The Nets and Bulls are on course for a potential rematch of last year’s first-round playoff series. Is this the ideal scenario for Brooklyn? As they say in the borough, “Fuhgeddaboudit!” It’s been a frigid winter in Brooklyn, and a trip to the “Windy City” could dampen any hopes of the Nets springing ahead to the next round. [Read more…]
Good evening hoops fans. This is my first crack at the Sheridan Hoops blog for quite some time, but rest assured, I will do my upmost to fill the void left by some of the blog’s veterans. As always, there was plenty going on around the league. We’ve had upsets, injuries and brilliant individual performances on this NBA Sunday. Oh, and that team in New York is still attracting headlines. Let’s get to it! Bulls outlast Heat Chicago again proved that it is at the
By the end of 2013, the Brooklyn Nets looked like a team needing as much construction as the Gowanus Expressway. Since the start of 2014, Brooklyn has cruised up the Eastern Conference standings like a driver in the HOV lane. [Read more…]
Before the season, championship expectations were attached to both the Knicks and the Nets. The Knicks were coming off the team’s first season with at least 50 or more wins and a trip to the Eastern Conference semifinals since the 1999-2000 campaign, when Jeff Van Gundy patrolled the sidelines, Patrick Ewing wrapped up his final season in New York and Allan Houston was in the prime of his career. The Nets were coming off their first trip to the playoffs in six years
The Los Angeles Lakers have been one of the unluckiest teams in the league in terms of having to deal with an endless number of critical injuries, particularly to their list of point guards. It’s one thing to miss your starting point guard. It’s another to then lose your backup point guard and your third string point guard. That’s precisely what happened to these Lakers, with Steve Nash, Steve Blake and Jordan Farmar all going down with significant injuries. They became
The Brooklyn Nets wanted to improve on both sides of the ball after ending 2013 with a disappointing 10-21 record. Unlike most people’s new year’s resolutions, they’ve stuck to it. With All-Star center Brook Lopez out for the season, head coach Jason Kidd thought going with a smaller starting lineup would benefit the team going forward and afford the team versatility in many respects. It worked. Big time. [Read more…]
After a combined 19-42 record at the end of 2013, the Knicks and Nets have treated 2014 as a clean slate and a springboard to salvage their seasons. Since the start of January, the teams have a combined 12-4 record. The New Year’s winning resolution has removed both teams from the Eastern Conference cellar and back into playoff contention – a seemingly distant thought only two weeks ago when both were the laughingstocks of the league. Below are the three reasons why each
Can money buy happiness? If you’re the Brooklyn Nets and New York Knicks, the answer is no. The Nets have the league’s highest payroll, while the Knicks rank second. The combined exorbitant payroll has produced a deflating 18-38 record and proven any championship aspirations were merely a pipe dream. Ironically, speaking of the pipe, J.R. Smith was the first Knick to panic back when the team was only 3-8 at the time. Now, it appears Smith’s anxiety was warranted. Thanks to injuries, a lack