The Indiana Pacers and Atlanta Hawks both skidded into the playoffs with uninspiring performances in April. It was only a few weeks ago when the Pacers looked solidly positioned to secure the Eastern Conference’s second seed. Instead, they went 2-5 in April and fell to third. Meanwhile, the Hawks also struggled at the end of the season and appeared to strategically tank their final two games in an attempt to avoid the Heat in the early rounds of the playoffs. [Read
For once, Miami didn’t give their opponents a big head start, and their 25th consecutive win was never in doubt. LeBron James (29 PTS, 8 REB, 8 AST, 2 STL) made 12 of 15 shots, Dwyane Wade (19 PTS, 4 AST, 3 REB, 3 STL) helped out and the second unit outscored Detroit’s bench 35-13. [Read more…]
Yes, there are 16 more games in the NCAA tournament today, making the NBA an afterthought for countless hoops fans. Sure, your bracket is important and the Madness is contagious, but season-long fantasy leagues are based on the pro game and it’s getting to be crunch time, with trade deadlines looming, Head-to-Head playoffs around the corner and Roto standings getting tighter. [Read more…]
What is the ceiling of Washington Wizards point guard John Wall? When Wall entered the league as the No. 1 overall pick of the 2010-2011 Draft, some believed he may become one of the best point guards to ever play the game. Yes, the hype was that strong. And why not? He had incredible athleticism, size, played defense and displayed the ability to find teammates. In his second game ever as a Wizard, he quickly showed promise with 28 points and nine assists
There is an unlikely NBA rivalry developing in California. And it doesn’t include the Lakers. The Lakers are too busy battling the unrealistic expectations of their spoiled fans to immerse themselves in a full-fledged rivalry such as one with their neighbors down the hall at Staples Center. No, the developing rivalry is between the Clippers and the Warriors, which went to a new level Saturday night. [Read more…]
(This is another in a series of 30 guest columns that will run in October, when optimism reigns supreme across the NBA. The theme will be “Five Reasons to Feel Positive About … ” We encourage you to follow the authors on Twitter and visit their sites. – CS) The Indiana Pacers went into last season following the NBA lockout hoping to be a playoff team in the Eastern Conference. That goal proved too modest for the Pacers as several new faces
Through his very last timeout huddle with his team, Oklahoma City Thunder coach Scott Brooks said all the right things. “We’re gonna treat them like they’re the champions,” Brooks instructed his club. “After this game, we’re gonna walk and shake their hands and acknowledge all of them. They beat us fair and square. However hard that hurts, they beat us fair and square. Give them credit.” Yes, Brooks said all the right things. It would have been nice if he had done all
csprtContainer(); Question: What’s the difference between the NBA and the outfit formerly known as the World Wrestling Federation? Answer: Beats me. Actually, there’s a huge difference between a game highlighting athletic grace and hand-to-hand combat between players assuming heroic or villainous personas: The WWF doesn’t have a ball. Otherwise, it’s getting too close for comfort for the NBA, even if league officials prefer to pull the strings from New York rather than issuing proclamations in the ring like Vince McMahon. These playoffs look less like a