Monday, January 31, 2011

The How Much Do I Dunk You Ticket Giveaway Promo

With the help of Flip Camera and the Toronto Raptors, The Breakdown with Dave & Audley is giving YOU a chance to win a pair of lower bowl tickets to see Blake Griffin and the Clippers take on the Raptors at the ACC on February 13th.



The Breakdown - For hoops talk, the way it should be!


Highlights from Episode #15 of The Breakdown

The Breakdown with Dave & Audley welcomes two former slam dunk champs to the program. Josh Smith stops by to chat about the season thus far and where the Hawks fit into the eastern conference picture.

As well, Cedric Ceballos stops by the show to reflect on his famous 1992 blindfold dunk that made him a champ.

Plus Dave & Audley announce a ticket giveaway contest for a chance to see Blake Griffin.



The Breakdown - For hoops talk, the way it should be!

Cedric Ceballos Stops By!

Former slam dunk champ, Cedric Ceballos stops by the show to reflect on his famous 1992 blindfold dunk that made him a champ.



The Breakdown - For hoops talk, the way it should be!

Click here to listen to the entire interview.

Sunday, January 30, 2011

Inside The Locker Room:Josh Smith

In the latest edition of our Inside The Locker Room segment we met up with Atlanta Hawks high-flyer and 2005 Dunk Champion, Josh Smith to discuss many things including why he should make a return to the Dunk contest.

Click here to listen to the interview

The Breakdown - For hoops talk, the way it should be!

Friday, January 28, 2011

Wanna Win Tickets To See Blake Griffin?!

Flip Camera & The Breakdown proudly present:

The How Much Do I Dunk You Ticket Giveaway!

Attention Raptor fans!

With the help of Flip Camera and the Toronto Raptors, The Breakdown with Dave & Audley is giving YOU a chance to win a pair of lower bowl tickets to see Blake Griffin and the Clippers take on the Raptors at the ACC on February 13th.

That's right! On Valentine's Day weekend, super rookie, Blake Griffin brings his exciting slam dunk act to Toronto for the first time and you can see him live!

But, it doesn't stop there because the grand prize winner will also be able to catch all the action with their very own NBA Raptors Flip Camera courtesy of Flip Camera.

If that wasn't enough, we'll throw in a Raptors Prize Pack filled with all sorts of goodies!

How do you win?

Well, just make sure that your webcam is ready and the battery in your camera phone is fully charged because you've got one minute to tell us which Blake Griffin dunk is your favourite this season and why!

That's all you gotta do!

So, bring on your best stuff and let your passion and energy shine because once all the entries are in, the top three will be selected and posted on-line for fan voting.

We'll let the fans decide who the winner is!

E-mail your video entry to:

DaveandAudley@TheBreakdownShow.com

The deadline is midnight (EST) on February 3, 2011, so stay tuned because you just might be a winner!

All contact information (full name, address & phone number) must also be provided.

See, told ya it was easy.

Note: Travel and accommodations are not included with the prize.

The Breakdown - For hoops talk, the way it should be!


NBA Dunk Champs, Josh Smith & Cedric Ceballos Are Here!!

Greetings WORLD!!

This Sunday's show is going to be CRAZY good! Are you ready for a Slam Dunk Special? That's what you're going to get because, first off, in the latest edition of our Inside The Locker Room segment we met up with Atlanta Hawks high-flyer and 2005 Dunk Champion, Josh Smith to discuss many things including why he should make a return to the Dunk contest.

Up next, we have a conversation with the 1992 Slam Dunk Champion, Cedric Ceballos!

He's the guy who showed us you don't need to have eyes to jam thanks to his blindfolded slam in 1992.

Dunks are nice and all, but the really cool thing about this Ceballos interview is the MASSIVE scoop he gives us about his ties to 1991 Slam Dunk Champion, Dee Brown. Let's just say Cedric feels Dee may not have been as original as we'd like to think.

Sounds juicy, doesn't it? TMZ has NOTHING on us!

Alright, we're ready to go! We'll catch up with you this Sunday at 9pm Eastern!!

The Breakdown -- For Hoops Talk, The Way It Should Be!!!


Tuesday, January 25, 2011

Highlights from Episode #14 of The Breakdown

Just in case you missed episode #14 of The Breakdown with Dave and Audley.

Check out the highlights!

