Mike Woodson returns to Atlanta – the team he coached for six seasons and guided to three playoff appearances – for the first time as the head coach of the New York Knicks, who face the Hawks in Friday’s best NBA game. Woodson will have to face his former team shorthanded as Jeremy Lin (sore knee), Amar’e Stoudemire (bulging disk) and Jared Jeffries (right knee inflammation) have all been ruled out. Though the absence of the big men was expected, Lin’s sudden
Really? Two Bernucca Lists in a row without a correct answer? C’mon, Sheridan Hoops readers, you’re better than that. Yes, Edition 16 was a tough one, and sooner or later, we were going to produce one of these lists that stumped our readership. And reader Andrew was very close on Edition 17, which ran last week. However, we have to question his sense of NBA history. The correct answer was “Players who have averaged 25 points and 13 rebounds in the same season.” We
Derek Fisher returned to the Staples Center for the first time since being swapped for Jordan Hill at the trade deadline two weeks ago. Los Angeles showed its appreciation for him in a big way — playing a tribute video just before tip-off followed by a rousing ovation from the crowd. Perhaps inspired by the exciting atmosphere, he picked the perfect time to snap out of a personal funk, too. Coming into the game averaging just 3.8 points on 22.7% shooting since joining his new
The (mostly) young Oklahoma City Thunder have been the most consistent team in the Western Conference this season. The Lakers — a team full of veterans (with the exception of the one they’ll have a reunion with tonight) — are trying to get back to a level of consistency they once held over the Thunder. In a meeting between two of the top scorers in the league, Kobe Bryant and the L.A. Lakers take on the visiting Kevin Durant and the Western
Every time it looks like the Minnesota Timberwolves are no longer part of the Western Conference playoff race, Kevin Love takes over a game, leads them to a win and keeps them in the hunt. The Wolves have no right chasing a postseason berth. They were 100 games under .500 over the last two seasons. Their prized rookie point lived up to the hype, then went down with a torn ACL. Their center, a double-double revelation in his own right, also
The Boston Celtics have had little trouble defeating the Utah Jazz in recent years. They have won eight of the last 11 meetings at the TD Garden — including the last three games by an average of 17.3 points — and swept last season’s two-game series. Their last loss came back on March 14, 2008, when Deron Williams and Carlos Boozer were still toiling for Jerry Sloan. But with the way the Jazz have played as of late, the Celtics may be
Everything is back to normal in the Western Conference: Kobe Bryant is hitting late daggers for the Lakers, the San Antonio Spurs are putting upstarts back in their place, the Oklahoma City Thunder are cruising, and the defending champion Dallas Mavericks are appearing title-worthy again. Well, not everything is hunky-dory. Andrew Bynum getting benched by coach Mike Brown for the final 9:10 means there is still a whiff of controversy in the stronger of the NBA’s two conferences. “I don’t know what was
The Houston Rockets currently share an identical record with Utah and Denver. That will change tonight — as the other two teams have the night off — when the Rockets look to avenge their recent overtime loss against the well-rested Dallas Mavericks in Tuesday’s best game. The two teams faced off last Saturday in a game filled with playoff intensity. The game featured 15 ties, 17 lead changes and four stitches above the right eye of Dirk Nowitzki, but his team ultimately