It took every available day of the regular season and meant wounds both self- and externally inflicted, but the Lakers managed to qualify for the playoffs Wednesday night. They even avoided the high-powered Oklahoma City Thunder in the process. And while the San Antonio Spurs, winners of 58 games and featuring the best power forward in history along with the league’s best coach can hardly be considered the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow, it is certainly a
“Not two, not three, not four, not five, not six, not seven.” Those are the infamous words by LeBron James when he first became a Miami Heat that people will always remember. It was obviously a huge deal at the time due to its cockiness and the fact that it was said before the newly formed trio ever played a single game together on the court. When he said it, we all assumed that James was speaking for himself as well
The difference between talent and skill is one of the most misunderstood concepts of the NBA – and sports in general, for that matter. Talent you have naturally. Every player in the NBA has some form of natural talent. But skill can only be developed by hours and hours of working on your craft. 10,000 hours, as Malcolm Gladwell has famously professed. This is as true for individuals as it is teams. [Read more…]
In all walks of life, in tragedy there is opportunity. So today, as we mourn the loss of innocent lives in Boston, we should all take a moment to send thoughts and prayers to those affected by the horrific events that unfolded yesterday. We can use the tragedy as an opportunity to unite and come together. On any level, sports is a unifying force that has helped bridge economic, social, geographical and political divisions among citizens of the world, and the NBA
While you were watching the Masters … or fertilizing the lawn … or watching baseball … or enjoying Mark Heisler’s public resignation from The New York Times after they turned down his one-on-one interview with Kobe Bryant … or learning that Mike Rice is up to his old tricks, except now he is berating 12-year-old girls, a whole helluva lot was being decided in the NBA. Just think where we might be a week from now when eight Game 1s will
We’ve still got a handful of games that really matter in the NBA regular season, and maybe the biggest is tonight, with the Spurs heading into Staples Center to face the Lakers. [Read more…]
It’s forever a delicate balance for the great scorers. After all these years, Kobe Bryant and Carmelo Anthony still get ripped for being selfish and LeBron James and Kevin Durant get ripped for not being selfish enough. [Read more…]
Now that Rick Pitino and his Louisville Cardinals have captured the NCAA Mens Division I Basketball Championship, we can get back to focusing on the big boys—many of whom have some big, big problems. Chris Sheridan gave us a rather interesting take on 10 unanswered questions that persist as we head down the stretch run of the season, and Chris Bernucca gave us a nice piece on separating the playoff contenders from pretenders. I am still have a very difficult time