The Memphis Grizzlies are one of the less glamorous teams in the postseason party. They shoot 3-pointers about as poorly as any team in the NBA. They don’t have many high flyers offering up highlight-reel dunks a la Blake Griffin. They have not one but two ground-bound post players in Marc Gasol and Zach Randolph. The Grizzlies simply defend like mad, play through their big men and try to make hay in transition and at the free-throw line. And for the last
The Coach of the Year was announced Tuesday, with Gregg Popovich coming out on top by a wide margin. It was certainly well-deserved, but there were plenty of other coaches that warranted attention as well. Thirteen coaches received votes, including Frank Vogel, Lionel Hollins, Tyrone Corbin, Stan Van Gundy and Vinny Del Negro – mid-season crisis and all. The work of these fine coaches will be on display tonight as we look into the preview of three playoff games on Wednesday night. Utah (0-1) at
You can watch paint dry, or you could watch every single second of this series. OK, that’s a little harsh. But the star power that this series would have had is gone with Dwight Howard out with season-ending back surgery, and you have to wonder whether the Magic are kicking themselves for not trading him to the Lakers when they had the chance. It has been a soap opera season for the Magic, and soap operas usually have tragic ends,
This is it! Most Roto leagues end tonight and many Head-to-Head playoff finals conclude, with a busy 13-game slate in the NBA and a lot of guesswork about lineups. I’ve already poured the Gatorade over my own head in one league, with an 8-1 lead, and am hoping for a final-night miracle in another. Best of luck with your teams. Wednesday Recap CHI @ IND: The Bulls used their playoff lineup, with a little less than playoff intensity. Joakim Noah (14 PTS,
We’re gonna go out on a limb and say the artist formerly known as Ron Artest won’t be repeating as winner of the Citizenship Award. But what of the NBA’s other season-ending awards? Our winners are below, replete with the customary snotty remarks. EXECUTIVE OF THE YEAR: Indiana’s Larry Bird turned the Pacers into a borderline elite team, with offseason additions David West and George Hill and in-season addition Leandro Barbosa, adding needed playoff experience. He also preserved his cap room for this
Yesterday, this forum was devoted to discussion of the Defensive Player of the Year, and there was a ton of support for Tyson Chandler and LeBron James, with some love for Tony Allen and Paul George sprinkled in. Today we turn to the Most Improved Player award, which is somewhat of a wide-open field this season. I have an official NBA ballot to vote for the award, and I had been leaning toward Ryan Anderson throughout the season. I remember covering the
In a game that both teams took somewhat seriously, Joe Johnson scored 28 points and Josh Smith (18 PTS, 10 REB, 5 AST) made the most of his 31 minutes. Blake Griffin (36 PTS, 8 REB) and Chris Paul (34 PTS, 8 AST, 2 STL) were stellar in defeat, though CP3 is doubtful tonight with a mild groin strain. Jeff Teague (21) played well for the Hawks and Marvin Williams (11) returned to his sixth-man role. PHO @ UTA: The Jazz
Bouncing back from one lackluster game, Carmelo Anthony had 39 points and 10 rebounds, yet Amare Stoudemire still managed 22 & 12, and all the other Knicks starters scored in double figures. A lively Baron Davis (13 PTS, 10 AST) helped them pass this chemistry test. Tyson Chandler (rest) took the day off, so Landry Fields (18) started at SF as both teams went small. Josh Smith (14 PTS, 5 REB, 3 BLK) lined up at C for Atlanta, with