(This morning we have a guest column from distinguished Esquire magazine scribe Scott Raab, author of the book “The Whore Of Akron” chronicling LeBron James’ transformation from King of Ohio to the sellout who took his talents to South Beach. Feel free to post comments, or you can message Scott directly on Twitter.-CS) By Scott Raab Special to SheridanHoops.com CLEVELAND — How can I be sure that LeBron James was lying through his teeth last Thursday when he talked about how much fun it
Amar’e Stoudemire is an afterthought, and Carmelo Anthony and Tyson Chandler are hurt. So meet the new “Big Three” of the New York Knicks – Jeremy Lin, J.R. Smith and Steve Novak. The trio combined to lead the Knicks to a nationally televised 104-97 victory over the defending champion Dallas Mavericks on Sunday, their eight win in nine games. Remember the calls for coach Mike D’Antoni’s job and the blind hope that Baron Davis and his balky back would be the season’s savior?
Did David Stern unintentionally direct Jeremy Lin to the New York Knicks? The commissioner vetoed the first Chris Paul trade, which would have sent Houston Rockets point guard Goran Dragic to the New Orleans Hornets. The Rockets had five point guards in training camp – Lin, Dragic, Kyle Lowry, Jonny Flynn and Bulgarian combo guard Ibrahim Jabeer, who did not play in either preseason game. Lin didn’t exactly burn, either, getting eight total minutes. Lowry, Dragic and Flynn had guaranteed contracts, so the
Jeremy Lin’s joy ride was going to end at some point. But who believed it would be the bottom-feeding Hornets that channeled their inner Susan Powter to stop the Linsanity? Yeah, sure, Lin had another big stat line with 26 points, five assists and four steals. But he also had a league season-high nine turnovers, which went a long way toward an 89-85 loss that ended the Knicks’ seven-game winning streak. Lin committed eight turnovers in the first half. Five came in
Kevin Love will be in the Three-Point Contest. The field was announced by the NBA on Wednesday, and Love is among the six gunslingers who will be hoisting on All-Star Saturday night Feb. 25. Known more for his rebounding, Love is shooting 36 percent (44-of-122) from 3-point range this season, slightly below his career mark. The All-Star forward of the Minnesota Timberwolves is participating for the first time. Also in the field are defending champion James Jones and Mario Chalmers of the Miami
From www.linsanity.com
The Miami Heat can join some very exclusive company Tuesday night. The Heat complete the 20th set of back-to-back-to-back games when they visit the Indiana Pacers in the NBA’s best game. They can become just the third team to win all three – and the first to do it entirely on the road. Previously, only the Chicago Bulls and Oklahoma City Thunder have gone 3-for-3 over the most unforgiving portion of their schedule. The Bulls beat Detroit, won at Minnesota and defeated
Let’s check in on last year’s Finals participants, shall we? There was quite a game in Dallas, where the Mavericks were trying to extend their winning streak and the Clippers were trying to complete a spiffy 5-1 road trip. The night began and ended with Caron Butler. Butler spent last season with the Mavericks. He began as their starting small forward and helped Dallas to a 24-8 start before suffering a torn patellar tendon that cost him the rest of the season.