30 Home Games: February 2014

Friday, February 28, 2014

Updated '30 Home Games' Facebook cover wallpapers

I've updated my Facebook covers, replacing the New Orleans Hornets branding to the Pelicans and New Jersey to Brooklyn.

NBA Map Facebook wallpaper - City logos

NBA Map Facebook wallpaper - Ball logos

NBA Map Facebook wallpaper - City listings

Wednesday, February 26, 2014

NBA Postcards: Greetings from Los Angeles, California. Lakers and Clippers edition

Greetings from Los Angeles, California (Pacific Division)
Purple and Gold Lakers edition

Greetings from Los Angeles, California (Pacific Division)
Red and Blue Clippers edition

At the time of this writing, the storied Los Angeles Lakers are last in the powerhouse Western Conference. Posting a record of 19 wins and 39 losses, they're a shade behind Championship counterparts the Boston Celtics. 5 years removed from their 2010 NBA Finals showdown, both teams are league bottom-dwellers in rebuild mode. 2015 promises a stellar draft class, which hints at a quick return to glory for these legendary franchises.

Led by Chris Paul, Blake Griffin and new coach Doc Rivers, the once lowly Clippers have surpassed the Purple and Gold as the hottest ticket in town. The team formerly known as "Lob City" are arguably the most electrifying team in the NBA. It will take an eternity to reach the heights of their crosstown rivals but deep Playoff runs these next few years would be a nice start.

Los Angeles Postcard, Dynasty Edition.
Find Postcard variants at the '30 Home Games' Facebook page

To find a Dynasty variant of the Los Angeles Lakers postcard featuring the Laker squad at their most Golden. Juggernaut Shaq, Kobe rocking #8, a confident Pau Gasol and the clutch support of Derek Fisher, and Robert Horry.

Kindly tell your friends and feel free to leave some comments and suggestions.
Next two teams: The Cleveland Cavaliers and the Washington Wizards

Find other "Greetings from" below:
- Miami, Florida and San Antonio, Texas
- Indianapolis, Indiana and Memphis, Tennessee
- Charlotte, North Carolina and New Orleans, Louisiana
- Los Angeles Lakers edition and Clippers edition
- Cleveland, Ohio and Washington D.C.
- Brooklyn and New York
- Dallas and Houston, Texas
- Sacramento, California and Toronto, Ontario
- Atlanta, Georgia and Salt Lake City, Utah
- Chicago, Illinois and Phoenix, Arizona
For the definitive collection go to the NBA Postcards Tumblr

Sunday, February 23, 2014

NBA Postcards: Greetings from Charlotte, North Carolina and New Orleans, Louisiana

Greetings from Charlotte, North Carolina (Southeast Division)

Greetings from New Orleans, Louisiana (Southwest Division)

I've paired Charlotte and New Orleans for this latest set of NBA postcards. Fitting as they've both shared the Hornets moniker, you'll notice a tribute to mascot "Hugo" on the special Hornets postcards below.

Charlotte and New Orleans have been making noise this year.
New Orleans made a splash leading into the Season with the acquisition of Tyreke Evans and Jrue Holiday. Being positioned in the lopsidedly talented West has always hurt they're Playoff chances. Putting on a great show as hosts of the recent NBA All Star Game, they showcased 2nd Year star Anthony Davis as a first-time All Star. Whilst former No. 1 pick Davis didn't take home 'Rookie of the Year' Honors he's been living up to his potential. People already projecting him as the League's third best player behind LeBron James and Kevin Durant in the coming years. Its not just the new uniforms and revamped branding attracting attention, the future's looking bright for the "Big Easy".

Al Jefferson was a promising offseason signing for the Charlotte Bobcats and he has delivered. Currently occupying the 6th spot and undefeated since the All Star Break, they're poised to return to the Postseason since their last showing in 2010. Equipped with a heavy frontcourt that have proven to be Miami's foil, they're looking to upset the Higher seeds come Playoff time.

