San Antonio Spurs coach Gregg Popovich made it a habit to rest his veteran stars this season, come what may. Up until Game 3, the Coach of the Year had been treating the playoffs much the same way. Tim Duncan played 35 minutes in San Antonio’s 102-90 Game 3 victory Saturday night, and Tony Parker played 40. But during the first two games against the Utah Jazz, the only Spur to play more than 31 minutes was Parker, who logged 37
Ryan Anderson is not the NBA’s Most Improved Player this season. Yes, the voting by a media panel says he is, and the Orlando Magic made a big to-do about their guy winning the award, even though he really didn’t improve and has stunk up the postseason joint something fierce over the last week. But Anderson should not have been voted Most Improved Player. Andrew Bynum should have. Or James Harden. Or Gerald Green, who wasn’t even in the NBA the last
NEW YORK — It’s amazing how history repeats itself. Once again, Carmelo Anthony was unable to deliver a victory to a passionate and raucous Madison Square Garden in a decisive Game 3 of an NBA playoff series. Last year it was the Celtics, and this year, it’s the Heat. Both times, Anthony failed to deliver. Now, as ‘Melo stares at the prospect of being swept in the first round for the third time in his career and second time as a Knick,
We shall begin today the same way my wife’s elderly uncle begins his day when he opens the newspaper: By turning straight to the obituaries. The Knicks? Not dead. But barely on life support. The Mavs? At least most of them will have nice shiny rings when they get buried. Both were bad last night, and if you were looking to watch a compelling and entertaining basketball game you could have done better by going down to the local Y and sitting on
Many predictions were made going into these playoffs. Some people were apparently smoking crack and boldly predicted a series victory for the New York Knicks over the Miami Heat. Others One columnist who has had doubts about the Oklahoma City Thunder since early in the season predicted a victory for the defending champion Dallas Mavericks. What the postseason has proven so far in regards to these predictions is that they are nothing but a fancy term for “guessing.” The teams mentioned above are set to
Tyson Chandler was awarded the NBA Defensive Player of the Year award. But you know what, I think Serge Ibaka should have gotten it. Click on the video above to find out why, and insert your comments in this post or into the DPOY post from yesterday. CineSport’s Tara Petrolino and SheridanHoops.com’s Chris Sheridan discuss this, along with the Heat vs. the Knicks, and the Grizzlies’ win over the Clippers in Game 2. //
NEW YORK — In a close vote, Tyson Chandler edged Serge Ibaka for Defensive Player of the Year. Chandler becomes the first player in Knicks franchise history to earn the honor. Chandler received 311 points, including 45 first-place votes, from a panel of 121 sportswriters and broadcasters throughout the United States and Canada. Oklahoma City’s Serge Ibaka finished second with 294 points (41 first-place votes) and Orlando’s Dwight Howard, who had won the award each of the previous three seasons, finished third with 186 points. Players were awarded
GREENBURGH, N.Y. — Speaking publicly for the first time since he battled a fire extinguisher following Monday night’s Game 2 loss to the Miami Heat, Amar’e Stoudemire said there’s a “great chance” he will play in Sunday’s Game 4 at Madison Square Garden. “Yeah, I think there’s a great chance I’ll play Sunday night, not totally sure yet,” he told a slew of reporters here Wednesday. Stoudemire had a surgical procedure on the left hand Tuesday and is out for Game 3 Thursday. His hand