“Must win” is probably one of the more overused expressions among NBA fans, and especially Knicks fans. But Thursday night in Boston, it would have been appropriate. To most around the NBA, Carmelo Anthony’s team is fugazi. The Knicks don’t rebound particularly well. Their defense is inconsistent. They are going to set the NBA record for 3-pointers hoisted in a season. They’re not bruisers, they’re not bangers. From here, they look to be the quintessential “win 55 games and lose in the first
SPRINGFIELD, Mass. — Of the 2013 recruits on hand at the HoopHall Classic, the most high-profile players coming into the event were, without question, two 6-7 swingmen: Duke-bound Jabari Parker and the reclassified (2013) and uncommitted Andrew Wiggins. Parker and Wiggins, likely to be compared and contrasted for years and years to come, each showed why they could be competing for the opportunity to shake Adam Silver’s hand first at the 2014 NBA Draft. [Read more…]
PHILADELPHIA – “Now wait a minute.” That’s your cue that Harvey Pollack is about to launch into a story. And he’s got a million of them. The man who’s been more symbolic of the NBA than even the logo — since he’s been around since the very beginning – has a mind that never stops. Just ask him one simple question and be prepared for a detailed answer so complete it will make your head spin. [Read more…]
The 2012-13 NBA season is at its mid-point (more or less), and for the California Four it’s been a first half of dominance, surprise, catastrophe, and upheaval. In that order. For more from California ,check out Mark Heisler’s latest Power Rankings. He is, shall we say … down, on the Lakers. Time to review the action, preview what’s next, and hand out some grades… [Read more…]
On the plus side for Memphis Grizzlies fans, they don’t have to worry about new owner Robert Pera having to reach deep into his wallet to pay the punitive repeater luxury tax in the years ahead. As if Grizz fans care about Pera’s wallet. The verdict here is that the Cleveland Cavaliers pulled off a heist Tuesday in making their 3-for-1 trade with the Grizzlies, acquiring Marreese Speights, Wayne Ellington and Josh Selby and a first-round pick in exchange for Jon Leuer.
Tim Duncan is a horrible pretty darn bad free throw shooter. If you’ve been following the NBA for the past decade and a half, you have probably come to accept that truism. Except for one thing: It isn’t true anymore. It’s not even close to true. It is, in fact, astoundingly untrue this season. [Read more…]
A dozen teams have played at least half their schedule and another seven will join them today, when the most of the most significant holidays in this country’s history becomes the season’s unofficial midway point. So Dr. Martin Luther King Day is as good a time as any to examine the current front-runners for the annual awards. Included are links to both our staff’s preseason picks and the current rankings. And as always, we’ve included snide remarks if/when necessary. [Read more…]
(Stat Mann is our newest writer. If you want to know if that is his real name, you’ll have to read the bio at the bottom of his debut Five Fun Facts item highlighting five cool things that happened in yesterday’s NBA games. That feature will run every night on this site. As a bonus, the new guy is providing you with a history lesson from the MLK Day archives. [Read more…]