New Orleans and Charlotte (Hornets Edition)
Find these variants at the '30 Home Games' Facebook page

I've made 'Hornets' variants for New Orleans and Charlotte. Owner Michael Jordan has announced that Charlotte will reclaim its former moniker following this season. For the postcard I've paid tribute to the retired greats who've represented the Charlotte Hornets, Alonzo Mourning and Baron Davis to name a few. See if you can guess the other greats.
The New Orleans postcard contains many of the players of the current roster in they're former branding. You can find the "Hornets" postcards in the 'Variants' album of the '30 Home Games' Facebook page

Kindly tell your friends and feel free to leave some comments and suggestions.
Next two teams: The Los Angeles Lakers and the Los Angeles Clippers

Update: After 10 years, Charlotte are the Bobcats no more as they return to their Hornets moniker for the 2015 season. I've made a Bobcats' tribute postcard featuring the key players that defined the Orange and Blue.

10 Years of the Charlotte Bobcats 2004 -2014
Find more art at the official NBA Postcards Tumblr

Find other "Greetings from" below:
- Miami, Florida and San Antonio, Texas
- Indianapolis, Indiana and Memphis, Tennessee
- Charlotte, North Carolina and New Orleans, Louisiana
- Los Angeles Lakers edition and Clippers edition
- Cleveland, Ohio and Washington D.C.
- Brooklyn and New York
- Dallas and Houston, Texas
- Sacramento, California and Toronto, Ontario
- Atlanta, Georgia and Salt Lake City, Utah
- Chicago, Illinois and Phoenix, Arizona
For the definitive collection go to the NBA Postcards Tumblr

Thursday, February 20, 2014

NBA Postcards: Greetings from Indianapolis, Indiana and Memphis, Tennessee

Greetings from Indianapolis, Indiana (Central Division)

Greetings from Memphis, Tennessee (Southwest Division)

The NBA Trade Deadline has passed, shuffling a few players across the country. Namely Pacer stalwart Danny Granger moving to the Sixers, which meant a few tweaks to the postcard you're seeing now. You can find the original Granger version in my "works in progress" collection on the Facebook page.

Kindly tell your friends and feel free to leave some comments and suggestions.
Next two teams: The Charlotte Bobcats and New Orleans Pelicans

Find other "Greetings from" below:
- Miami, Florida and San Antonio, Texas
- Indianapolis, Indiana and Memphis, Tennessee
- Charlotte, North Carolina and New Orleans, Louisiana
- Los Angeles Lakers edition and Clippers edition
- Cleveland, Ohio and Washington D.C.
- Brooklyn and New York
- Dallas and Houston, Texas
- Sacramento, California and Toronto, Ontario
- Atlanta, Georgia and Salt Lake City, Utah
- Chicago, Illinois and Phoenix, Arizona
For the definitive collection go to the NBA Postcards Tumblr

Wednesday, February 19, 2014

NBA Postcards: Greetings from Miami, Florida and San Antonio, Texas

Greetings from San Antonio, Texas (Southwest Division)

Greetings from Miami, Florida (Southeast Division)

Excited for this new Art series which encapsulates the twin themes of this blog, Basketball and Travel.
I'll be designing Postcards for each of the NBA cities. They'll be rolled out in pairs in no particular order. You can find them through the usual channels, the Tumblr and Twitter. I'll also be uploading some drafts, variants and "works in progress" on the '30 Home Games' Facebook page.

Update: Find Miami Heat variant postcards at the NBA Postcards Tumblr

Miami Heat NBA Postcards: 'White Hot' and 'South Beach' variants

Find the Finals Rematch Postcard collection here - Greetings from the NBA Finals
Kindly tell your friends and feel free to leave some comments and suggestions
Next two teams: The Memphis Grizzlies and the Indiana Pacers.

