With Tuesday night’s Game 4 against the Indiana Pacers on the horizon, the New York Knicks’ roster was shrouded in doubt earlier in the morning. J.R. Smith and Kenyon Martin have both been battling illness for the past few days, but are expected to play. The biggest question, however, involved second year guard Iman Shumpert. Shumpert, as you may recall, suffered from a few hard falls in Game 3 which have resulted in swelling in his left knee—the same knee that required
As the second round of the NBA playoffs surges into the weekend — with every series tied 1-1 for the first time in league history — all eyes are on the Golden State Warriors. Klay Thompson’s Game 2 brilliance — 34 points on 8-for-9 shooting from 3-point range — evened up Golden State’s series with San Antonio heading into Friday night’s Game 3 at “the Roaracle,” but it has been Stephen Curry and Mark Jackson who have turned this organization into
This year’s NBA Playoffs have been rife with medical atrocities, most of which have effected players. Now, one of the league’s best basketball minds and most prominent voices is lost to health complications. Indiana Pacers hall of fame shooting guard Reggie Miller had words of comfort for his former coach. [Read more…]
Warning to the rest of the NBA, especially the Miami Heat: If history can be used as a guide, Derrick Rose is going to be a much better shooter when/if he returns during the playoffs. Yes, that is a big “if.” Rose is expected to sit again tonight for Game 3. But when he returns, he should return a better shooter. That’s what happens when hard-working, coachable players have to rehab from leg or knee injuries. All they can do is practice their
Joakim Noah argues with referee Scott Foster. Aside from the overarching story being that the Miami Heat decisively won Game 2 against the Chicago Bulls to even the series 1 – 1, there has been plenty of media attention brought to the fourth quarter. Particularly, as things were spiraling out of control for the Bulls, when All-Star center Joakim Noah was ejected from the game. As he was being escorted from the court to the locker room, a
Can we settle on this factoid after the first 4 days of the second round of the NBA Playoffs? The Golden State Warrors are now America’s team — unless, of course, you live in San Antonio and spend your days sticking needles into Joey Crawford voodoo dolls. Or you are Spike Lee. [Read more…]
Tuesday night’s games were all about guard play and righting a set of wrongs from Game 1. The Knicks’ guards didn’t do enough to overshadow the strong play of Indiana’s frontcourt, but Pablo Prigioni helped New York rectify that problem during a historic fourth quarter run. And Memphis needed a boost from Mike Conley after a subpar Game 1 performance, and Conley redeemed himself during the Grizzlies’ huge Tuesday night road win. Let’s discuss these themes as part of the
NEW YORK — How did Frank Vogel get his start in coaching? “That’s a long story you’re getting into there,” I was warned as I asked Vogel that question at the Pacers’ shootaround on Tuesday morning at MSG. Indeed, it is. Vogel, who finished a distant fifth in voting for Coach of the Year honors, isn’t a former NBA player. He is, however, a former Division III, pre-med varsity point guard with a 2.6 GPA (“That was not going to get me into med