Basketball Legends Host 3-on-3 Tournament in Pittsburgh's Hill District

DeAndre Kane (left) and D.J. Kennedy (right) who won the Pennsylvania state basketball title in 2007 have won The Basketball Tournament four times.

In the world of basketball, The Basketball Tournament, which carries a multi-million dollar prize, "is just like a hobby or something extra for guys,” D.J. Kennedy said in a Deadspin about the tournament his team Overseas Elite has won four years in a row. There's something legendary about the tournament though. It's the fact that two kids from Pittsburgh's Hill District ran a train through great competition filled with former NBA veterans and collegiate superstars every year to accumulate a 25 win and zero loss record along with $7 million in prize money. 

DeAndre Kane and D.J. Kennedy have a reputation in the 'Burgh for playing championship ball. In 2007, their Schenley Spartans team won the quad-A State title with help from University of Pittsburgh standout and former San Antonio Spur DeJuan Blair. At Marshall University and Iowa State University, Kane earned weekly and yearly awards consistently until he graduated. He was the Big 12 conference tournament MVP in 2014, and then he went on to bounce the North Carolina Tar Heels out of that year's March Madness NCAA Tournament with a clutch drive to the hoop beating the buzzer. Kane's Maccabi Tel Aviv team won the competitive Israeli Basketball Premier League this year. For Kennedy, his defensive and scoring consistency at St. John's University carried him into the NBA briefly. More impressively, Kennedy's been the top scorer of two separate European basketball leagues in 2015 and 2018. He's been The Basketball Tournament MVP in the same years too.  Kane and Kennedy's prestige may not be mainstream like that of an NBA superstar's, but their legend is battle-tested as they repeatedly rise to the occasion.

This Saturday, August 18, 2018, appreciate the men's achievements, especially as they celebrate more T.B.T. rings (4 for Kennedy and 3 for Kane), and come out to their 3-on-3 basketball tournament and community event giving away backpacks and school supplies at Ammons Recreation Center in Pittsburgh's Hill District from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m. Turn up with the fellas that night at V Lounge.

Ammons Recreation Center

2217 Bedford Avenue

Pittsburgh, PA 15219

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V Lounge

2625 Penn Avenue

Pittsburgh, PA 15222

Coin Flip II: 2016 NBA Finals

Are y'all awake yet? We got action!

If you thought Mamba Day and the Warriors' achievement of eclipsing the 1997 Chicago Bull's regular season record were going to be the last exciting moments of the NBA season until the hallowed Finals, you missed some epic basketball.

Before Stephen Curry proclaimed "I'm here. I'm back," as if to really say, 'This is my Jordan moment,' in front of a stunned Trailblazers crowd in the Western Conference Semi-final; and before the Cavaliers went on a ten-game tear, going undefeated until they crossed international borders to play in the '6', we all assumed the playoffs would go as scripted.  Eight teams from each conference get to extend their season into the spring, but did we really entertain the thought that anyone other than King James and the Cavaliers would emerge from the Eastern Conference as champions? And how could two-time reigning MVP and the Golden State Warriors at 73 wins and 9 losses be stopped?  Since last summer, all signs have been pointing to a necessary rematch: King James' shot at redemption and Stephen Curry's validation, but we almost spoke too soon.

After a month and a half of playoff basketball, storylines have shaped shifted and shifted some more.  Making it all the way to the Conference finals last year, the Houston Rockets were relegated to vacation status after the first round.  The Clippers, yet again, were snubbed by the injury bug, unable to see what kind of fruit their floor general and high-flying slammers could bear.  We also saw flashes of Dwayne Wade's youth, as he willed-in every contorted lay-up and clutch three-ball he took throughout the Hornets and Raptors series.  If only leading shot blocker Hassan Whiteside stayed healthy, we could have not only seen Lebron's return to a post-season Miami environment, but also two best friends compete for a trip to the NBA Finals.

More glaringly, it might be the end to the efficient, well-oiled, crisp passing machine of the San Antonio Spurs after the six game destruction by the Oklahoma City Thunder.  The trio of Tim Duncan, Tony Parker, and Manu Ginobli, despite the emergence of Kawhi Leonard, and Lamarcus Aldridge, appeared to run out of the proverbial gasoline.  Remember when a dejected 40-year old Duncan walked to the bench, head down, after Serge Ibaka of the Thunder swatted what would have been a routine slam? if only he had young legs.  For all the championships and milestones Duncan has achieved, that split second was a microcosm of what fans had been watching all year; a depleted GOAT having to more carefully pick his moments of attack, realizing his body could no longer follow what his mind enacted.

As fast as that block had happened was how quickly Russell Westbrook and Kevin Durant coasted in transition to take momentum in the West as a legitimate championship contender. KD and Russ had been proving their greatness as a duo for the entire season.  Westbrook dominated, angrily, tallying 18 triple-doubles this tour, and Kevin has matured so beautifully--an assassin with endless ammunition.

