On a slow news day, you have to give thanks for people like J.R. Smith and Dennis Rodman. They break up the mundane — not that the mundane has to be boring (Case in point is the latest of our team previews, this one on the Oklahoma City Thunder. For all published team previews, click here.) Here is the lowdown: Smith gets five game ban J.R Smith has been suspended five games by the NBA for violating the league’s anti-drug policy. Due to the length
This is how you know your star transcends the universe where it was created. LeBron James – two-time defending champion, four-time MVP, best player on the planet – was the topic of three different stories Tuesday. And none of them were about NBA basketball. Not one, not two … Three. [Read more…]
One of the rarest, yet most exciting, occurrences in sports happens when a great player compliments another. That happened today when LeBron James complimented the game of former Bulls great Scottie Pippen. Watching vintage Games. @ScottiePippen was a beast man!! Don’t think he fully gets the credit he deserves. Mad game on both ends — LeBron James (@KingJames) August 24, 2013 The Miami Heat star makes a good point, Pippen may actually deserve more credit than he’s received being Michael Jordan’s longtime sidekick. In 17
The month of July is typically an awkward one for NBA fans. We’re fresh off the NBA Finals and the NBA Draft, but suddenly realizing that there won’t be any legitimate competition played for the next three months. Of course, as with any NBA summer vacation, there are plenty of things happening with player movement and free agency, but also incidents of the more peculiar variety. Deals are made, teams are transformed, and players find themselves with a bit too much free time
By Evin Demirel In 29 years as NBA commissioner, David Stern has led his league to unprecedented heights by opening its doors to nearly every corner of the world. He expects its next generation of stars, some of whom just finished playing on their franchises’ summer teams, to continue fueling growth through diversity and global expansion. A quick scan at the statistical leaders for the NBA Summer League, which wrapped Monday in Las Vegas, seems to indicate everything is on track. There are
Younger NBA fans have been spoiled by Game 7s. Tonight’s showdown in Miami between the Heat and Spurs is the third Game 7 in the NBA Finals in the last nine years. Prior to that, there had been just one in the previous 16 years. Game 7’s are like tax returns, pizza and sex; they’re never really bad. But they can be really good, and as Game 7’s go, we haven’t had a really good one in a long time. [Read more…]
Well played, T.J. Simers. It was reported late Thursday evening that Los Angeles Clippers point guard Chris Paul is very upset with the organization for linking his name to the firing of Vinny Del Negro. Chris Broussard of ESPN has details: Chris Paul is upset with the Los Angeles Clippers organization because he is being widely blamed for the firing of Vinny Del Negro as the Clippers’ coach, according to a source close to the situation. [Read more…]
One of the most intriguing elements of the NBA playoffs is what the spotlight reveals about certain players – especially those who weren’t expected to be in the spotlight at all. We expect established superstars such as LeBron James and Kevin Durant to welcome the pressure of the postseason and elevate their play. That is part of the reason they are among the game’s best players. It is also not that surprising to see very good players such as Stephen Curry and