Fashion Goes East for the Olympics

In the run-up to the Olympics, which begin next Friday, press and broadcast outlets have saturated American television with all things Beijing. So it comes as no surprise that there has been a trickle-down effect, inspiring companies not directly associated with the games to design collections around Asian themes.

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Adam Dawe / Copyright Adam Dawe

PUMA, medal bag (small) ; medal bag (large) by George Omerod, first prize, Central Saint Martins student competition. At the Puma Store, union Square and SoHo locations.

Sportswear brands are cashing in on this summer’s Beijing 2008 Olympic Games with Chinese-inspired clothing and accessories collections. The most highly politicized Olympics in recent history notwithstanding, the event has garnered so much attention that brands such as Fila and New Balance are racing to tap into the Eastern

Oklahoma City Thunder With a Bad Starting

The triumphs and achievements obtain by the Seattle Supersonics are left behind now they finished their participation in the NBA with season 2007/08, due to some conflicts between the team’s owner, Clayton Bennett and some legislator from the city of Seattle.

When the Supersonics disappeared, the decision of moving the franchise to Oklahoma City was taken by the managers, there it was restarted as a total new club named Oklahoma City Thunder; this left them with just one thing that attach them to the Supersonics: the history and the titles achieved by the Seattle team that are now the base for the new one.

For the beginning of last season, when the Supersonics was still active, Kevin Durant joined the club. Durant was a draftee player that turned out to be a valuable member for the team and ended up being the ‘Rookie of the Year 2007/08’; even so this year hasn’t been enough for him to hold on high the Oklahoma team.

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Nba All Star Game – Watch the Best of the East and the West

2009 will be the third time this annual basketball game will be taking place in Arizona which will feature the East vs. West Championship; the first 2 years being 1975 and 1995. The NBA All-Star Game is part of the NBA All-Star Weekend scheduled to be held from February 13 to 15 February 2009, which includes the ever popular Slam Dunk Contest and Three Point Shoot Out Contest. The best and brightest stars from NBA’s Eastern Conference will play against their rivals from the Western Conference at the All Star Game which is the highlight of this basketball weekend.

The All Star Game was first staged in 1951 and has been played every year since then. The game has seen some of the best players in the Eastern Conference with the best basketball players from the Western Conference. The participants of this basketball event are chosen in two ways, via fan ballot and the other method is by voting among the head coaches of each squad. Of course the coaches are not

The Orlando Magic Play to Make Their First NBA Finals Trophy Appear

Do you believe in magic? Though only about two decades old, the Orlando Magic have already made 10 appearances in the NBA playoffs, won three division crowns, a pair of trips to the Eastern Conference Finals, and one trip to the NBA Finals. Next on the team’s wish list is their franchise’s first NBA Championship.

What is magical about Orlando’s name? After a “name the team” contest, the three finalists were:

• The Juice
• The Magic
• The Tropics

The franchise chose “The Magic,” which alludes to Orlando’s top attraction: The Walt Disney World Resort. As the largest and most visited resort on Earth, it is indeed magical for both the children and adults who visit it.

After a four-year grassroots effort, the Orlando Magic began an NBA expansion team during the 1989-1990 season. Unfortunately, their first season in the league was less than magical. The New Jersey Nets trapped the Magic

The Seattle Supersonics Zip Towards a Second NBA Championship

We live in a super world. There is the super-size meal, the Super Duper Looper roller coaster, Superman, Superwoman, and even Superdog. Meanwhile, the NBA has the Seattle Supersonics. For over three decades, the Supersonics has represented Seattle. While the team’s most super season was 1978-1979, the Supersonics are always striving to win yet another NBA Finals.

The 1967-1968 season was the Seattle Supersonics’ first campaign in the NBA. They would be one of the NBA’s pair of new expansion teams. The name “Supersonics” referred to Seattle’s aerospace industry, and particularly to the Supersonic Transport (SST). A supersonic aircraft can travel quicker than the speed of sound. The first season of the Sonics was rough, as they finished with a 23-59 record.

A decade after entering the NBA, the Sonics had a new head coach (Bob Hopkins) and several new players for the 1977-1978 season. They finished the regular season with an admirable

Nba Basketball – 2009 Season Schedule

The season will see some of the best basketball results with top stars facing each other across different arenas in the USA and Canada.

