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
Some claim that it’s a rivalry. Others say it’s simply too soon for that. Whatever you want to call it, the dislike between the Golden State Warriors and Los Angeles Clippers is officially real. The two teams have been building some unfriendly history since last season, and it carried over into this season when they refused to share a chapel service – a customary tradition around the NBA – before their first game against each other back in October. Things really
The NBA admitted Thursday that Blake Griffin should not have been ejected from Wednesday’s LA Clippers-Golden State game. “After a league review of the Clippers-Warriors game, we have come to the conclusion that Blake Griffin should not have been ejected from the game,” NBA president of basketball operations Rod Thorn said in a statement. “A common foul should have been called on Griffin for initially attempting to dislodge the Warriors’ Andrew Bogut and a technical foul should have been assessed to Bogut
The Miami Heat’s Dwyane Wade and the Los Angeles Clippers’ Blake Griffin today were named NBA Eastern and Western Conference Players of the Week, respectively, for games played Monday, Dec. 16, through Sunday, Dec. 22. Wade averaged 26.3 points (fourth in the Eastern Conference) while leading the Heat to a 3-0 week. He scored at least 20 points, shot at least .560 from the floor, and led Miami in scoring in all three games. On Dec. 18, Wade tallied a season-high
The NBA’s reigning MVP, LeBron James of the Miami Heat, retains the No. 1 spot on the league’s top-selling jerseys list. The list is based on overall sales from adidas and NBAStore.com from October 2013 through December 2013 and reflects record-breaking holiday season jersey sales. NBAStore.com had its largest Black Friday and Cyber Monday in history, with sales up double digits from 2012. Rounding out the top five are the Los Angeles Lakers’ Kobe Bryant (No. 2), the Chicago Bulls’ Derrick
In Kobe Bryant’s fourth game back from an injured achilles, the Los Angeles Lakers played against the Charlotte Bobcats on the road in the Time Warner Arena and escaped with an 88-85 win—their first since his return. The win will, perhaps, allow Pau Gasol to continue their road trip with his pride intact. At least, that might be the impression you’d get from Golden State Warriors center Festus Ezeli’s reaction to a Josh McRoberts dunk Saturday night. [Read more…]
When the Los Angeles Clippers acquired J.J. Redick and Jared Dudley over the summer via trade, many around the league felt that the team surrounded Chris Paul and Blake Griffin with the perfect pieces: solid role players with exceptional touch from the outside to provide great spacing for both stars. Paul would pick defenses apart with so many options to choose from, while Griffin would have all the room he could ask for to operate in the low block. For the
At this very moment, the fate of the Western Conference might be hanging in the balance of the Phoenix Suns’ front office. Let me explain. Let’s start out with a simple question: Does anyone still take the Clippers seriously as Western Conference favorites? We’ve seen this act before: Chris Paul and Lob City put up highlights every night and make fans drool over the thought of a potential star-studded Heat-Clippers Final. When the playoffs eventually come around, however, the Clippers recede back to looking