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Sports Throwback Thursday: 1983 NC State Title Run

NC State is one of the best stories in NCAA basketball history. This team had one of the most improbable runs in NCAA Tournament history. They weren’t the most talented team in the world, but they were the most determined and relentless team that season. The 30 for 30 documentary, Survive and Advance depicts all the moments of that 1982-1983 team. 

NC State head coach Jim Valvano set the tone from Day One when he told the team that his dream is to win the National Championship and cut down the net. The more the players heard it, the more they believed it and bought in. Jim Valvano’s father gave him more confidence about winning the national title. He told his son that he would be there when he won it. 

During the first three years of Valvano’s tenure with NC State, a lot of losing and early tournaments exists. 

NC State had players like Dereck Whittenberg and Sidney Lowe, who were entering their fourth year with NC State, and they wanted to go out as champions. NC State dealt with adversity, especially when Dereck went down with a broken right foot. He was supposed to miss the remainder of the season, but god was on his side, and he could compete. NC State had ten losses during the 1983 season. But coach Valvano told the team they needed to take one game at a time: Survive and Advance. NC State needed to win the ACC Tournament to enter the NCAA Tournament. 

NC State would defeat Wake Forest, North Carolina, and Virginia to win the ACC Tournament. NC State defeats North Carolina was massive because they were a great team during the 1980s led by a well-coached Dean Smith. 

NC State beat good teams in tight games against Pepperdine, Virginia, UNLV, and more. In the national championship game, they went up against Houston, also known as the “Phi Slama Jama.”

NC State knew they were going up against a really good led by two future hall of Famers: Hakeem Olajuwon and Clyde Drexler. Fast forward to the game’s last possession; both teams were tied 52-52. Dereck Whittenberg missed it from 35 feet but Lorenzo Charles caught the ball and scored the winning basket at the buzzer. NC State beats Houston, winning 54-52. Houston almost stole the ball twice during that possession. 

Lorenze Charles will forever be remembered for this unforgettable moment in NCAA history. Unfortunately and sadly, Charles died in a bus accident on June 27, 2011. He was 47 years old. Charles’s death fueled Dereck to reach out to his teammates to reunite. The NC State team reunited the following year and reminisced their Cinderella 1983 story. 

Cuba Advance to Semifinals in WBC

Team Cuba is going to the semifinals for the first time since 2006. It’s the same year they went to the Championship game but lost to Japan. Cuba defeated Team Australia 4-3. Yoelkis Guibert hit an RBI single to right field, which drove in two runs in the 5th inning. It’s an exciting and emotional win for Team Cuba.

Team Dominican Republic defeated Team Israel 10-0 through 7 innings on Tuesday. The game’s memorable moment was when Robinson Cano and Nelson Cruz received a standing ovation in Miami. Cano and Cruz were part of the 2013 team that went undefeated. Both veteran players got a hit in the 7th inning before Jean Segura finished the game by driving in the tenth and final run. 

Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl are the first players to reach 100 points this season. McDavid holds the highest single-season point total among active players with 129. 

Since joining the Vegas Golden Knights, goaltender Jonathan Quick has been playing lights out. He’s gone 4-0 with a .930 save percentage. 

Tampa Bay Buccaneers have found their new quarterback. The Bucs signed quarterback Baker Mayfield to a one-year, $8.5 million deal. Mayfield now has a chance to redeem himself and prove to critics that he can be successful in Tampa. He has weapons in Mike Evans and Chris Godwin. 

Sports Throwback Thursday: Mickey Mantle, Wilt Chamberlain

Welcome to Sports Throwback Thursday! We have a good one to discuss today featuring two iconic legends: Mickey Mantle and Wilt Chamberlain. Yesterday, we marked the 54th anniversary since Mickey Mantle announced his retirement. Sixty-one years ago today, Wilt Chamberlain scored 100 points in a single game. A record that he still holds to this day. 

Mickey Mantle is one of the greatest to wear the Pinstripe uniform and one of the greatest baseball players ever. Over his 18-year career with the New York Yankees, he won seven World Series titles and the AL MVP three times. In 1969, he announced his retirement from the game of baseball. 

Wilt Chamberlain is one of the most dominant centers ever to play the game of basketball. Wilt might have passed away over 20 years, but he is still talked about by players and is one of the most revered players ever. It’s been 61 years since he scored 100 points. Kobe Bryant, Donovan Mitchell, Damian Lillard, and David Robinson have come the closest to that record, especially the late great Kobe Bryant. We don’t know if we will ever see someone break the record, but anything is possible. Look at Lebron James. He surpassed Kareem Abdul-Jabbar in the NBAs all-time scoring list – a record that no one thought would ever break. Let’s see if the same thing can happen to Wilt’s record in the future. 

FILE – Wilt Chamberlain, of the Philadelphia Warriors, holds a sign reading “100” in the dressing room in Hershey, Pa., March 2, 1962, after he scored 100 points, as the Warriors defeated the New York Knicks. Wednesday marks the 60th anniversary of the greatest scoring effort in NBA history — 36 field goals, 28 free throws, 100 points for Chamberlain, in the Warriors’ 169-147 win in a game played before about 4,000 people in Hershey. It might be the closest thing the NBA has to a single-game record that will never be broken. (AP Photo/Paul Vathis, File)

Sunday Sports Shorts

Duke was in command against Virginia Tech in this ACC matchup. Duke went on multiple runs throughout the second half. It’s an impressive victory for the Blue Devils as they had former alumni and hall of Famer Grant Hill watching them from the stands. The Blue Devils won 81-65. 

