The gambling life ain’t easy, folks — which is where today’s tale begins. But by the time you get to the end of today’s column, hopefully you’ll be amused by my personal adventures and enlightened by my leaguewide analysis. We are at the quarter-pole of the NBA season, and trends have emerged. First, to truly appreciate what it means to gamble on the NBA on a daily basis, you had to experience what it was like to bet on the Philadelphia 76ers
Looks like we’ve got a good old-fashioned rookie duel on our hands. Tuesday’s showdown in Philadelphia between 76ers guard Michael Carter-Williams and Orlando Magic guard Victor Oladipo was more than just a spectacular display by two future stars. It was a microcosm of this season’s race for Rookie of the Year. In case you live in an igloo, both Carter-Williams and Oladipo had their first career triple-doubles in a wild double-overtime affair won by the Sixers, 126-125. MCW had 27 points, 12
Amidst a crazy day of sports — that included the top team in college football losing on a last-second field goal return for a touchdown — one of the top stories circulating on the Internet Saturday was that of the untimely tragic death of actor Paul Walker. Walker, 40, who was best known for his iconic role as Brian O’Conner in The Fast and the Furious films, died in a fiery single-car crash in Santa Clarita, California. The combination of TMZ having
The standings are always a little wonky at this point. Some contenders get off to slow starts, some pretenders look like world-beaters. [Read more…]
There aren’t many professionals in this country — young or old — that ever wake up regretting that they took advantage of the rare opportunity to get a good night’s rest. Despite last night’s Thunder-Warriors game on TNT, I decided to take a night to catch up on some sleep. [Read more…]
When you’re an adored star in this league, you get a pass on a lot of things. And Dwyane Wade got a pass for an absolutely rockhead play in Miami’s inexplicable loss to Boston on Saturday. The Heat led by four with less than two seconds to play. On their home floor. Against the Celtics. And lost. In regulation. And most of it was on Wade, who (a) faltered in the clutch; (b) made his own strategic decision without any input from the
It’s already been a long season (and decade) in Lakerdom, even if fans knew the team is rebuilding. They just didn’t think it would last this long. Ding, ding, ding! Reality check! Nothing that’s happened has been a surprise – Kobe Bryant is out, Steve Nash is trying to get his legs under him, Nick Young is Nick Young – but it’s a bad time for Lakers fans, half of whom cheer every win in the hope … well, the team can’t really win
Want to know what David Stern’s legacy will be? Just take a look at NBA rosters on Opening Night. More than 20 years ago – when he was a relative pup as a commissioner – Stern worked with Russ Granik, USA Basketball and FIBA to clear the way for NBA players to play in the Olympics. That led to the creation of the “Dream Team,” which, among others, featured the holy trinity of Larry Bird, Magic Johnson and Michael Jordan. Team USA