Steve Nash and the Phoenix Suns were far from playoff contention heading into the All-Star break. Since the beginning of March, however, they have turned a corner, compiling an 18-10 record and are just a half-game behind the Utah Jazz for the eighth seed in the Western Conference. Phoenix (32-30) looks to bounce back from a loss and stay squarely in the playoff picture as they host the Los Angeles Clippers in Thursday’s best game on TNT. They defeated the Clippers in the
// csprtContainer(); // ]]> Out of the four teams currently fighting for the eighth spot in the Western Conference, who would be most gratified to earn that berth? The Houston Rockets? In their post-Yao era, they tried to trade half their team before the season started to rebuild around Pau Gasol. That didn’t happen after the original Chris Paul trade was vetoed, and the two players who would probably be most gratified are Luis Scola and Goran Dragic, who were a part of
There were so many games last night (14) in the NBA, your fingers go calloused from switching the remote and your brain got scrambled by considering all the playoff possibilities. Bottom line: There are still eight nights left of regular season basketball, a lot can happen over those eight days, and we need to find a way to give you a synopsis of what’s up. To do that, we’ll focus today on the teams with 32-30 records. There are three of them, they
This had been a perfect season for Stan Van Gundy. Well, check that. In a lot of ways, it has been a nightmare season for the head coach of the Orlando Magic, who has been feuding with his trade-me, don’t-trade-me franchise center, living and dying by the 3-pointer and enduring a soap opera of a year that just keeps coming up with new twists and turns. But through it all, Van Gundy had maintained enough cool to not be called for a single
Sixteen days to glory. The title of Bud Greenspan’s documentary of the 1984 Olympics also is fitting for the NBA season, which has just 16 days remaining and a dozen playoff spots still up for grabs. For argument’s sake, we’re going to assume middle-of-the-packers Indiana, Boston, Atlanta and Orlando will eventually clinch berths in the Eastern Conference, while the Los Angeles Lakers, Los Angeles Clippers and Memphis will sew up spots in the West. All seven of those teams have fewer than 25
// What did the Miami Heat prove in their win over the Thunder Wednesday? That they’re a very good team — at home. Let’s see them do it on the road before we gush too hard, OK folks? Meanwhile, the playoff races remain jumbled and overcrowded in both conferences. Whether the Knicks make it in the East or not, would Phil Jackson be a good fit for the Knicks? CineSport’s Noah Coslov and SheridanHoops.com’s Chris Sheridan discuss.
A month from now when we’re forced to endure an Indiana Pacers or Atlanta Hawks playoff game and we’re looking back fondly on what has been smorgasbord of a regular season, we shall long for nights like the one we had Wednesday. Heat-Thunder. Lakers-Clippers. Spurs-Celtics. And perhaps best of all, because I am biased here by virtue of touting this one and watching the thrilling finish from the edge of my office chair, Suns-Jazz. Great game in Miami, won by the Heat
Phoenix Suns forward Grant Hill on Wednesday was named one of the recipients of the Hall of Fame’s Human Spirit Award. The award also is known as “The Mannie Jackson” and is named after the former corporate executive and current owner of the Harlem Globetrotters, a member of the Hall of Fame himself. The award was first given in 2007. Hill was honored from the pro game. The winner for the amateur ranks was Connecticut coach Jim Calhoun and the winner for