With 11 games left in the regular season, the Philadelphia 76ers can slice their Atlantic Division deficit in half on Sunday with a win over the division-leading Celtics in Boston. It could come down to a battle of the benches. Saturday, Ray Allen came off the bench for just the sixth time in his career and hit four 3-pointers in the fourth quarter. Philadelphia’s leading scorer, Lou Williams (15.3 ppg), comes off the bench every game; and Saturday the Sixers were paced by
When the shortened season started and the Philadelphia 76ers came out blazing with a 20-9 record to lead the Atlantic Division, there was little doubt in anyone’s mind about the new direction Doug Collins and the team was headed. They had experienced a tough playoff run against the Miami Heat the previous season, and had looked to grow from the experience. It was, however, noted that they also had one of the easiest schedules to start the season. Looking back, they played the
Tensions are running high as the playoffs draw near, and two teams feeling the heat will take their respective aggressions out on each other when the floundering Philadelphia 76ers host the reeling Orlando Magic in Saturday’s best game. If you haven’t seen the NBA’s most awkward clip of 2012, here it is. The Dwight Howard saga has somehow grown since the trade deadline, with his sudden reversal on his trade demand and his decision to opt in to his contract and possibly
Let’s go down the checklist, shall we? The Miami Heat are a team that suffers too many letdowns too consistently. Check. The Los Angeles Lakers cannot thrive when Andrew Bynum is a hothead. Check. The Oklahoma City Thunder scare the wits out of nobody. Check. The San Antonio Spurs are a machine. Check. Well, that was quite a Friday night in the NBA wasn’t it? And for different reasons than those that made Thursday such a special night. That’s the thing about this truncated, squished-together
After having trouble on the road, the Miami Heat have predictably stepped up at home to help erase some bad karma. The team has an astounding home record of 23-2 and a win tonight would match the best home winning streak in franchise history with 18 consecutive victories. LeBron James and the Miami Heat look to extend their overall winning streak to three straight games as they host the visiting Memphis Grizzlies in Friday’s best game. This is the first and only meeting
Dwight Howard is truly having a season to forget. Most seem to be calling it a “Dwightmare”, fittingly. Sadly, most of it is due to off-court issues. Throughout his career, he was a drama-free, fun and charismatic superstar adored by most around him. Since the end of last season, however, he has become one of the more unlikable players in the NBA. He has become a walking daytime soap opera due to his much-documented indecision of where he would like to play. During the process, he
The twists and turns of a wild season for the New York Knicks have been upstaged by the Dwight Howard saga. In a bizarre sequence of events for the media that had twitter in a state of frenzy, Stan Van Gundy addressed questions today and confirmed rumors that came out yesterday, saying Dwight Howard demanded Van Gundy be fired as the head coach of the Orlando Magic. “I was told it was true by people in our management,” Van Gundy said. “So right from
A month from now when we’re forced to endure an Indiana Pacers or Atlanta Hawks playoff game and we’re looking back fondly on what has been smorgasbord of a regular season, we shall long for nights like the one we had Wednesday. Heat-Thunder. Lakers-Clippers. Spurs-Celtics. And perhaps best of all, because I am biased here by virtue of touting this one and watching the thrilling finish from the edge of my office chair, Suns-Jazz. Great game in Miami, won by the Heat