The National Football League is now in full swing. Plenty of NBA players are taking time out of their Sunday to watch pro football for the first time in months. With 13 games scheduled for today, it’s likely each player will have a team to root for. The day began at 1 pm EST with 10 games scheduled for kickoff. The New England Patriots, New York Jets, Miami Dolphins, Indianapolis Colts and Pittsburgh Steelers are among teams that were in action. Today’s matches
The 2012-13 season was not a kind one to the Portland Trail Blazers. Forget the NBA Rookie of the Year Award given unanimously for only the fourth time in history to Damian Lillard. Forget, too, the second straight All-Star nod for LaMarcus Aldridge. Also forget that Aldridge, Lillard, Nicolas Batum and Wesley Matthews comprised the top four-man lineup in the league. Portland finished the campaign on a franchise-worst 13-game losing streak and wasn’t competitive in a game for more than a month. This season is shaping
The Spanish Olympic committee couldn’t have elected a better spokesperson than Lakers forward Pau Gasol. The seven-footer has been actively promoting his country in an attempt to land the 2020 games. In a battle with Tokyo and Istanbul to host sport’s biggest event, Madrid fell short after the International Olympic Committee selected Tokyo in secret voting as the winning city. Gasol was an instrumental part of Madrid’s bid over the past week but was defeated Saturday. Thanks to all that have supported @Madrid2020ES .
New York Knicks guard J.R. Smith has been suspended five games by the NBA for violating the anti-drug program. The NBA made the announcement Friday, continuing a string of off-court news for Smith, the reigning Sixth Man Award winner. Two days after winning the Sixth Man Award, Smith was suspended one game for elbowing Boston Celtics guard Jason Terry in Game 4 of their first-round playoff series. Upon his return, he shot just 29 percent (34-of-117) – including 13-of-50 from 3-point range
We’re entering Year Six of Thundermania here in Oklahoma City, and the level of expectation surrounding the team is as high as it has ever been. But with that expectation comes a certain degree of uncertainty. After all the years of hearing about how the Thunder were an organization based around a true “team” concept, fans are now coming to accept that the Thunder are a two-headed horse. There’s simply no way that this team could hoist a championship banner without a
The Indiana Pacers find themselves in a unique position among NBA teams heading into the 2013-14 season in that there are very few concerning questions about what has to go right and what can possibly go wrong. Health willing, we know what can go right: Paul George breaks out, the bench produces, the Pacers have a realistic shot at being the best team in the NBA. But the floor? We saw that already. We saw a bumbling offense, a 29th-ranked reserve
Of the popular meanings of the word tank, two have roots signifying damage and destruction. There is the blunt military vehicle, and the less subtle term that is popular in our contemporary basketball lexicon. The basketball version of tanking will unavoidably be a central theme in the upcoming 2013-2014 season. Compared to previous seasons, the 2014 NBA draft class is projected to be filled with All-Stars and franchise-changing players, headlined by Canadian wing Andrew Wiggins, who will play at Kansas this coming
As the back-to-back defending NBA champions, one could say that the Miami Heat stand in the best position of any team in the league. That’s probably true, but the 2013-14 campaign also stands as one of the most pivotal seasons in team history. Why? After this season, LeBron James, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh will all have the option to test the free agent waters. Although Wade said he wants to stay in Miami, perhaps a disappointing season with an aging core could