There’s no question that Miami is the odds-on favorite to represent the Eastern Conference in the NBA Finals. Similarly, either Oklahoma City or Memphis is generally expected to survive the Western Conference playoffs. Even so, there are a pair of dark horses in each conference race that must be considered: the New York Knicks and Los Angeles Clippers. Indeed, both of these teams have legitimate shots to turn the chalk bets into ashes. [Read more…]
The NBA has a superb Christmas present for basketball fans today. While the players, coaches and support staff for the ten teams involved might prefer to be at home with their families, and there’s grumbling from others who have to be there (media, arena personnel) it’s a fabulous 13-hour TV show for the rest of us. Enjoy! [Read more…]
Merry Christmas! For those of us celebrating the holiday with family and friends, basketball is not the main priority; it’s all about opening presents and overeating. If you’re simply enjoying a day off and glued to the TV for an 11-hour hoops marathon while rooting for your fantasy teams, why not try some daily-league action? [Read more…]
After the Los Angeles Clippers demolished the Phoenix Suns on Sunday night for their franchise-record 13th straight win, there were two telling quotes coming out of the losing locker room. The first came from Suns coach Alvin Gentry, who was very impressed. “That is the best team we’ve played,” said Gentry, whose club has faced Miami, Memphis, New York and Golden State but has yet to play Oklahoma City or San Antonio. [Read more…]
BROOKLYN – The Nets beat the 76ers 95-92 on Sunday, and Avery Johnson made some desperate changes to his team’s rotation in order to save his job. After losing the last three games and eight of their previous 10, Johnson decided changes needed to be made. He used the two days of practice after the loss to the Knicks to make those adjustments, notably removing Kris Humphries from the rotation. By doing so, not only is Johnson already abandoning a system that
Apparently, “indefinitely” is a euphemism for “one game.” Sacramento Kings center DeMarcus Cousins, who was suspended indefinitely by the team Saturday, was reinstated Monday after missing one game. The Kings announced the reinstatement. Cousins practiced with the team Monday. Cousins was suspended Saturday, one day after he had a profanity-laced argument with coach Keith Smart during a loss to the Clippers and was ordered to remain in the locker room for the second half. It was the third suspension of the season for Cousins
Friends, U.S. Olympic teammates and NBA Players of the Week. LeBron James of the Miami Heat and Chris Paul of the Los Angeles Clippers received the league’s weekly honor Monday after both led their teams to perfect records. [Read more…]
One year ago, the Hornets bought power forward Gustavo Ayon out of his Fuenlabrada (ACB) contract and brought him to New Orleans several days before their unlocked season tipped off. Ayon started 24 games as a 26-year-old rookie and was shipped to Orlando in a sign-and-trade for Ryan Anderson this summer. That’s fairly incredible value for someone New Orleans plucked from a small Spanish club only 12 games into its ACB season. So will Ayon’s leap become the archetype for signing post-draft