There is a procedure for determining the MVP. Ballots are e-mailed to 126 media members who cover the NBA on a regular basis, and they are due back at the league office the day after the season ends. The league then tallies the votes and decides when to announce the winner. That, folks, is a procedure. Which brings us to proper use of the word “procedure,” and how it relates to the media’s coverage of the NBA. Specifically, the Oklahoma City media
Dwyane Wade leads the NBA in fourth-quarter scoring. His team has defeated LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers twice during the regular season when the Cavs have traveled to Miami. If there is one potential matchup that is going to make the first round of the Eastern Conference playoffs interesting, it is Heat vs. Cavaliers. As the standings look now, a 2 vs. 7 matchup between the teams could take place. But Miami could still fall to No. 8 or rise
Good afternoon, Adam. Hope you are having a nice time filling out your NCAA bracket. I imagine you have Duke winning, since you got your undergrad degree there. A word of caution: Beware Larry Brown’s SMU Mustangs in the South Regional final. It’s fun filling out an NCAA bracket, isn’t it, Adam? So many games between teams that almost never play each other. That’s what makes it so special. Which brings us to the upcoming NBA playoffs, which are not going to be
In his first game without a headband since the 2003 preseason, LeBron James’ point total of 27 was exceeded only by Cleveland’s margin of victory — 33 over the Dallas Mavericks. So that makes it four wins in the last five games and 22 wins in the past 26. The Cavaliers’ lead over the injury-riddled Chicago Bulls has grown to 1 1/2 games and figures to continue growing, and I have a question to ask. Why is James so absent from
It happens every spring: The snow melts, the birds start chirping, the cherry trees eventually blossom … and the Spurs start looking their best. We have gotten a small sample size of it over the first few days of March, and with five weeks now remaining in the season, I will be so bold as to predict that San Antonio will finish with one of the top four records in the West and end up defending their title in Game 1
The summer’s free agent market will not be as crazy as last year’s, when LeBron James left Miami for Cleveland, or next year’s, when Kevin Durant and his agent, Jay-Z, will decide where he will continue his career. In fact, this summer’s market could be a relative dud given the incentive teams now have to match any reasonable offer their restricted free agents receive. And with the influx of new TV money coming into the NBA, “reasonable” is a relative term. But
July 1 is almost here. Wait, it isn’t? You mean there is still two feet of ice, slush and snow piled up outside the home office in New York? Well, if you compare July to October, then July is almost here! And there is no bigger date on the NBA calendar than July 1 (although the May 19 draft lottery is a close second). Phil Jackson becomes relevant again for something other than his Twitter vitriol. Jeanie Buss becomes more interesting
There is a new King James, thanks to a bold and brash tweet by the Houston Rockets, and he is a guy who would NEVER miss eight free throws in a single game. Congratulations, James Harden. You have solidified your hold on the first-place spot in the MVP race in the mind of this voter and in the minds of other voters, and you now have six weeks to produce a finishing kick that holds off Russell Westbrook, Stephen Curry and