This is probably going to be our last look at Boston’s Big Three — unless, of course, they win the championship and Wyc Grousbeck is forced to pony up a fortune in luxury taxes to keep the team together for one more year. Oh, and he needs to find a center, too. The Hawks get no respect, but that is to be expected when they come up with their annual spring flameout. Judging from the predictions below, a majority still
So we finally come to the conclusion of the regular season. In terms of who’s making the playoffs, anyway. With only one spot – the eighth seed of the Western Conference – still left for grabs, the Utah Jazz sealed the deal on Tuesday night by defeating the Phoenix Suns for their fourth consecutive victory, on national television, and clinched the final available seed. They are not done either, as they still have a chance to move up to the seventh seed, albeit
Desperate for a big man, the Boston Celtics waived Jermaine O’Neal today and reached into the D-League to sign journeyman Sean Williams, who played earlier this season for the Dallas Mavericks. Williams, a 6’10″ center/forward, appeared in eight games for the Dallas Mavericks this season averaging 3.6 points and 1.6 rebounds per game. O’Neal had season-ending wrist surgery late last month. Williams, who spent three seasons at Boston College, appeared in 27 games for the Texas Legends of the NBA Development League, averaging 15.2
… and don’t let the door hit you in the ass on the way out. Hey, gotta try to one-up the Sixers’ fans, right? In the city where they once booed Santa Claus, the patrons were not quite so delighted last night. And they let the home team know about it. The Philadelphia 76ers were booed off their home floor in their final home game of the regular season Tuesday night, a 102-97 loss to the Indiana Pacers that cut their lead over
Centers Kevin Garnett of the Boston Celtics and Andrew Bynum of the Los Angeles Lakers were named NBA Players of the Week on Monday. Garnett won for the Eastern Conference, leading the Celtics to a 4-1 record. He played in four games and averaged 20.0 points, 10.8 rebounds, 2.5 assists and 1.3 steals – not bad for a guy forced to play out of position. Garnett had 22 points, 12 rebounds and three steals in an 88-86 home win over Atlanta. During
// What are we going to learn in tonight’s big Heat-Bulls matchup in Chicago? Hopefully, we’ll find out which stars can show some fourth-quarter moxie. But the better Chicago-Miami game to look forward to will happen next Thursday, when a clearer picture of playoff positioning possibilities will have emerged. There is a case to be made that it is better to be the No. 2 seed than the No. 1 seed, because it might mean an easier path to the conference finals
Shall the focus be on the individuals or the teams this morning? Well, the individual part takes less explanation, so let’s start there: Andrew Bynum grabbed 30 rebounds, yes, 30, in San Antonio on Wednesday night as the Los Angeles Lakers defeated the Spurs 98-84 to become only the fifth visiting team to win at the At&T Center this season. The 30 boards were the most in an NBA game this season, shattering the mark of 25 shared by Dwight Howard and
Could the Boston Celtics beat the Miami Heat in a playoff series? Well, they couldn’t a year ago, when they managed more than 91 points just once in five games and looked a tad long in the tooth. If Boston was to beat Miami, it appeared it would have to find a way to stall LeBron James and Dwyane Wade in transition and make every game a walk-it-up, grind-it-out affair, where the Celtics excel and the Heat are not exactly comfortable. The Celts