If you type
“Jack Taylor” in Wikipedia’s search bar, you’ll find any of thirteen persons:
two baseball pitchers, two footballers, a referee, a journalist, an
entrepreneur, two actors, a musician, a swimmer, a weightlifter, and a
cricketer.
None of
those guys made the sports headlines yesterday. None of those guys helped his
basketball team to a 179-104 victory in Division III of the US NCAA. None of
those guys converted 52 of his 108 field goal attempts.
None of
those guys scores ONE HUNDRED THIRTY EIGHT points in a 40-minute game – that’s
almost four points per minute!
Good enough
to impress no less than the player who holds the single-game scoring record
among all currently active NBA players – Kobe Bryant.
"Really?
Wow. That's impressive. That's crazy," Bryant said after receiving word of
Taylor’s milestone. "I don't care what level you're at. Scoring 138 points
is pretty insane."
 |
| Jack Taylor is the latest to breach the 100-point barrier in organized basketball. (image by Corey Hall/USA Today) |
Of course,
not everyone is as impressed. Some have criticized him as much as they’ve
praised him, including this bit from David Steele of AOL.SportingNews.com:
“You and your coach have made a mockery of
sportsmanship, Jack; you might have picked up on that by now. Not how you
wanted to introduce yourself to the world. Then again, Kobe, Melo and the
Durantula love you. Didn’t see that coming when you pulled on your jersey
Tuesday night, I’ll bet.
Now, you get to weigh those conflicting
reactions for the rest of today, the weekend, and probably your life. Enjoy the
holidays, travel safe.
…
It’s horrifying, it’s dangerous, it’s not
what the sport is all about, it appeals to our lowest, most basic, most
primitive emotions. But holy … just show one more replay, just to see exactly
how out of control it got.”
Mr. Steele
does shift to more level-headed expression later in his article, but that
particular excerpt reflects how supremely ironic this whole incident is.
A guy named
Jack Taylor, who shares that exact same name with THIRTEEN other Wikipedia
entries, distinguishes himself by scoring 138 points (and, yes, making ZERO
assists). His individual feat overshadows the 75-point winning margin of his
Grinnell College Pioneers over Faith Baptist Bible, 179-104. It overshadows the
marathon 14-game NBA schedule that included FOUR overtime games yesterday. It
overshadowed Roy Hibbert’s first ever triple-double performance (he still sucks
by the way).
A guy so
anonymous, with a name so ubiquitous, achieves something so momentous. A guy
named Jack did something Kobe will perhaps never ever be able to do anymore
(unless he decides to play Division III ball, too).
It’s not a big
surprise, then, that Kobe had some final words of wisdom to offer Jack:
"Would
people be celebrating me if I scored 138 points? You know how it is, some
people would, some people wouldn't. They can all kiss my ass, and I'm sure
[Taylor] feels the same way. If you score 138 points, you kind of have a
license to tell people to eff off."
Someday
soon, there will be a fourteenth Jack Taylor in Wikipedia –the same guy who now
has the license to tell people to eff off.
Jack Taylor’s 138-point performance:
Game
Recaps (courtesy of the Sports Network):
Charlotte 98, Toronto 97
Ramon
Sessions put home the game-winning bucket with 28.3 seconds to play and the
Charlotte Bobcats hung on for a 98-97 win over the Toronto Raptors on Wednesday
at Time Warner Cable Arena. Sessions finished with 14 points and six assists.
Kemba Walker scored a team-high 19 points to go with seven assists for the
Bobcats, who have won five of six and are one victory shy of matching their
total from all of last season. Michael Kidd-Gilchrist netted 14 points, while
Ben Gordon contributed 13 points in the victory. Andrea Bargnani scored a
game-high 25 points and Kyle Lowry put home 21 points for the Raptors, who have
lost three of their last four. Jonas Valanciunas contributed 16 points and 10
boards in the setback.
Cleveland 92, Philadelphia
83
Jeremy Pargo
scored a career-high 28 points and the Kyrie Irving-less Cleveland Cavaliers
snapped a six-game skid with a 92-83 victory over the Philadelphia 76ers on
Wednesday. Dion Waiters and Alonzo Gee added 16 and 14 points, respectively,
for the Cavaliers, who avenged an 86-79 loss to the Sixers in Philadelphia on
Sunday. C.J. Miles donated 13 points for Cleveland, which had lost six straight
against the 76ers. Anderson Varejao tallied 10 points and 19 rebounds. Jason
Richardson and Jrue Holiday had 16 points apiece for the Sixers, who had a
three-game winning streak stopped. Evan Turner and Thaddeus Young each recorded
a double-double.
Indiana 115, New Orleans 107
(OT)
Behind Paul
George's nine 3-pointers and Roy Hibbert's first career triple-double, the Indiana
Pacers outlasted the New Orleans Hornets in overtime, 115-107, on Wednesday.
