For a six-game night, there are some nice matchups. The Nets are visiting the Magic, which means the New York metro area media will be zoning up Dwight Howard. There should be a relay race in Portland, where the Blazers entertain the Nuggets. And on TNT, the Mavericks try to figure out their myriad issues as they travel to take on the Thunder, where Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook are bickering. But the best game is the back end of TNT’s
The Bernucca List – Edition V
The answer to last week’s edition of The Bernucca List was “Members of the Knicks during the Mike D’Antoni era.” The first correct answer was given by Dan, who wins … a mention in this week’s edition. Congratulations. Now, if you really want to win something while perusing SheridanHoops – like, say, NBA game tickets – then click here and follow the instructions. On to this week’s list, which is short but sweet, like Salma Hayek, and more difficult than figuring out
Tonight’s best game: Oklahoma City at Memphis
The Oklahoma City Thunder and Memphis Grizzlies meet Wednesday night in FedEx Forum, the site of their postseason meeting last year that was undoubtedly the best game of the playoffs. The Grizzlies held a 2-1 lead in the Western Conference semifinals after climbing out of a 16-point hole to win Game 3 in overtime. In Game 4, The Thunder desperately needed a win to reclaim home-court advantage but fell behind by 18 points in the second quarter. OKC stormed back and held
Tonight’s best game: Utah at LA Lakers
By this time Wednesday, the city of Los Angeles could be in a full-blown state of panic. Forget about earthquakes, brushfires or rolling blackouts, which are the customary causes for trouble in Tinseltown. No, it’s the Lakers, who will be trying to avoid an 0-3 start when they host the Utah Jazz. It’s the second game of TNT’s doubleheader, which means everything the Lakers say and do will be analyzed by their star-studded studio panel in a way that would shame Sheldon from
Bernucca column: “Derrick Rose Rule” lets fans hold the purse strings
Unlike Allan Houston and the “Allan Houston Rule,” it was fitting that Derrick Rose was the first player to benefit from the “Derrick Rose Rule,” a provision in the new collective bargaining agreement that makes a player completing his rookie deal eligible for 30 percent of the salary cap as a max salary if he meets certain criteria. Beginning with the 2012-13 season, Rose will receive nearly $95 million over the next five years. That’s about $11 million more than he
The Bernucca List – Edition IV
We may have to start making these a bit tougher. Three readers nailed the right answer to last week’s edition of The Bernucca List, which was Team USA’s 2002 World Championships roster, a squad that finished a resounding sixth despite owning home-court advantage. Reader Little Al gets extra credit for adding Nick Collison as an alternate. Edition IV is below. Know the answer? Tweet it to me or post a comment. The Bernucca List Earl Barron Derrick Brown Jonathan Bender Joe Crawford J.R. Giddens Eddie House Larry Hughes Marcus Landry Tracy McGrady Darko
Few hookups, and big breakups
The compressed offseason was supposed to be about hookups. On Friday, it was all about breakups. Hours after being chastised by Chauncey Billups, the New York Knicks began targeting his replacement at point guard. Billups met the media in Los Angeles on Friday, less than a week after he was surprisingly released by the Knicks via the amnesty clause. The five-time All-Star is still not over it. From Pedro Moura of ESPNLosAngeles.com: “Billups admitted he “contemplated” retiring after being claimed by the
Bernucca column: Is Dwight a white knight?
It’s time for Dwight Howard to make a decision. Does he want to stay in Orlando, or does he want out? Does he want to be Dirk Nowitzki or Paul Pierce, or does he want to be LeBron James or Carmelo Anthony? Does he want to be a white knight, or does he want to move over to the dark side? Over the weekend, Howard appeared irreversibly headed to the dark side, where NBA superstars hold their teams hostage with early termination options