Basketball is a team game, but it is also a game that can easily be altered by a single player, moreso than any other major sport. And that player doesn’t even have to be a starter. In many games this season, there has been a fairly strong correlation between the success of the Los Angeles Clippers when Jamal Crawford is doing well – and when he isn’t. The same can be said for J.R. Smith in New York. With two weeks in the
Congratulations to “rayhead” who won the $100 first prize in last night’s Freeroll by scoring over 300 points. “FuriousandtheBigGuy” earned $60 for second and “gryfin1” gets $30 for finishing third. [Read more…]
If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it. As cliché as that may be, it’s something that NBA coaches tend to live by in terms of player rotations. However, sometimes things break, and it’s the coach’s job to fix the mess. The Utah Jazz and Boston Celtics both have had to deal with adversity of late and have had to make the tough choice to put their most productive sparks off the bench – Gordon Hayward and Jeff Green, respectively – into the
Congratulations to the Chicago Bulls for clinching a playoff spot. They also accomplished something no other team had done since February 1 — they beat the Heat. Luol Deng (28 PTS, 7 REB, 5 AST, 2 STL) played 44 minutes and hit four 3-pointers, while Carlos Boozer (21 PTS, 17 REB, 3 AST, 1 STL, 1 BLK) made up for the absence of Joakim Noah (foot) by crashing the boards. [Read more…]
For countless fantasy basketball owners, this is Week 1 of the head-to-head playoffs. Maybe your team has a bye (congratulations) or your league doesn’t use the most popular dates. For the majority of us, this week is sudden-death and tonight will go a long way toward deciding the result. [Read more…]
A month of the regular season remains. There is still plenty of basketball to be played and still plenty of chances for teams around the league to solidify their playoff positions. On the other hand, there is a handful of teams whose executives may be forced to look at the draft lottery and beyond, even with about 15 games remaining for most teams. The key players off the bench around the NBA are all over the league. They play for teams competing
There’s an age-old axiom that states: you don’t set out to build a wall. You lay one brick as perfectly as that brick can be laid, and you do it every day, and soon you will have a wall. The Miami Heat didn’t set out to break the NBA’s all-time longest win-streak of 33 games – a 41-year old record held by the 1971-’72 Los Angeles Lakers — but as they continue to stack win after win, it is becoming well
In a terrific contest, LeBron James (37 PTS, 12 AST, 7 REB, 2 STL, 2 BLK) powered the Heat to their 23rd consecutive win, but it could have gone either way. Kevin Garnett (adductor) was unable to play, but in his place, Jeff Green had the game of his life — 43 PTS, 7 REB, 5 3PTM, 4 BLK — and the proud, stubborn Celtics almost sent it to overtime. [Read more…]