Monday night’s triple-overtime thriller in Salt Lake City simply was one of the best games of the season. It was a three-hour commercial for why League Pass is worth every penny and Exhibit A for why I walk away laughing when some fool tries to explain why the college game is better than the NBA. We will get to that game in some detail. But the first matter of discussion is the Houston Rockets, whose late-season freefall gives North Korea’s space
Four point guards, including Jeremy Lin of the New York Knicks, were chosen as divisional winners for the annual NBA Sportsmanship Award. Lin, whose emergence from benchwarmer to star transcended the game for more than a month, is the finalist for the Atlantic Division. He is currently sidelined with a knee injury. Other point guard finalists are Jason Kidd of the Dallas Mavericks (Southwest), Luke Ridnour of the Minnesota Timberwolves (Northwest) and Chris Paul of the Los Angeles Clippers (Pacific). The other two
Centers Kevin Garnett of the Boston Celtics and Andrew Bynum of the Los Angeles Lakers were named NBA Players of the Week on Monday. Garnett won for the Eastern Conference, leading the Celtics to a 4-1 record. He played in four games and averaged 20.0 points, 10.8 rebounds, 2.5 assists and 1.3 steals – not bad for a guy forced to play out of position. Garnett had 22 points, 12 rebounds and three steals in an 88-86 home win over Atlanta. During
So how many seasons are the Miami Heat going to act like the NBA championship is their birthright and merely a formality? Not one, not two, not three, not four … It’s sometimes hard to tell whether the Heat are bored, whistling in the dark or still trying to figure it out. But one thing is certain: the basketball they are playing right now is not good enough to win a title. “We all know we have to take a real big step forward as a
After 16 months under the ownership of the NBA, the New Orleans Hornets have been sold to Tom Benson, who owns the NFL’s New Orleans Saints. The sale was announced Friday by the Saints. On the team’s Twitter account was a post that confirmed “Tom Benson as the new owner of the New Orleans (at)Hornets!” The NBA and the Hornets have yet to make an official announcement. The NBA’s Board of Governors will vote on the sale Friday afternoon, the New Orleans
Portland Trail Blazers All-Star forward LaMarcus Aldridge has a labral tear in his right hip requiring surgery and will sit out the rest of the season, the team announced Thursday. The surgery is an arthroscopic procedure and will be performed by Dr. Marc Phillipon at a later date. Aldridge is expected to be ready for training camp next season, but his chances of making the 2012 United States Olympic team are in jeopardy. “In his most recent MRI, and following further evaluation,
We try to make The Bernucca List somewhat challenging, but last week’s edition appeared to be a bit too challenging. Just one reader chimed in – Dylan, whose incorrect guess was followed by, “This is a tough one.” Apparently so. For the third time in for weeks, our readers were unable to come up with the right answer, which was “Active players who have been suspended or fined for moving violations.” We thought the inclusion of Tyreke Evans, J.R. Smith and Delonte
Sixteen days to glory. The title of Bud Greenspan’s documentary of the 1984 Olympics also is fitting for the NBA season, which has just 16 days remaining and a dozen playoff spots still up for grabs. For argument’s sake, we’re going to assume middle-of-the-packers Indiana, Boston, Atlanta and Orlando will eventually clinch berths in the Eastern Conference, while the Los Angeles Lakers, Los Angeles Clippers and Memphis will sew up spots in the West. All seven of those teams have fewer than 25