FLOTUS can dunk! Michele Obama and Miami Heat drum up excitement for Let’s Move.
QUIPS FOR THIS WEEK
NFL
See our Pre-Superbowl XLVIII Weekend Primer 1.24.14
NBA
Carmelo Anthony scored 62 points Friday night in the Garden – career high for him and a record breaker for the New York Knicks, and Madison Square Garden. The Knicks might be struggling, but Carmelo saw only the net in an amazing scoring display under the bright lights of New York. After getting a win that night and this past Sunday against the Lakers, will the Knicks continue to use this performance to propel them forward? Carmelo sure hopes so.
The Slim Reaper, Durantula, KD Trey…call him what you want, the fact is Kevin Durant is putting on a show these days. The league’s top scorer not only averages over 30 points a game, he’s also leading the Oklahoma City Thunder to the best record in the Western Conference. The latest magic was a triple double (32 points, 14 rebounds and 10 assists) in a win over the Philadelphia 76ers. More impressively, he’s doing this while the Thunder’s star point guard Russell Westbrook recovers from a knee injury. Watch out world, when Westbrook is back and with this duo, the Thunder just might be unstoppable.
Two big announcements in the hoops world happened this past week:
First, USA Basketball announced the official 28-player pool for the upcoming World Basketball Championships and 2016 Olympics. The pool will winnow down to a 12-man roster. Look for the best of the best to compete for a spot on the final squad.
Second, the fan-voted NBA All-Star starters were announced for the East and the West. The West features: first time all-star Stephen Curry, Kobe Bryant, Kevin Durant, Kevin Love and Blake Griffin while the East features: Carmelo Anthony, Paul George, Kyrie Irving, LeBron James and Dwyane Wade. The remaining team members for each side are voted on by coaches and will be released soon. All-Star weekend is on February 14-16 in New Orleans.
COLLEGE SPORTS
Remaining undefeated, #2 Syracuse, #1 Arizona and #5 Wichita State keep rolling. Syracuse improved to 19-0 after defeating Miami on the road, while Wichita State improved to 21-0 with a win over Drake. Did Arizona continue the trend? They sure did as they beat Utah in a close game Sunday night.
There’s nothing like a good in-state rival game, or at least that’s how Michigan feels today. The Michigan Wolverines knocked off the #3 Michigan State Spartans at home Saturday night. It’s probably a bigger win for Michigan than a disappointing loss for Michigan State, which was without two of their best players due to injury. Expect both teams to build off the result as Big Ten play continues.
The greatest Coach in college hoops just hit another major milestone. That’s right, Coach K won his 900th game as the #18 Duke dominated Florida State at home. After a tough loss at Clemson, the Blue Devils have been on a bit of winning streak. Look for another big road test on Monday night, as Duke travels to face Pittsburgh on their turf.
Tennis
Let’s hear it for the the new kid. Stanislas Wawrinka defeated Rafael Nadal to win the Australian Open in the men’s final early Sunday morning. Not only was it his first time beating Rafa, it was also the first major title in his tennis career for the 28 year old Swiss player.
Continuing with the Aussie theme, Li Na topped Dominika Cibulkova to win the Australian Open on the women’s side. After finishing as the runner-up in the last three of the four Australian Open finals, it was finally Li Na’s time to shine.
JUST FOR FUN
Did Tim Gunn approve these outfits?
Check out the U.S. Olympic outfits – that sweater is really… something!
Heartwarming Memories
Take a walk down memory lane with the best Super Bowl photos of all time
STORIES FOR INSIGHTS, COOL FACTOR + DEBATE
Eye Popping & Jaw Dropping
Would you rather see David Beckham #covered or #uncovered?
Consumers can vote on whether they’d rather see David Beckham wearing briefs or ‘stark naked’ in the H&M Superbowl XLVIII ad
Brr, it’s cold in here… there must be some b-ball in the atmosphere
The NBA has committed to growing the game of basketball in Russia
They are improving community facilities and hosting clinics to help Russian youth learn to love the game
Soccer in South Africa
Zola Mahobe in 3D
The country’s complicated history is reflected in Nelson Mandela, but also in Zola Mahobe and his efforts to bring soccer to South Africa in the 1980s.
Will Canada Host the 2026 World Cup?
They’re trying to!
Canada is planning to submit a bid to host the FIFA World Cup after Qatar hosts in 2022
Hot Damn, Melo!
Carmelo Anthony was in the zone during Friday night’s game
After beating Bernard King’s Knicks Record and LeBron James’ MSG Record, what’s next?
The SportsQuip 