Life as a sports commissioner is often confusing. Sometimes you act tough and then critics accuse you of being a wimp. Sometimes you tell a little joke and it becomes a conspiracy theory. And then you think you are acting decisively only to be accused of negatively manipulating results and a team’s ability to compete for a title. It’s a complicated job ,and David Stern found that out again Saturday when Metta World Peace returned from a seven-game suspension for the
If you live in an area other than Dallas, Texas, you probably are not aware that if the Mavericks had brought back their team of a year ago, they would have won their second consecutive NBA title. Yes, that is correct. Add Tyson Chandler, J.J. Barea and DeShawn Stevenson to the Mavericks roster, and instead of being swept by Oklahoma City in the first round, the Mavericks would have won in six games at the most, maybe five like last year and,
For NBA writers, pregame with Gregg Popovich is a little like trading engaging barbs with Bill Maher. It can be humorous, but the guy you are talking to is a minimum of two times as quick as you and five times as smart, so step carefully. Pop is a guy who majored in Soviet Studies at the Air Force Academy and worked in highly sensitive missions on the border of Russia and Turkey when he was a younger man. So while he
Sports is always in search of something special – rivalries, dynasties, the greatest. In so many ways, the rivalry between the Lakers and Spurs should qualify as classic. But the reality of the NBA is that there is one true lasting rivalry – Celtics and Lakers. One franchise has 17 titles, the other 16. They have met 12 times in the Finals with Boston holding a 9-3 edge. Larry Bird vs. Magic Johnson was Lakers-Celtics. Bill Russell vs. Wilt Chamberlain is the NBA’s
Memphis is famous for barbeque, Beale Street and Blue Suede Shoes. Each of those has helped produce some of the finer institutions in the city including brisket, bourbon and, when the King was around, Burnin’ Love. If there is one area where Memphis has failed to captivate the masses, however, it is basketball – at least the professional variety. Yes, it’s true that a fanatical group of perhaps 150 natives – give or take a few (very few) – remember those glorious
A quick check of history reveals the saying “the best laid plans of mice and men often go awry” came from a 1785 Scottish poem by Robert Burns. Before translation, however, the original makes English sound like a foreign language: “The best-laid schemes o’ mice an’ men Gang aft agley, An’ lea’e us nought but grief an’ pain, For promis’d joy!” After reading that, I was sure I had found the perfect introduction for a treatise on Lamar Odom’s career in Dallas. He may have
In his Hall of Fame career, Larry Brown has coached NBA teams to 1,520 victories in the regular season and playoffs, led ABA teams to 271 victories and college teams to 177 victories. For those counting, Brown has left a basketball game 1,968 times as a winner. That means at his next stop, Brown is very likely to celebrate win No. 2,000 and he made it clear last week that he certainly would like to have a next stop. “I just want
Jim Buss made an appearance in Los Angeles last week and apparently did not see his shadow because he said he will no longer play hide and seek. Which is good because now that he has ventured into the public, he can get himself familiar with the Thunder, Spurs, defending champions and … the potential shadow cast by Larry Brown? If only the basketball gods will cooperate. But first, let’s address Buss – a man who has been a shadowy figure, unwilling to