Chris Whitney, director of player development for the Charlotte Bobcats and Detroit Pistons forward, Tracy McGrady are also on the episode.

Plus the boys are joined by Mat The Rook who stops by to talk NBA and Dave's supposed toupee.

The Breakdown - For hoops talk, the way it should be!


A Word From Ryan #1


Ryan Ward is a passionate and opinionated sports writer that has dedicated himself to his craft over the past five years writing about all the sports he loves from the US and overseas, from International soccer to NFL football, but with an especially passionate interest in NBA basketball and the Los Angeles Lakers.

Follow Ryan on Twitter


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Jerry West claims Lakers’ age is starting to affect the defense

The two-time defending NBA champion Los Angeles Lakers have dominated the league over the past few seasons as they have gone to three straight NBA Finals and been the team to beat in the Western Conference. Even though Kobe Bryant and company came into yet another title defense with high hopes of winning three in a row for the second time in the Black Mamba/Zen Master era in L.A., this year has been arguably the toughest challenge with age starting to become a factor as the Lakers continue to compete against the best and brightest the NBA has to offer.

There is no question that the Los Angeles Lakers are still a very talented basketball with arguably the best player in the world in Kobe Bryant leading the way. The problem is that this championship caliber squad has an average of 30 years old and has played more games than any other team over the last three years. There are 10 players on this team currently that are 30 years of age or older.

Kobe Bryant alone has put a lot of miles on his body over the last three seasons as he has been battling injuries the entire time and was one of two players (Lamar Odom being the other) to play for Team USA during the offseason over the past few years. Even if Kobe’s injured finger was hanging by a thread, the two-time NBA Finals MVP would still try and get on the floor to lead his squad, but his banged up body can only take so much and every passing game brings him closer and closer to calling it quits.

Recently, Los Angeles Lakers legend and former general manager Jerry “Mr. Clutch” West came out and said that the age of this team is really starting to affect the defense.

“If there’s a loose ball now, how often do they get to it? The reason you can’t play defense is because you can’t,” West said.

When the Lakers are playing at the top of their game they are as good as any team in the league on the defensive end of the floor, but this season they have really struggled to play consistently well.

Head coach Phil Jackson doesn’t disagree with Jerry West in this regard.

“He’s right. We have to do a lot of things right to be able to play defense the way we want to, and most of it is about controlling the tempo of a game,” Jackson said.

As of right now, the Los Angeles Lakers are leading the way in the Pacific division once again with a 32-13 record heading into their matchup with the Utah Jazz at the Staples Center on Tuesday night. Along with being atop their division and almost certainly playoff bound once again, the Lakers are doing pretty well in keeping opponent scoring down by giving up 96.4 points per game (10th in the NBA).

Ultimately though, the Lakers will start to feel time creeping up on them and will need some younger players to come in to help Kobe Bryant and Pau Gasol to keep this team among the best of the best in the Western Conference.

If the team fails to repeat or even go far in the playoffs this time around, I would anticipate some changes to this roster in the offseason with Phil Jackson’s retirement being the first domino to fall.

Sunday, January 23, 2011

Inside The Locker Room:Tracy McGrady

During this week's Inside The Locker Room segment, Dave & Audley are joined by two-time NBA scoring champion and seven-time All-Star, Tracy McGrady.

He chats about the season, where he and his teammates like to hang out and the former big league pitcher he admired.

Click here to listen.

The Breakdown - For hoops talk, the way it should be!


Charlotte Bobcats, Chris Whitney

Dave and Audley are joined by Chris Whitney who chats about his new role of director of player development with the Charlotte Bobcats. During the chat, you'll hear a surprise cameo from Bobcats player, Kwame Brown!

The Breakdown - For hoops talk, the way it should be!



Friday, January 21, 2011

Tracy McGrady & Chris Whitney Discuss NBA Stuff!

Greetings WORLD!

We're getting pumped up for this Sunday night's show because in our Inside The Locker Room segment we have a quick interview with 2-time NBA scoring champion and 7-time All-Star, Tracy McGrady!

We caught up with him just before the holidays when his Pistons were in Toronto. Since I enjoy getting inside scoops, I asked if he and his teammates liked to hang out at high end restaurants such as....
Let's just say T-Mac's response to that was CLASSIC.

Also on the program, we have former Washington Wizards guard, Chris Whitney!

This is a very entertaining chat that features a special cameo appearance by the one, the only, Kwame Brown.

