Opportunity doesn’t knock twice. For the Nets, a banged up Bulls team gave the Nets a chance to stay in this series. Thanks to Brook Lopez, Brooklyn is still alive. Home playoff games afforded the Hawks the chance to reverse their fortunes, but how drastically it turned this series around is astounding. And who will get the opportunity to shine for the Thunder in Russell Westbrook’s absence? All this and more in today’s StatBox playoff breakdown. [Read more…]
As the Miami Heat completed a four-game sweep of the No. 8-seed Milwaukee Bucks with an 88-77 win on Sunday, owner Micky Arison decided to leave the Bucks with some farewell words:
There is an alternate universe somewhere in which the Lakers stayed healthy, and people still speak of them as Finals contenders. Must be a nice place. Friday night at Staples Center, the Lakers took the floor short Kobe Bryant, Steve Nash, Steve Blake, and Jodie Meeks, with Metta World Peace playing one-legged after having fluid drained from his surgically repaired left knee earlier that afternoon, and a starting backcourt consisting of a point guard who should have just finished his senior season
To say that winning a championship — in any sport — requires a certain amount of luck is a fair statement. But to say that the Miami Heat have not benefited from a high-degree of luck on their quest to repeat as NBA champions, well that would be a little naive. It’s unfair to criticize them for what is 100 percent out of their hands, but it is hard to ignore this fact: every respectable competitor of the Miami Heat has, or
This is the part of the playoffs where things get interesting — or they don’t. If the Rockets win Game 3 against an Oklahoma City Thunder team that will be without Russell Westbrook, then it’s an interesting series. If the Rockets lose, don’t waste your time on Game 4. Same thing with Spurs-Lakers — although the urge to watch El Lay’s funeral might actually make Game 4 a compelling view. If the Knicks win tonight in Boston, it’ll be another pity party to
Just in the nick of time, Memphis found its elite defense on Thursday night. But where was it hiding? Should the Nets reconsider its contract extension of its general manager after its offensive performance against the Bulls? How can Brooklyn get back in this series? Is Milwaukee’s backcourt worth keeping? The answers to all these questions and a whole lot more in today’s StatBox breakdown. Milwaukee’s backcourt problems continue There are very few teams that could survive a poor night in the
Most players that don’t make the playoffs take time to rest and begin their offseason vacations after the regular season ends. However, while Orlando Magic center Glen “Big Baby” Davis may be done playing for the season, he is still contributing to the NBA Playoffs… As a Bleacher Report commentator. [Read more…]
If you enjoy the weekly StatBox column that analytically breaks down some of the NBA’s most pressing and important topic, you’re in luck. Every Tuesday through Thursday during the postseason, the StatBox is expanding into playoff game analysis. You’ll not only find out why each team won and lost, but how different statistical trends can play out over the course of the series and the playoffs as a whole. Today: Houston’s wasted opportunity, mistakes thwarting Atlanta’s chances at victory and one Laker star’s alarming
