BEIJING — The championship that eluded Stephon Marbury in the United States did not elude him in China. After scoring 41 points with seven assists, Marbury was in tears yet again Friday night with the outcome of the game still in doubt. How many times did he cry this season? How many tears had been shed? Even Marbury couldn’t give an accurate count. When he cried for first time Friday night, Game 5 of the CBA Finals was still going on, but Marbury
When both the Boston Celtics and New York Knicks got off to sputtering starts to their seasons, the Philadelphia 76ers gladly assumed the void at the top of the Atlantic Division, which simultaneously is the worst and most valuable division in the NBA. Despite opening with a five-game road trip, the 76ers grabbed first place before arriving home and held onto it like it was a winning lottery ticket. Since Dec. 28, Philadelphia has not been out of the top spot
Chris Bosh returned to the ACC with a 30-point effort (plus 8 REB and 3 BLK) as the Heat were just a little too good in the fourth quarter. Dwayne Wade also had 30 and LeBron James 26, but the entire Miami team stepped up the defensive pressure when it counted. For Toronto, it was a rare night when both Andrea Bargnani (27) and DeMar DeRozan (28) were scoring, thanks to 16 assists from Jose Calderon. Joe Johnson played 15
NEWS: Suns’ forward, Grant Hill, underwent a successful procedure to repair a torn meniscus in his right knee. The Cavaliers have signed guard Lester Hudson to a 10-day contract. Celtics’ center, Jermaine O’Neal, underwent season ending surgery on his left wrist. NOTES: Los Angeles Clippers’ forward, Reggie Evans, was fined $25,00o for making an obscene gesture. RUMORS: The whispers, though, have already begun to spread on the coaching grapevine that Nate McMillan will emerge as a prime candidate to replace Van Gundy if this is it for SVG
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
The playoff hopes of the Phoenix Suns took a hit Friday when forward Grant Hill underwent surgery on his right knee. He is expected to return before the end of the regular season, the team said. According to the team, Hill was under the knife less than 30 minutes for a procedure performed by Suns orthopedic surgeon Dr. Thomas Carter, who repaired a medial meniscus tear. Hill had an MRI on Thursday that revealed the tear. He sat out games Tuesday and
This has been a good week for obscene gestures, and the NBA’s coffers. On Wednesday, Orlando Magic forward Glen Davis was fined $35,000 by the NBA for flipping the bird toward heckling fans in Toronto. On Friday, it was Reggie Evans’ turn. Evans, the forward of the Los Angeles Clippers, was hit with a $25,000 fine for a middle-finger salute in a home win over New Orleans on Monday. Both Davis and Evans tried to make their vulgarity appear to be something else. Davis
NEW YORK — He sat in his locker stall, upbeat and confident. “Nah, it’s just muscular tightness,” he said. “Now, it feels much better.” Those were amongst the final words Amar’e Stoudemire uttered to the press contingent in the Knicks’ locker room after last Saturday’s 101-79 victory over the Detroit Pistons. On Monday – just two days later – it was revealed that Stoudemire has a bulging disk in his lower back and would miss at least two weeks. That 48-hour period was