Today, we will spare you the details of the Sunday afternoon blowouts that made for a fine laundry day. The Heat were held to 72 points by Boston and lost. Miami is doggin’ it during the dog days, and to quote Ned Flanders: “That’s a D-D-D: Dig Diddly Doo.” The Bulls didn’t have Derrick Rose again and got waxed by the Thunder, whose former in-house beat writer, now employed here, now says they appear to be championship worthy after knocking off the
The more I watch the Oklahoma City Thunder rack up wins and inch closer to the league’s best record, the more I question my preseason predictions. Can the Thunder win the NBA title this season? Back in December I said no, although I did have them facing the Miami Heat in the NBA Finals. After watching the Thunder cruise to a 40-12 overall record thanks to Sunday’s 92-78 thrashing of the Derrick Rose-less Chicago Bulls, and putting the rest of their season
This week, there was a groundswell for Kevin Love’s inclusion in the MVP conversation. Thanks for joining us in 2012, folks. Love should should have been in it months ago. We know all the names that already comprised the conversation – LeBron James, Kevin Durant, Kobe Bryant, Chris Paul – with Tony Parker and Dwight Howard on the periphery. Those six candidates differ from Love in two ways. 1. They all play on winning teams. 2. This season, they all couldn’t wash Love’s socks. Yes,
Derek Fisher returned to the Staples Center for the first time since being swapped for Jordan Hill at the trade deadline two weeks ago. Los Angeles showed its appreciation for him in a big way — playing a tribute video just before tip-off followed by a rousing ovation from the crowd. Perhaps inspired by the exciting atmosphere, he picked the perfect time to snap out of a personal funk, too. Coming into the game averaging just 3.8 points on 22.7% shooting since joining his new
NOTES: Two of the league’s best offenses are in action tonight on TNT. The first game, a rematch of last year’s Finals, features the Dallas Mavericks visiting the Miami Heat (8 p.m. ET). Miami’s vaunted defense deservingly has gotten a lot of pub. The Heat, however, also ranks fourth in scoring, averaging 100.9 ppg, allowing for a robust +7.3 point-differential (second to Chicago’s . The second contest features the Los Angeles Lakers hosting the Western Conference-leading Oklahoma City Thunder (10:30 p.m.
The (mostly) young Oklahoma City Thunder have been the most consistent team in the Western Conference this season. The Lakers — a team full of veterans (with the exception of the one they’ll have a reunion with tonight) — are trying to get back to a level of consistency they once held over the Thunder. In a meeting between two of the top scorers in the league, Kobe Bryant and the L.A. Lakers take on the visiting Kevin Durant and the Western
Quick quiz: Who are the only two referees to work the last five NBA Finals? Dick Bavetta? Sorry, he hasn’t worked a Finals since 2008. Eddie F. Rush? Nope. Since 2007, he’s only gotten the call once. Mike Callahan? You’re getting warmer. He’s worked the last three, as have both Derrick Stafford and Monty McCutchen. Scott Foster? Joey Crawford? Warmer still. Both have worked the last four. If you answered Dan Crawford and Ken Mauer, take a bow. That duo has the longest current
Through the first half of the season and leading into the All-Star break, the MVP award was LeBron James’ to lose. The way the Miami Heat has played since the All-Star break, however, may re-open the MVP discussion for debate. After losing just seven games through the first two months of the season,”The King” and the Heat have lost six of 14 games in March. More alarmingly, all six losses have come on the road against some of the top teams in