Derrick Rose recently made the claim to ESPN Chicago that the Chicago Bulls’ only rival is the Miami Heat. More specifically, Rose downplayed the idea that the fellow Central Division squad Indiana Pacers are ready to be one of Chicago’s true foes in 2013-14. You can read the quote below. “People say that it’s a rivalry, but I don’t really see it. I say the team that is more like a rivalry is when Darren Collison was on the team. That one was more
Less than 14 months ago, the Philadelphia 76ers were four minutes away from a trip to the Eastern Conference Finals. Four players remain from that team. Less than 14 months ago, the Boston Celtics were one win away from a trip to the NBA Finals. Two players remain from that team. The Celtics prevailed against Philadelphia on that Saturday in May, 2012, with Rajon Rondo recording a triple-double after Paul Pierce fouled out with 4:16 to play and the Celtics clinging to
If you are an NBA fan, you should start rooting for the Milwaukee Bucks to snap out of their stupor and the Boston Celtics to stumble down the stretch. Because that will set up the first-round playoff series we all want to see. A slump by the Celtics and a boost from the Bucks over the last 10 or so games would drop Boston into eighth place in the Eastern Conference and a first-round matchup with the Miami Heat. And to paraphrase
Less than three weeks ago, the Los Angeles Lakers were mourning the death of owner Jerry Buss, refuting rumors that Dwight Howard would be traded and staring down the draft lottery. With his team mired in ninth place in the Western Conference, Kobe Bryant defiantly told Sports Illustrated, “It’s not a question of if we make the playoffs. We will. And when we get there, I have no fear of anyone – Oklahoma City, San Antonio, Denver … whoever. I have
“Must win” is probably one of the more overused expressions among NBA fans, and especially Knicks fans. But Thursday night in Boston, it would have been appropriate. To most around the NBA, Carmelo Anthony’s team is fugazi. The Knicks don’t rebound particularly well. Their defense is inconsistent. They are going to set the NBA record for 3-pointers hoisted in a season. They’re not bruisers, they’re not bangers. From here, they look to be the quintessential “win 55 games and lose in the first
The devastation of Hurricane Sandy on the New York City metropolitan area has forced the postponement of the Brooklyn Nets’ home opener Thursday vs. the New York Knicks. The league made the announcement Wednesday afternoon. There were reports Tuesday that the game at the new Barclays Center in downtown Brooklyn might still be played, but that is no longer the case. “Mayor (Michael) Bloomberg informed us this afternoon that after further analysis of the damage caused by Hurricane Sandy that he felt
Having trumped up, er, written more intracity rivalry stories than I care to remember, there are three things I know. 1. They’re really no big deal. So what if the Clippers don’t like the Lakers, who don’t deign to notice the Clippers? The Clips don’t dislike the Lakes any more than the Suns or Warriors do, to say nothing of the Celtics. This isn’t high school. It’s not even USC-UCLA. This is the NBA, where only the Clips would remember if they swept the Lakers,
Everyone wanted another glorious chapter in the Knicks-Heat rivalry. Everyone wanted the surging Knicks to catch the overconfident Heat by surprise. Everyone wanted a motivated Carmelo Anthony to outplay a befuddled LeBron James. Everyone wanted Amar’e Stoudemire and Tyson Chandler to overwhelm Miami’s questionable frontcourt. Everyone wanted an ultimate game, the way these teams settled matters every year from 1997 to 2000. You know what? That was almost a generation ago. It doesn’t matter anymore. What matters is the Heat have James, and Wade,