We already told you who we believe will make the playoffs in the Western Conference. The picture in the Eastern Conference is a bit different. Just like the West, the East has six teams that are locks to play in May. They are the defending champion Miami Heat, Boston Celtics, Indiana Pacers, Philadelphia 76ers, New York Knicks and Brooklyn Nets, who last season weren’t in (a) Brooklyn or (b) the playoffs. You can find whatever real or imagined faults you’d like with those
With all the major summer events – primarily the Olympics and Dwight Howard’s situation – coming to a quick close, there are bound to be plenty of stories to conclude all that has happened. That is exactly what we have for you in today’s news. Before you get there, though, be sure to check out a list of players that Chris Bernucca believes may become the next Dwight Howard. Carlos Delfino has agreed to terms with the Houston Rockets, according to
It finally happened: Dwight Howard is out of Orlando and into L.A., as a Laker. For reactions to the four-team blockbuster, check out James Park’s roundup of NBA players’ reactions as well as those of several NBA writers. Also check out Mark Heisler’s column on what Dwight means to the Lakers and Chris Sheridan’s take on who the winners and losers of the four-team deal are. Meanwhile, there’s a gold medal game going down in London tomorrow, and, as many predicted,
Day Two was fun. Day Three? Might be better than the fireworks on Day 4, the Fourth of July. Now, what did we learn on day two? Apparently, there really are two basketball teams in New York City, and one of them—the Brooklyn Nets—helped to prove that Joe Johnson’s untradeable $90 million contract was anything but that. The other team across the East River—the New York Knicks—kept up their pursuit of Steve Nash, although many of their fans wrongly believe a 38-year old two-time
The Miami Heat celebrated their NBA Championship with a parade today. With that, the story line of the 2011-2012 season finally came to a conclusion, which means the beginning of everything else from free agency to trade rumors. See the latest on Kyle Lowry, Steve Nash, Ray Allen, Brandon Jennings and more in the news items below. Chris Sheridan described Amare Stoudemire’s poor use of judgment in yesterday’s news, and now the NBA will investigate, according to Marc Berman: “A source
Right now, the Oklahoma City Thunder are trying to figure out how to get three more wins over the Miami Heat and claim the NBA championship. Whether they can do that remains to be seen. But once the Finals are over, the Thunder will have another issue on their hands – putting a coach in place for next season. Thunder coach Scott Brooks does not have a contract for next season. And while a trip to the NBA Finals makes it seem
The wait is finally over. The Miami Heat and the Oklahoma City Thunder will go head-to-head on Tuesday night in Game 1 of the NBA Finals. See who America is cheering for in today’s news, although the answer should be obvious. Mike Wise of Washington Post discussed why LeBron James should not be recognized as a villain: “Forget about the ’ball, I’m extremely proud of what he has done,” Walker said. “He’s taken care of his family. He’s staying out of trouble. I