Last season, several key players were lost due to the dreadful tear of an ACL, clouding the future of each player that suffered the injury. The first major player that went down due to the devastating knee injury was Ricky Rubio of the Timberwolves during a game against the Lakers. Minnesota was well on pace to fight for a playoff spot, but everything unraveled once Rubio was lost – the team went 5-20 without the sensational point guard. This season, the Timberwolves
Just one season after winning their first championship, did the Miami Heat change their philosophy from “stop the opponents” to “outscore the opponents”? The team has won plenty of games this season with a high-powered offense that ranks No. 1 in the league with 104.8 points per game, which is nearly six more points than a season ago. But where has the defense gone? [Read more…]
Forget small ball. The NBA’s best team plays bully ball. The Memphis Grizzlies don’t have a fleet of sharpshooters standing on the arc. They don’t have a stretch 4. They don’t have a dual point guard backcourt. Heck, their shooting guard can’t even shoot. [Read more…]
Los Angeles Clippers guard Jamal Crawford received some serious national attention on Wednesday night when he pulled a bunch of his signature crossover moves against the Miami Heat on ESPN, specifically on poor old Ray Allen, who could do little to contain the crafty ball handler. As some of you may know, being crossed over by Crawford is familiar territory for Allen. We’ve already covered Crawford as a possible favorite to win the Sixth Man of the Year award this season,
While all of the focus has been on the soap opera swirl around the Los Angeles Lakers, the NBA’s other similarly storied franchise has its own set of issues. The Boston Celtics also raised expectations by adding some key pieces in the offseason, then promptly stumbled out of the gate. But there were no death stares, insurrections, coach beheadings or panic moves. But there are some problems in Beantown. Let’s allow team leader Kevin Garnett to explain. “You can’t speed chemistry up,” Garnett said.
BOSTON — From the beginning of the 2007-08 season until the final horn sounded after Game 7 of the Eastern Conference Finals against the Miami Hea last June, the Boston Celtics were encapsulated by the Big Three +1 of Paul Pierce, Kevin Garnett, Ray Allen and Rajon Rondo. If anyone needs a refresher course on what was lost when Ray Allen decided to head down to Miami to team up with Dwyane Wade and LeBron James, last night’s performance by the Celtics
MIAMI – Here’s how you know it’s a new day for the Miami Heat: They lead the league in points per game and rank second-to-last in points allowed. “We make our mark defensively,” MVP LeBron James said. He’s right. But maybe that’s about to change a little bit. Maybe. For years and years, the Heat have prided themselves on defense. That’s the culture. This is the team that gets its defensive philosophy from Pat “Contest Every Possession” Riley. It is defensive-minded right down
