MIAMI – Here’s how you know it’s a new day for the Miami Heat: They lead the league in points per game and rank second-to-last in points allowed. “We make our mark defensively,” MVP LeBron James said. He’s right. But maybe that’s about to change a little bit. Maybe. For years and years, the Heat have prided themselves on defense. That’s the culture. This is the team that gets its defensive philosophy from Pat “Contest Every Possession” Riley. It is defensive-minded right down
The Nets are undefeated in their new home thanks to Brook Lopez, who scored 27 points. He used his size to get Jonas Valanciunas in early foul trouble, then his speed to beat Aaron Gray, after Toronto coach Dwane Casey showed his prize rookie some tough love at the end of the bench. Deron Williams (19 PTS, 9 AST) did a nice job of facilitating, and C.J. Watson got 28 minutes; he’s the backup PG but played off the ball with D-Will quite a bit and could be
(This is another in a series of 30 guest columns that will run in October, when optimism reigns supreme across the NBA. The theme will be “Five Reasons to Feel Positive About … ” We encourage you to follow the authors on Twitter and visit their sites. – CS) Honestly, it’s nearly impossible to list just five reasons to feel positive about the NBA champion Miami Heat. The “Big Three” could take up three spots by themselves, and the fact that
The NBA has changed the format of its All-Star ballot, removing the center position and splitting players into backcourt and frontcourt categories. NBA executive vice president of basketball operations Stu Jackson announced the change Wednesday. For the first time, fans will choose two guards and three frontcourt players when selecting starters for the 2013 NBA All-Star Game in Houston. In years past, fans had to vote for two guards, two forwards and a center. Jackson said the change was made to reflect the
As we prepare for the big drafts in our main leagues this weekend, there is an all-star team of injured players clouding the old crystal ball. Derrick Rose, Stephen Curry, Dirk Nowitzki, Amare Stoudemire and Kevin Love are my starting five. You want defense? Sorry, this is the fantasy department. John Wall, Eric Gordon, J.R. Smith, Nene and Andrew Bogut are the second unit. Every one of those guys is draftable, depending on your league settings. Just not as high as usual.
If you saw the box score of the Rockets-Spurs preseason game on Sunday, you may have noticed an ugly stat line from Mr. Linsanity – the electrifying point guard that shocked the basketball world last season. Lin managed to hit just one-of-10 shots with one assist while committing two turnovers in 25 minutes of play against the stifling defense of San Antonio. Lin’s biggest issue so far in the preseason appears to be the status of the knee he had surgery
Even for hoops addicts, watching NBA preseason games presents a challenge. The baseball playoffs are under way, the college football and NFL seasons are in full swing, and there is this small matter of a presidential election. There is no subscription package for the preseason. League Pass takes a pass until the regular season starts later this month. So the only way you can watch games right now is on NBA TV, which isn’t part of the basic package of a number
NBA exhibition games have started, and we’re all counting down the days until Opening Night. In the meantime, we’re running a series of 30 guest columns on why fans of almost any team in the NBA can feel positive (we haven’t done the Bobcats yet. Or the Rockets. Both are coming this week) The latest installment covers the Pacers, and is written by Tom Lewis of Indy Cornrows. Also, Nick Gibson has his first Euroleague column of the season, as play has already