Impossible to go into the conference finals without talking about the team that should have made it but didn’t — the Los Angeles Clippers. My take: They are not cursed. They were merely too thin, and they didn’t have the fortitude to finish the job. And if the Houston Rockets taught us all one thing during their series against Doc Rivers’ team, it was this: Never give up, no matter how bleak things seem. But that series is behind us, and we
With 14 minutes left, Game 6 felt just like the two in Los Angeles before it. The Rockets were close at the half, trailing by only two, but they were blitzed yet again in the third quarter, with the Clippers pushing the 64-62 halftime edge to 89-70. In the prior two cases, the Rockets folded and lost by 25+ points. This time? They were able to deliver a stunning 49-18 counter-punch to the Clippers to close the game and tie the series at 3-3, sending it back to Houston for a
What a weekend it was — buzzer beaters from Paul Pierce and LeBron James, a foulfest in the Rockets-Clippers yawnfest, not a peep out of future ESPN castoff Bill Simmons … but a mouthful from LeBron James, who threw David Blatt under the bus again. And rightfully so. I’ve known Blatt longer than any U.S.-based journalist covering basketball, and this site has reported on his successes overseas more than any other American basketball Web site. When he won the Euroleague Final
Donald T. Sterling Sterling World Plaza Beverly Hills, Calif. 90210 Dear Donald, How the heck are you? Long time, no see. Oh gosh, I didn’t mean to hurt your feelings. We miss you, or at least I do. After decades covering you as Clipper owner, where will I ever get another one like you? It’s a year since you, uh, left. I know how badly you must miss your guys. As to whether anyone ever asks about you, uh, well, not really a lot. I’m sure they they remember you
Blake Griffin has taken his game to a new level in the playoffs. Griffin is averaging 25.4 points, 13.4 rebounds, 7.7 assists, 1.3 steals and 1.2 blocks per game. Griffin has recorded a double-double in all nine playoff games, including three triple-doubles. With Chris Paul out for the first two games of the series against the Houston Rockets, Griffin has also become more of a vocal leader in the huddle. With that in mind, I joined Yahoo! Sports Radio host Geoff
He just coached the Chicago Bulls to a very impressive Game 1 win in Cleveland. He finished off the Milwaukee Bucks in Game 6 of the first round with a 54-point victory. He has had a surprising level of success the past two seasons despite being without Derrick Rose. He is widely regarded as one of the best tacticians in basketball. Yet Tom Thibodeau appears to be on the way out in Chicago. Even if he wins a championship. How can this be? Is there
ATLANTA — With less than two minutes left in the third quarter, Washington forward Drew Gooden hit a baseline jumper to put the Wizards and Hawks in a 73-73 deadlock. It marked the sixth time in eight postseason games that Atlanta had blown a double-digit lead, and the once-jovial Philips Arena crowd let out a collective groan. “Here we go again.” On the ensuing play, however, Dennis Schroder drove to the rim on a pick-and-roll and kicked the ball out to the left corner to an
Beyond the young stars who will receive their first max contracts this offseason, few players have improved their stock and value in the NBA this postseason more than Atlanta Hawks small forward DeMarre Carroll. The only Hawk starter who wasn’t an Eastern Conference All-Star this season, Carroll brings energy, intensity, strong perimeter defense and a smooth 3-point stroke. At a time when the NBA emphasizes “3 and D” players more than ever before, Carroll (22nd in our Free Agent Rankings) is set to