It'll be a fun episode, so don't miss it!

We'll catch up with you this Sunday night at 9pm ET!!!

The Breakdown -- For Hoops Talk, The Way It Should Be!!!

Tuesday, January 18, 2011

Highlights from Episode #13 of The Breakdown

Just in case you missed it!

Check out the highlights from Episode #13 of The Breakdown with Dave & Audley

This episode features an interview with Lakers VP, Jeanie Buss where she chats a bit about her new book, Laker Girl.

Plus the guys let you in on a new locker room segment which will feature interviews with some of today's brightest stars.

The Breakdown - For hoops talk, the way it should be!


Monday, January 17, 2011

Inside The Locker Room : Jordan Farmar

In a brand new segment, Dave & Audley spend a few moments with New Jersey Nets guard, Jordan Farmar Inside The Locker Room just before tip off to talk about how his squad is faring thus far and his former Laker teammate, Adam Morrison.


Click here to listen.

The Breakdown - For hoops talk, the way it should be!


Shout out to Thunderground Radio!

Waddup y'all!

Just thought we'd let you in on a cool little podcast that Dave and I had a chance to be guests on this past week.

ThunderGround Radio is a weekly Thunder podcast and the official podcast for TrueHoop affiliate Dailythunder.com. They highlight the happenings around the NBA, with a slight bias towards the Oklahoma City Thunder.

Brad and Joel do a great job and Dave and I appreciated hanging out with them. Click here to listen to the episode or learn more about the Daily Thunder.


Laker Girl & Executive VP, Jeanie Buss

For the first time since 2009, Lakers Executive Vice-President of Business Operations, Jeanie Buss is back on the program to discuss her latest book, Laker Girl and her thoughts about the Lakers up and down season.

Click here to listen to the full interview

The Breakdown - For hoops talk, the way it should be!


Saturday, January 15, 2011

Jeanie Buss & Jordan Farmar Talk LA Lakers!

What's up everybody?!!

This Sunday night at 9pm Eastern, our show will have a Los Angeles Lakers feel to it. For the first time since 2009, Lakers Executive Vice-President of Business Operations, Jeanie Buss is back on the program to discuss her new book, Laker Girl and her thoughts about the Lakers' up and down season.
In addition to Jeanie, we'll chat with 2-time NBA champion with the Lakers and current New Jersey Net, Jordan Farmar in the locker room. He'll talk about his time in Purple and Gold plus you'll find out how I irritated him a tiny bit because I talked about his boy, Adam Morrison. Yes Audley, it was only a LITTLE bit. lol

Get ready because for the rest of the season, we'll be presenting you cool locker room interviews with today's NBA players. That's right! The Toronto Raptors have been kind of enough to give us media passes which gives us full access to the Raptors and visitors' locker rooms, so Audley and I are taking full advantage! It's a happy day in The Breakdown Universe.
Alright, we'll catch up with you this Sunday night! Peace.

The Breakdown -- For Hoops Talk, The Way It Should Be!!!

Wednesday, January 12, 2011

BballBreakdown #12

By: Coach Nick

Nick has been a coach for over 15 years at every level between 5th and 12th grades. He served as a basketball manager at the University of Wisconsin – Madison under head coach Stu Jackson and Assistant Coaches Stan Van Gundy (Orlando Magic Head Coach) and Sean Miller (Arizona Head Coach). He is a basketball historian and has conducted extensive interviews about the history of the game with such luminaries as Pete Newell, Tex Winter, Dean Smith, Bill Guthridge, and Herb Brown. He is a triangle offense guru, having cemented a relationship with Coach Winter while coaching in the San Fernando Valley near Los Angeles.

Nick is dedicated to the notion that you can’t be the best basketball player you can be until you’re the best person you can be.

Click here to subscribe to his Bball Breakdown on YouTube or follow him on Twitter.

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Check out the newest weekly segment dedicated to the Chicago Bulls: bBULLbreakdown



Tuesday, January 11, 2011

Straight From The Rook #14


Mat MacDonald AKA The Rook The Rook is currently enrolled in Human Kinetics at St. Francis Xavier University in Antigonish, Nova Scotia. A frequent contributor to all NBA and Raptors debates along with other sports. Witty, quick and never afraid of a challenge, Mat's here to talk hoops with you and dish out his two cents whenever!

Click here to follow him on Twitter!

