(Sports Network) - With the 85th Academy Awards set for Sunday, Feb. 24, the
timing was appropriate to associate the Oscars with the NBA.
While there is an abundance of categories, following is a list of the more
applicable pertaining to the league:
BEST ACTOR (Leading Role) - There are many to choose from in this category, so
LeBron James of the Miami Heat takes the cake. Third in the NBA with 27.2 ppg,
James has been on a tear recently and the All-Star has led the Heat to the top
of the Eastern Conference. James' streak of 30-plus points may be over, but
that won't stop him from pursuing another championship. Others receiving
votes: Kevin Durant, Tony Parker, James Harden, Carmelo Anthony and James
Harden.
BEST ACTOR (Supporting Role) - As previously stated above, there are many
options to go with here. The seemingly obvious choice is Russell Westbrook of
the Oklahoma City Thunder. Playing in the shadows of three-time scoring
champion and current points leader Kevin Durant, Westbrook delivers on a
nightly basis and is, perhaps, the main reason for Durant's success. Westbrook
gets his teammates the ball and leads the Thunder with 8.1 assists per game.
Others receiving votes: Dwyane Wade, Tyson Chandler, David Lee, Monta Ellis,
Joe Johnson, Blake Griffin and Jamal Crawford.
BEST DIRECTOR - Coaches and front office employees deserve more credit than
they actually receive. Yes, the players do all the work, but who counts the
beans upstairs to make it happen, scribbles down plays during timeouts or puts
fans in the seats with promotions, ticket deals, new arenas? Coaches such as
Mike Woodson, Vinny Del Negro, Lionel Hollins, Frank Vogel and Erik Spoelstra
do their part, too, on the sidelines. Gary Sacks and Gerald Madkins run the
show behind the curtain for the Los Angeles Clippers. The same goes for Pat
Riley and Nick Arison in Miami. However, Gregg Popovich is the master coach and
his players aren't getting any younger. Popovich gets the prize for keeping the
San Antonio Spurs, arguably the most dangerous team in the league right now, on
track. Tim Duncan, Manu Ginobili and Tony Parker have endured their share of
bumps and bruises along the way, and they're at full strength right now. Look
out, Western Conference, because the Spurs are jingling and jangling. Others
receiving votes: Del Negro of the Clippers, OKC's Scott Brooks, the Brookyln
Nets' P.J. Carlesimo and Denver's George Karl.
BEST PICTURE - Many storylines, subplots, drama issues, firings and inspiring
tales have surfaced during the 2012-13 campaign. The Chicago Bulls and Indiana
Pacers moving along without their top players, the relationship between Dwight
Howard and Kobe Bryant, the aging Boston Celtics possibly on the decline and
the bounce-back effort of San Antonio after a lousy playoff run are some of the
hot topics. Others may have been left out, not intentionally, but the Clippers'
rise from the ashes wins this category. Hated owner Donald Sterling finally got
it right with the team he has assembled, with Chris Paul, Blake Griffin,
DeAndre Jordan, Jamal Crawford and others forming what has been dubbed "Lob
City." Keep an eye out for this squad in the postseason. Others receiving
votes: Kyrie Irving's ascension in Cleveland, Amare Stoudemire fitting in with
New York, the Nets overtaking Brooklyn and finally getting a piece of the Big
Apple budget, and Denver's dominant play.
VISUAL EFFECTS - NBA hoopsters may be pleasing to the eye of the female fan,
and nothing stands out than an exciting play from an even more exciting
player. LeBron James, Kobe Bryant and Blake Griffin are just a few who
tantalize the crowd with a jaw-dropping play, while some retro uniforms, pre-
game ceremonies and sweet shoe deals play their part in keeping the NBA an
entertaining product. Nothing is more emphatic and crowd pleasing than a nasty
dunk off an alley-oop pass and the Los Angeles Clippers do it best. How sweet
is it to see Chris Paul fire up a pass to a soaring Griffin? Griffin and
DeAndre Jordan abuse the rim regularly and the fans love it. Others receiving
votes: Kyle Korver, Steve Novak and Stephen Curry from 3-point range, sideline
antics from coaches, player introductions and All-Star weekend.
MAKEUP AND HAIRSTYLING - Now this is an interesting and hard-to-decipher
topic. So, here we go. Knicks swingman Iman Shumpert's flattop fade is simply
awesome and reminiscent to the hip-hop group Kid 'n Play. Russell Westbrook or
Dwyane Wade sporting those Steve Urkel-like glasses, Kenneth Faried's long,
Predator-looking locks and Andrew Bynum's assortment of hairstyles have been
well documented. Former Knicks enforcer Anthony Mason had those sharp carvings
in his hair, but those days seem to be over. There are others who stand out
like a sore thumb, most notably James Harden, who brings home this honor
because of that beard. "Fear the Beard" has taken over Space City and it's
difficult to imagine Harden without it. Perhaps his scoring touch is derived
from the hair follicles on his chin. Others receiving votes: Miami's retro unis
and Denver's third jersey, Brooklyn's darkened Barclays Center, Philadelphia
guard Nick Young's fohawk.
ANIMATED FEATURE FILM - It could get a bit weird here. Los Angeles Lakers
forward Metta World Peace, more commonly known as Ron Artest, has calmed down
in recent years and would have taken this award for at least five years
straight. He still gets under the skin of opposing players, but it's not like
the days of the brawl at The Palace of Auburn Hills a few years back. Dennis
Rodman is another character that would be in the running for most animated.
Knicks reserve forward Rasheed Wallace is still in the league, surprisingly,
and so is his trademark "Ball Don't Lie" response to refs when he's whistled
for a foul he doesn't agree with. Lakers center Dwight Howard seems to smile
more than he makes free throws, both LeBron James and Dwyane Wade of the Heat
are also charismatic on the court, Miami forward Chris (Birdman) Anderson has
more ink in his body than an octopus and Lakers star Kobe Bryant calling out
his teammates is nothing new, either. While there is no clear-cut choice for
this award, Kings center DeMarcus Cousins earns this distinction for how poorly
he gets along with coach Keith Smart. Cousins has been suspended for it, too,
and could be a much better player if he just harnesses his talents. Others
receiving votes: All the current players mentioned above before Cousins, the
soap opera that is 76ers center Andrew Bynum and Chicago Bulls enigmatic big
man Joakim Noah, who also qualifies for the Makeup and Hairstyling award.
FOREIGN LANGUAGE FILM - They may not speak the English language with ease, but
these guys understand basketball. It is played world-wide, so if you're from
Argentina, Russia, Belgium, Brazil or Spain, the chances of walking into a
local YMCA and joining a pick-up game wouldn't be an issue. Nene, Leandro
Barbosa, Tiago Splitter and Anderson Varejao represent Brazil quite well, while
Pau and Marc Gasol, Jose Calderon and Ricky Rubio are arguably the top Spanish
players. Rubio and his band of foreigners in Minnesota are the clear-cut
winners in this department. Guard J.J. Barea is from Puerto Rico, where the sun
is hot and the ball is always bouncing, center Nikola Pekovic is representing
Yugoslavia with pride, forward Mickael Gelabale is from Guadeloupe, and both
Andrei Kirilenko and Alexey Shved have carried their skills over from Russia.
The influx of foreigners hasn't helped the Wolves, however, as they sit 12th in
the West. Others receiving votes: Tony Parker, Manu Ginobili, Dirk Nowitzki, Al
Horford, Andrea Bargnani, Goran Dragic and Serge Ibaka.
The Sports Network