Three thoughts after a Friday night of watching NBA basketball: _ I am going to spend more time watching the Minnesota Timberwolves this winter, since I know who I’ll be watching in late May and most of June (not them). Ricky Rubio is the reason why, even if his 12 assists in his coming-of-age game had to come on the same night LeBron James celebrated his 27th birthday with his 38th career 30-point, 10-assist performance. (The most among active players, one
Durant’s 3 at buzzer stuns Mavs
That video is Exhibit A in the case for why Kevin Durant is going to be the MVP. Five of the eight columnists here at SheridanHoops.com selected Durant as their choice for the league’s most prestigious individual award, and that buzzer-beating 3-pointer gave him his fourth 30-point game of the season and moved the Oklahoma City Thunder to 4-0 as they stunned the defending champs from Dallas 104-102. It was the only close game on a night when there were six games played
Bernucca: Wanna keep Wall? Dump Blatche
Andray Blatche is a knucklehead, and the Wizards better get rid of him if they want to keep John Wall. It is becoming next to impossible to prevent NBA superstars from flying the coop. They want to play in more attractive big markets. They want to play alongside other superstars. They want to win championships. And of course, they want to get paid. What they don’t want is to be stuck with a lottery-bound team. They don’t want to share a locker
What to make of Durant v. Westbrook
Why did Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook get into another fight on the bench last night, as they did in last year’s playoffs? One reason is because they are young and emotional, and youngsters get into fights and show their emotions more than most veterans. Kids will be kids, after all. Also, one of them is more mature than the other. Does it mean Durant and Westbrook hate each other? Far from it, as I explain in the above video. Want to win two free
Explaining the panic in Lakerdom
When you’ve won as many championships as the Lakers have (11 since moving to Los Angeles), your fans get spoiled. And what do spoiled people do? They whine when things don’t go their way. That’s not a knock on Lakers fans, it’s just the way I see it. I spoke about that particular fan dynamic tonight on the Sportsnet 590-The Fan radio in Toronto with host Roger Lajoie, and we also touched on the uptempo style the Miami Heat are playing, the surprising struggles
Mavericks, Lakers lose again
The defending champion Dallas Mavericks got booed off their home court – and that happened before halftime. The L.A. Lakers lost in Sacramento for the first time in more than three years. The Chicago Bulls, lost, too, while the Nets, Raptors and Bobcats opened what promises to be a weird, wild, compressed NBA season with victories that left them all 1-0. Scratching your head? That’s OK. It’s allowed after these first 48 hours of NBA basketball that we all waited so long for are
Day after Christmas a downer for Lakers, Celtics fans
// Did you get what you wanted? If you are a long-suffering Clippers or Knicks fan, you sure did. If you are a Mavericks fan, you sorta did (a banner), sorta didn’t (a shellacking). If you are a member of the tribes known as Lakers Nation and Celtics Nation, no you did not! Today dawned with a post-Christmas hangover in a lot of places where folks had been accustomed to having their wishes fulfilled and their dreams come true. The Lakers were up six
Bernucca column: Is Dwight a white knight?
It’s time for Dwight Howard to make a decision. Does he want to stay in Orlando, or does he want out? Does he want to be Dirk Nowitzki or Paul Pierce, or does he want to be LeBron James or Carmelo Anthony? Does he want to be a white knight, or does he want to move over to the dark side? Over the weekend, Howard appeared irreversibly headed to the dark side, where NBA superstars hold their teams hostage with early termination options