The San Antonio Spurs and the organization’s two stalwarts, Tim Duncan and Gregg Popovich, are coming off a fifth championship and are poised for another title run next season – provided Duncan doesn’t retire. With five championships in a 15-year period, the Spurs have made a claim to be considered a dynasty. However, some people – most notably Phil Jackson – would disagree because the Spurs haven’t won consecutive titles. Jackson won three consecutive championships on three separate occasions (1991-93, 96-98, 2000-2002).
NBA players react to Spurs’ dominance and Heat’s lackluster play in Game 4 of the Finals
When you play the San Antonio Spurs, there is always a risk of getting completely blown out of the game – sometimes by half time. You just don’t expect the Miami Heat to be one of those teams. In two consecutive games in the NBA Finals, no less. No matter how you predicted this series would go (I predicted Spurs in 6), no one could have seen this coming. The Heat were supposed to be the most formidable bunch for the Spurs after
Tweet of the Night: Reaction to Thunder – Spurs Game 3
Sunday night the Oklahoma City Thunder were whole. Center Serge Ibaka made his return from what was previously thought to be a season ending injury. His return was much needed, as he provided the defensive energy necessary for the Thunder to play free on the perimeter without worry or fear of Tony Parker, Tim Duncan or Manu Ginobili wreaking havoc in the paint near the rim. Ibaka had a profound impact on the game, as Oklahoma claimed a 106-97 Game 3 victory
DraftStreet Fantasy Spin: Thursday, April 3, 2014
At one point last night I thought I would win $1,000 in DraftStreet’s NBA Fantasy League. That didn’t happen for several reasons. Anthony Davis, my most expensive player, left the game early with back spasms. Arron Afflalo couldn’t put the ball in the ocean while playing against the measly defense of the Cleveland Cavs. Besides that, all of my other picks performed well. Today I quickly threw a roster together and will probably make tweaks throughout the day. I contemplated
The Third Banana Awards, Team by Team
I noticed recently that ESPN’s Bill Simmons had been using the term “Third Banana” when referring to the third-best player on a team. A simple concept, but it did get me thinking. Who are the best “third bananas” in the NBA? I decided to put together a list ranking every team’s third-best player, and then I’d put that player into an overall league ranking, from 1-30. Ultimately I was hoping to stumble upon a correlation between how high a teams Third Banana
NBA Gambling: Notes from the Quarter Pole – Bet The Lakers!
The gambling life ain’t easy, folks — which is where today’s tale begins. But by the time you get to the end of today’s column, hopefully you’ll be amused by my personal adventures and enlightened by my leaguewide analysis. We are at the quarter-pole of the NBA season, and trends have emerged. First, to truly appreciate what it means to gamble on the NBA on a daily basis, you had to experience what it was like to bet on the Philadelphia 76ers
Abrams: Which NBA Players Will Be Traded? Odds Say …
The offshore sports book Bovada recently published odds on certain players to be traded at any moment this season, which has created a bit of a buzz in the NBA sports betting industry because of its intrigue. Some offshore sports books have offered these type of proposition bets in previous years, but with the early intrigue and excitement of this upcoming season I believe the exploration of these particular players and their teams’ current situation is definitely of note. As many of you
Over/Under Odds Released for NBA Team Wins
With the NBA season win total over/unders coming out earlier this week at the Las Vegas Hilton (LVH) in Las Vegas, here is a chart of those odds, the team wins from last year and the percentage changes between the two: [Read more…]