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Two Stories, One Moral

Itʼs a Sunday afternoon. Timʼs just leaving his job after working the early morning shift. Waking up at the crack of dawn, Tim wished that today would be easy, but itʼs not. It never is. Timʼs got no time for himself, he works two jobs. Well, he has his thirty minutes in between jobs.

Itʼs Sunday afternoon. Chris just finished working out. His afternoon schedule consists of media appearances, a quick visit to a childrenʼs hospital, then out for another afternoon meeting which will probably take place at a top-notch restaurant. Lifeʼs not bad, but Chris is on the verge of free-agency and believes he deserves a raise. His six figure contract isnʼt cutting it anymore.

Tim has trouble going to work sometimes. He has two kids, a son and a daughter. A lot of the time that Tim is out of the house his kids are awake. By the time Tim gets home, the kids are asleep. Thankfully his wife only works mornings so sheʼs able to get home in time to pick the kids up from school.

Itʼs not always easy to live in Chrisʼ shoes. Thereʼs so many demands. The mediaʼs always asking for time, people are constantly on his back for autographs, practices are tough and frankly, the weatherʼs just not working for him. Free-agency is the best time of the year. The anticipation of being courted by dozens of teams intrigues Chris. This is his chance to make people work for him, his chance to make sure that people realize his true value.

At Timʼs second job itʼs another quiet day. Stocking shelves in the back of the grocery store has itʼs ups and downs. While there isnʼt much of a social aspect in the back of a grocery store, Tim enjoys the pace and the quiet atmosphere he experiences most times. The occasional chat with a co-worker is always a breath of fresh air, but for the most part itʼs pure silence. The demands arenʼt unachievable. Simply stock the boxes on the shelves and sign the order papers, nothing too hard. The payʼs alright. At $10.10 an hour, Tim figures he only has to work six days a week along with his other job in order to make enough money to keep his family comfortable.

Porsche or a Bentley? Sure, itʼs not your average day, but itʼs time for a new car. Chris canʼt decide. Deals are being thrown at him from all angles. Thereʼs colors to choose from, models that can be designed and windows that can be tinted. Moneyʼs not the issue, itʼs just a matter of what looks the best. Chris calls his entourage to ask what they think. They donʼt care, theyʼre happy with the cars they received earlier in the year. Chris isnʼt too concerned either. Itʼs his fifth car, and most of them just sit in his driveway anyway. Being on the road for so many games during the season doesnʼt allow for much time to drive.

Itʼs almost 9:30 in the evening. Timʼs just about to punch out of work. Heʼs been asked to stay behind for a bit to finish up the last few items of the night shipment. There is no ʻovertimeʼ pay in the grocery store, but Timʼs been a loyal employee so he doesnʼt see the harm in giving a helping hand.

Almost 8:00 PM, and still nothing to eat. Itʼs not Chrisʼ fault, heʼs been on the run. A quick call to his chef at his house clears everything up. Itʼll be salmon tonight with an assortment of sides. With only a few scenes left to shoot for a commercial set to air in the next few weeks, Chris is cool with waiting as long as he gets his payment. With all the requests for his time, Chris makes sure that he gets the most money he can possibly get. Thereʼs no time to waste.

10:30 in the evening. Timʼs finally home. The kids are already asleep and his wifeʼs in bed. For dinner Tim gets a piece of meatloaf and carrots. After a long day and a turkey sandwich for lunch, this is exactly what Timʼs been waiting for. The feeling of being home in his house with his family makes Tim feel better than anything in the world. With his food in his stomach, thereʼs no real play time for Tim. He wants to be up early enough to see his kids before he has to go to work. The nightʼs a wrap.

Finally, home from shooting a commercial itʼs time to eat. The salmon is fresh, warm and ready to go. Chris is loving the life. Still contemplating over which car heʼs going to buy, he asks his chef what heʼd choose. With no real preference, Chris gets no help from the man who baked his salmon to perfection. With a whole day finished, Chris needs to get to sleep. Tomorrowʼs the big day. The day that everyone can start making their push to lure him towards their franchise. Heʼs a free man. Things canʼt be any better.

6:30 AM, everybodyʼs awake. Timʼs sitting at the breakfast table eating his cereal while his kids come downstairs to spend time with their dad. Meanwhile Timʼs wife is off to work at the hotel. Sheets need to be washed and thereʼs a deadline to have them finished by. Timʼs got to get to work in almost an hour. The teachers at school agreed to come in early to help Tim out so he could drop the kids off on his way.

