Sunday night the Oklahoma City Thunder were whole. Center Serge Ibaka made his return from what was previously thought to be a season ending injury. His return was much needed, as he provided the defensive energy necessary for the Thunder to play free on the perimeter without worry or fear of Tony Parker, Tim Duncan or Manu Ginobili wreaking havoc in the paint near the rim. Ibaka had a profound impact on the game, as Oklahoma claimed a 106-97 Game 3 victory
With the NBA season over for all but four teams, most around the league are thinking about what to do heading into next season. Naturally, everything starts from the top, and that means the search for quality coaches is on. The Golden State Warriors moved quickly and acquired Steve Kerr on a multi-year deal, while the Detroit Pistons scooped up the much-coveted Stan Van Gundy. There are still plenty of teams around the league looking to fill the vacancy of the
Innovation must come from experimentation at the edge, not just from ideas generated by the center. For Frank Vogel and the Indiana Pacers, this is a mantra that must be embraced if they want to turn their fortunes around. What they are doing now isn’t working. There’s nothing else to it. [Read more…]
NEW YORK – The San Antonio Spurs’ Gregg Popovich is the recipient of the Red Auerbach Trophy as the 2013-14 NBA Coach of the Year, the NBA announced today. Popovich’s Spurs posted the league’s best record at 62-20 (.756), which provides them with homecourt advantage throughout the postseason. [Read more…]
Well, we might as well start things by reminding everyone how the Spurs should be the team calling themselves the defending champions, except for the part where Gregg Popovich had his three best players on the bench at the end of Game 6 in Miami. That’s when we stopped calling him “genius” and vowed to never do so again. So this spring, we will laud Pop with congratulations for finishing with the league’s best record, for putting together a 19-game winning streak,
Transparency is a two-way street. For years, NBA media members – echoing the sentiments of its passionate fan base – wanted more transparency from Commissioner David Stern and his executive staff. Whether it was a lottery drawing, a suspension in the playoffs or a referee scandal, folks felt like they were entitled to an explanation. And they were. Stern grudgingly came around. He arranged for the media to meet with referees prior to the season about rules changes. He allowed the media
Life can be tricky. Sometimes, you are judged by your successes. Other times, you are judged by your failures. Which brings us to the San Antonio Spurs, who are sitting at 60 victories with a little over a week left in the 2013-14 regular season, practically assured of having homecourt advantage throughout the playoffs. But when you play word association with the Spurs, what comes to mind first: Their 19-game winning streak that ended last week, or their 0-4 record this season
There have been some fair comparisons drawn between the current 17-game winning streak of the San Antonio Spurs and the remarkable 27-game run put together a year ago by the Miami Heat. Both teams expect to compete for the NBA championship. Both teams found their rhythm at the most opportune time of the season. Both teams stormed to the league’s best record and home court advantage throughout the playoffs. There are obvious differences as well. For one, San Antonio still needs 10