Arguably the NBA’s best two players go head-to-head for the first time this season on Sunday when LeBron James and the Miami Heat visit Kevin Durant and the Thunder in Oklahoma City. The outcome of this game could impact the finals if these two clubs are to meet there. At 35-11 the Heat, second to the East-leading Chicago Bulls (40-10), are percentage points ahead of the West-leading Thunder (36-12). Home-court advantage during the finals is given to the owner of the better regular-season
Steve Nash — the league leader in assists per game with 11.3 at the ripe age of 38 — never asked or expressed any desire to leave the place that has turned him into a Hall of Fame level icon. Instead of asking out of Phoenix when the going was tough earlier this season, he believed in working together with the team at hand. His faith is paying off as Phoenix (23-22) is just 1/2 game behind the eighth-seeded Houston Rockets
In-state rivals clash Sunday when the Orlando Magic take their big one to Miami to play the Heat’s big three. Miami has been a monster at home, going 18-2 and winning its last 12 at American Airlines Arena, allowing just 89.3 points during the streak. The Magic are 13-9 on the road and have won four of their last five behind a hot-shooting Jameer Nelson (27-of-44 from the floor in his last four games). Dwight Howard, the NBA’s leading rebounder (15.0), has tortured
For so many years, Monta Ellis had been the subject of trade rumors. Although he was always in discussions, the team could never find the guts to trade the face of its franchise. Until this season. Under the new leadership of owner Joe Lacob, changes were finally made when the Warriors broke up the small back court of Stephen Curry and Ellis. One of the final pieces of the Cohen era, Ellis was traded along with Ekpe Udoh and Kwame Brown to the
If recent history is of any indication, tonight’s matchup between two of the best teams in the Eastern Conference promises to be a close contest filled with intensity and playoff atmosphere. The two rivals meet in another rematch of last season’s Eastern Conference finals as the two-time MVP LeBron James and the Miami Heat visit the reigning MVP, Derrick Rose, and the Chicago Bulls in tonight’s best game. Last season, Chicago took all three meetings between the teams in the regular season
There are a variety of ways to quantify a player’s worth to his team, with a myriad of variables with which to play. One way is by utilizing NBA.com/Stats’ PIE (Player Impact Estimate)*, which measures a player’s overall contribution to his team. Perhaps not surprisingly, the Miami Heat’s LeBron James leads the league in PIE at 23.2 percent, and is the lone player in the league with a PIE above 20 percent. James is on pace to set new career
LeBron James has been the subject of debate for much of the season due to his perceived inability to perform in the clutch, despite having a jaw dropping statistical season for one of the most dominant teams in the league. He has been referred to by many as a choker and a second-tier closer. On Saturday night at home against the Pacers, the opportunity to show late-game execution presented itself again as the world watched to see what James would do in the
