The worst news – OK, the second-worst news – that could have struck the Oklahoma City Thunder hit with lightning force today with the announcement that Russell Westbrook needs knee surgery and could be out for the remainder of the playoffs. So what does this mean for the Thunder? Other than the obvious – they are losing their highest-volume shooter, second-leading scorer and primary facilitator? It’s welcome to the big time, Reggie Jackson. You are about to replace a player who averages
Oklahoma City Thunder point guard Russell Westbrook has never missed a single game in his high school, college and NBA career. Until now. Shocking news broke on Friday when it was announced that the guard will need knee surgery after suffering a torn meniscus in Game 2 against the Houston Rockets when he collided with Patrick Beverly. The exact moment of the injury can be found here: [Read more…]
Back in March, our top-notch, seasoned, voice-of-reason columnist Jan Hubbard penned a column that read somewhat like a prayer … or a plea. Please, please, please let us have a Rockets-Thunder playoff series. Everyone who thought the Thunder won the big preseason trade of James Harden for Kevin Martin will be on the edge of their seats for this one, because there is nothing quite as compelling as seeing a former player who helped his team reach the NBA Finals come
An incredible fourth-quarter comeback led by Dirk Nowitzki (35 PTS, 7 REB) kept the Mavericks’ playoff dream alive. He hit 14 of 17 shots including five triples, and scored the final eight points of a 15-1 closing run. [Read more…]
Is it an exaggeration to call Jrue Holiday a member of the elite point guard class in the NBA? Not entirely. Sure, it was only last November that Holiday was coming off a disappointing third season in which his reclining numbers and lower efficiency ratings had many analysts wondering whether he had reached his ceiling as nothing more than a competent point guard. This season, however, Holiday has indisputably become a worthy All-Star selection and has earned a rightful place on the short
I touched on this in yesterday’s MVP rankings, and I did it again in this interview with CineSport’s Noh Coslov. I called Chris Andersen the “missing link” for the Miami Heat, and you can add your own joke if you like. [Read more…]
Sunday was a double-double of it’s own, to use an NBA term, as it was both St. Patrick’s Day and Championship Sunday when they announce the NCAA tournament bracket. Eight games were on the NBA schedule on Sunday. So what else is new? The sun rises, the Heat win. On Sunday, Miami won their 22nd straight game. Elsewhere, the Knicks continued to fall further down the Eastern Conference with another loss on their west coast road trip, the Lakers learned there
Yesterday we told you the NBA silly season has already begun. Any lineup is possible for any team; logic and past performances, while never infallible predictive tools, mean less and less each week until the playoffs begin. [Read more…]