Find other "Greetings from" below:
- Miami, Florida and San Antonio, Texas
- Indianapolis, Indiana and Memphis, Tennessee
- Charlotte, North Carolina and New Orleans, Louisiana
- Los Angeles Lakers edition and Clippers edition
- Cleveland, Ohio and Washington D.C.
- Brooklyn and New York
- Dallas and Houston, Texas
- Sacramento, California and Toronto, Ontario
- Atlanta, Georgia and Salt Lake City, Utah
- Chicago, Illinois and Phoenix, Arizona
For the definitive collection go to the NBA Postcards Tumblr

Saturday, February 15, 2014

A Day in the Life of an NBA Player: Kevin Durant, Nate Robinson and more

Whilst backpacking I've encountered bands on tour, as well as fighters and sportsmen travelling for competition staying in various hostels. It's interesting spending time with them at leisure as they prepare for the task at hand. For myself, I've only ever traveled for pleasure. With Business travel there's a focus on professionalism whilst juggling the perks of being on the road, the sightseeing, partying and sampling of local delicacies.

In the NBA as players have a set 30 cities they visit for competition, most would have developed their routine for places to frequent and people to visit. Jalen Rose has graciously imparted the 411 on other extracurricular activities on his 'Champagne and Campaign' segments for Grantland. Fans have been made aware of terms like "imports", "jumpoffs" and "roadkill". Its a world that I doubt I'll be accessing in my 30 Home Games adventure.

For as long as I can remember, I've been curious about experiencing the world through other people. Its manifest in my podcast and "ego-tripping" pursuits. With that, I've compiled a directory of videos featuring a 'A Day in the life of' various NBA players:

A Day in the Life of an NBA Player

A Day in the life of:
- Arron Afflalo presented by Athlete Interactive (17m 48s)
- Giannis Antetokounmpo presented by Bucks TV (6m 23s)
- Jason Williams presented by ESPN The Life (21m 32s)
- Jeremy Lin presented by JLin7 (5m 35s)
- Jeremy Lin 'Thank You Red Nation' presented by JLin7 (3m 06s)
- J.J. Redick presented by 2K Sports' College Hoops 2K7 (9m 54s)
- Kevin Durant presented by NBA TV (3m)
- Kevin Love presented by NBA TV (11m 22s)
- Luol Deng presented by Jay Z's Life + Times (21m 54s)
- Paul George presented by Jay Z's Life + Times (24m 44s)
- Roy Hibbert presented by Stack vids (5m 17s)
- Stephen Curry presented by Spiracle Media (3m 44s)
- Tyson Chandler presented by Mavs.com Interactive (10m 25s)

Kings.com presents McLemore, Boogie and Jimmer

Kings.com presents:
- Ben McLemore participates in his first Summer League (8m 54s)
- DeMarcus Cousins at the NBA Summer League (6m 25s)
- Jimmer Fredette NBA Road Trip to Utah (5m 23s)

Nate Robinson's 'State of Nate': Chicago, Miami, Brooklyn and Denver

Nate Robinson's 'State of Nate' created by TJ Regan
- Season 2, Episode 4: Miami Holdat (16m 20s)
- Season 2, Episode 6: Hello Brooklyn (17m 45s)
- Season 3, Episode 1: Thank You Chicago, Hello Denver (13m 12s)

Champagning and Campaigning in the NBA Cities: East and West

Jalen Rose speaks on "Miscellaneous" activities for Professional athletes:
- How Wives and Girlfriends are separated at NBA Games (3m 26s)
- What Really Happens when NBA Players go to Nightclubs (7m 12s)
- Jalen Rose on the NBA Pre-Game routine (4m 36s)

Tuesday, February 11, 2014

Grantland's Jalen Rose on why its OK for J.R. Smith to be at the club and how NBA players unwind

VIDEO: Jalen Rose Explains Why J.R. Smith Should Be At The Nightclub

JALEN ROSE: (1m 51s) In theory what I'm trying to say for the masses is everybody beats to their own drum and some guys need to relax to have a stress relief whether its going out hearing music, whether its going to have a couple of adult beverages just to relax and just to kick it. And then all of a sudden the next day, concentrate on basketball. Concentrate on your craft.