You can't help but feel like the Warriors and the Cavaliers were destined for a rematch.  The Dubs, and more specifically Klay Thompson and Andre Igoudala, ripped Game 6 away from the Thunder.  Thompson, who hit 11 three-pointers to break an NBA playoff record, scored 17 tough points in the fourth quarter to will his team back in the game.  Igoudala's stifling defense on back-to-back possessions, swiping the ball away from both Durant and Westbrook sealed the deal on a stunning road win.  Game 7 happened, but it was over before it started.  OKC had the lead at Oracle, but Steph's high floater off the glass to end the half was a signifier that the Dubs were just heating up.  

Lebron and the Cavs controlled their destiny throughout the East.  Even when they lost Games 3 & 4 in Toronto it seemed like they rather conceded the victories when you consider some were "oot and aboot" late on the town. Say what you will about the lack of parity in the Eastern Conference, but James has figured out the winning formula for the last six straight years.  No other players have been able to achieve such a feat since the Boston Celtics were the mainstay in the Finals, every year, from 1956-1969.  Although Lebron has had a strong supporting cast to help, there's no denying the value on the court and psychologically that King James adds to a roster.

The biggest difference from last year's appearance in the Finals is health.  Kevin Love suffered a playoff ending shoulder injury in the first-round and Kyrie Irving was sidelined for the rest of the Championship after his knee gave out in Game 1.  At 100% and having played the most offensively efficient basketball in the league, the Cavaliers don't have to rely on James' heroics, like they did last year, for their first taste of glory.  Their losing effort wasn't all for nothing, though.  The Warriors exposed holes in the Cavaliers' lineup that GM David Griffin has been filling in anticipation of this rematch.  As seldom as it was to see Lebron off the floor in 2015's Finals, the Cavaliers offense became stagnant against Golden State's active defense when he was on the bench, struggling to keep pace with their motion offense and flurry of Splash Brother three's.  Adding Richard Jefferson, who is making his return to the Finals after a thirteen-year hiatus, and Channing Frye, who is shooting over 50% from three-point range has helped the Cavs' secondary lineup in Matthew Dellavedova and Iman Shumpert continue their scoring edge.  At 35 and 33 years of age respectively, you wonder if these veterans can consistently make an impact against a fast-paced, younger Warriors squad.

The Warriors quest for back-to-back championships began at the very first tip-off of the 2015-2016 season.  They made twenty-four straight victories to begin their campaign look easy, especially with Assistant Coach Luke Walton at the helm, while Head Coach Steve Kerr, rested an ailing back.  Opposing teams certainly made it interesting, whether Golden State would reach the elusive 72-wins mark, but all that team chemistry and improvement by Curry and Thompson paid dividends throughout the season.  Honestly, we didn’t start to see the kind of championship resolve this team had until they were faced with elimination by the Thunder.  Many were clamoring that the Warriors had been “figured out” once Durant, Westbrook, and New Zealander Steven Adams began running the same high-octane, fast-transition offense better than the Dubs.  If there’s one thing we learned this season, though, is that the Warriors are never ever out of a basketball game.  Draymond’s strip steals and outlet passes to a flashing Curry or Thompson for a quick three is enough to ignite a lethal group of weapons that once warmed up, are hard to stop.

This bout deserves to go seven rounds, and I would not be surprised if it did.  Home-court has been well protected by higher seeds in this year’s playoffs.  The Cavaliers have yet to lose in Quicken Loans Arena and Steph reiterated that his team would be better prepared to defend Oracle Arena, unlike when OKC stole Game 1.  The 2016 Warriors and Cavaliers are not the same teams that met last June.  Golden State, most importantly, has experience; they know what that atmosphere of the NBA Finals feels like and they know how to complete the task.  The Cavaliers have re-tooled, creating a different complexion of who they were a year ago.

I think about what this series means in the broader conversation about basketball, and I get excited.  We’ve watched memorable Finals matchups a-la the Celtics and Lakers in the 2008 and 2010 Finals, but when was the last time we witnessed the two best players in the world at the peak of their powers compete to be crowned champion? The game has been starving for a heavyweight title fight; we never got to see Kobe vs. Lebron in a winner-take-all.  We’d have to go all the way back to Michael Jordan’s first NBA Finals appearance and Magic Johnson’s last when the Bulls and Lakers met in 1991, something I wasn’t alive to see.  Stephen Curry has earned every bit of his successive Most Valuable Player awards, and all the way on the opposite coast, a King still reigns. 

