Recent Stories with tag nate robinson

You may have missed it, but last night was the first of NBA season. And though Seattle doesn't have a team, the 206 was represented. Three Seattle high-school grads--of the 12 on NBA rosters--showed their stuff on opening night.

Nate Robinson (Rainier Beach, Boston Celtics) played just 10 minutes in the Celtics' win over the Threet, but he did have a suh-weet play where he pumped-faked a three, drove left around his defender to the baseline, elevated, switched hands in mid-air, twisted, and scooped a shot behind his head off the glass and in. Nate Robinson is an absolute marvel.

Brandon Roy (Garfield, Portland Trail Blazers) led the Blazers with 24 points in their win over Phoenix. The Suns didn't ever find a player who could guard Roy, who made Josh Childress look especially silly. Roy's layup with 5:05 left began a 16-1 Blazers' run to close the game. The Blazers have gotten younger and faster with the additions of guards Wes Matthews and Armon Johnson. Look out.

Aaron Brooks (Franklin, Houston Rockets) had an 18-point first-half from his starting point guard spot, but it's the shot he didn't make in the second-half that's haunting him this morning. Rockets down two, Brooks drove baseline and got to the basket, but Lamar Odom blocked his last-second shot. Rockets lost.

So what's up with the nine other Seattle-area guys? Here's a quick rundown.... (more)

Robinson as a Husky

Tonight in Los Angeles, Nate Robinson will try to become the first 206 hoopster to win an NBA ring since Roosevelt High's James Edwards captured one as a member of the 1996 Bulls.

Not many Seattle hoops fans enjoyed Edwards' achievement, since his Bulls beat the Sonics for the title. And though Edwards played 6 games for the Bulls in the playoffs, he didn't appear in the Finals.

(As far as I can tell, the last 206er to log time in the Finals for a winning team was O'Dea's Clint Richardson, as a backup guard for the 1983 Philadelphia 76ers Edwards! Who also played on the 1990 Pistons!)

I'll be watching tonight's Game 7 (6 p.m., ABC), just as I was last time Nate Robinson played for a championship*--the final game of the 2002 Washington State Boys AAA tournament. I was able to see the game in my apartment in Brooklyn, thanks to the magic of DirecTV. I was eager to tune in to watch the Stewart twins, Rodrick and Lodrick, who were then the stars of the Seattle youth hoops scene. But then there was this cannonball of a guard, who sliced through defenses and scored baskets despite his 5'6" size. "Hell, that guy's the best player on the floor," I remember thinking to myself.

Eight years later, Robinson's still 5'6" and the competition has grown taller. But he's still slicing through defenses to score. Nate the Great has averaged a point for every two minutes on the floor during the Finals, including 12 in just 17 minutes during the Celtics key Game 4 victory. After that game, Robinson delivered the quote of the playoffs when he compared he and fellow benchmate Glen Davis to a famous movie duo. "We're like Shrek and Donkey," Robinson announced in a post-game media presser. (Yes, there's a Photoshop.)

Look for Robinson to make an appearance off the bench at the end of the first quarter, and around the beginning of the fourth. If Boston point guard Rajon Rondo has an off-night, Robinson could end up playing an even greater role.

Either way, if he should win a ring it will be well deserved--and a win over the Lakers to boot. Go Nate! Go Celtics!

*Yes, I know Robinson won the Pac-10 championship game while at Washington (on the very Staples floor where he'll play tonight), as well as a Summer League championship with the Knicks. But I'm not counting those, for reasons that should be obvious.

Storm come back again, stay undefeated [box]
The difference between last year's Storm and this year's? The reason why they won this game despite awful first-half performances from Sue Bird and Lauren Jackson? My Storm fan friend Janey has it right: "They finally have a bench." Le'Coe Willingham (r.) had 8 points and 3 big o-boards from the pine last night. The Storm also have a terrific home crowd, who stomped, stood and cheered the team back from a 10-point second half deficit. Storm 4-0, 1st place W. Conf. Next game Thurs @ Chicago.

Griffey-less and Sweeney-less, M's not punchless [box]
With Milton Bradley at his national position--DH--for only the 4th time this year, the M's scored in bunches. Well, for them. 5 runs, 3 of them driven in by Bradley, who homered in the 1st and plopped a Justin Verlander change into right to plate Figgins with the go-ahead run in the 8th. AL ERA leader Doug Fister didn't get the win, but threw 7 and allowed just 3 runs. M's 17-28, 4th place, 8.5 GB. Next game: Today at 12:40 p.m. vs. Detroit, Vargas v. Bonderman.

Boca comes to Qwest tonight
The legendary Argentine club faces our Sounders at 7:30 p.m. You can still get tickets. Kasey Keller says he'll only play the first half, same probably holds true for most of the top Sounders. As for Boca, Sounders broadcaster Arlo White says to keep an eye on striker Sergio Araujo, center-back Ezequiel Munoz and left winger Pablo Mouche, all of whom are being scouted by EPL teams. Our own Argentine soccer correspondent shared his thoughts about Boca yesterday.

Nate Robinson needs a party planner [Twitterverse]
"Not sure what I should do for my bday, Any ideas? Speak to me #wordaapp!"

Sometime back, former Washington Husky basketball star Nate Robinson began signing off his tweets with "wordaapp." Huh?

"When I say word aapp It means the same as up I just spell it diff," he explained to a confused Twitterati.

Robinson, the three-time NBA Slam Dunk Competition champ who serves as an unofficial godfather to the city's young basketball players, then started turning his signoff into a tag. Other Seattle-area tweeps have followed suit.

Take this from a Denver resident, reminiscing about childhood visits to Tacoma: "I spent my summers gett'n dirty up in HillTop nev'r forget where u come from #WORDAAPP."

Or from this UW student: "wrote 4/8 pages on India's education system and how education isnt necessarily a social equalizer and how it affects youth culture #wordaapp."

Due to some anonymous Internet stumpage, Robinson's colloquialism has garnered an Urban Dictionary entry. And now--t-shirts!

T-shirt designers Word Aapp Clothing define the phrase as "a 'Seattle thing' that is taking over the world."  That may be a little hyperbolic. For now, #wordaapp use seems confined mostly to basketball fans under the age of 24. But we're hoping for a breakout.

Here's a recent Mayor McGinn tweet: "Search Committee announced for new Human Services director." Couldn't Mayor McGinn just as easily tweet "Search Committee announced for new Human Services director #wordaapp"? I don't see why not.

(You can get that Word Aapp t-shirt for $23.99. Here are other models. Nate says don't do it! They're fake. He'll be offering authentic t-shirts soon.)

Topic A this weekend for Seattle sports watchers was Saturday's Husky game.

"Its so hype n this football stadium right now!! Let's go dawgs!!" tweeted UW hoops recruit Abdul Gaddy.

"Husky football is back! Not a win yet, but when the team plays all out w/ the Dawg fans screaming no place is like it!" This from Detlef Schrempf.

Cal Bear Justin Forsett was rooting for regional pride: "I need UW to pull out this win tonight for the Pac-10."

PHOTOS!!! Rob Sims tweeted this photo of his brunch at Jak's Grill, which he says is the best in Seattle. Nate Robinson shared a candid of his sleeping brother.

Robinson also has a movie review: "Just saw that movie GAMER, man what a disappointment weak movie."

Terrence Williams was caught in the rain, but that didn't stop him from going to hitting up one of his favorite eateries: Popeye's Chicken.

New to Twitter this week: Husky guard Isaiah Thomas, who you can follow @it_thomas. Thomas revealed that his XBox name is freakyzekey2--go best him in "Legend of Zelda" or whatever... (more)