How good are the Phoenix Suns? Coming into the season, most wondered if they could win 19 games this year. After their 107-88 blowout victory over the Los Angeles Clippers on Monday, they are an impressive 19-11 – just one game behind the Clippers for the Pacific division lead. In comparison, they didn’t get to 19 wins until February 26 last season. [Read more…]
Can money buy happiness? If you’re the Brooklyn Nets and New York Knicks, the answer is no. The Nets have the league’s highest payroll, while the Knicks rank second. The combined exorbitant payroll has produced a deflating 18-38 record and proven any championship aspirations were merely a pipe dream. Ironically, speaking of the pipe, J.R. Smith was the first Knick to panic back when the team was only 3-8 at the time. Now, it appears Smith’s anxiety was warranted. Thanks to injuries, a lack
First off, play this video. It is my Christmas present to y’all, and you are guaranteed to laugh at least once while going through this column. And never forget: Laughter kills the blues. You may end up shaking your head, too, because it is an extremely subjective thing to be ranking so many top-tier players who are currently having top-tier seasons. I’ve been saying through the first third of the season that this is a four-man race this NBA season, and the
After his team’s second win in three nights in the city of New York, John Wall was dressed impeccably in the visitors’ locker room, down to his $1,100 Red Bottom shoes, which elicited gawks and compliments from players and onlookers alike. But one thing was missing to complete his look: his gray bow tie. Unable to get help from teammates, Wall said the final piece to his outfit would have to wait. Wall seems to be as dedicated to his performance
The NBA’s reigning MVP, LeBron James of the Miami Heat, retains the No. 1 spot on the league’s top-selling jerseys list. The list is based on overall sales from adidas and NBAStore.com from October 2013 through December 2013 and reflects record-breaking holiday season jersey sales. NBAStore.com had its largest Black Friday and Cyber Monday in history, with sales up double digits from 2012. Rounding out the top five are the Los Angeles Lakers’ Kobe Bryant (No. 2), the Chicago Bulls’ Derrick
There comes a time each day when I need to take a break from basketball. On Tuesday night, there was no better time than after watching the battle between Damian Lillard and Kyrie Irving in Cleveland, an absolute thriller of a game that ended with Lillard sinking his eighth 3-pointer with 0.4 seconds left to improve the Portland Trail Blazers to an NBA-best 22-4. So I shut down the telly, reached the for latest issue of Time Magazine, and learned that Pope
The Clippers are hardly the Knicks/Nets dumpster fire through their first 25 games. They’re not a sub-.500 bunch with a new coach working in the shadow of the old like the Grizzlies, or a sexy preseason Finals pick currently positioned outside the top 8 out West like Golden State. Nope, the Clippers are firmly planted in the playoff picture, coming home for six of their next eight after polishing off a seven-game road trip with a win Saturday in Washington. Chris Paul
When the Los Angeles Clippers acquired J.J. Redick and Jared Dudley over the summer via trade, many around the league felt that the team surrounded Chris Paul and Blake Griffin with the perfect pieces: solid role players with exceptional touch from the outside to provide great spacing for both stars. Paul would pick defenses apart with so many options to choose from, while Griffin would have all the room he could ask for to operate in the low block. For the