When both the Boston Celtics and New York Knicks got off to sputtering starts to their seasons, the Philadelphia 76ers gladly assumed the void at the top of the Atlantic Division, which simultaneously is the worst and most valuable division in the NBA. Despite opening with a five-game road trip, the 76ers grabbed first place before arriving home and held onto it like it was a winning lottery ticket. Since Dec. 28, Philadelphia has not been out of the top spot
This has been a good week for obscene gestures, and the NBA’s coffers. On Wednesday, Orlando Magic forward Glen Davis was fined $35,000 by the NBA for flipping the bird toward heckling fans in Toronto. On Friday, it was Reggie Evans’ turn. Evans, the forward of the Los Angeles Clippers, was hit with a $25,000 fine for a middle-finger salute in a home win over New Orleans on Monday. Both Davis and Evans tried to make their vulgarity appear to be something else. Davis
// I had a phone conversation with Rick Adelman earlier this season in which he stressed the importance of the Minnesota Timberwolves making it out of the month of March with some semblance of a shot at making a late push for the playoffs. Well, April is almost here, the Timberwolves are still within striking distance of .500, and if they could somehow string together a four-game winning streak (they haven’t had one all season, although they have had four three-game
Every time it looks like the Minnesota Timberwolves are no longer part of the Western Conference playoff race, Kevin Love takes over a game, leads them to a win and keeps them in the hunt. The Wolves have no right chasing a postseason berth. They were 100 games under .500 over the last two seasons. Their prized rookie point lived up to the hype, then went down with a torn ACL. Their center, a double-double revelation in his own right, also
Orlando Magic forward Glen “Big Baby” Davis was fined $35,000 by the NBA on Wednesday for making an obscene gesture. The fine was announced Wednesday and stems from Davis’ actions in Monday’s win at Toronto. Davis took a shot on the head from a Raptors player that drew blood. As he was checking his head for bleeding, fans at the Air Canada Centre began to heckle him. With blood on his fingertips, Davis raised his middle finger, then licked the blood off
Gilbert Arenas is back in the NBA, officially signing Tuesday with the Memphis Grizzlies. Released under the amnesty clause in December – and still due more than $60 million from the Orlando Magic – Arenas worked out for the Grizzlies on Monday. The Memphis Commercial-Appeal reported that Arenas appeared slender and shot the ball well during the workout. The Grizzlies could use Arenas’ shooting ability as they are next to last in the NBA with 3.8 3-pointers per game. Arenas also can
Infamous "Pull my finger" Sports Illustrated cover
It was Chris Mullin’s jersey retirement night in Oracle Arena. A long time coming for the Warriors legend that wore No. 17, it should have been a joyous time for him, his family, the organization and the fans. And then owner Joe Lacob stepped in and all hell broke loose. After hearing rousing cheers from the fans for Mullin’s speech during halftime of the Warriors game, Lacob grabbed the mic to conclude the night when suddenly, the fans started to boo him. Loudly and