Things have officially gone wild in the Wild Wild West. Over the past five seasons, at least one team with a winning record has failed to make the playoffs in the Western Conference as the competition has always been fierce and close until the final day of the season. It may never have been this close, however. Currently, 1 1/2 games separate the fourth seed and the ninth seed. Two teams — the Clippers and the Mavericks — are tied for the fourth seed
Who has time for the NBA during the NCAA Tournament? We do. And on Friday night, you should have made time, too. From John Rohde of the Daily Oklahoman: “Inside one locker room sat a player who had just set a single-game franchise record for points scored, while four chairs away sat a teammate who had collected his first career triple-double with 25 points, 14 assists and 10 rebounds. And this was on the losing team. Inside the victorious locker room across
NEW YORK — Before signing with the New York Knicks back in July 2010, Amar’e Stoudemire did his homework. Some 48 hours before his first meeting with James Dolan and the Knicks’ brass, he’d spoken with both Carmelo Anthony and Tony Parker. According to him, both were ready to team up with him to begin the renaissance. Although the Spurs were ultimately able to retain Parker, Anthony eventually made his way to the Mecca. Now, almost two years later, if the Knicks dynamic
Perhaps it is time to re-examine two beliefs that have mostly gone unquestioned during the first three months of this 66-game NBA season. No. 1: The Los Angeles Clippers are going to the playoffs. No. 2: The Philadelphia 76ers are going to win the Atlantic Division. Don’t be so sure of either one. Let’s start with the Clippers, the darlings of December and January who were surpassed in the Pacific Division standings by the Lakers nearly a month ago. They haven’t won a road
The rollercoaster of a season continues for the New York Knicks. What seemed like a hopelessly lost season just a week ago has turned into a revitalizing one. Since the Mike Woodson era began, Carmelo Anthony and the Knicks (22-24) have displayed the type of defensive effort that was never present when Mike D’Antoni was still around, and the results have been astoundingly good. The Knicks take their renewed energy and a four-game winning streak into the Wells Fargo Center for a revenge game
Chris Bosh is on a roll. His 29 points on 12-16 shooting, plus 8 REB and a couple of STL, led the Heat to an exciting, come-from-behind win over the inspired Suns. LeBron James was shaken up twice but stayed in the game and finished with 20. Though Dexter Pittman got his first start because Joel Anthony has a sore ankle, he played less than 14 minutes while Udonis Haslem (15 & 9) got most of the work. Grant Hill led
Derrick Favors, tipped here yesterday because Al Jefferson is away this weekend, scored 23 points and grabbed 17 boards in a spot start. Get Favors in your lineups again today, and file away the knowledge of how good he will be in the future. I never expected Richard Jefferson to get 38 minutes in his Warriors debut. RJ was ice-cold (2-14) but this doesn’t bode well for Brandon Rush, who can safely be cut. HOU @ LAC: We expected Goran Dragic would
Let the Wood-sanity begin. It has been three games since Mike Woodson took over the coaching duties of the New York Knicks after the firing resignation of Mike D’Antoni. The Knicks have since gone 3-0. Preaching defense and accountability — perhaps the polar opposite of D’Antoni’s style — Woodson has changed the attitude of his players and the results have shown in remarkable fashion on the court. Since going on a nightmare six-game losing streak that saw them fall out of the playoff picture, New