Something I have noticed about the NBA: “The Game” is fighting a losing battle with those promoting the game. While that may sound a little confusing, it has become increasingly obvious that the promotion around the game is more important than the game itself. And this discussion looks very different depending on which side you are on. Last week LeBron James scored a career-high and team-record 61 points in a game. A few games later he lays an egg (by LeBron standards)
How do you score 61 points in a game and not get named NBA Player of the Week? Well, if you’re LeBron James, you total 58 points in the three ensuing games, all losses. James and the Miami Heat had one of their worst three-game stretches of the season, minimizing the impact of his 61-point explosion a week ago and giving Eastern Conference Player of the Week honors to Carmelo Anthony, whose New York Knicks had a rare good week. Anthony averaged 29.0
A look at the overall NBA standings shows four teams at the top – Indiana, Oklahoma City, San Antonio and Miami – separated by one game in the loss column. In fact, they were dead even until three of them lost Sunday. Just a notch below them are three more teams – Houston, the Los Angeles Clippers and Portland – separated by two games in the loss column. They also would have been dead even had the Blazers held
Good evening hoops fans. This is my first crack at the Sheridan Hoops blog for quite some time, but rest assured, I will do my upmost to fill the void left by some of the blog’s veterans. As always, there was plenty going on around the league. We’ve had upsets, injuries and brilliant individual performances on this NBA Sunday. Oh, and that team in New York is still attracting headlines. Let’s get to it! Bulls outlast Heat Chicago again proved that it is at the
Phil Jackson can run the New York Knicks if he wants to. That is the word on the street this morning, although he will NOT become their next head coach. For insight into the reasons why, check out this column from Charley Rosen. But if he accepts the job, he is going to have his work cutout for him. Although the Knicks have won three straight games and are still in contention for a playoff spot in the East, they still
PHIL JACKSON HEADING TO KNICKS? The cynic in me wonders if this is all a ploy to keep Carmelo Anthony in New York. The rest of me wants the cynic to quit trying to ascribe ulterior motives to good decisions. Phil Jackson would probably do a pretty good job running the Knicks, and his years of working with Kobe Bryant should prepare him well should he end up working with Melo. Ken Berger of CBSSports.com: Phil Jackson is seriously considering the Knicks’ offer
In case you missed it, the Heat and Thunder both lost last night (as did the Lakers, but that was kind of expected). That’s the third time both teams have lost on the same night this season. The Heat lost to the Spurs in a rematch of last year’s Finals that was nowhere near as close as those Finals, and the Thunder went to the wire against the upstart Phoenix Suns. I caught the end of that Thunder/Suns game, so I
Giannis Antetokounmpo has truly come a long way to be where he is right now: a wide-eyed, just-turned 19-year-old kid who is learning the ropes of being an NBA player in his first season. He came from a poor background – so poor that he actually shared a pair of sneakers with his brother whenever he had to play basketball. He is a fun character and has shown flashes of brilliance so far, so when you read about the road taken