The old crystal ball was pretty accurate for once; Carmelo Anthony (23 PTS) and Tyson Chandler (18 PTS, 17 REB) destroyed Byron Mullens (6) and Brendan Haywood (4) as expected. I also called Kemba Walker (25 PTS, 11 AST) and Ben Gordon (17) for big games. [Read more…]
A season-high 30 points from Blake Griffin was the difference in the best game of the night. Down 14 points late in the third, the Clippers made a strong comeback. [Read more…]
David Stern is disingenuous. How’s that for one of those million-dollar words that the NBA commissioner loves to use when talking to the hoi polloi about basketball? In slapping the San Antonio Spurs with a $250,000 fine for resting their trio of stars in a nationally televised game, Stern said in his customary, quite lawyerly fashion, “The result here is dictated by the totality of the facts in this case.” [Read more…]
Ronnie Brewer hops up from where he’s posted at the scorer’s table about an hour before tip-off against the Phoenix Suns. “I’ll be back,” said Brewer. “Gotta get some shots up.” The shooting guard runs across the court and finds New York’s shooting guru, Dave Hopla, for a pre-game workout. [Read more…]
What do players and coaches do when things go in the wrong direction? Take a shot, for one. And I’m not talking about a shot of Jack Daniels. Be it a coaching decision or a player’s poor play, the natural reaction is to take a shot at someone – directly or subtly – when the results are negative. Some will even take a shot at themselves at times, if it’s called for. The blame game is the theme of the stories around
Has LeBron James rid himself of his image as a villain? Jersey sales would certainly suggest that. The NBA released the top 15 selling jerseys from April through Cyber Monday, and James has reclaimed the top spot. James last had the top-selling jersey in April 2011, less than a year after he joined the Miami Heat via “The Decision” and before his poor performance in the NBA Finals against the Dallas Mavericks. [Read more…]
Just one season after winning their first championship, did the Miami Heat change their philosophy from “stop the opponents” to “outscore the opponents”? The team has won plenty of games this season with a high-powered offense that ranks No. 1 in the league with 104.8 points per game, which is nearly six more points than a season ago. But where has the defense gone? [Read more…]
