LeBron James has been the subject of debate for much of the season due to his perceived inability to perform in the clutch, despite having a jaw dropping statistical season for one of the most dominant teams in the league. He has been referred to by many as a choker and a second-tier closer. On Saturday night at home against the Pacers, the opportunity to show late-game execution presented itself again as the world watched to see what James would do in the
Traditionally, Kobe Bryant has enjoyed playing against Minnesota: he has yet to lose to them in 17 tries in the span of five years, the longest active winning streak by one team against another. That streak could come to an end if the Lakers (23-16) continue to drop winnable games away from home. They look to avoid a fourth straight loss on the road visiting the surging Minnesota Timberwolves (21-19) in Friday night’s best game. The Lakers are a force to be
A few nights ago, the Orlando Magic somehow managed to blow a big lead to lose to the worst team in the NBA. On Thursday night, they visited the best team in the league and found a way to come out with a victory. Such have been the ups and downs of a roller coaster season for the Magic and Dwight Howard, who continues to face questions about what may happen by the trade deadline. Against Derrick Rose and the Bulls, the Magic
Dwight Howard just wants to win, according to him. It remains to be seen if he stays in Orlando, but games like the Magic’s previous outing won’t be very convincing for the best center in the NBA. With the trade deadline approaching, Howard and the Magic suffered their worst loss of the season when they allowed Charlotte — the worst team in the league — to turn a 20-point deficit into a 100-84 win. The Magic (25-15) now have the daunting task
The Philadelphia 76ers have had the Atlantic Division lead for much of the season and looked ready to run away with it by taking advantage of an easy early schedule. Since then, they have taken a tumble, and the Boston Celtics may be ready to reclaim the throne as the best team in the division, which has been the case since the arrival of Ray Allen and Kevin Garnett in the 2007-2008 season. The streaking Celtics (20-17) visit the reeling 76ers (22-17)
Since the All-Star break, the New York Knicks have played two games in the span of eight days. The extra time off and subsequent practice time for the revamped roster hopefully will be a benefit as they visit the weary Dallas Mavericks in Tuesday’s best NBA game. The Mavericks (22-17) are coming off a controversial loss Monday night at Oklahoma City. Playing their fourth game in five nights will present a challenge as they are just 3-3 at home against Eastern
As dominant as the Oklahoma City Thunder have been this season, they seem to get the benefit of the doubt when it comes to late controversial calls. The Thunder trailed by a point with 46 seconds remaining Tuesday night when Dallas center Ian Mahinmi appeared to cleanly block Serge Ibaka’s shot, but the whistle was blown for a foul, much to the dismay of Mahinmi and Rick Carlisle. Ibaka made both free throw attempts and the Thunder never looked back as they
Even if Dirk Nowitzki is feeling as good as he did against the Jazz on Saturday when he scored a season high 40 points in just under 29 minutes, defeating the best home team in the league will be a tall task for the Dallas Mavericks. Nowitzki and the Mavericks (22-16) visit Kevin Durant and the Oklahoma City Thunder (29-8) for their final meeting this season in Monday night’s best game. The Thunder has won two of the three meetings this season