The NBA Playoffs have started. The first game of the day on Saturday saw the Toronto Raptors give the Brooklyn Nets a 1-0 lead in the series between the 3- and 6- seeds in the Eastern Conference. The Raptors committed 17 turnovers in a seven-point 94-87 loss. It was a physical contest, marred by 42 total fouls. However, if you thought the officials let loose with the whistles in the first game, you may have missed the second game. Game 2 of the
Wow, you sure can catch a lot of grief when you tell folks you voted LeBron James to 2nd Team All-NBA. I put that word out on Twitter at midweek, and I have been fending off venom ever since. Hey folks: Here’s the explanation. Try to read through it and watch the entire video before tweeting your disgust, OK? Actually, I find the selection quite reasonable. First of all, the All-NBA ballot must include a center, two forwards and two guards on each
In terms of competitiveness and venom, nothing comes close to matching what this series should bring. These teams simply do not like one another, and their rivalry has been building over the course of two seasons in which the hatred between the teams has only grown with each encounter. If you had to pick one series and one series only to watch every minute of, this would be the winner among those who like their hoops with some histrionics. If you had
It’s no secret that the Los Angeles Clippers and Golden State Warriors have a strong dislike for each other. It has been that way since last season when the Warriors became a relevant team in the Western Conference, and it continued into this season when Blake Griffin called the Warriors cowards. The two teams won’t even share a chapel together. That’s true hate. What no one could have seen coming, though, is Klay Thompson joining in on the fun, so to speak.
Wednesday is the final night in the NBA regular season. It brings with it a lot of fun and excitement, as all 30 teams are in action. It also features quite of a few games of great import, seeing as there are more than a few teams jockeying for position in the playoffs. More than anything, for a lot of NBA athletes, it brings a moment of reflection: An entire year of hard work is coming to a close. For some, the
Transparency is a two-way street. For years, NBA media members – echoing the sentiments of its passionate fan base – wanted more transparency from Commissioner David Stern and his executive staff. Whether it was a lottery drawing, a suspension in the playoffs or a referee scandal, folks felt like they were entitled to an explanation. And they were. Stern grudgingly came around. He arranged for the media to meet with referees prior to the season about rules changes. He allowed the media
My ballot will be e-mailed to NBA headquarters late at night one week from today, and I will then publish all of my picks for postseason awards — as is my standard practice. But not every one of the 126 voters makes his/her selections public. At least that is the way it has been in the past. But this year, transparency rules. The Pro Basketball Writers Association and the NBA media relations office have come to an agreement under which all of
The NBA took a day off as a courtesy to the national championship game between Kentucky Wildcats and UConn Huskies, and most around the league were glued to the television on Monday night. The quest for the NCAA title always draws massive interest, but this one was particularly special for so many that are and have been in the NBA because of Kevin Ollie – the long-time, respected NBA veteran turned head coach of the Huskies. With his great leadership and