Game 1 between the Miami Heat and Indiana Pacers was full of heroic acts from various players. Chris “Birdman Birdman” Anderson was hitting clutch free throws, shot seven-of-seven from the field and came up with key defensive plays. Dwyane Wade was, at times, incredible on finishing plays at the rim. Chris Bosh, who was visibly absent on the glass throughout the game, grabbed a crucial offensive rebound in overtime (only his second rebound of the game) and converted on a
LeBron James and the Miami Heat are now closing in on not their first, not their second, but their third consecutive NBA Finals appearance, where they will be looking for their second ring with “The Big Three.” But before we can punch Miami’s ticket to the Finals, the Heat still have four games left to win against an Indiana Pacers team they’ve lost 2 out of 3 against this season. [Read more…]
With defensive tenacity and a punishing, menacing front line, the Indiana Pacers have reached the Eastern Conference finals. But if vanquishing the New York Knicks in six games seemed like a tall task, their path to the NBA Finals seems preposterously gargantuan in comparison. To defeat LeBron James in his prime and the Miami Heat in a best-of-seven series is akin to defeating a Michael Jordan-led Bulls team in his prime. James is the best player in the world. He has several
If you’re the general manager of the Golden State Warriors, how should you feel about the state of the team now that they have been removed from postseason action? Pretty damn confident, if you ask me. Lets put things into perspective here: The Bad: They were 23-43 just a season ago, good for third worst in the Western Conference. Brandon Rush, arguably the team’s best perimeter defender and slasher, was lost for the season two games into the season. Andrew Bogut missed 50 games and
It seems like every couple years or so, there’s a dilemma about who to select first overall in the NBA draft, and one of the options is almost always a defense-first center with an “unrefined” offensive game. This year’s model is Nerlens Noel, and right now it’s looking like he’ll go No. 1 unless a team with no need for a center lands the No. 1 pick. Our own Joe Kotoch, whose next Mock Draft goes up Tuesday, has already
MIAMI – I’m through doubting Dwyane Wade. I’ve done it a few times over the years for various reasons – knee surgery, shoulder surgery, ankle injury, etc… — and Wade, the Miami Heat’s superstar guard, always comes back strong. We saw it after his injury-shortened 2007-08 and 2008-09 seasons, we saw it in last year’s playoffs, we saw it in the second half of this season. We saw it again Wednesday in the Heat’s 94-91 Game 5 second round series-clinching victory over
Nothing great has ever been accomplished without enthusiasm. And for Paul Pierce, leader of the “old man’s pick-up game,” that adage will define his career as one of the greatest Boston Celtics in its storied history. This is not to begin mourning the death of his Celtics life, but to understand what it all meant if reports today from Greg Dickerson are true. [Read more…]
CHICAGO — Just when I had forgotten how much the Detroit Pistons were disliked back in their Bad Boys days, the Miami Heat awoke the echoes again. Or more accurately, the Chicago Bulls and their fans did it for them. Every time the name LeBron James was announced, the rowdies can’t hold their boos. Every time he touched the ball, it was more of the same. There were enough hard pushes and shoves, well-placed elbows and venomous talk to reach at least