If you enjoy the weekly StatBox column that analytically breaks down some of the NBA’s most pressing and important topic, you’re in luck. Every Tuesday through Thursday during the postseason, the StatBox is expanding into playoff game analysis. You’ll not only find out why each team won and lost, but how different statistical trends can play out over the course of the series and the playoffs as a whole. First up: why the Bulls and Clippers are looking good in their quests
NEW YORK — Well, you can’t exactly call it a landslide. But it certainly was a more decisive vote than many might have anticipated. J.R. Smith, who led all reserves in scoring, received 72 first-place votes to Crawford’s 31 in winning the NBA’s Sixth Man award Monday. Jarrett Jack of Golden State received 14 first-place votes and finished third. My vote went to Smith, who had seven 30-point games in which the Knicks went 5-2. Crawford scored 30 once — one of the deciding
At long last, the NBA playoff matchups are set in stone, and as always, the Western Conference figures to hit the ground running with the better entertainment. All four West first-round matches should provide excellent entertainment, and it would be especially surprising if the 4-5 matchup between the Los Angeles Clippers and Memphis Grizzlies proved an exception. With that series kicking off Saturday night at Staples Center in LA, here are five issues to be mindful of once the ball is jumped.
This week marks the final edition of our Sixth Man Rankings, and we have a winner. While major alterations to the list have been made throughout this process, the race ultimately has come down to two players on opposite sides of the country: Los Angeles Clippers guard Jamal Crawford and New York Knicks guard J.R. Smith. Both players are in their first full season with their teams and both were able to add a bench scoring dimension to which neither team had
With Derrick Rose having missed the entire season while recovering from microfracture surgery and Kirk Hinrich constantly in and out of the lineup with various injuries, someone had to step up at the point for the Chicago Bulls. Good or bad, they desperately needed someone to make plays from the perimeter, and their answer for much of the season has been little Nate Robinson. [Read more…]
Lets talk about the Golden State Warriors. How many people, before the season began, thought that this team could make the playoffs without a healthy Andrew Bogut anchoring its defense? If the number reads more than zero, then we have some liars in our hands because lets face it: no one thought that the Warriors would be good enough in the Western Conference if they couldn’t play defense. Without Bogut’s availability, there was no reason to assume that they would suddenly
The NBA is dark tonight. All eyes will be on Atlanta, where Louisville and Michigan will play for the NCAA national championship. So this gives us time to reflect … With 10 days remaining in the regular season, what are the 10 biggest unanswered questions from around the league? [Read more…]
