GREENBURGH, N.Y. — The best way for me to tell you about Derek Fisher’s first day on the job is to relate two conversations I had with him Tuesday at his introductory news conference as coach of the New York Knicks. One answer illustrated just how much the Knicks are a franchise being held hostage by a single player. The second illustrated just how there isn’t much of value on this roster aside from Anthony. I have been to more introductory news conferences
As the NBA Finals shift from the pizza oven of San Antonio to the curtain-like humidity of Miami, should we be surprised that the Heat and Spurs split the first two games? Not really. The teams split the first two games in Miami a year ago, and it looks like they are settling into what should be another long series to decide the NBA champion. But that doesn’t mean the series hasn’t been without surprises thus far. [Read more…]
SAN ANTONIO — Ball movement. Two words. It’s that simple. When the ball moves, good things happen. When the ball stops moving, bad things happen. “You move it or you die,” Spurs coach Gregg Popovich said. If you want to break down Game 2 into the one big thing that separated the two teams, you don’t have to bring up LeBron James’ 35 points. They were needed, of course, but the three biggest plays that James made came in the final 1:43 —
We are now three weeks away from free agency, and we now have some insight into who will look to be a heavy hitter on July 1. The news that the Houston Rockets will not pick up the tam option on Chandler Parsons is a signal flare that Daryl Morey is going to try his best to add a third superstar. It won’t be easy for him — especially if he wants a max salary superstar. But if he is setting
It was unbelievably hot in the AT&T Center on Thursday night. I know because I was there. And while LeBron James was cramping up, the San Antonio Spurs were heating up. In the fourth quarter of Game 1, the Spurs shot 14-of-16 from the field, including 6-of-6 from 3-point range, and turned a close game into a 110-95 runaway. So does San Antonio have the upper hand? Yes – but perhaps not for long. In the “Big Three” Era, Miami is a
If you break up Chris Andersen’s nickname into two words, you have the operative sentence for Game 2: Free Bird. [Read more…]
SAN ANTONIO — On your left we have a bottle of Powerade, endorsed by LeBron James. It’s supposedly the stuff he drinks to stay hydrated. (Cue laughter.) On your right we have a bottle of Gatorade, endorsed by Dwyane Wade. When it was mentioned Friday in a question to LeBron James, he refused to speak of the product by name. Then again, the word “Powerade” never came out of James’ mouth, either, a day after “Crampgate” and the broken air conditioning system at the
SAN ANTONIO — Adam Silver was not convinced that the sauna-like conditions in the T&T Enter (get it? No AC) led to LeBron James’ cramps. “Did anybody else cramp up?” he asked me as he exited the arena. The new commissioner’s first game as David Stern’s successor is one that will live in infamy. It was sweltering inside the Spurs’ home arena on a day when the temperature reached almost 100 degrees outside and came close to that inside. How hot was it