TEL AVIV — After yet another exciting game, Maccabi Tel-Aviv and Panathinaikos are set to face off in a do-or-die showdown in Greece next Thursday. Last night, Panathinaikos edged out Maccabi 78-69 in a grind-it-out duel, in which Panathinaikos held a mere three-point lead with two minutes remaining. Taking place in Tel-Aviv’s Nokia Arena, a relatively small gym that holds 11,000 rabid fans, the atmosphere had at least as much intensity as an NBA playoff game. Every possession was a battle,
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
The woman pictured to your right (no, not that one on your left if you are viewing this from the home page. And stop staring) is María del Rosario Mercedes Laura Jennifer Pilar Martínez Molina Baeza, a.k.a. “Charo.” Back in the day, when cleavage was a staple of network television (in the pre-cable days), Charo was as recognizable a personality as Clint Eastwood. She appeared on eight times on “The Love Boat”, as well as the variety shows “Donny & Marie,” “Tony
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
It was the Russell Westbrook show in L.A., especially in the third quarter, when he scored 17 of his 36 points. Kevin Durant missed eight of his first nine before heating up; he finished with 21 PTS and 11 REB, plus 5 AST and 2 BLK. The Lakers — except for Andrew Bynum (25 PTS, 13 REB, 4 BLK) — did not shoot well. Kobe Bryant had 23 points on 25 FG attempts. Elsewhere WAS @ IND: Hardly a classic, but a
NOTES: Two of the league’s best offenses are in action tonight on TNT. The first game, a rematch of last year’s Finals, features the Dallas Mavericks visiting the Miami Heat (8 p.m. ET). Miami’s vaunted defense deservingly has gotten a lot of pub. The Heat, however, also ranks fourth in scoring, averaging 100.9 ppg, allowing for a robust +7.3 point-differential (second to Chicago’s . The second contest features the Los Angeles Lakers hosting the Western Conference-leading Oklahoma City Thunder (10:30 p.m.
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
// I had a phone conversation with Rick Adelman earlier this season in which he stressed the importance of the Minnesota Timberwolves making it out of the month of March with some semblance of a shot at making a late push for the playoffs. Well, April is almost here, the Timberwolves are still within striking distance of .500, and if they could somehow string together a four-game winning streak (they haven’t had one all season, although they have had four three-game