While four teams are still left to battle for a championship, the rest of the league looks to shore up for next season with coaches, executives and free agents. Here’s what’s going on around the league today. A couple of things stood out in the Thunder’s victory over the Spurs in Game 3: a change in defensive scheme with Thabo Sefolosha handling Tony Parker, and a bigger emphasis on sharing the ball. An excerpt from J.A. Adande of ESPN: They found an
Let’s get a little overly dramatic here, shall we? On what will forever be known as Black Wednesday everywhere from Boston to Brooklyn to Beijing to Barcelona, commissioner David Stern’s referees swallowed their whistles when Rajon Rondo got whacked in the forehead late in overtime, and Stern’s ping-pong ball machine magically delivered the No. 1 pick in the draft to the league-owned New Orleans Hornets — all on the same night Stern sounded as though he endorsed the idea of banning
// After hanging around for a half, the Boston Celtics disappeared in the second half of their Eastern Conference finals opener vs. the Miami Heat. Before we vault Miami into the NBA Finals, however, let’s remember that the Celtics have had some stinkers in each of their first two playoff rounds and have bounced back rather nicely. The Celtics have the experience and character to get back in their series with the Heat, but there are a number of things
Miami Heat coach Erik Spoelstra asked the question, “Was there any doubt that it’d be us and Boston?” Did he watch the Celtics play? Certainly, they cast some doubt into our minds about a Celtics-Heat series after failing to close out the 76ers in Game 6 before finally edging out the pesky eighth seed. Nevertheless, the stage is set for another battle between Miami and Boston on Monday night for the third consecutive season in the playoffs, this time in the Eastern
The Boston Celtics have staggered into the Eastern Conference finals for the third time in five years, their “Big Three” era so close to complete that the moniker is outdated. It no longer even includes their best player, the mercurial and unpredictable Rajon Rondo. Just 48 hours after Rondo finished off the stubborn, pesky eighth-seeded Philadelphia 76ers in Game 7 of a series that was borderline unwatchable for those without a rooting interest, those same time-tested and battle-proven Boston Celtics will
So the Sixers and Celtics will resume hostilities in Game 7 at Boston on Saturday. The Celtics have a badly needed extra day of rest. They have the advantage of playing on their home floor. They have plenty of postseason experience. And they also have better players, which always helps. The Sixers were supposed to have started their offseason two weeks ago. They nudged their way into the playoffs as an eighth seed that had been playing poorly for six weeks. They
As the Philadelphia 76ers ponder how to avoid elimination at home in Game 6 against the Boston Celtics, they will have to begrudgingly acknowledge the fact that Brandon Bass – the Celtics fifth-best option – simply cannot be ignored. Bass went off for a career playoff-high 27 points in Game 5, including 18 third-quarter points that outscored the entire 76ers team by 2 points. The question is, if the 76ers are unable to play help defense because of Bass’ ability to hit
In the biggest game of the season for the Boston Celtics, the Big Four took a back seat to the Other One. All of the attention in Boston rightfully goes to Kevin Garnett, Paul Pierce, Ray Allen and Rajon Rondo. They are the only four players remaining from the team’s last championship in 2008 and comprise perhaps the best quartet in the NBA. They are the reason the Celtics are still in the title hunt when most felt their window of