After 28 years of operation, the Kings will play one last game at storied Sleep Train Arena (formerly ARCO) on Saturday night before their move to the new Golden 1 Center in downtown Sacramento to begin the 2016-17 season later this year. [Read more…]
Last season, the Atlanta Hawks were one of the NBA’s best regular-season stories, winning 60 games. This season, they needed almost 60 games to remember what winning is. After their best season since moving to Atlanta nearly 50 years ago, the Hawks have spent most of this season spurting and sputtering. They got off to a 7-1 start, which many took as a good sign considering they were a measly 7-6 out of the gate last season. There was a six-game
The NBA regular season ends in less than four weeks, and a lion’s share of the national articles until then will be about playoff teams, playoff contenders, awards and the pursuit of history. For the fans of teams with no hope of a postseason berth, this article is for you. The first annual All-Loser Teams feature three starting fives from franchises that will certainly be drafting in the lottery this year. It excludes teams such as Chicago, Washington, Detroit, Houston and
Dearly Beloved: As we gather together once more in this special column space, we can’t help but daydream about the beautiful matrimony between man and award. It’s wedding season (I don’t know if that’s true or not), so we thought it would be interesting to explore some of the similarities between “sixth men” and best men. It’s not just because they both have the word “man” in them. OK, maybe it is. But still, there are a lot of similarities. [Read more…]
In the brave new world of basketball analytics, trends and modules, a simpler stat surfaced this week that was utterly inexplicable. Two teams have lost 10 games this season in which they led after three quarters. One is the league-worst Philadelphia 76ers, who have no one on their roster who knows how to win a game. The other is the Oklahoma City Thunder, who have two of the supposed best closers in the game in Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook. [Read more…]
They have the best center in the NBA in DeMarcus Cousins. They have the craftiest point guard in the league in Rajon Rondo. They have a proven, year-in, year-out scorer in Rudy Gay. They have a backup point guard in Darren Collison that half a dozen teams would kill for. They have George Karl running the show, for better or worse. They have Quincy Acy. OK, forget about Quincy .. along with the NBA’s most porous defense (allowing 109.1 ppg). The
It’s funny how people get so caught up in the chase for history. Every time people see me, they start asking: “Are they going to do it?” “Is it going to happen?” “Who would win if they played today?” Of course, you know what I’m talking about. It involves winning, a Curry and something that hasn’t been done since the mid-1990s. But I mean, it’s almost getting boring now. Everybody knows that Denver Nuggets guard Will Barton can make history by becoming the first player from
Allen Iverson once said he would rather retire than come off the bench. So, I guess he’s not reading this column. And while that certainly hurts (I loved you, A.I.), it’s not going to stop me from practicing my craft here. We talkin’ ’bout practice. PRAC—TICE. Something that you do to get better. Ah, forget it. It takes a special type of player to adapt to coming off the bench. Several guys, who we threw under the bus—er—uh, mentioned in our Most Improved Player Rankings