Jason Tatum silenced and stunned Philadelphia with a late game-winning three points to lead the Celtics to victory over the Sixers, 110-107. Joel Embiid finished with a game-high 41 points for the Sixers. Jaylen Brown led the Celtics with 26 points. 

The Columbus Blue Jackets gave a lot of problems to the Edmonton Oilers’ goalies. Edmonton came back to tie the game 4-4 after trailing 4-0, but the Blue Jackets attacked two more goals in the third period to win the game, 6-4. Connor McDavid finished with 4 points (2 goals and two assists). 

Baseball is back. Spring Training is here. The Mets and Yankees lost their games on the road against the Astros and Phillies. Baltimore Orioles beat Minnesota Twins, 10-5. The Toronto Blue Jays played a great game against the Pittsburgh Pirates. Vlad Jr, Santiago Espinal, and Addison Barger all homered on Saturday. Pitcher Yusei Kikuchi played a good game with five strikeouts and no earned runs allowed through two innings. Blue Jays won 9-7. 

Saturday Hockey News with Miguel

The Boston Bruins got better. The front office is going to work during the trade deadline. Dmitry Orlov and Garnet Hathaway have been traded to the Bruins from the Washington Capitals. It’s championship or bust for the Bruins this season. Orlov has 19 points in 43 games this season. He won the Stanley Cup in 2018 with the Capitals. Hathaway gives the Bruins strength on both the forward and defensive sides. Hathaway led the Capitals with 198 hits in 59 games this season.

After trailing 3-0 to the Los Angeles Kings, the New York Islanders fought back by scoring two goals on Friday night, but it was too little too late. The Kings hang on to beat the Islanders in Long Island, 3-2. 

William Nylander was the hero for the Toronto Maple Leafs on Friday night when he scored the game-winning overtime goal against the Minnesota Wild. Maple Leafs won 2-1 and snapped the Wild’s 4-game winning streak. 

Sports Throwback Thursday: Aaron Afflalo’s Buzzer Beater

February 10, 2011, the Dallas Mavericks took on the Denver Nuggets. The game was televised on TNT, and Kevin Harlan announced the play-by-play. Former Denver Nuggets guard Aaron Afflalo hit a game-winning jump shot against the eventual champions, Dallas Mavericks. The Nuggets were trailing 120-119 late in the game. Carmelo Anthony was not in the game because he had fouled out.

If it weren’t for that, Melo would’ve taken the last shot in the game. But since he wasn’t in the game, someone else needed to take the shot. That’s where Aaron Afflalo stepped up. He nailed a buzzer-beater against the Mavericks, and the Nuggets won the game 121-120. Kevin Harlan’s commentary was great at that moment, “Aaron Affalo is an assassin!!!” Harlan’s voice is impeccable. 

It was one of the best games of the regular season in 2011. Mavericks guard Jason Terry’s face is priceless. He couldn’t believe Affalo had won the game. Affalo finished the game with 24 points. 

1993 NBA All-Star Game in Utah

Almost 30 years ago, The 1993 NBA All-Star Game occurred at Delta Center in Salt Lake City, Utah. 30 years later; the All-Star Game weekend returned to Salt Lake City. The 93 ASG game had many Hall of Famers: John Stockton, Karl Malone, David Robinson, Michael Jordan, Isiah Thomas, Scottie Pippen, and many more.

The hometown heroes, John Stockton and Karl Malone, one of the greatest duos in NBA history, lead the West to victory 135-132. Stockton and Malone were named Co-MVPs at the All-Star Game. Karl Malone finished with 28 points and ten rebounds. Stockton added 9 points with 15 assists. In the East, Michael Jordan would’ve won the All-Star Game MVP had the East defeated the contest. Jordan led the East with 30 points 

Who will be the 2023 All-Star Game MVP in Salt Lake City? Utah has only one All-Star, Lauri Markkanen, his first All-Star Selection. He would have to steal the show to walk away with the trophy like Stockton, and Malone did thirty years ago. 

Saturday Hockey News with Miguel

Toronto Maple Leafs acquire Ryan O’Reilly and Noel Acciari in a 3-team trade with St Louis Blues and Minnesota Wild.

Connor McDavid made history in the garden on Friday night. He surpassed 100 points by recording two assists. The Edmonton Oilers squandered a 4-1 lead to the New York Rangers and lost in a 6-round shootout. The Rangers have won seven consecutive games. They are one of the hottest teams in the second half so far. 

Another New York team that rallied in a comeback fashion is the New York Islanders. The Islanders won 5-4 over the Pittsburgh Penguins. Ilya Sorokin saved 40 of 44 shots. Brock Nelson and Anders Lee each recorded 3 points. 

The Carolina Hurricanes will host their first outdoor Stadium Series game against the Washington Capitals at Carter-Finley Stadium on Saturday night. 

Spielberg Compliments Tom Cruise

Filmmaker Steven Spielberg delivered a compliment to Tom Cruise, which happened face to face. If I were Tom Cruise, I would never forget those words. In a well-captured video clip, Spielberg told Cruise, “you saved Hollywood’s ass.” He said this because of the success of Top Gun: Maverick. Cruise made people want to go back to the movie theaters to see this film. 

That’s a huge compliment from one of the all-time greats. You can tell that Cruise tried to play it off or be humble about the comment, but deep down, that means a lot to him. Steven is right though. Hollywood needs to stop trying to lecture us. When you go woke, you go broke. Tom Cruise is the man. Hollywood should use this as a learning lesson for the film industry to try and return to make pictures people want to see. Stay off the politics and foolishness.