Through the first half of the season and leading into the All-Star break, the MVP award was LeBron James’ to lose. The way the Miami Heat has played since the All-Star break, however, may re-open the MVP discussion for debate. After losing just seven games through the first two months of the season,”The King” and the Heat have lost six of 14 games in March. More alarmingly, all six losses have come on the road against some of the top teams in
When the New York Knicks started their season full of hope and expectations, they probably did not circle March 26 on their calendars as an important night. Yet, they hold just a 1 1/2-game lead for the final playoff spot in the Eastern Conference as they prepare for one of the most critical games of the season against the Milwaukee Bucks at Madison Square Garden in Monday’s best game. Looking to reach .500 for the first time since beating Sacramento on February
The Boston Celtics can probably see the end of their monstrous eight-game road trip. But this is not the time to look ahead. The Celtics have two games remaining on their 13-day trek, which began with a marquee matchup in Los Angeles against the Lakers on March 11. But Thursday’s game against the Milwaukee Bucks – and, for that matter, Friday’s trip finale in Philadelphia – are probably the most important games on the trip. The Celtics are 3-3 on the trip
The other day, I was stuck behind the Boston Celtics on the highway. I was in the left lane and I wanted to go considerably faster than the car in front of me, who was doing about 60. Against my better judgment, I got up on his tail and applied some pressure, but he refused to go any faster or move into the right lane. Somewhat annoyed, I drove right behind him for about a quarter-mile before a gap opened in the
The longest current winning streak in the NBA (six games) belongs to a team that is on the outside looking in when it comes to the playoff race. The second-longest current winning streak is four games, shared by three teams — two of which are trying to qualify for the postseason. With five weeks left in the regular season, after a night on which the Lakers, Clippers and Thunder all lost and the Heat needed a big fourth-quarter comeback, it’s looking
Milwaukee Bucks forward Drew Gooden and Los Angeles Lakers center Andrew Bynum were named Players of the Week for the period ending Sunday. Gooden won for the Eastern Conference, leading the Bucks to a 3-0 week by averaging 18.0 points, 9.7 rebounds and 8.0 assists. He had a triple-double with 15 points, 13 assists and 10 rebounds in three quarters of a 115-105 win over Cleveland. Bynum won for the Western Conference, helping the Lakers go 3-1 and reclaim first place in
Pencils down and papers forward, please. Here are my grades on how teams did at the trading deadline. We aren’t going to evaluate whether Dallas was helped or hindered by Thursday’s wheeling and dealing. The Mavericks – and 13 other teams – didn’t make a deal, so consider their grade to be incomplete. Or a withdrawal, if you prefer. No one got an F, although the Nets came awfully close. At the other end of the scale, the Rockets are officially the teacher’s
Forget Linsanity. That’s soooo two weeks ago. The hot new trend is Ersanity. Ersan Ilyasova, the improving young big man of the Milwaukee Bucks, was named Eastern Conference Player of the Week for the period ending Sunday. Golden State Warriors guard Monta Ellis received Western Conference honors. The Bucks went 3-1 as they were powered by Ilyasova, who averaged 25.0 points and 10.8 rebounds while shooting 63 percent from the field and 90 percent from the line. He had 18 rebounds in a