It's no different than somebody that has a 9 to 5. They didn't invent Happy Hours because of Athletes. They invented Happy Hours because when people get off work, most people need a stress relief before they go home to their real life and then to wake up the next day and go to their real job

A gallery of NBA Players in party mode:

James Harden’s All-White Yacht Party Looked Like Quite The Time

Carmelo Anthony, Chris Paul & Russell Westbrook Party At Tao Nightclub

Team USA Partied Like This After They Won The Gold Medal (Photos)

Lebron James partying with Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh after
the Big Threes' first NBA Championship

Champagning and Campaigning NBA style is one of the goals for the '30 Home Games' mission. It'll be tough without the NBA money and fame but all we can do is our best.

Find Champagning and Campaigning posts here:
- NBA Cities: Eastern Conference
- NBA Cities: Western Conference
- Jalen's Black Guy City Power Rankings
- Sydney celebration

Recap of the 3rd Star Basketball Tournament

Its been a week since the 3rd One-Day Star Basketball Tourney.

Having not been eligible during Draft period I didn't have a team entering into the day. GM Mick graciously put me on his 'Grinderz' squad when a no-show opened up a roster spot. My team consisted of holdovers from the last tournament Champions - the reigning MVP, his sharpshooting wings and the undefeated "Jonesy". He remarked "I've been lucky each draft, all my teams have been a $1.50". I was off to a good start.

Tourney Draft order. Commissioner and Committee posing
with the Event trophies: MVP, Champhionship and 'Steal of the Draft'

The 5 SBC Teams and their Jerseys:
Supremacy, Avenjers, Grinderz, Hornets, Vatos

The Round Robin phase was competitive, no team going undefeated. Most games came down to the last possession, a few decided at the FT line after time had expired. Our team lost to the Avenjers after a sloppy start, we came second overall on points scored. Vatos were eliminated from the Semi-Final stage, Supremacy just squeezing past. The decider, a mere 2 points extra in total scoring over 4 games.

Tipoff: Vatos VS Avenjers

Another game down to the wire. Avenjers squeak by 18-17

After falling behind once again, the Grinderz avenged their sole loss against the Avenjers. There was some gamesmanship before the game, the Avenjers were in a serious huddle diagramming plays then playfully did a mock Haka. After the game both teams turned their attention to the other Semi still in play. The game went to overtime after Supremacy, the 4th placed team bullied the 1st placed Hornets with their BIGs.

Our team in White waiting to see who we'll face in the Finals.
In Overtime and the closing seconds decided on the line

The tension was high as both teams gave up careless fouls and missed crucial free throws in the dying seconds of extra time. The Hornet's star Point Guard drew the foul as time expired. With one to tie or both shots to win, he iced the pair leading to a Finals showdown between the day's two best teams.

Both teams watch on. The ball in flight determining
either a Hornet's Victory or a Second Overtime

The Finale featured a rematch of the two biggest stars who squared off in the last Tournament Finale. Our star player led the team on both ends of the floor. Half court no-looks and drop passes on offense, on the other end he was rejecting and diving for loose balls. Two timely threes from our star Forward created a buffer that allowed our team to breathe easy in the final seconds. We took home the Championship trophy, our veteran forward won 'Steal of the Draft' honors and the reigning MVP doubled his hardware for a second straight campaign. "Jonesy" made it 3 Championships from 3 attempts, planting him high on everyone's draftboard for the next tourney.

Grand Final: Grinderz def. Hornets 46-39
Semi Final: Hornets def. Supremacy 34-33

For myself it was bittersweet. Despite enjoying the Championship ride and getting the pleasure to watch the MVP dazzle every game, I played below standard and was largely a non factor. It'll only encourage me to practice harder for next time. Thanks to the Commish, the organizing committee and the wonderful HR staff who came on board for putting on another awesome event.

Can't wait for the next one.

