There’s a 10-game slate in the NBA tonight, although the 6:00 ET start (Indiana at Brooklyn) doesn’t count in the most lucrative daily contests at DraftKings. The final three weeks is unpredictable in basketball, due to rest, injuries, auditions and varying degrees of motivation. But we’ll keep trying. [Read more…]
The NBA regular season ends in less than four weeks, and a lion’s share of the national articles until then will be about playoff teams, playoff contenders, awards and the pursuit of history. For the fans of teams with no hope of a postseason berth, this article is for you. The first annual All-Loser Teams feature three starting fives from franchises that will certainly be drafting in the lottery this year. It excludes teams such as Chicago, Washington, Detroit, Houston and
Wake up! The NBA starts early on Sunday and we “lost” an hour to the time change. The highlight of five games is during brunch in L.A. (3:30 EDT) as the Cavaliers take on the Clippers. [Read more…]
In the brave new world of basketball analytics, trends and modules, a simpler stat surfaced this week that was utterly inexplicable. Two teams have lost 10 games this season in which they led after three quarters. One is the league-worst Philadelphia 76ers, who have no one on their roster who knows how to win a game. The other is the Oklahoma City Thunder, who have two of the supposed best closers in the game in Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook. [Read more…]
The New York Knicks have run the Love Triangle offense off the court better than Phil Jackson’s version on the court thanks to coaches Derek Fisher and Kurt Rambis. Will this be the final straw for Carmelo Anthony to waive his no-trade clause and for the Knicks to scrap the Triangle offense for a proven winner in former Chicago Bulls coach Tom Thibodeau, the best available coach on the market? Speaking of the Bulls, Derrick Rose is averaging 26 points, 5.7 rebounds
TORONTO– Carmelo Anthony is sick and tired of losing with the Knicks, but not yet tired enough to do something about it. Or so he says. New York stands at 23-32 at the All-Star break, 12th in the Eastern Conference. Unless the Knicks’ fortunes change rather dramatically over the final 27 games of the regular season, Anthony will miss the playoffs for the third consecutive season. “It’s tough,” Anthony told a horde of reporters in the basement of the Sheraton in downtown
“I’ve been through worse.” That four-word answer from Carmelo Anthony about his no-trade clause, sticking with the New York Knicks and continuing to trust team president Phil Jackson, perfectly describes the current state of both player and franchise. Of course, it had nothing to do with the question he was asked rather directly — “Would you consider waiving your no-trade clause? — but ‘Melo’s instant tangent was revealing nonetheless. Anthony, the 31-year-old All-Star forward with a sore, surgically repaired left knee, can waive his
Less than 48 hours and one unrelated storybook ending separated the two scenes involving Kobe Bryant and Phil Jackson. One was warm and fuzzy, perhaps only because the aging warrior was no longer a threat. The second was sad and unpromising, with the evidence suggesting the aging warrior is no longer a threat. On Saturday night, the Spurs celebrated the career of Bryant, who was visiting San Antonio for the final time as a player. It was touching tribute to an