Of the eight teams that reached the Western Conference playoffs last season, six of them had at least one player among the NBA’s top-20 in win shares. The two playoff teams that did not have a player among the top 20 were Memphis, with stars Marc Gasol, Mike Conley and Zach Randolph, and San Antonio, who boasts the famed star quartet of Tim Duncan, Tony Parker, Manu Ginobili and Kawhi Leonard. Obtaining, maintaining and sustaining a roster with All-Star level talent
If you remember watching Drazen Petrovic play the game of basketball, consider yourself lucky. Unfortunately for me, I don’t have those memories. A native of Croatia, Petrovic played college ball at the University of Zagreb in Yugoslavia. He was drafted in the third round of the 1986 NBA Draft by the Portland Trailblazers. Petro, as he was called my most, became a fan-favorite wherever he played. For the Blazers, and later in New Jersey when he was traded to the
Each of the eight teams remaining in the NBA playoffs have played a game in this second round, and some interesting trends have emerged that could be harbingers of things to come over the next two weeks (or however long the league decides to stretch out this round). [Read more…]
Somehow, someway, these 2014 NBA playoffs just keep getting better. Nearly every game has come down to the wire, many going to overtime, and if they aren’t, than Kevin Durant must enforcing his will with an MVP performance. We were treated to three Game 6’s on Thursday night. Thanks to the basketball God’s we will be spoiled by three Game 7’s on Saturday. It can’t get better, can it? Only in the 2014 NBA playoffs can it get better. And it does. [Read more…]
As teams continue to jockey for position in the Western Conference — and fight for 50 wins just to get in — one of the early season darlings continues to sink. That would be the Portland Trailblazers. Once the talk of the NBA, the Blazers have hit a rough patch at the worst possible time, losing nine of their last 13 games and are now just a half game ahead of the Golden State Warriors for the 6th spot in the
Portland is a unique, interesting and unconventional city to say the least. That unique and unconventional nature extends to their basketball team, where the Portland Trail Blazers are winning games at a high rate doing things their own way. While the league is trending toward discouraging players from long two-point shots, Portland embraces it. Portland plays their starters more than anyone else, hit more threes than anyone else and lead the league in free throw shooting. Is their defense lacking? Sure,
It’s official, Kobe Bryant is returning to the court this Sunday against the Toronto Raptors after an eight-month recovery from a torn Achilles that sidelined him during last years playoffs. While that technically is the “news” of the day, it sure isn’t the talk of the town. That is because Kobe announced his comeback with an extravagant, two minute video via Facebook titled “Seasons of Legend.” The video entails nothing more than Kobe’s jersey flapping in a windy sky. For two
BROOKLYN – Portland Trail Blazers coach Terry Stotts doesn’t run any crazy offensive scheme. He just tries to get the most out of his talented players. Often this season, that has meant letting his shooters shoot with the rest taking care of itself. So far, that has been a major key to the success of the NBA’s hottest team. It seems simple, but in a sporting landscape where coaches like to exert influence or control, sometimes giving individuals freedom can get