12:01 AM and the phoneʼs ringing. Already six teams have inquired on Chrisʼ interests towards their franchise. Right now the figures arenʼt lining up to what Chris is looking for. He wants that max deal, he knows he can get it. The truth is other teams know he can have it too, but heʼs going to wait until he gets exactly what he wants. Warm weather is a big part of the decision too, but heʼs not that fussy.

The kids are in school and Timʼs on the bus. His morning job isnʼt rough. Again, another labour job. This oneʼs a bit different. Tim gets in the truck every morning and delivers to the grocery stores. In a weird way, Tim spends his whole day working in some form of grocery. Except todayʼs a bit different...

Itʼs 1:33 PM and thereʼs a deal on the table worth looking at. Chris just received the word that heʼll be headed to the west coast. A five-year, $100 million deal is what has been presented. Itʼs a done deal. Thereʼs no sweeter feeling than this...

Fast-forward to dinner time. Timʼs home. His wife is shocked, this hasnʼt happened for years. The kids are at the table showing off what they made in school today. His son holding a picture that he drew of his family while his daughterʼs flaunting her latest A+ in math. Yes, theyʼre young, but the thrill is never anything less than amazing.

With a confused look on her face, Timʼs wife asks why they have the pleasure of having their father home for dinner. Tim breaks the news. Heʼs been let go from his morning job and hours have been cut back for the evening.

A recession caused cutbacks in the grocery department and while Timʼs been a loyal employee, sadly merit doesnʼt always give you the advantage. With tears falling from his face, he vows to get back out there and take care of his family. Nothing will stop him.

Chris is moving boxes, flying coast to coast.

Tim is pushing resumes, hoping things will work out.

I know people like Tim, and Iʼm sure you do too. I know people like Chris, and I'm sure you do too. Theyʼre both normal people with two completely different lifestyles.

In 2012 there may not be an NBA season or even an NFL season. A lockoutʼs on the way. Contracts canʼt be worked out, and moneyʼs the middle-man. Will players agree for less money and fewer years on the dotted line, or will they wait until they get what they want?

One thingʼs for sure, there will always be people like Tim...

-MM

Monday, January 10, 2011

Highlights from Episode #12 of The Breakdown

Just in case you missed Episode #12 of The Breakdown

Here it is!

Dave and Audley welcome a couple of young men who just so happen to be the sons of a couple New York Knick legends.

As well Dave and Audley chime in on Vince Carter's beard.

Check out the highlights!

The Breakdown - For hoops talk, the way it should be!


Patrick Ewing Jr.Stops By!

Patrick Ewing Jr. shares insights into his relationship with Knick great, Patrick Ewing and talks about the challenges of being the son of a Hall of Fame centre.

You'll also hear who he tried to dunk on and why he won't do it again.

Click here to listen to the entire interview.

The Breakdown - For hoops talk, the way it should be!


Anthony Mason Jr. Chills with The Breakdown

Anthony Mason Jr. stops by the program to talk about playing career in the D-League, what it's like to be a son of professional athlete and why his legendary New York Knick father wouldn't survive in today's NBA.

Click here to listen to the entire interview.

The Breakdown - For hoops talk, the way it should be!


Friday, January 7, 2011

NBA Fathers & Sons - The Knickerbocker Way!

True die hard NBA fans will remember those tough, hard nosed, never back down New York Knicks teams from the 90's. Led by Hall of Fame centre, Patrick Ewing, Knickerbocker fans were treated to a style of play that many believe changed how the game was called.

Ahhhh, those were the days!

As a tribute to those great Knicks squad, Dave and I are pleased to present a very special episode featuring the sons of a couple of MSG legends.

You see, both, Anthony Mason and Patrick Ewing were key contributors to those teams so it makes sense that we hear from their sons.

Both Mason Jr and Ewing Jr have followed in their father's footsteps to make the leap to the NBA and both are presently in the D-League trying to make a name for themselves.





Anthony Mason Jr.








Patrick Ewing Jr.



So they join The Breakdown to talk about life as the son of a Knick great, share some interesting facts about their Dads and provide a few laughs at the same time.

It's a fun ride that you don't want to miss!

The Breakdown - For hoops talk, the way it should be!