(This is another in a series of 30 guest columns that will run in October, when optimism reigns supreme across the NBA. The theme will be “Five Reasons to Feel Positive About … ” We encourage you to follow the authors on Twitter and visit their sites. – CS) For fans of Golden State Warriors, the “We Believe” playoff run seems like it happened about 12 years ago and not five. One of the biggest upsets in NBA history against the
Have you ever read the book “When the Game Was Ours”? It’s about the rise, rivalry and friendship of two of the finest players in the history of the NBA in Larry Bird and Magic Johnson, and how their love and passion for the game of basketball helped shape the NBA into what it is today. What you also find out in the book is the role of one David Stern, who wasn’t always hated and booed at every basketball event he
When LeBron James made his move to the power forward position last season, things changed drastically – in a championship winning way – for the Heat. There aren’t too many small forwards that are versatile enough to play both small forward and the power forward positions: the difference in physicality is simply too significant to handle for most. Another three that is capable of playing the four – and creating havoc in the process – is New York Knicks forward Carmelo
In Sunday night’s preseason game between the Lakers and the Warriors, we witnessed something that may take a while to get used to: Steve Nash was running the floor alongside Kobe Bryant in a Lakers uniform. If you’re not a Lakers fan, what we saw was bad news because Nash – as he always does – made the game look so darned easy for everyone else. The Warriors actually blew the game open for a 110-83 victory and showed promising
Think your team is making the playoffs in the West this season? If you don’t live in L.A., you sure about that? If your team is the Dallas Mavericks or Utah Jazz, you shouldn’t be so sure. The Western Conference has six teams that are postseason certainties and four teams that are locks for the lottery. That leaves five teams vying for two spots. The Oklahoma City Thunder, Los Angeles Lakers, San Antonio Spurs, Los Angeles Clippers, Memphis Grizzlies and Denver Nuggets are in. Each
What happens in Vegas doesn’t always stay in Vegas. Take the Las Vegas Summer League, for example. Players such as Klay Thompson and Derrick Williams are trying to parlay strong performances this summer into eventual NBA stardom with their teams. The Las Vegas Summer League is a golden opportunity for players to earn an increased role in the NBA. For young players, their summer performance can earn them a rotation spot. For players hooping overseas, the summer is a chance to show NBA
NEW YORK — The only player to be unanimously selected to the NBA’s All-Rookie Team is the Rookie of the Year, point guard Kyrie Irving of the Cleveland Cavaliers. Joining Irving (58 points) and Minnesota Timberwolves rookie point guard Ricky Rubio (49 points) on the All-Rookie First Team are Denver’s Kenneth Faried (46 points), Golden State’s Klay Thompson (43 points), New York’s Iman Shumpert (40 points), San Antonio’s Kawhi Leonard (40 points) and Detroit’s Brandon Knight (40 points). (The three-way tie for fifth necessitated a
Linsanity has continued into the offseason as New York Knicks guard Jeremy Lin was one of the 13 players chosen for the USA Select Team that train against Team USA in advance of the Olympics. The players were revealed Monday by USA Basketball. The baker’s dozen includes point guards and top overall picks Kyrie Irving of the Cleveland Cavaliers and John Wall of the Washington Wizards. Lin, whose rise from obscurity to stardom earlier this season transcended basketball, missed the playoffs while