You can certainly make that argument, though a lot remains to be determined over the rest of the second round. But this much we know: The Thunder are a shell of the tam that went to the NBA Finals last season, and they have nobody who can stop Mike Conley (and, to a lesser degree, Marc Gasol). The Golden State Warriors are green, as they showed at the end of Game 1, and the San Antonio Spurs are going against an
Moving past the obvious in Miami’s Game 2 triumph How do you push past the obvious insight about Miami’s all-around 115-78 beatdown of Chicago in Wednesday night’s Game 2? What can you say besides the Heat shooting 60 percent to 35.5 percent for the Bulls? Let’s break down the major things that changed on both sides that helped lead to such a different result in Miami’s favor: Miami’s Big Three was way more efficient in Game 2, perhaps with more determination and urgency in
Can we settle on this factoid after the first 4 days of the second round of the NBA Playoffs? The Golden State Warrors are now America’s team — unless, of course, you live in San Antonio and spend your days sticking needles into Joey Crawford voodoo dolls. Or you are Spike Lee. [Read more…]
We hope you have enjoyed our trivia questions throughout the season, and especially during the NCAA Tournament when we were able to stump many of the best basketball minds out there. As an encore, we’re bringing you another set of Qs and As, these ones specific to the NBA playoffs. Good luck! [Read more…]
Tuesday night’s games were all about guard play and righting a set of wrongs from Game 1. The Knicks’ guards didn’t do enough to overshadow the strong play of Indiana’s frontcourt, but Pablo Prigioni helped New York rectify that problem during a historic fourth quarter run. And Memphis needed a boost from Mike Conley after a subpar Game 1 performance, and Conley redeemed himself during the Grizzlies’ huge Tuesday night road win. Let’s discuss these themes as part of the
The second round of the NBA playoffs have kicked off with a bang. And after what was a rather drama-less first round has become quite the opposite as we watch the final eight contend for the title. Most notably, the Chicago Bulls shocked the Miami Heat in Game 1 Monday night — on the road no less — and the Indiana Pacers came into Madison Square Garden and punked the Knicks Sunday afternoon. Did you know the Bulls are 9-8 against the Heat
Many will attribute Miami’s 93-86 Game 1 loss to Chicago on Monday to the seven days of rest the Heat had between its first and second round series. Can we blame the loss on Miami being “rusty,” “over-rested,” or given too much time between series, being punished for quickly finishing off the Milwaukee Bucks a week ago? “There’s no excuses,” said Miami Head Coach Erik Spoelstra, whose team had not played in more than a week. “We’re not making any excuses
J.R. Smith made noise Sunday night, but it sure wasn’t for his performance in the Knicks uninspiring 102-95 loss to the Indiana Pacers in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Semifinals. Like many of the Knicks, Smith was frustrated by the Pacers suffocating defense, which allowed the second-fewest points per game and the lowest field goal percentage in the league during the regular season. [Read more…]