Father Time lurks behind the scene, who knows when he pays a visit to Lebron James, but until then, what’s keeping him from reaching another one or two more NBA Finals?  And are mere Finals appearances enough to proclaim oneself the best basketball player on the planet? Three rings in seven total appearances to the Finals, each corresponding with a Bill Russell trophy, is very hard to argue against.  Lebron would have no contemporary equal.  Make it 2-5 with a loss again to the Dubs; however, and that’s just as many Finals accolades as the spritely Curry.  After the next two weeks unfold, there might not have to be a conversation over which star is brightest.  You can’t argue with two championships and two MVPs back-to-back.  Jersey sales indicate that Stephen has already become the face of the Association, but dominion comes with consistent victory.

The winner of this series will be the team that can defend home-court and steal one on the road.  You could feel the emotion ooze out of Lebron and the Cavs when they escaped Oracle with a Game 2 win last year, but they also had the stench of champagne baths from Game 6 permeate through the away locker room of the “Q” for the entire summer.  Match-up wise, I’m wary that Golden State exposes the lack of defensive prowess of Kevin Love and Kyrie Irving.  But it’s also possible that the combination of James, Irving, Love, Smith and Frye is too much weaponry for a smaller Warriors lineup.  I don’t know who wins and my gut hasn’t identified a clear favorite yet either, so this time around I’ll actually leave it to a coin flip.  The Cavaliers are heads and the Warriors are tails.

Heads it is.  Cleveland Cavaliers in seven.

Series Schedule

Game 1: Tonight @ 9pm

Game 2: June 5th @ 8pm

Game 3: June 8th @ 9pm

Game 4: June 10th @ 9pm

Game 5: June 13th | If Needed

Game 6: June 16th | If Needed

Game 7: June 19th | If Needed

* All games to air on ABC

Mamba's Muses

We were preparing the whole year for 'Mamba Day', Kobe Bryant's last game of his NBA career. Only dawning the Laker purple and gold for twenty years, Bryant added to the dynasty while forging a legendary path of his own--five titles, eighteen all-star appearances and the highest scoring guard in NBA history.

Kids my age know about Kobe.  I was in kindergarten when he helped push Shaq over the top and reignited the Lakers dynasty of old.  I didn't get to witness all of those Jordan moments, but I saw the Mamba ascend to the mountain top, this time on his own, in 2009 and 2010, and I watched him ride out into the sunset with 60 points on 50 shots.  I grew up with him.  Kobe was the first basketball GOAT I watched.

The game is going to miss Kobe Bryant even though it's about damn time that he left.  Despite the start of the NBA playoffs, the Black Mamba's exit has remained a topic of interest for sports reporters.  The interviews of old friends speaking on his high school days at Lower Merion and the oral history of the boy from Philadelphia's epic saga reveal just how much basketball meant to Kobe Bryant.  

It's true that you don't truly know what you have until it's gone.  As Kobe's illustrious career unfolded before our eyes, we weren't aware of the full extent this man went to prepare, practice and dominate his craft.  Over a decade after Michael Jordan's final game, basketball-heads are still learning larger-than-life factoids and anecdotes of his Airness.  This past week has welcomed many former teammates, opponents and coaches of Bryant to reminisce on the more private subtext of his playing days.

Take some time to get a fuller scope of the enigmatic Kobe Bryant with these riveting articles and visuals.

"I remember sitting in the locker room at halftime and saying to myself, 'You know what, you may lose everything in life because of the situation that you put yourself in,'" Kobe recalls.

"'You may lose your family, your freedom, but I'll be damned if I lose basketball. Because this shit I can control.' - Mamba Out by Ramona Shelbourne

Photographs by Andy Bernstein chronicle his final night

The explicit lyrics of Jay Z, long before he became the POTUS-approved, hip-hop scion, blare through the speakers. Bryant slows down and lowers the volume.

"This stuff is a little harsh, huh?" he says, swapping out the CD after about the eighth n-bomb. "You like the Spice Girls? A lot of people hate them, but the positive image they project, how they make kids feel, I admire that." -The never ending story: Who is the authentic Kobe? by Mike Wise

"I remember when I got to the Lakers in ’99, I went to a TGI Fridays with Kobe in New Mexico. We had a long conversation, and he wanted to pick my brain about what MJ was like. “How much did he practice? How did he work out? How did he evolve his game?” I told him, MJ brought a new thing every year. One year, pull-up jump shot. The next year, fadeaway. “How did he carry himself?” I told him MJ was always in a suit and tie. When MJ went to work, he went to work. Kobe was really intrigued about all that." - Horace Grant in How We'll Remember Kobe

Basketball Inequity

It'd be like Superman chasing after common criminals with no Lex Luther to battle.  No one wants that shit. 

