This was an exciting week for the NBA. There has been a steady supply of great games, such as Dallas at Golden State on Thursday night. Great stories have developed, including the renaming of the New Orleans Hornets, who will adopt the name of their state bird. Ryan Anderson, who has proved all doubters wrong since his move to NOLA, will be a Pelican next season. And lastly, the trade that sent Rudy Gay to the Toronto Raptors has people buzzing. [Read more…]
Did Jamal Crawford get snubbed as an All-Star? Crawford is the second-leading scorer on the NBA’s second-best team. But he is also part of the second unit of the Los Angeles Clippers, and that works against him. For a good part of Crawford’s career, he has been someone that teams rely on for big shots at the end of games. With the obvious exception of Chris Paul, there is nobody on the Clippers better at creating their own shot off the
As the season progresses, the NBA’s top teams begin to try to create some separation from the rest of the league. The Oklahoma City Thunder, Los Angeles Clippers and San Antonio Spurs are doing just that in the Western Conference, while the Miami Heat and New York Knicks are attempting to do the same in the East. [Read more…]
The race for Most Improved Player just got real. Like “Boyz n the Hood” real. “Shawshank Redemption” real. “Snooki and J-Woww” real. Guys are getting serious about winning this award, so the competition has gotten tougher than wildebeest mating season. Kemba Walker, Omer Asik, Serge Ibaka, Larry Sanders and George Hill all have had breakout seasons, yet none of them were able to crack the top five in this week’s rankings. [Read more…]
When the season began, most people expected to see the Heat, Thunder, and (oops!) Lakers compete for a title. They expected to see the Bobcats struggle. This season, most people expected to see Kevin Durant and LeBron James in the MVP race. They expected to see Anthony Davis, Bradley Beal and Damian Lillard compete for Rookie of the Year. They expected to see guys like Manu Ginobili, Lou Williams and Jamal Crawford compete for the Sixth Man Award. People are smart. Some of
NEW YORK — Avery Bradley’s statistics will never do him justice. Ever. The kind of perimeter defense the third-year guard out of Texas plays is on par with the best perimeter defenders in the NBA. [Read more…]
2013 Dunk of the Year. It seems a little early for such proclamations, and yet they keep coming. Last night, famed film director and New York Knicks fan Spike Lee (indirectly) put in his vote. Friday, four more votes were tallied. We’ll start with the non-Knicks votes for overnight high school sensation, Victor Dukes, which come from Boston Celtics rookie forward Jared Sullinger, San Antonio Spurs forward DeJuan Blair and Portland Trail Blazers rookie center Meyers Leonard. [Read more…]
In almost every other sport, being marked as a bench player is a designation that no player wants. Basketball does not have that issue. Some players, as talented as they may be, simply have a knack for giving their best production to a club by coming off the bench. [Read more…]