The last 12 months represent by far the least amount of basketball Kevin Durant has played in his eight-year NBA career. In a sadly ironic twist, it also represents a time when he has had more intrigue swirling around him than ever before. In the last year, Durant has won NBA MVP and given a moving acceptance speech; quit as the new face of Team USA; created a bidding war between apparel companies in the mid nine figures; become the beacon of
There was a lot of attention on the Pacific Division this past weekend. People were wondering when the Golden State Warriors would finally lose and when the Los Angeles Lakers would finally win. Both happened Sunday, with the Warriors – playing without Klay Thompson and David Lee – finally falling at Phoenix and the Lakers – getting production from someone other than Kobe Bryant – knocking off the Charlotte Hornets. But if you ask me, the attention was misplaced. With consecutive playoff
There are eight games on tonight’s NBA docket, including a showdown of the unbeaten Rockets and Heat. But the league’s top drama is set to unfold on HBO. In the Tuesday night debut of an hour-long HBO Sports documentary, “The Offseason: Kevin Durant”, the injured Oklahoma City superstar lets the world know exactly why he left the US national team this summer just before the World Cup. And despite his statements at the time, it doesn’t appear that fatigue or any other specific medical
Training camps are over, exhibition games have begun, and the excitement is palpable as we build towards the 2014-2015 season with players who should have breakout or standout seasons. Here are five players in the Eastern Conference – one at each position, no rookies – who will take the next step towards greatness this upcoming season. Tomorrow, the West. [Read more…]
Team USA hasn’t lost a game in eight years and is widening the gap between itself and the rest of the world. We now know, after its singularly dominant tear through the 2014 FIBA World Cup, that there is simply no team on the horizon that can compete with this rebooted juggernaut of a U.S. basketball program. In reality, Team France (if Tony Parker and Joakim Noah returned to the team) could pose the stiffest competition in coming years. But even
Will LeBron James return to Team USA for the 2016 Olympics? Here’s a better question: Will Team USA even need him? Team USA’s global dominance is recalling the days of the original Dream Teams of the 1990s. The Americans steamrolled Serbia, 129-92, in the gold medal game of the 2014 World Cup in Madrid on Sunday, capping a tournament that became a coming-out party for a handful of new international stars. There were questions about the quality of Team USA’s roster following the withdrawal
MADRID — Team USA’s bus was parked in the narrow street outside the Palacio de los Deportes, and a crowd dozens of people deep — folks from Espana, Serbia and America, too — broke into a chant of “M-V-P” for Kyrie Irving as he exited the arena and made his way on board. He heard them, and he let them know that he had heard them. Kenneth Faried got a lot of love, too, and gave some back with that whiter-than-white
MADRID — The Red Foxes dance team held their practice right after Team USA held its practice, and many of the American players stayed around to watch. And why wouldn’t they? The Foxes, from Ukraine, are an extraordinary confluence of genetic brilliance with a ballerina meets pole dancer sexiness. Not one of them is shorter than 6 feet tall. The should call themselves the unicorns. They are a pleasure to watch, and a number of the American players did just that before posing