George was instrumental in the Pacers' fourth quarter comeback, connecting on
three 3-pointers in the final minutes of regulation. He poured in 33 of his
career-high 37 points in the second half and overtime. Hibbert, who finished
with a career-high and franchise record 11 blocks, hauled in 11 rebounds and
scored 10 points in registering his first triple-double before fouling out in
OT for the Pacers, who have won three of their last four. George Hill and David
West each chipped in 16 points in the victory. The Hornets, who led most of the
first half and the fourth quarter, seemed to run out of gas by overtime in
losing their fifth straight contest. Anthony Davis sat for a second straight
game with an ankle injury, but in his absence, Robin Lopez finished with a
double-double, scoring a season-high 21 points and pulling down 13 boards.
Jason Smith added 18 points off the bench and Ryan Anderson contributed 17 for
the Hornets.
 |
| Paul George is slowly emerging as the new leader for the embattled Indiana Pacers. (image by Darron Cummings/AP) |
Orlando 90, Detroit 74
Andrew
Nicholson scored a career-high 15 points and the Orlando Magic used a dominant
third quarter to deliver a 90-74 victory over a poor-shooting Detroit Pistons
team at the Amway Center. The Magic put together a 21-0 tear to begin the
second half, turning a 3-point deficit into a comfortable lead before cruising
towards only their second win in their last nine tries. That other triumph also
came at the expense of the Pistons, a 110-106 decision over Detroit last
Friday. Nicholson made good on 7-of-9 field goal attempts and Arron Afflalo
added 12 points for Orlando, which also received a double-double from Glen
Davis in the form of 11 points and a season-best 14 rebounds. Detroit shot a
woeful 9.5 percent (2-for-21) in the fateful third quarter and 32.9 percent for
the game en route to its 10th defeat in 12 games this season. Greg Monroe led
all players with 19 points, but netted just four after halftime.
Atlanta 101, Washington 100
(OT)
The
Washington Wizards were fingertips away from notching their first win of the
season. But the Wizards' worst start in franchise history remains intact after
the Atlanta Hawks prevailed in overtime, 101-100, at Philips Arena. Kyle Korver
drained the last of his five 3-pointers to put Atlanta ahead with 1.9 seconds
left in the extra session. Coming out of a timeout, Washington's Kevin Seraphin
fired up a hook shot from the elbow that was short. Martell Webster secured the
ball in mid-air and appeared to stun the Hawks with his putback. However, replays
showed Webster still had possession when the backboard became illuminated. The
Wizards became the 13th team in NBA history to lose their first 10 games. Josh
Smith had a double-double of 25 points and 12 rebounds for the Hawks. Al
Horford fell a rebound shy of a triple-double, finishing with 15 points and a
career-high 10 assists, but he missed four critical free throws in overtime.
Washington, though, bailed him out by its inability to rebound. Seraphin
compiled 21 points and 10 boards for the Wizards, who have dropped nine in a
row at Atlanta.
San Antonio 112, Boston 100
Tim Duncan
posted 20 points and 15 rebounds to guide the San Antonio Spurs to a 112-100
win over the Boston Celtics. Tony Parker totaled 26 points on 12-of-17 shooting
from the field, and added six assists. Tiago Splitter was also efficient, going
9-of-11 for 23 points off the bench, as the Spurs ended 58.4 percent from the
floor. Rajon Rondo totaled 22 points and 15 assists for the Celtics, who also
received 19 points from Paul Pierce and 16 from Brandon Bass.
Miami 113, Milwaukee 106
(OT)
LeBron James
finished with 28 points, 10 rebounds and eight assists on Wednesday, as the
Miami Heat held off the Milwaukee Bucks, 113-106, in overtime. Dwyane Wade
returned from a two-game absence and matched James with 28 points, while Chris
Bosh recorded a double-double with 24 points and 18 boards to help the Heat
improve to 5-0 at home for the first time in club history. Brandon Jennings
paced Milwaukee with 19 points, seven boards, six assists and five steals,
while rookie John Henson donated a double-double with 17 points and 18 rebounds
for the Bucks, who have lost two straight.
Oklahoma City 117, LA
Clippers 111 (OT)
Kevin Durant
struggled with his shot, but continued to attack and used the charity stripe to
his advantage. Durant nailed 19-of-21 free-throw attempts and netted 35 points
in the Oklahoma City Thunder's 117-111 overtime win over the Los Angeles
Clippers. Durant was just 7-of-19 from the floor and turned the ball over six
times, but snatched six rebounds, dished out five assists and tallied five
steals for Oklahoma City, which has prevailed in eight of its last nine
contests. Russell Westbrook registered 23 points and nine assists, while Serge
Ibaka added 15 points and 12 boards in the victory. Oklahoma City was 34-of-39
from the foul line. Blake Griffin poured in 23 points, but Chris Paul recorded
just nine points on 2-of-14 shooting for the Clippers, who had their six-game
winning streak snapped. Paul had nine assists. The Clippers were gunning for
their first seven-game victory stretch since an eight-game run from Nov.
