If you are an NBA fan, you should start rooting for the Milwaukee Bucks to snap out of their stupor and the Boston Celtics to stumble down the stretch. Because that will set up the first-round playoff series we all want to see. A slump by the Celtics and a boost from the Bucks over the last 10 or so games would drop Boston into eighth place in the Eastern Conference and a first-round matchup with the Miami Heat. And to paraphrase
The NBA is full of incredible athletes. Some are more athletic than others, but most of them can handle and play against each other without feeling completely overwhelmed by one another, at least in terms of physicality. Among them, however, are some freak-of-nature types that no one can really contain. Shaquille O’Neal was one of these freaks. There’s no one quite like him these days, but we do have physical specimen like Dwight Howard and LeBron James, who are pretty much unstoppable
Quick and pretty amazing tidbit: this is our fourth version of these free agency rankings, and since we started them, the Miami Heat have not lost. Yes, the Heat are hot and the copious amount of attention they are receiving is something Charlie Sheen could only dream of replicating. So in honor of the Heat, let’s go streaking. [Read more…]
After Friday’s dispiriting home loss to the Washington Wizards, Los Angeles Lakers coach Mike D’Antoni could not take it any longer. D’Antoni went on a wide-ranging rant against his team, targeting its lack of commitment and effort on both sides of the ball. He said the Lakers were “messing with the basketball gods” and called their championship aspirations “laughable.” Although D’Antoni mentioned no one by name, very few wearing the forum blue and gold appeared exempt. [Read more…]
While the NCAA tournament got started, it was a light night in the NBA with only four games on the schedule. The Nuggets might not be where the Heat are, but they won their 13th straight game on Tuesday night. Meanwhile, the Clippers were upset by the Kings, the Pacers dominated the Magic, and the Bucks bested the Blazers. Enjoy our latest edition of Five Fast Facts. [Read more…]
I know that the Miami Heat don’t really have a free agent of consequence this coming offseason. But if they did, he would probably need to have a spot in our weekly Top 15 “just because.” After erasing a 17-point first half deficit and a 13-point deficit in the fourth quarter, the Heat overcame Jeff Green’s career-high 43 points and extended their winning streak to 23 games. Now, 30 is actually in sight. The second-best NBA winning streak of all time
On paper, Friday’s tilt between the Heat and Bucks offered an intriguing if not entirely predictable preview of the two teams’ possible first-round playoff matchup. The East’s best versus its erratic eighth seed. The unstoppable force versus the decidedly movable object. The inevitability of LeBron James’ quest for a second title against the maddening inconsistency of Brandon Jennings and Monta Ellis. It might not have been Bird vs. Magic, but as far as Friday night NBA storylines go, you could do much
It’s been a very interesting week in the Association. Aside from the obvious jostling in our weekly free agent rankings, the Miami Heat have now won 18 games in a row and have our very own Chris Sheridan wondering whether or not they can challenge the NBA’s all-time winning streak of 33 consecutive games. That record belongs to the 1971-72 Los Angeles Lakers, who began their championship season by winning every game they played in November and December. [Read more…]