Brooklyn Nets Return to Optimal # of Williamses

*Since the Nets have never had 3 Ws on a roster, that data point is interpolated.

This NBA offseason, the recently relocated Brooklyn Nets re-signed an important player in Deron Williams.  They also returned to the optimal number of players called Williams on their roster. They traded or didn't re-sign Shelden, Jordan and Shawne, harking back to the glory days of 2001-2004 when the only Williams on the roster was named Aaron and as a result the team made the NBA Finals twice. In the early 80s the Nets signed 2 Williams (Ray and Buck), resulting in a big 20W improvement and a trip to the Eastern Conf Finals. It wasn't until they removed one Williams (Ray) that they were able to go one step further.  How did they win the ABA finals without a single Williams in the 70s? Further analysis would indicate there was a Williams-on. More study is required here. I'll be back in a few years with my PhD.

Dwyane Wade versus Dwayne Wade

Sure, Dwayne Wade is happy he's made it back to the NBA Finals.  The hot word in the Miami camp is that he's even happier that according to Google Trends, the correct spelling of his unusual name is at an all-time high! In a statement to @upshake via email, Dwyane said:

"Even when I won an NBA title in 2006, everyone spelt my name wrong, which really irked me. Even the engraver wrote 'Dwayne' on my NBA Finals MVP trophy.  Every time I see that trophy it makes me want to go back to The Finals get another one with the correct spelling.  If LeBron or Chris win it I'll get them to write 'LeBorn' or 'Bosch' or something."

People started catching on that it was spelt D-W-Y-A back in late 2009, but only in 2011 has D-W-A-Y dropped consistently below 30% of the spelling attempts.  See Google Trends results below
Wade vs. Wade vs. Wade

A basketball stadium tuned to 7.83Hz and covered in Power Balance holograms

If you didn't hear the latest Sacramento Kings news, the cellar-dwelling NBA team has renamed its stadium from ARCO Arena to Power Balance Pavilion, after the world's favourite new placebo or, as the manufacturers prefer, 'Performance Technology'.  Yeah, that's the company that sells the wrist bands that recently got taken down a notch by the Australian Competition & Consumer Commission (ACCC). 

Click to read more ...

Kobe Bryant's old shooting ground

I'm guessing the winter concert goes something like...

Part 1: the Shaq 3-peat years.

Part 2: the MVP year and the 4th Championship.

It's a pretty salubrious neighbourhood.  I'm not really surprised that Kobe doesn't get along with a lot of his team-mates.

Yes, the NBA Store in NYC has everything

Even a near life-size Lego Kevin Garnett.

I spent around $250 here... And that's a lot of stuff, since it is all pretty cheap. It's heavy.  Now, who wants to help me put my life-size Shaquille O'Neal back together (it will take a while, it's Fat-Shaq circa 2004) ?