During a wonderfully entertaining NBA Finals, it is a bit of a challenge to exercise restraint, which, of course, doesn’t exist in TwitterWorld, anyway. After Game 3, it was obvious that no matter what happened the rest of the series, LeBron James would be the MVP. Even if the Cavs lost three straight and the series. James had been sufficiently brilliant – to borrow from the esteemed pundit Moses Malone, LeBron had taken four guys from Australia, Russia, Canada and the
If Stephen Curry and LeBron James line up next to each other, it looks like Marty McFly standing beside the Incredible Hulk, which, oddly in a way, works in Curry’s favor. Curry obviously is a player with stellar skills and during the playoffs, he has continued to demonstrate his worthiness as the Most Valuable Player, which he won for his play in the regular season. With an average of 29.7 points in 16 games, he ranks second in scoring behind only
Considering the history of the Clippers, the easy shot is to compare them to the franchise they’ve always been. Losing a 3-1 lead in the series and a 19-point lead in the third quarter of what should have been the deciding game is another case of “the Clippers being the Clippers” – only on a much grander stage. The reality is, however, that as inept as the Clippers looked while losing in the Western semifinals to the Rockets, they are nothing
Considering how spirited the discussion was for the Most Valuable Player Award, it turned out to be no contest with Stephen Curry winning by 262 points over James Harden. First place votes favored Curry 100-25. Although I thought Harden was more deserving, there is a larger issue. It does appear that we are in another period where greatness has becoming boring and we take it for granted. If you watch, listen and read about the NBA, any discussion of who the best
In the four years since their unlikely 2010-11 championship season, the Mavericks have made the playoffs three times, missed them once, but have not advanced past the first round. In those three playoff series, they have a 4-12 record. That record has made them the poster children for second-guessers because after winning the title, owner Mark Cuban and general manager Donnie Nelson decided to gamble on greatness rather than being deluded by a perfect storm. The criticism of the Mavericks – particularly
The list of candidates mentioned this far for the open Oklahoma City head coaching job have excluded the ideal candidate for Thunder GM Sam Presti. Here’s a man whose most famous trade featured him sending a franchise player to a conference opponent. In return, his team received a bounty equivalent to John Nance Garner’s description of the vice presidency – which is to say it was “not worth a bucket of warm spit.” (Or close to that.) The Thunder won 45 games
Before making a few points on the MVP race, it should be noted the debate has been nothing short of fantastic. The methods used by a variety of writers to reach a conclusion have been wildly different, but whether voters rely on analytics, old school observation or something in between, the passion for the subject has been unsurpassed and a joy to read. The Players Association has announced that it will have its own set of awards after the season, and it
LOS ANGELES – The numbers make the pro-side of the argument difficult, even for a determined apologist. Forty-one games played; 123 either missed or to be missed. A shooting percentage of .410. Exactly 865 points scored. For those two-year totals, the Lakers will have invested almost $55 million in salary on Kobe Bryant. They still owe him $25 million for next season. But if you believe the Lakers no longer think it was good business to sign Bryant to a two-year contract