On Friday afternoon, I got an email from the NBA Store shamelessly plugging a Jeremy Lin jersey. Jeremy Lin certainly has made the most of his opportunity, and you can’t blame the NBA for trying to make the most of Jeremy Lin. But the cynic in me viewed the shameless monetization of a week-long fad as some sort of hex that surely would knock the Knicks neophyte off his cloud and bring him hurtling back to reality. Wrong again. Lin had his best
On Monday, there were four injuries that could dramatically impact the NBA playoff picture. Chief among those was Chauncey Billups, who is out for the season with a torn Achilles’ tendon suffered in the Clippers bittersweet win over Orlando. An MRI exam revealed a full tear of the tendon. During the fourth quarter, Billups was trying to stop backpedaling, and he injured himself when he tried to switch direction and run forward. Averaging 15 points and 4 assists, Billups’ numbers will have
Kobe Bryant needed 22 points to pass Shaquille O’Neal on the all-time scoring list and got them in the first 21 minutes. He looked like he was on his way to 50, a great way to celebrate his annual trip to his hometown. The Lakers held a 55-30 advantage in rebounds. Andrew Bynum (20 points, 20 rebounds) and Pau Gasol (16 and 11) looked like they were playing against children. And LA held a seven-point lead with less than five minutes to
LOS ANGELES — The Clippers just got even better. Unexpectedly given early freedom after an abbreviated stint in the Chinese Basketball Association, Kenyon Martin signed Friday night with the Pacific-Division-leading Los Angeles Clippers. “Kenyon is the ultimate competitor and a key acquisition,” stated Vice President of Basketball Operations Neil Olshey. “We expect that he will provide additional experience, passion and professionalism, as well as some important depth to our front court.” Martin, 34, has played in 654 career NBA games with the New
My first job out of college was as a baseball dictationist at the AP. Being a know-it-all twentysomething, I would invariably do something stupid about once a week. And when I did, an old salt of a newsman named Dick Joyce – who called everyone “Mersh” – would turn to me and say, “Uh, Mersh, where you workin’ next week?” It might be time to ask Mike D’Antoni the same question. The embattled coach of the New York Knicks watched his team lose
The highlight of the night once again involved Blake Griffin. But it was not the type of Griffin highlight you are accustomed to seeing. As friend and former colleague Beth Harris of the Associated Press described in four perfectly succinct words, Blake Griffin got Mozgov’d. Or to put it in words that would never be seen on the AP wire, Timofey Mozgov knocked Blake Griffin on his ass. It was one heck of a hard foul, and it came during one heck of a
Somebody in China didn’t handle the paperwork properly, and that means Kenyon Martin will be back in the NBA as soon as next week. Perish the thought of what happens to the poor fellow in China who botched the job. The top teams vying for his services include the Atlanta Hawks, Los Angeles Clippers, San Antonio Spurs, Los Angeles Lakers and Miami Heat. The first overall pick of the 2000 draft, the 11-year veteran spent the past seven seasons with the Denver Nuggets.
The Los Angeles Clippers have come a long way. Once the laughingstock of the NBA, they are on national TV for the second straight night as they welcome the Denver Nuggets in Thursday’s best game. This is a rematch of the Clippers’ 109-105 victory on Sunday. This time, the Nuggets will have back speedster Ty Lawson to run with the Clippers’ star guard trio of Chris Paul, ex-Nugget Chauncey Billups and Mo Williams. It will also be the first time Timofey Mozgov