PHILADELPHIA – The hard truth of life in the NBA is that once you’re down, it’s nearly impossible to get back up. The haves always seem to have it. The have-nots seem to be perpetually buried near the bottom. Or worse, in the middle of the pack, where there’s little chance of finding that rare gem in the draft and not much hope in free agency, either. [Read more…]
Nothing great has ever been accomplished without enthusiasm. And for Paul Pierce, leader of the “old man’s pick-up game,” that adage will define his career as one of the greatest Boston Celtics in its storied history. This is not to begin mourning the death of his Celtics life, but to understand what it all meant if reports today from Greg Dickerson are true. [Read more…]
As the second round of the NBA playoffs surges into the weekend — with every series tied 1-1 for the first time in league history — all eyes are on the Golden State Warriors. Klay Thompson’s Game 2 brilliance — 34 points on 8-for-9 shooting from 3-point range — evened up Golden State’s series with San Antonio heading into Friday night’s Game 3 at “the Roaracle,” but it has been Stephen Curry and Mark Jackson who have turned this organization into
Warning to the rest of the NBA, especially the Miami Heat: If history can be used as a guide, Derrick Rose is going to be a much better shooter when/if he returns during the playoffs. Yes, that is a big “if.” Rose is expected to sit again tonight for Game 3. But when he returns, he should return a better shooter. That’s what happens when hard-working, coachable players have to rehab from leg or knee injuries. All they can do is practice their
NEW YORK — How did Frank Vogel get his start in coaching? “That’s a long story you’re getting into there,” I was warned as I asked Vogel that question at the Pacers’ shootaround on Tuesday morning at MSG. Indeed, it is. Vogel, who finished a distant fifth in voting for Coach of the Year honors, isn’t a former NBA player. He is, however, a former Division III, pre-med varsity point guard with a 2.6 GPA (“That was not going to get me into med
The second round of the NBA playoffs have kicked off with a bang. And after what was a rather drama-less first round has become quite the opposite as we watch the final eight contend for the title. Most notably, the Chicago Bulls shocked the Miami Heat in Game 1 Monday night — on the road no less — and the Indiana Pacers came into Madison Square Garden and punked the Knicks Sunday afternoon. Did you know the Bulls are 9-8 against the Heat
NEW YORK — When Pacers head coach Frank Vogel called a timeout with 12.1 seconds left in the first half of yesterday’s matinee Game 1 matchup against the Knicks, Paul George wound up and launched a jumper, smooth as could be, from near mid-court. [Read more…]
J.R. Smith made noise Sunday night, but it sure wasn’t for his performance in the Knicks uninspiring 102-95 loss to the Indiana Pacers in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Semifinals. Like many of the Knicks, Smith was frustrated by the Pacers suffocating defense, which allowed the second-fewest points per game and the lowest field goal percentage in the league during the regular season. [Read more…]