Things have officially gone wild in the Wild Wild West. Over the past five seasons, at least one team with a winning record has failed to make the playoffs in the Western Conference as the competition has always been fierce and close until the final day of the season. It may never have been this close, however. Currently, 1 1/2 games separate the fourth seed and the ninth seed. Two teams — the Clippers and the Mavericks — are tied for the fourth seed
The Los Angeles Clippers re-signed free agent forward Bobby Simmons, whose second 10-day contract with the Clippers expired on March 18, the team announced Saturday. In 13 games played for the Clippers this season, Simmons has tallied 3.5 points and 2.7 rebounds per game, while shooting 37.1 percent from behind the three-point line. ESPN.com Carmelo Anthony’s shot is officially lost. But after his 6-for-15 performance in Toronto, he said it was his rhythm that is missing. “I’m looking for it,” he said. “So
NEW YORK — Before signing with the New York Knicks back in July 2010, Amar’e Stoudemire did his homework. Some 48 hours before his first meeting with James Dolan and the Knicks’ brass, he’d spoken with both Carmelo Anthony and Tony Parker. According to him, both were ready to team up with him to begin the renaissance. Although the Spurs were ultimately able to retain Parker, Anthony eventually made his way to the Mecca. Now, almost two years later, if the Knicks dynamic
// Carmelo Anthony will be reunited with Mike D’Antoni in early July when Team USA convenes for training camp in Las Vegas. But how long the two stick together remains to be seen. Ken Berger of CBSSports.com reported that Anthony’s role in D’Antoni’s departure as head coach of the New York Knicks “did not sit well” with USA Basketball officials, who have always pointed to “sweat equity” as one of the key factors in who will represent the United States on
The rollercoaster of a season continues for the New York Knicks. What seemed like a hopelessly lost season just a week ago has turned into a revitalizing one. Since the Mike Woodson era began, Carmelo Anthony and the Knicks (22-24) have displayed the type of defensive effort that was never present when Mike D’Antoni was still around, and the results have been astoundingly good. The Knicks take their renewed energy and a four-game winning streak into the Wells Fargo Center for a revenge game
The longest current winning streak in the NBA (six games) belongs to a team that is on the outside looking in when it comes to the playoff race. The second-longest current winning streak is four games, shared by three teams — two of which are trying to qualify for the postseason. With five weeks left in the regular season, after a night on which the Lakers, Clippers and Thunder all lost and the Heat needed a big fourth-quarter comeback, it’s looking
The Los Angeles Clippers have won two straight games by a total of eight points. Both wins, which allowed the Clippers to shave one game off of the L.A. Lakers’ lead in the Pacific Division, came down to late-game heroics by Chris Paul. Late in Saturday’s 95-91 victory over the Houston Rockets, Paul scored 10 consecutive points in less than 2 1/2 minutes, beginning with a 16-foot jumper at the 2:42 mark of the fourth quarter, to bring the Clippers
Let the Wood-sanity begin. It has been three games since Mike Woodson took over the coaching duties of the New York Knicks after the firing resignation of Mike D’Antoni. The Knicks have since gone 3-0. Preaching defense and accountability — perhaps the polar opposite of D’Antoni’s style — Woodson has changed the attitude of his players and the results have shown in remarkable fashion on the court. Since going on a nightmare six-game losing streak that saw them fall out of the playoff picture, New