Hot lingo among the internet world when discussing a player similar to one from years past is to refer to said player as “so-and-so 2.0.” It is a tech term for an upgrade. Well, Draymond Green of Michigan State seems to be Anthony Mason 2.0. Green is not left-handed, and it took a long time before Mason became a trusted jump shooter. But Green is an excellent combination of size and skill. He possesses the rare combination of post-up ability at the
When he met reporters before Sunday night’s game, Miami Heat coach Erik Spoelstra was asked if the Orlando Magic are a title contender. “Absolutely,” the coach replied. “There is no doubt about it. Anytime you have an MVP candidate like (Dwight Howard) and then personnel that fits, you’re a contender.” Writers covering both teams took that quote and ran with it, but not in the way you might expect. In Orlando, Spoelstra was taken with a grain of salt. From Josh Robbins of the
The kids are alright. We could have guessed Enes Kanter (17 & 8 in 23 min.) would play well off the bench as Derrick Favors (12 & 10) got the tough start vs. Andrew Bynum (33 & 11 with 2 BLK). Another Jazz rookie to watch is Alec Burks (17 PTS in 19 min.) but the story of this shocker was a miserable 3-20 shooting night by Kobe Bryant, with seven turnovers. Starting PG Steve Blake went scoreless; backup Ramon
In a rematch of last year’s Euroleague Championship, Maccabi Tel-Aviv is set to take on the Greek team, Panathinaikos, in the first round of the Euroleague playoffs. With both teams possessing several NBA-caliber talents, and Maccabi rolling with two of the top Greek players in Theo Papaloukas and Sofoklis “Sofo” Schortsanitis, this promises to be among the more exciting playoff battles. While two of the premier coaches in Europe, Zeljko Obradovic and David Blatt, will face off, this matchup contains some of
I first caught a glimpse of Patty Mills in Shanghai four years ago, and it was a good thing I didn’t blink. The speedster was playing in an exhibition game for Australia against team USA, and twice he outraced Chris Paul downcourt for fast-break layups. That was back when Mills was still playing college ball at St. Mary’s in California, and Mills eventually made it to the NBA with the Portland Trail Blazers before signing in China with the Xinjiang Flying
Joe Johnson is averaging 25.7 PPG in his last 6 games. Zaza Pachulia had 12 rebounds. Chris Paul had 15 assists and 19 points. Greg Monroe had 23 points and 15 assists. The Clippers do not get consecutive games off until April 20-21. Rubio’s knee will be operated on this Wednesday in Denver. Marcus Thornton had 24 points. Memphis plays 9 of its next 11 games on the road. Dwayne Wade had 31 points, and made 12-13 field-goals from within 10 feet of the hoop. The Heat are 15-2
The Denver Nuggets on Sunday waived center Ronny Turiaf, who should attract some interest from playoff contenders. Turiaf began the season with the New York Knicks, who dealt him to the Washington Wizards as part of the Tyson Chandler deal. He played just four games before breaking his hand and was included in Thursday’s three-team deal that landed Nene in Washington. The 6-10 Turiaf has played backup center minutes for the Los Angeles Lakers, Golden State, New York and Washington in a