30-Dec. 15, 1991.
Houston 93, Chicago 89
James Harden
shook off a flu bug to score 28 points, while the Houston Rockets orchestrated
a strong late finish to pull out a 93-89 win over the Chicago Bulls at the
Toyota Center. Two nights after being limited to six points and 17 1/2 minutes
by his sickness in a loss at Utah, Harden made good on 8-of-14 field goal
attempts and added five steals while being on the court for over 42 minutes.
His efforts, along with a critical 10-0 run down the stretch, enabled the
Rockets to put an end to a three-game skid. Patrick Patterson chipped in 20
points and Chandler Parsons amassed 18 points and a career-best 13 rebounds for
Houston, while Toney Douglas had 11 points and sank a clutch long-range jumper
that gave Houston an 86-84 lead with 1:11 remaining.
Denver 101, Minnesota 94
Danilo
Gallinari led five Denver players in double figures with 19 points, as the
Nuggets spoiled Kevin Love's season debut by sneaking away with a 101-94
victory over the Minnesota Timberwolves at Target Center on Wednesday.
Gallinari shot 6-of-11 from the floor and grabbed six rebounds, while Andre
Iguodala netted 18 to go with nine boards. Ty Lawson added 18 and nine assists
for the Nuggets, who have won two straight on the heels of a three-game slide.
Jordan Hamilton and Andre Miller donated 12 and 11 points, respectively, in the
triumph. Love saw game action for the first time this season after breaking his
right hand while working out in the preseason. The All-Star big man did not
miss a beat, scoring a game-high 34 points to go with 14 rebounds for
Minnesota, which lost for the fourth time in five tries. J.J. Barea netted 12
points and Nikola Pekovic scored 10 in defeat.
Dallas 114, New York 111
Vince Carter
scored 14 of his season-high 25 points in the fourth quarter and the Dallas
Mavericks held off a late surge by the New York Knicks to earn a 114-111 win at
American Airlines Center. Carter drained 5-of-10 from behind the arc and O.J.
Mayo scored a game-high 27 points for the Mavericks, who bounced back after
losing to Golden State in overtime on Monday. Darren Collison added 19 points
and seven assists in the win. In their second loss of the season, Carmelo
Anthony paced the Knicks with 23 points, but missed a jumper in the final
seconds that would have given New York the lead. In his return to Dallas, New
York's Jason Kidd notched a season-best 17 points. He also finished with six
rebounds, five assists and five steals. Chandler and Raymond Felton each
recorded double-doubles. Chandler finished with 21 points and 13 rebounds while
Felton added 18 points and 11 assists in the defeat.
Phoenix 114, Portland 87
Marcin
Gortat scored 22 points and pulled down seven rebounds, helping the Phoenix
Suns beat the Portland Trail Blazers, 114-87. Markieff Morris added 19 points
and seven boards for the Suns, who snapped a three-game skid. Jermaine O'Neal
and Goran Dragic ended with 17 and 15 points, respectively. Morris and Shannon
Brown, who had 10 points, replaced Jared Dudley and Luis Scola in the starting
lineup. Dudley and Scola each had four points off the bench. Damian Lillard had
24 points to pace the Blazers, who had a three-game winning streak snapped. Wesley
Matthews and Nicolas Batum tallied 13 points apiece.
Sacramento 113, LA Lakers 97
Marcus
Thornton scored a team-high 23 points off the bench and the Sacramento Kings
cooled off the Los Angeles Lakers with a 113-97 victory to snap a five-game
skid. Thornton, who led a 49-point effort from the Sacramento bench, scored 12
in the final period, helping the Kings out to their highest point total of the
season. Tyreke Evans shot 7-for-11 and finished with 18 points, while John
Salmons and Jason Thompson added 13 apiece for Sacramento, which notched its
third win of the season. Thompson also hauled in 10 boards. Kobe Bryant scored
a game-high 38 points, but didn't get much help from the rest of the Lakers
starting lineup. Dwight Howard finished with just seven points and Pau Gasol
scored eight, as Los Angeles lost for the first time under new head coach Mike
D'Antoni. Metta World Peace tallied 13 points and Jodie Meeks scored 15 in the
setback, which snapped Los Angeles' three-game winning streak.
Golden State 102, Brooklyn
93
Stephen
Curry and Klay Thompson found their rhythm in the second half and commanded the
floor. The duo tallied 38 second-half points in the Golden State Warriors'
102-93 victory over the Brooklyn Nets. Curry netted 25 points, while Thompson
added 23 for the Warriors, who have won four of their past five games. Both
players had 19 points apiece over the final 24 minutes. David Lee recorded 20
points, 13 rebounds and six assists in the triumph. Brook Lopez registered 22
points for Brooklyn, which has dropped two in a row on the heels of its
five-game winning streak.
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