Larry Bird stepped down as president of the Indiana Pacers today, announcing his decision at Bankers Life Fieldhouse, where there was no shortage of smiles and laughter and jokes and platitudes. Boy, folks have a short memory nowadays. Or too long of one. Yes, the Pacers and Bird enjoyed a renaissance this season. The team reached the Eastern Conference semifinals and Bird was named Executive of the Year. It’s interesting how one solid season from an NBA legend obscured a track record
Game 4 of the NBA Finals is just a couple of hours away, and the main story heading into the game seems to be centered around what Serge Ibaka said about LeBron James and how he responded. Find out what has been said below and see if you agree with James’ reaction to it all. Also, be sure to check out the latest on Phil Jackson’s state of mind. The story of the day is Serge Ibaka’s lame attempt at discrediting
The Heat and Thunder tip off for Game 3 at 8:07 EDT, so if you’re looking for your NBA news fix until then, here’s the latest from around the NBA. Be sure to also check out Chris Bernucca’s column from earlier today on how Kevin Durant is the ideal NBA superstar and Chris Perkins’ Five Observations from Games 1 and 2 as well. Andre Iguodala is once again rumored to be on the move this summer, says Chad Ford in his ESPN
Game 6 of the Western Conference Finals is a pivotal one for the Spurs, who face elimination for the first time this season. A loss would prove to be an epic meltdown, given all their success up to this point. Check out what some of the players had to say heading into the game, along with news around the league on Wednesday. Gary Neal has been dealing with flu-like symptoms and missed the morning shootaround, but is expected to play in
The main story heading into Game 5 of the Eastern Conference Finals is whether Chris Bosh will suit up for the Miami Heat. That, of course, wasn’t the only news item on Tuesday, as you will see below. Chris Bosh is officially listed as a game-time decision for tonight’s game, but Brian Windhorst believes Bosh will play: Heat All-Star Chris Bosh has been upgraded to a game-time decision for Tuesday’s Game 5 of the Eastern Conference finals against the Boston Celtics. All indications are that Bosh
Reader Zach was the first with the correct answer to last week’s edition of The Bernucca List. The list was “players called for 10 or more technical fouls this season.” This week’s list is a pretty tough one, so we will provide a hint: It has to do with the playoffs. Think you know the answer? Go ahead and post it in the Comments section or Tweet it to me. First correct answer gets a shout-out next week. The Bernucca List Carlos Boozer Manu Ginobili Richard Hamilton Stephen
SAN ANTONIO — In the jumble of head-scratching, mystifying plays that have turned Gregg Popovich’s white hair a lighter shade of pale, Manu’s Ginobili’s most famous one doesn’t stick out. In his formative years, Ginobili provided Popovich with many teaching moments, but the outcome of the discussions was sometimes more maddening than the flamboyant approach Ginobili found so inviting. “He would make passes that were unnecessary in certain situations and he could do it in a more efficient manner,” Popovich said. “I
San Antonio Spurs coach Gregg Popovich made it a habit to rest his veteran stars this season, come what may. Up until Game 3, the Coach of the Year had been treating the playoffs much the same way. Tim Duncan played 35 minutes in San Antonio’s 102-90 Game 3 victory Saturday night, and Tony Parker played 40. But during the first two games against the Utah Jazz, the only Spur to play more than 31 minutes was Parker, who logged 37