There is no basketball game on Friday night, which means you can take some time to read about what’s going on around the league, from LeBron James’ epic performance, David Stern’s thoughts on the draft lottery, Indiana’s next move, and much more. Did you see how many shots LeBron James missed in Game 6? You can see every single one of them in this video. Really, though, was James’ performance on Thursday night the best he has ever put on? Statistically, no.
Game 5 of the Thunder-Spurs series is set for 9PM ET tonight. In the meantime, check out some of the news around the league on Monday from possible player movements, game evaluations, and off-season activity from players that are in full vacation mode. Is the criticism on Russell Westbrook being selfish warranted? Darnell Mayberry discusses why it is not warranted: The point guard who continues to be a lightening rod for criticism for everything from his shot selection to his body language
Yesterday, we ran down the top 20 unrestricted free agents. Today, we look at the top 10 restricted free agents, which is a little trickier. By and large, restricted free agents are all on their rookie contract, which provides guaranteed money that can establish the starting point for negotiations. And that’s where it gets tricky. JaVale McGee made $2.46 million this season and has a qualifying offer for $3.49 million next season. Both figures are well below what starting centers receive. But how
// Frank Vogel made a major mistake last night, IMHO. I compliment him for everything he has accomplished this season, I admire his youthful enthusiasm, but I question his wisdom today — the day after Indiana’s season ended in a Game 6 loss at home in which the Pacers never fully took advantage of the big-man advantage they had with Udonis Haslem out serving a one-game suspension. With exactly 3 minutes left in the first quarter, Vogel subbed out David West,
When is the last time we saw the combination of a shooting guard and a small forward completely and utterly dominate a game the way Dwyane Wade and LeBron James did on Thursday night? His Airness and Robin Scottie Pippen certainly come to mind. Back in the 90’s, the NBA and its fans saw Michael Jordan and Pippen display unparalleled athleticism and skill that allowed the tandem to terrorize their opposition with incredible offensive games. Longtime Pacers fans, along with Larry Bird – now the
The series between the Miami Heat and Indiana Pacers has been filled with unexpected drama and extracurricular activity with all the trash-talking and posturing – mostly from the Pacers. Things took a turn for the worst in Game 5 when Pacers forward Tyler Hansbrough “made a play on the ball” but also swiped hard enough at the head of Dwyane Wade to draw blood from the All-Star guard. What resulted from that play was retaliation by Heat forward Udonis Haslem, who less than
Before the series between the Miami Heat and Indiana Pacers began, there was some notable trash-talking on the Pacers side from both the players and coach Frank Vogel – for which the coach promptly was fined $15,000 – calling the Heat floppers and actors of sorts. That’s all well and good, but Pacers forward Danny Granger has taken things to another level on the court. He has constantly gotten in the face of LeBron James often looking ready to brawl –
Did the Boston Celtics take the bait? After the Celtics easily handled the Philadelphia 76ers in Game 3, reclaiming home-court advantage and the upper hand in their series with a convincing win, Sixers coach Doug Collins tried to plant a seed of overconfidence in Gang Green. “I think they are looking at that other series a little bit,” Collins said. “I think they see Chris Bosh being out (for Miami). They see a tremendous opportunity for themselves.” Whether Boston did or didn’t, it