Lakers forward Pau Gasol received news right before the game that he was not selected for the All-Star Game. He let the Celtics know how he felt about the snub with 25 points, 14 rebounds and a game-saving block to help beat the Lakers escape Boston with an 88-87 overtime win. Kobe Bryant scored 27 points and made a handful of tough shots but was generally ineffective down the stretch. He missed a potential game-tying shot at the end of the fourth
Dirk? Apparently, the Western Conference coaches chose this year’s All-Star reserves based upon last year’s accomplishments. The 14 All-Star reserves were announced tonight on TNT, and there were a couple of surprises. None was bigger than the selection of Nowitzki, who is averaging the lowest numbers since his sophomore season. His points per game (17.6) are down 5.4 from last season, his field-goal percentage has dropped from.517 to .461, and whose 3-point percentage has nosedived from .393 to .211. He even acknowledged recently
The rivalry between the Los Angeles Lakers and Boston Celtics doesn’t need any added incentive. But it may have some in Thursday night’s best NBA game. The first of two meetings between the greatest franchises in league history will be televised nationally at 8 p.m. ET by TNT, which has a one-hour pregame show that will reveal the reserves for the All-Star Game later this month. Both proud teams have former All-Stars who have taken a step back this season and may
Boston’s Kevin Garnett needs 101 points to pass Charles Barkley (23,757) for 18th place on the all-time scoring list; he needs 24 rebounds to pass Buck Williams (13,017) for 13th on the all-time rebounding list. After averaging 89.9 points in its first eight games,GoldenStatehas picked up the pace. In the Warriors’ last 14 games, they are averaging 103.5 points and have reached the century mark 10 times. The Los Angeles Lakers’ Derek Fisher has played in 520 consecutive regular season games dating back to April 15, 2005, the longest consecutive
Highlight Performance: Josh Smith, ATL– If there’s one thing Smith is known for, it’s producing monstrous lines across the board. Although he doesn’t do it on a nightly basis and often comes up with duds, when he’s on, he’s one of the best fantasy players in the game. Wednesday Night was a prime example; check out this line: 28 Points (11-17 fg’s), 12 rebounds, 3 assists, 5 steals, and 3 blocks. The key with Smith is the fantastic defensive numbers he
Rebuilding the Lakers and Celtics…. Good luck. As the announcers say, It’s Always Special When These Two Teams Meet—at least, if one hasn’t fallen off the world, as the Celtics had in 2007 when Laker fans got “MVP!” chants going for Kobe Bryant in the Derek Jeter Center or FleetCenter or whatever they called it then. It’s still special going into Thursday night’s game in the—uh, TD Banknorth Garden–even if both are old and they’re trying to gum each other to death. If all
The Atlanta Hawks, in desperate need of a big man to defend the paint, signed veteran Erick Dampier to a 10-day contract. The team announced the deal Thursday, hours after the Hawks ended a three-game losing streak – all at home – with a win over Indiana. All-Star Al Horford may miss the rest of the regular season with a torn pectoral muscle. Initially, Atlanta seemed OK without him, winning nine of its first 11 games without its starting center. But then Jason
First off, we are doing away with the Roman numerals, which only are used in copyright dates and Super Bowls. They can have ’em. Now back to business. Last week’s Bernucca List was first correctly answered by reader Matthew, who said the list was players who were parts of trades involving Shaquille O’Neal. He narrowly edged Sam Millner, preventing him from winning a second straight week. This week’s list is below. Whether you are a reader or a tweeter, send an answer.