The best team flying under the radar has two rookies in its starting lineup. But it’s not the Charlotte Bobcats. It is missing its oft-injured big man. But it’s not the Philadelphia 76ers. It has All-Star candidates at point guard and power forward. But it’s not the Los Angeles Clippers. It is an original NBA franchise that has not won a title since the 1970s. But it’s not the New York Knicks. [Read more…]
Remember back in 2010, when Kenny Smith boldly claimed that Kevin Durant would be the best basketball player in the NBA in three years? It sounded pretty crazy then, mostly because of the guy that just won Sportsman of the Year, along with just about everything else you could possibly win over the past calendar year as a basketball player. What separated LeBron James from Durant back then was his ability to create for others on offense, something the Thunder forward had
OK, I’ll play. Doug Smith of the Toronto Star is speculating about a trade of Andrea Bargnani for Pau Gasol. Full disclosure #1: 30 years ago, Smitty was the sports editor in a small Ontario town and hired me as a columnist. He’s the best. Full disclosure #2: I live ten minutes from the Air Canada Centre (there you go, Sheridan, a ‘legit’ Canadian spelling) and am so sick of Bargnani’s frequent disappearing acts, I will eat any pasta but
An exciting Friday night in the NBA saw several players posting career-high point totals. Chandler Parsons stole the show in Houston with 31, nailing 13-of-17 shots including four triples, and adding 5 rebounds, 4 assists, 4 steals and a block. [Read more…]
On Sunday, the NBA started an hour before the NFL with the New York Knicks hosting the Indiana Pacers. The Knicks were coming off their first loss of the season Friday at the hands of the Memphis Grizzlies. They made sure that wasn’t going to happen again, outclassing the Pacers in an 88-76 victory. [Read more…]
In the game of the night, Gary Neal scored a career-high 27 points to lead a furious Spurs comeback. Manu Ginobili (17) had his best game yet, and even without Tony Parker (illness) they scored 39 fourth-quarter points to prevail. For the Blazers, Nicolas Batum (33) and LaMarcus Aldridge (29) were terrific in defeat and rookie Damian Lillard added 20 points, but the Portland bench is really, really bad — they were outscored 63-4 by the San Antonio reserves. Other November 10 Games WAS @ IND:
PHILADELPHIA—This was the night Philadelphia 76ers fans had longed for; a chance to shower their love on their new big man (didn’t quite turn out that way) while at the same time bidding good riddance to the player who had unwittingly become an eyesore to the local hoops community over the past eight years: Andre Iguodala. Who could have imagined that those MVP chants reverberating throughout the building in the closing stages of the Sixers’ opening night 84-75 win over Iguodala’s
(This is another in a series of 30 guest columns that will run in October, when optimism reigns supreme across the NBA. The theme will be “Five Reasons to Feel Positive About … ” We encourage you to follow the authors on Twitter and visit their sites. – CS) In the wake of the Carmelo Anthony trade and the departures of Kenyon Martin and J.R. Smith – the ending of the “Thuggets” era – Denver Nuggets vice president of basketball operations