In the brave new world of basketball analytics, trends and modules, a simpler stat surfaced this week that was utterly inexplicable. Two teams have lost 10 games this season in which they led after three quarters. One is the league-worst Philadelphia 76ers, who have no one on their roster who knows how to win a game. The other is the Oklahoma City Thunder, who have two of the supposed best closers in the game in Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook. [Read more…]
There was a train wreck at Penn Station last season. It was known as the New York Knicks, who endured the worst season in franchise history. It happened under the watch of Phil Jackson, one of the franchise’s heroes and a name synonymous with winning in the NBA. Jackson and the Knicks went to work this offseason in the draft and in free agency to get the team back on track. Despite concerns from fans about drafting the next Frederic Weis, the
NEW YORK – Just when New York Knicks fans thought the worst season in franchise history couldn’t get any worse, it did. After watching superstar Carmelo Anthony shut things down with a knee injury and his constantly changing teammates stagger to a 17-65 mark – the second-worst record in the league – the Knicks dropped two spots to fourth overall in Tuesday night’s NBA draft lottery. General manager Steve Mills summed it up for the team’s title-starved fans watching at home, bowing
BROOKLYN – Mikhail Prokhorov will reportedly be in Turkey on Sunday celebrating his 50th birthday with legions of $20,000 models hoping to console him after his American playtoy’s season came to a crashing halt at the hands of the Atlanta Hawks in Game 6 Friday night. So what does the unabashed playboy do with this broken playtoy? A little more than five years ago, Prokhorov vowed to bring a championship to Brooklyn or get married if that didn’t happen within five years. Now,
NEW YORK – It is rare when an assistant coach steals the show at an NBA game, but that is exactly what Mike Woodson did in his victorious return to Madison Square Garden. Less than a year after being fired by the perpetually rebuilding New York Knicks, Woodson was back in The Big Apple, riding shotgun alongside Doc Rivers on the staff of the title-contending Los Angeles Clippers. He met the voracious New York media before the game, then made a surprise
Shame on Jim Dolan for the tone of his e-mail to a 73-year-old fan. Shame on Adam Silver for not penalizing Dolan for his disturbing diatribe. And shame on David Stern for wighing in and supporting Dolan/Silver, saying what Dolan did was undeserving of any kind of punishment. The NBA – where the customer is always disposable. To me, what is most galling about the Dolan e-mail controversy is that Silver described Dolan as the “consummate New Yorker.” AYFKM? Any New Yorker who
After the Washington Wizards ended a season-high five-game losing streak Saturday with a 37-point victory over the Brooklyn Nets, Marcin Gortat wasn’t quite ready to declare that their earth was back on its axis. “At the end of the day, it was Brooklyn, so we can’t get really excited,” he said. There’s nothing like perspective. And Gortat is right: One win against a plodding, tired team is nothing to get excited about. What the Wizards should be is concerned. Prior to the win
New York Knicks president Phil Jackson has let it be known that he has free reign to perform his duties for the team. This includes being able to operate without having team owner James Dolan constantly overpowering him on decisions. [Read more…]