Out Of Bounds
Out of Bounds: Rejections Galore!
Jeff Hawkins is an award-winning sportswriter with more than four decades in the industry (print and digital media). A freelance writer/stay-at-home dad since 2008, Hawkins started his career with newspaper stints in Michigan, North Carolina, Florida, Upstate New York and Illinois, where he earned the 2004 APSE first-place award for column writing (under 40,000 circulation). As a beat writer, he covered NASCAR Winston Cup events at NHIS (1999-2003), the NHL's Chicago Blackhawks (2003-06) and the NFL's Carolina Panthers (2011-12). Hawkins penned four youth sports books, including a Michael Jordan biography. Hawkins' main hobbies include mountain bike riding, 5k trail runs at the Whitewater Center in Charlotte, N.C., and live music.
All posts by Jeff HawkinsUpdated15 Oct 2021
The Funny, Stupid Thing of the Day
While Blazers fans in Moda Center went crazy with excitement by the turn of events and heroics by guard Damian Lillard the other night, this video shows what happened to poor Rockets fans. This is a great look at how emotions can turn so fast in sports. We love the Rockets fan just leaving the room with no words after he saw Lillard’s three go down.
Rejections of the Night
We love defense here at Basketball Insiders and we can’t choose between these two awesome blocks from today and last night. The first shows Warriors forward Draymond Green send Clippers guard Chris Paul’s shot attempt back to half-court. Next, we have Nets forward Paul Pierce save the game by denying Raptors guard Kyle Lowry’s game-winning shot and sending the Nets to the second round of the playoffs. The Truth lived up to his name and showed how hard it’s going to be to beat this veteran Nets lineup in the postseason.
Shot of the Night
In the insane, back-and-forth Game 7 of the Clippers-Warriors series last night, Blake Griffin had the clear shot of the night. Check this ridiculous and-one layup by the Clippers forward to help secure his team the win in the crucial final game of the series.
Tweet of the Night
Congrats Toronto on a hard fought series. #spreadloveitsthebrooklynway
— Mr. Carter (@sc) May 4, 2014
Jay Z hasn’t been active on the Twitter universe lately, but even he had to give a shout out to his hometown team after the Nets finished off the Raptors to advance to the second round of the playoffs.
Flashback of the Day
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VEeYFH-qlvk
Before he was a studio analyst and a smart defensive veteran with the Suns and Clippers, Grant Hill was once considered the man to take Michael Jordan’s place as the best player in the NBA. Ankle and knee injuries derailed these thoughts, but for those too young to remember, Hill used to have “the goods” back in the day as this mix shows.
Tattoo of the Day
http://instagram.com/p/kqwCcYJ3W2/
Who doesn’t think Jack Skeleton from “The Nightmare Before Christmas” is one of the best characters ever? Raptors forward Amir Johnson certainly does as he got Jack inked on his skin.
YouTube of the Day
It’s always exciting to see twins balling on the floor together and the next ones on tap is Class of 2014 guards Derrick and Erick Neal of Dallas, Texas. Hailing from HEAT forward Chris Bosh’s Lincoln High School, the twins each own some of the sickest handles on the high school scene. The brothers have given verbals to University of Texas-Arlington despite both having offers to play D-1 football.
Swag of the Day
http://instagram.com/p/nUoa4CgFaQ/
Blazers forward Dorell Wright has a right to dress confidently after the Blazers ousted the Rockets to advance to the second round. This all-red suit is a sure sign he’s ready to celebrate on a night on the town.
