// csprtContainer(); // ]]> The Chicago Bulls played 27 games without Derrick Rose during the regular season, and they won two-thirds of them. They were without Richard Hamilton for more than half of the season. They lost Luol Deng for a long stretch. So if there’s any team prepared to deal with the calamity that was the season-ending injury to Derrick Rose, it is them. C.J. Watson will take over the starting point guard duties for the Bulls as they resume their first-round playoff
Shame on you if you turned off the television early last night. (Or the night before, for that matter). If you did, you missed one of the most epic comebacks in the history of the NBA playoffs. And you also missed a chance to see an example of just why Chris Paul is indeed worthy of MVP consideration (even though it seems like a foregone conclusion that LeBron James is going to get the award.) The Clippers were down 24 points early
Just like the old days, I conducted a live chat with my readers Friday afternoon to preview the upcoming NBA playoffs — and to defend my vote of Chris Paul for MVP. For more on that you can read this column. We will have more chats throughout the course of the playoffs, which I will alert you to through Twitter and Facebook. Thanks to all those who have been visiting the site, please check back every day, and much gratitude for your
For the first time in their franchise’s 17-year history, the Memphis Grizzlies have earned homecourt advantage in a playoff series. That said, simply having a deciding game in their building probably won’t get them any closer to victory without taking these factors into consideration: THE HEALTH FACTOR: Zach Randolph was the catalyst for the Memphis Grizzlies’ improbable upset of the top-seeded San Antonio Spurs in last year’s NBA playoffs. After missing 38 games this season, he seems to be rounding into
I finally figured out the problem with the NBA’s lockout-shortened 2011-12 season … They didn’t shorten it enough. These days, all sports’ regular seasons seem like interminable waits for the real deal, even if they’re cut from 82 games to 66, crammed into 123 days that started on Christmas, fooling the veterans, most of whom apparently stopped working out at Thanksgiving. If it was an inelegant rush to put this mess behind them, you could see the season as a triumph… if you fell
It’s that time of the year. With only two days left in the regular season, the playoff teams are set in stone, and many teams are limiting the minutes of key players or resting them altogether. That makes for many meaningless games, with players simply going through the motions. Still, some questions remain heading into the playoffs, which begin Saturday. Who plays the Miami Heat and Chicago Bulls in the first round? Is Derrick Rose ready? Will the Clippers get home-court advantage? Do the Denver Nuggets
Steve Nash and the Phoenix Suns were far from playoff contention heading into the All-Star break. Since the beginning of March, however, they have turned a corner, compiling an 18-10 record and are just a half-game behind the Utah Jazz for the eighth seed in the Western Conference. Phoenix (32-30) looks to bounce back from a loss and stay squarely in the playoff picture as they host the Los Angeles Clippers in Thursday’s best game on TNT. They defeated the Clippers in the
Our flagging faith in our readers’ knowledge has been restored after Kyle came up with the correct answer for last week’s Bernucca List, which was “active All-Stars who never have won a playoff series.” This week’s list is below and includes teams rather than players. See if you can find the common thread among the teams listed. If you think you know the answer, you can enter it in the Comments section or Tweet it to me. Good luck! The Bernucca List Atlanta Hawks Charlotte Bobcats Los Angeles