March Madness has officially begun. Florida Gulf Coast became the first team to punch its ticket to the Big Dance this afternoon, capturing the Atlantic Sun championship by defeating top-seeded Mercer, 88-75. The Eagles will be heading to the NCAA Tournament for the first time in school history when the brackets are announced next Sunday. [Read more…]
There is an old saying that you can’t teach scoring. Ask any NBA general manager what they need more of, and the answer is almost always scoring. With the Sloan Sports Analytic Conference reaching a mainstream following, the need to understand statistics and data is at a premium. Despite many complicated numbers and formulas to uncover gems and underrated players, one truth exists: Teams value players that create extra possessions. In a given playoff game, each team may have 80 possessions.
Refuse to lose. The amazing Kobe Bryant (41 PTS, 12 AST, 6 REB) willed his team to another victory despite fatigue and sore shoulders. Dwight Howard (24 PTS, 13 REB, 5 BLK, 3 STL) was also heroic and Steve Nash (22 PTS) hit four triples as the Lakers rallied from down 15 to force overtime. [Read more…]
We thought that Brooklyn Nets point guard Deron Williams had the most spectacular night on Friday. He did, after all, break the all-time record for most 3-pointers made in a single half with nine total (he finished with 11 for the game) and scored a season-high 42 points on 15-of-24 shooting. And then Kobe Bryant happened. [Read more…]
Chris Sheridan on Waddle & Silvy on ESPN Chicago discuss the imminent return of Derrick Rose. [Read more…]
Who is Tobias Harris? Tobias Harris is a second year NBA player (the 19th pick in the 2011-’12 draft) who was recently dealt in the J.J. Redick-to-Milwaukee trade on February 21. To most, he was a throw in. Redick was clearly the best player in the deal (and dealt at the deadline)… [Read more…]
NEW YORK — After his Carmelo-less New York Knicks put forth a valiant effort against the Oklahoma City Thunder on Thursday night, Mike Woodson fielded questions about Carmelo Anthony’s health. “He’s day-to-day right now,” is all Woodson would offer. He would not rule Anthony out for Saturday’s home game against the Utah Jazz, but with the Knicks, we’ve seen and heard this before. Rasheed Wallace was “day-to-day” for months, and now, the fractured fifth metatarsal that was recently revealed has probably ended
Note to all NBA players: a punch against your opponent won’t get you suspended, as long as it’s below the belt and you’re not a repeat offender. That’s the impression the league left most of us with after making the decision to not suspend Serge Ibaka for taking a shot at Blake Griffin’s jewels, fining him $25,000 instead. [Read more…]