Dwight Howard has retreated to a mountain somewhere to ponder his future. And that gives us a little time to sit back and appreciate the recent past — and how the NBA landscape might look a lot different (Chris Bosh trade rumors, anyone?) if not for Ray Allen. There have been many plays in sports that have not only changed the momentum of a game, but of history itself. These plays change the outcome of a season or sometimes a career,
Every professional sport lives by the famous adage, “Coaches are hired to be fired.” It is well known that when things go south, it is the coach and not the players who get the blame and the ax. In the NBA, with 15 players collectively making somewhere north of $60 million in salary and being almost impossible to replace, it is no wonder that the coach and his assistants are the usual fall guys for poor performance. Few jobs carry so
Three years ago after “The Decision” and the free agent signing of Chris Bosh, the Miami Heat were declared the NBA Champions for the next 10 years. Who could beat them? They were loaded. They had filled the requirements of “The Championship Formula” and the future was set. Barring a catastrophic injury (or a cataclysmic Game 7 against the Pacers), the trophy was ready to be engraved! What is this formula that wins championships? Is it something new? Does it really
As we entered the 2013 playoffs, the Miami Heat were poised to repeat as NBA champions. Or so it would seem. As we wait to see where the challenger will come from, the Heat’s place in history is developing before our eyes. Will they become a dynasty or fold under the real life pressures of free agency and the salary cap? Will they take their place in the discussion of “Greatest Ever?” Or be a team that had a great run? [Read
With the NBA season winding down, award season is right around the corner. The Coach of the Year award this season is a very tight race. I have a tremendous history with coaches. It started by growing up with an NBA Coach of the Year living across the hall from me for my entire childhood. That helped me grow up to have an 18-year NBA career playing for 15 different coaches. And when you consider that I had one coach (Doug Moe)
This week, two of my former teams are having fabulous winning streaks. My Denver Nuggets just ended a 15-game run to finally get noticed in the West and my Miami Heat are still going at 27 straight as they approach the all-time record of 33 consecutive wins set by my Los Angeles Lakers. The great thing about an 18-year NBA career is that after playing on seven different teams, you always have one of your former teams to root for! At the end of
As David Stern winds down his illustrious career as the NBA commissioner, his greatest legacy will be handing the league off to his successor, Adam Silver, in wonderful working order. And as far as this March is concerned, the madness being created by the Miami Heat is as good as it gets. Let’s make one thing clear. The man who once said his dream NBA Finals matchup was “Lakers vs. Lakers” does not just like superteams, he loves them. [Read more…]