Rod Thorn, the NBA’s dean of discipline, has a tough decision to make. Should Dwight Howard’s elbowing foul against Andrew Bogut from Game 4 of the Western Conference finals be upgraded to a flagrant-2, which would force Howard to miss Game 5. The precedent is there, whether it was Al Horford getting ejected from Game 3 of the Atlanta-Cleveland series or J.R. Smith getting suspended two games for elbowing Jae Crowder of Boston during the first round. Elbows to the head are a
There are really only three teams left in the NBA playoffs. After a fantastic regular season, Atlanta is simply decimated by injuries. [Read more…]
Another fantastic finish, another home win for the Warriors. James Harden $9800 was spectacular in defeat (38 PTS, 10 REB, 9 AST) and Dwight Howard $8500 (knee) not only played, he double-doubled in 40 minutes. The big man will be “questionable” every game, but it’s hard to imagine him not giving all he can in a must-win Game Three. [Read more…]
The NBA Conference Finals tip off tonight. DraftKings fantasy contests close at 9:00 Eastern but will not be decided until tomorrow night. [Read more…]
On your mark, get set, go! Track meet, drag race, whatever analogy you like, the Western Conference finals between the top-seeded Golden State Warriors and second-seeded Houston Rockets should be played at a breakneck pace by a pair of teams who are attempting to change the paradigm of NBA offenses. During the regular season, the Warriors led the league in points per game, overall shooting and 3-point shooting. They were second in threes made and scored at least 110 points 40 times,
We’re down to the NBA version of the Final Four. “Daily” Fantasy Sports becomes a two-day event the rest of the way; DraftKings has set salaries for contests that close at 9:00 Eastern on Tuesday and conclude with Wednesday night’s game. [Read more…]
It’s time we start appreciating these Houston Rockets for what they are instead of wondering what could be down the road. For much of the 2014-15 season, the narrative about Houston for many around the NBA — myself included — has been more about the future than the present. Sure, today looked nice with James Harden and Dwight Howard, but general manager Daryl Morey seemed so close to forming a “Super Team” last summer with Chris Bosh and again at the trade deadline with Goran
With 14 minutes left, Game 6 felt just like the two in Los Angeles before it. The Rockets were close at the half, trailing by only two, but they were blitzed yet again in the third quarter, with the Clippers pushing the 64-62 halftime edge to 89-70. In the prior two cases, the Rockets folded and lost by 25+ points. This time? They were able to deliver a stunning 49-18 counter-punch to the Clippers to close the game and tie the series at 3-3, sending it back to Houston for a