There are a dozen games on the slate Friday night, including the Mike D’Antoni Death Watch in Washington. However, the best of the bunch has the Chicago Bulls taking their five-game winning streak to Orlando, where their primary concern may not be Magic center Dwight Howard. Yes, Howard has been his usual monstrous self lately, ignoring the trade rumors to average 20 points, 18 rebounds and 2.8 blocks in his last five games. Right now, the best strategy appears is to
Fantasy Spin: Tuesday Jan. 3
Highlight Performances: Andrew Bynum, LA– Talent has never been the question for Bynum, but more of a matter of health. Bynum looks incredibly improved following his 4-game suspension, and continued posting monster numbers Tuesday night with his 21 point/22 reb. double-double. When healthy, Bynum’s upside is through the roof, and his production should continue as long as his knees hold up. Kobe Bryant, LA– Sticking to the Lakers, Bryant also had a huge night, scoring 37 points and nearly a triple double
Tonight’s best game: Atlanta at Chicago
The unrelenting schedule is about to backpick the Atlanta Hawks. The Hawks have to be feeling pretty good about themselves after Monday’s road win over previously unbeaten Miami. That is, if they had time to feel good about themselves. After the win, the Hawks boarded a plane for a three-hour flight to Chicago. They probably got into their hotel around 3 a.m. local time, grabbed some Z’s and awoke for a morning walkthrough before returning their hotel rooms, likely to nap until the
Silva: What the Bulls showed in California
CHICAGO — I tried to not get caught up in all the hype surrounding the first week of the NBA season because, well, it’s the first week of a 66-game season. No matter how frantic the pace – four games in six nights for the Bulls – there’s still plenty of basketball to be played, and much more to be revealed. The first four games for Chicago, and the rest of the league for that matter, were more like an exercise
Silva Column: First Look at Rip Hamilton in a Bulls Uniform
csprtContainer(); CHICAGO — Rip Hamilton didn’t look like a player who was debuting for a new team, something you can chalk up to his 12 years in the league that have exposed him to any and every offensive set and defensive scheme known to man. In a word, I’d describe his first game in a Bulls’ uniform as exceptional. And I still stand behind my earlier claim that he’s a more than suitable fit for this team moving forward. But what should we
Eurobasket: Batum’s dunk might dim the memory of Weis getting dunked on
By Chris Sheridan KAUNAS, Lithuania — The most memorable dunk in French basketball history will remain a dunk that they are not proud of. But at least now, there is a dunk — courtesy of Nicolas Batum — that the French can replay over and over again without feeling ashamed. France qualified for the 2012 Olympics by defeating Russia 79-71 Friday night in the semifinals of EuroBasket, staying strong down the stretch, thanks mostly to Batum, to end an 11-year limbo that began
Eurobasket: France beats Greece with talent, mentality
By Chris Sheridan KAUNAS, Lithuania — Historically, when the French have played the Greeks, the script has so often played out the same way: It would be a close game in the fourth quarter, and the French would then fall apart like they were mimicking the recent Greek economy. So when Thursday’s quarterfinal was a two-point game with 2:01 left, the French should have been predisposed to expect the worst. Who would make the crucial mistake? Who would commit a stupid foul? Who would let
Eurobasket: Quarterfinal previews
By Chris Sheridan KAUNAS, Lithuania — This city is the birthplace and/or childhood home of Arvydas Sabonis, Sarunas Jasikevicius, Sarunas Marciulonis and Zydrunas Ilgauskas, and by the end of next weekend it will be the metropolis (to use that word loosely) where the latest European champion is crowned. Eight teams have made it to the quarterfinals of EuroBasket, and the do-or-die portion begins Wednesday night with Spain-Slovenia and Macedonia-Lithuania. Thursday’s games are France-Greece and Russia-Serbia, and the semifinals — which will determine which two teams qualify for the 2012 Olympics