arc. After a 106-101 win over the Seattle SuperSonics on Sunday, in which Kobe scored 41, L.A. was 30-25 and in the seventh spot in the Western Conference, having gone 11-2 since coach Phil Jackson asked Bryant to be more aggressive. The story behind the 24-year-old Bryant's ascent from skinny teen to MVP candidate is one that LeBron James and other heavily hyped phenoms would be wise to heed.

Focuses on the University of Maryland's men's basketball teams' victory over top-ranked Duke University in January 2003. How the Terapins' victory revealed many of Duke's weaknesses; Key to the victory, including how the Terps' flustered the Blue Devils inside and force them to the free throw line.

Previews the 2002-03 National Basketball Association season, in particular the Memphis Grizzlies. Roster; Scouting report; Expectations being placed on Jerry West to recreate the dominance of the Los Angeles Lakers of the 1980s.

Previews the 2002-03 National Basketball Association season, in particular the New York Knicks. Roster; Scouting report; Questions regarding the starting lineup, especially Clarence Weatherspoon.

Previews the 2002-03 National Basketball Association season, in particular the Miami Heat. Roster; Scouting report; Strategy of coach Pat Riley to build the team from the defensive end.

Previews the 2002-03 National Basketball Association season, in particular the Orlando Magic. Roster; Scouting report; Question marks regarding the health of Grant Hill; Concerns over the leadership of Shawn Kemp.

Previews the 2002-03 National Basketball Association season, in particular the Atlanta Hawks. Roster; Scouting report; Expectations placed on forward Shareef Abdur-Rahim.

Previews the 2002-03 National Basketball Association season, in particular the Washington Wizards. Roster; Scouting report; Importance of the addition of Jerry Stackhouse to compliment the offensive threat of Michael Jordan.

Previews the 2002-03 National Basketball Association season, in particular the New Orleans Hornets. Roster; Scouting report; Questions regarding the performance of Baron Davis.

Profiles Natalie Coughlin, a swimmer who may compete in the 2004 Olympics. Comparison of Coughlin to Janet Evans; How Coughlin is a finalist for the Sullivan award, which is given to the top amateur athlete in the U.S.; Way that she missed the 2000 Olympic Games due to injury.