PHILADELPHIA—Andrew Bynum was supposed to be their Moses, the one who would help bring the Philadelphia 76ers to the NBA’s Promised Land. That was General Manager Pat Williams’ mindset when he pulled the trigger on the 1982 off-season deal that made Moses Malone a Sixer. That set in motion a chain of events that would bring Philadelphia its first—and as it’s turned out over the next three decades, LAST—championship since Hall of Famers Wilt Chamberlain, Hal Greer and Chet Walker led them
There have been exactly a dozen NBA trades made this season, from small to significant. Some teams wanted to clear up money, some teams wanted to continue rebuilding, while others took bold steps in ensuring present and future success on the court. But in our society of instant gratification and unceasing competition, we almost have an unquenchable thirst for deciding winners and losers. [Read more…]
Of all the awards given out in pro sports, the NBA’s Most Improved Player is perhaps the most arbitrary. (We won’t include hockey’s Lady Byng Trophy for sportsmanship.) There’s no single stat that indicates how much a player has improved from one season to the next. And why has that player improved? Is it just from increased playing time, or are there other factors involved? There’s just a whole mess of gray area involved. [Read more…]
What’s big in the media right now? Scandal. No, not the popular television show, Rutgers basketball. The Scarlet Knights are making waves Wednesday after firing their head coach Mike Rice. Rice, who appeared in a video on ESPN’s Outside the Lines abusing his players during practice, was terminated by the school today. A few NBA players spoke up about the scandal on Twitter, including Philadelphia 76ers guard Jason Richardson.
Is it an exaggeration to call Jrue Holiday a member of the elite point guard class in the NBA? Not entirely. Sure, it was only last November that Holiday was coming off a disappointing third season in which his reclining numbers and lower efficiency ratings had many analysts wondering whether he had reached his ceiling as nothing more than a competent point guard. This season, however, Holiday has indisputably become a worthy All-Star selection and has earned a rightful place on the short
After Friday’s dispiriting home loss to the Washington Wizards, Los Angeles Lakers coach Mike D’Antoni could not take it any longer. D’Antoni went on a wide-ranging rant against his team, targeting its lack of commitment and effort on both sides of the ball. He said the Lakers were “messing with the basketball gods” and called their championship aspirations “laughable.” Although D’Antoni mentioned no one by name, very few wearing the forum blue and gold appeared exempt. [Read more…]
The round of 64 began on Thursday and outside of the PAC-12’s success as a 12 seed and Harvard earning their first ever tournament win, upsets were at a minimum. On a very light night in the NBA, the three games on the schedule saw one upset, as the Blazers won on the road in Chicago, but the Sixers blew their chance to snap the Nuggets win streak and perform their own “bracket buster”. Welcome to another episode of Five Fast Facts.
I will be rooting for the Boston Celtics against the Miami Heat tonight. Having been a Philadelphia 76ers fan for nearly four decades, that’s a pretty big deal. Usually there are only three circumstances that can get me to throw my allegiance behind a team I have despised for as long as I’ve watched the NBA. 1. By winning, the Celtics would beat a team whose loss would help the 76ers. 2. By winning, the Celtics would get a tougher playoff opponent. 3. By winning, the
