I don’t like the NCAA Tournament. I don’t like that college basketball’s regular season provides little postseason incentive. I don’t like that the coach is a bigger personality than the players. I don’t like that the games are played on neutral courts. I don’t like that one bad game or bad call or bad break can end a team’s season. I don’t like that “close” becomes a synonym for “well-played.” And I don’t like that poor play determines the outcome much
We are about to witness what may be a first in the long history of the NBA. For the first time, four of the league’s flagship franchises could well be out of the playoffs. OK, the Knicks aren’t technically out of the race in the Hindenburg Conference, but they have a lot of ground to make up on Atlanta – four games in the loss column with 13 to play. The Celtics, Lakers and 76ers all are making plans for the
The Zen Master himself has returned to the NBA as the newest Big Kahuna of the Knicks. Of course, he is about the fifth in a long line of saviors who have entered the black hole known as the Knicks front office. The job suffers from the common malady known as “responsibility without authority.” Basketball experts come and go under the whim of owner James Dolan, and the team is famous for its ability to go backward a lot faster than
Three years ago, New York literally rolled out the red carpet for Carmelo Anthony upon his arrival at Madison Square Garden while blasting “I’m Coming Home” by Diddy. On Tuesday, as Phil Jackson’s career officially came full circle, his introductory press conference soundtrack included “Who Says You Can’t Go Home” by Bon Jovi and “Glory Days” by Bruce Springsteen. Once the offseason begins, the nearly $130 million question is if Anthony and Jackson will return New York to the glory days by
We’re going to have a little fun with this column, which is our little antidote to the dog days of March in the NBA. The quotes are entirely fictitious. Just wanted to make that perfectly clear. [Read more…]
Goran Dragic slashes, drives and penetrates into the lane like no other NBA player, creatively opening up space to create for himself and his Phoenix Suns teammates. That creativity, though, comes with a heavy price: the beating he takes on a nightly basis as he hurtles into and bounces around defenders with his breathtakingly fun to watch forays towards the basket which sweep opponents and fans alike off their feet like a swift and strong gust of wind. Dragic’s offensive game
Don’t expect miracles right away from Phil Jackson as he takes over the New York Knicks. Unless, of course, you consider making the playoffs this season befitting of miracle status. Because as much as Jackson talked about the future and the past, it was the present where he spoke most definitively. There were at least four occasions on which he discussed the upcoming playoffs, and only once did he hedge and acknowledge the Knicks might not make it. So when Jackson steps into
Half a world away from all the Phil Jackson madness, Stephon Marbury is competing for a championship … again. Game 1 of the Chinese Basketball Association (CBA) Finals is Wednesday night. The two best teams in the league — the Beijing Ducks and the Xinjiang Flying Tigers — will play a best-of-seven series for the CBA championship. Beijing comes into the series having just upset the top dog of the league, the Guangdong Southern Tigers. Xinjiang, on the other hand, is the undisputed