Find posts on previous Star Basketball events
- 30HomeGames at the 2nd Star Basketball Tournament
- Star Basketball Tournament II recap
- 30 Home Games participates in a Final Four Tournament
- Star Basketball Tournament III: Kicks on Court Gallery
- Recap of the 3rd Star Basketball Tournament
- #SBC4 Star Basketball Tournament IV: Kicks on Court Gallery

Saturday, February 8, 2014

Star Basketball Tournament III: Kicks on Court Gallery

The 3rd Star Basketball Tourney has come and gone, expect a full wrap-up soon.

In the meantime enjoy the gallery of fine Kicks on display during the festivities. Just like NBA All-Star Weekend, the tourney is an excuse to rock those special kicks that might not otherwise see the light of day for everyday pickup games. Whilst the main action is on the floor, its just as as flashy and competitive in the fashion stakes. Everyone dropping heat, from Jordan 11 Gamma Blues to their favorite Overseas exclusives.

Personally my favorite was seeing the Tournament MVP rocking Reebok Question Lows. The Air Max Pennys were a nice surprise as I wasn't even aware of their existence. Unfortunately my Gil Zeros got busted during play with the soles coming apart. That makes 2 of my favorite shoes falling apart on me in the past year. The other, my OG Jordan Taxi XIIs. I've only started playing ball in recent years so my shoes falling apart from actual game use is an expected casualty.

Enjoy!

Adidas D Rose 3.5 "Chi-Town"

Nike Zoom Soldier VII

Adidas Rose 2.5 "All Star",
Nike Zoom Kobe 7 "Poison Dart Frog"

Nike Air Max Penny (Hoop Pack 2005)

Nike Kobe 8 PP "Philippines"

Nike Lebron 9 "Cannon",
"Air Tsinelas",
Nike Zoom Kobe 6 "Black Del Sol"

Air Jordan 3 Retro "Powder Blue",
Nike Kobe 8 "Blue Coral"

Nike Hypedunk 2012 "Summit",
Air Jordan V retro "Fire Red"

Nike Kobe 7,
Nike Hyperdunk 2011 Supreme,
Reebok Question Low “Patriot”

My beloved Adidas Gil Zeros. #RestinPieces
Taped up for the Final after the Soles tore apart in the Semis

Find posts on previous Star Basketball events
- 30HomeGames at the 2nd Star Basketball Tournament
- Star Basketball Tournament II recap
- 30 Home Games participates in a Final Four Tournament
- Star Basketball Tournament III: Kicks on Court Gallery
- Recap of the 3rd Star Basketball Tournament
- #SBC4 Star Basketball Tournament IV: Kicks on Court Gallery

Saturday, February 1, 2014

30HomeGames at the 3rd Star Basketball Tournament

The Star Basketball Tournament: Tuesday February 4, 2014

This coming Tuesday, the 3rd Star Basketball Tourney will be held. What began as casual Tuesday pickup games with co-workers has evolved into a basketball extravaganza. The first tournament had 4 teams, assembled by nominated General Managers who drafted players during work breaks. The 2nd Tournament came with the addition of a 5th team and Customized Team Jerseys. The 3rd Tourney arrived with hiccups as organizational difficulties threatened to dismantle the league, thankfully it was overcome.

The wait was worth it as the Tournament has only gotten bigger and better. A committee was assembled to assist in proceedings. Employer, The Star has graciously donated their support showing commitment to a positive work/life culture. The event also has its own T-Shirt which you can purchase from the committee. Big Thanks goes to League Commissioner Von, whose vision and tireless work ethic has made everything possible. Who would've thought a few muck around games would one day lead to arguably the most anticipated day on the Work Calendar.

Each week the guys get together, playing before and after work honing their skills. Many having never played organized basketball before. The talent and competitiveness has risen with each game, in keeping with the true spirit of Sport. Smack is talked over lunch breaks and messageboards, all in good fun of course.
It all leads to this big day.

Come watch the fun Tuesday 4th February from 11am to 5pm at the Auburn Basketball Arena.