2009 has several basketball events scheduled which will include the 2009 NBA playoffs, NBA draft lottery, NBA finals, NBA draft 2009 along with 2009 NBA All-Star Game to be held at Phoenix on 15 February 2009.

NBA playoffs 2009 will begin from 18 April 2009, which will be the postseason for NBA’s 2009-09 season. The top 8 basketball teams from each conference (Eastern and Western) will qualify for the playoffs. After the first round, the conference semifinals and the conference finals will take place, which will eventually be followed by the NBA finals.

NBA draft lottery is scheduled to be held on 19 May 2009 which will determine the order of the NBA Draft for that year. NBA draft 2009 is planned to be held on 25 June 2009, at Madison Square Garden, New York. Drafted players between the age of 19 and

College Basketball And The Nba: A Global Presence

Since the beginning of the twentieth century, people have enjoyed playing the game of basketball. Indeed, in the United States, college basketball has gained quite a following nationwide. Now, with the immense popularity of the NBA and its superstars, many students are looking to get noticed in college basketball recruiting, to play in college teams and even perhaps in the NBA.

The NBA is recognized not only in the United States, but worldwide. The league itself has seen players from various drafted into teams in both the East and West coast. In the 2002-03 season, the entrance of the 7’6” C-Yao Ming into the NBA was big news.  Yao is the first foreign player to be drafted first overall in the history of the NBA Draft.  Yao was selected to play with the Houston Rockets. His entrance was received with much fanfare, and he rapidly became a cultural icon in his native China.  Such was his popularity that it

Craig’s 2009 NBA Western Conference Championship Odds Breakdown and preview

Finally, the NBA Playoffs are upon us. Not a minute too soon. Craig Trapp from CT Sports Picks is hot, as his NBA Plays have gone 10-2 in the last 10 days. Today, Craig will break down the odds of making the Conference Finals for each Western Conference Playoff squad. There’s some great value to be had here if you can get past the huge favorite Los Angeles Lakers. If you missed Craig’s article breaking down the Eastern Conference odds, make sure you check it out also! 

Los Angeles Lakers: -400

This team has all the weapons that any coach would want to win a championship. The West Title will go through L.A. But let’s throw them out for any future, since there is no betting value.

Denver Nuggets: +800

Yes, you read it correctly: The Nuggets have 8:1 odds to win the Western Conference Championship. Do not sleep on a very deep Denver team that can score at will against any team including the

Kobe Knocks Back Nuggets in Game 1

“I do think LeBron [James] has surpassed Kobe as a player.”

Never have words been less prophetic, particularly from the lips of Mr. Clutch himself, Kobe Bryant’s mentor and adopted basketball father, Jerry West. Amidst a frenzy of speculation pitting the Cavs’ LeBron James against the Lakers’ Bryant, Kobe managed a stunner for friends and foes alike, giving an all-out performance against the Nuggets in game 1 that brought the Lakers a narrow 105-103 victory.

The series opened Tuesday night, with the Lakers entering against the Nuggets after an unimpressive series against the Houston Rockets. The Nuggets were able to grab the lead in the first half, but by the fourth quarter, Kobe seized the game. He finished having made 40 points, with 18 in the last quarter, and sank in six free throws in the last 30 seconds.

“Once I sensed we didn’t have the energy,” Bryant explained, “I had to take it upon myself to lead by example.”

Repeating as champion will be biggest challenge for Lakers in next NBA season

Even this early the incoming 2009-2010 National Basketball Association is already exciting with the entry of new faces through the NBA draft and the incoming off-season moves to be undertaken by the 30 NBA teams.

Aside from the rookies and the new transactions to be undertaken by the NBA teams to make their franchise stronger, the composition of the Los Angeles that will defend their NBA crown is also another thing that excites basketball fans around the world.

According to the basketball experts, to repeat as champion will be the biggest challenge the Lakers will face in the next NBA season with the expected stronger line-ups of the other NBA teams. To be competitive next season, the Lakers need to have a healthy a Kobe Bryant in its line-ups along with its superstar center Pau Gasol and veteran point guard Derek Fisher.

The Lakers also need to do their best to resign and bring back versatile big man Lamar Odom and athletic forward Trevor Ariza