In approximately 4 months, at the end of the 2015-2016 NBA season, Kevin Durant will be a free agent able to sign with whichever team he deems fit.  Seeing that there is much more of the current NBA season to be played, I bet the 2014 MVP has yet to definitively nail-down what team he's headed for should he choose to leave the Oklahoma City Thunder.  However, some insiders are pegging the Golden State Warriors as a potential destination for the 6'9" 240 lbs., eight-year veteran.  The Warriors have structured the contracts of their stars--Curry, Klay Thompson, and Draymond Green--in such a way that they would have enough salary cap leeway to make a run at signing highly-touted Durant.  

Yes, you read that correctly.  The 2015 NBA champions who are currently challenging the 1995-96 Chicago Bulls' record for best record in an NBA regular season (72-10), would add yet another extraordinary talent to an already dangerous, self-less team. 

Here's a hypothetical scenario:

The Warriors go 73-9 and win back-to-back titles.

Stephen Curry is awarded his second MVP trophy.

And the cherry on-top, Kevin Durant heads for the Bay area. 

How is a starting lineup featuring Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson, Draymond Green, Harrison Barnes (you could even replace Barnes with center Andrew Bogut for a bigger lineup), and Kevin Durant promoting equitable basketball?  You might as well handover the Larry O'brien trophy right now because it would not be fair.  If the NBA vetoed the trade that would have sent Chris Paul to the Los Angeles Lakers, boosting Kobe Bryant's chances at a sixth title in an instant, I have no idea what kind of antics commissioner Adam Silver would try to utilize to keep this super-team from forming.  Could he even stop it if he wanted to? given the freedom of free agency, probably not. 

If you think watching the Warriors plow through their opponents now is boring, imagine how uncompetitive games would be with KD.  That team would have the best scorers on the planet. 

My biggest grievance with this would-be-tectonic-shift of power in the NBA goes beyond the deterioration of parity in the league, but rather the perceived selfishness of some of the NBA's stars.  Everybody wants to form a super-team, a trend that was re-popularized when Ray Allen and Kevin Garnett headed to the Boston Celtics to play with Paul Pierce in 2007, or when Lebron James and Chris Bosh packed their bags for warmer weather and headed to Wade County to wrack up two championships with the Miami Heat. 

Are players that caught up with their place in NBA history that they are willing to leave their roles as building blocks--cornerstones--to join teams with the best shot at winning titles?  Regardless of a superstar's prerogative, what happened to the days where players took pride in the organization that drafted them and wanting to become the team that overthrows the victors?  It's not like Kevin Durant is playing with D-League call-ups.  He has got the most violent point guard in basketball in Russell Westbrook feeding him the ball and a Thunder team that is a legitimate contender to win the Western Conference.  

Championships are not easily attainable, we know that.  Some of the greats have never experienced the elation that comes with winning a title, a-la Charles Barkley and Karl Malone. But isn't that why we play and passionately watch?  Titles are not bought, they are earned, and the beauty of basketball, of sports for that matter, is the ability for organizations to come together for better or for worse and chase greatness. 

Sports Matter because Ball is Life

Sports are powerful because they create genuine experiences. I walked onto the basketball court on Manhattan St, Pittsburgh with my Official NBA ball and my DSLR perfectly waiting to capture the following moment. The itch to play basketball, its convenient location and neighborhood environment brought me to this particular court, so I was excited to start shooting around. I hit a couple three-pointers and made my layups; while I was playing a man-- who you could tell just wanted to play ball-- approached me. He asked, "Can I shoot with you?" I welcomed his company with a deal, "I'll let you shoot with me if you let me take your picture." He delightedly said sure after I told him the intended purpose. He took some jumpers and I observed, he would collect himself and we would converse then he'd continue loving the game. DeAndre from South Central, Los Angeles was in The Burgh visiting his Sister. He told me how he wished to move back to the area to buy one of the abandoned houses because he felt the community was peaceful. The inability to enjoy his neighborhood playground due to gang wars made the Manhattan court a welcome site for him. DeAndre, a retired basketball coach and minister, explained to me his Serra Catholic schooling and time spent at Tackle on the football field. "When we played Mater Dei we roughed them up," he chuckled to me.

I knew the game of pickup he wanted to play would not be gentle. DeAndre took to the paint on offense, using his width against my slender form. On defense he was physical, although I was much quicker than he was. I drove around him creating open layups, a few missed on my part and my at times yielding D kept the game interesting. I was playing with the lead as rain began to mix with our sweat. Thunder cracked and a jolt of lightening made us aware the game was ending. We left exchanging pleasantries; he noted how school can take you anywhere and encouraged me to keep working hard. I thanked him for the experience and he walked left back to a house, I got in my car and drove away.

Basketball naturally brought about a conversation between DeAndre and I, who had previously never met. A shared love for the game allowed us to engage on an authentic level that generated curiosity as we spoke about our life experiences. Sport brought DeAndre and myself together on July 6, 2015, good game.