NEW YORK — When Pacers head coach Frank Vogel called a timeout with 12.1 seconds left in the first half of yesterday’s matinee Game 1 matchup against the Knicks, Paul George wound up and launched a jumper, smooth as could be, from near mid-court. [Read more…]
And just like that, the second round is upon us. If that felt a little abrupt, don’t worry: it was. Somehow the first series to be set is the last to get underway, which I’m sure Gregg Popovich and the Spurs won’t mind. Mark Jackson and the Warriors probably won’t mind too much either, with Andrew Bogut and Steph Curry’s ankle troubles. For more on the Warriors and Spurs, check out Jan Hubbard’s latest column. The other series that starts tomorrow
Apart from the 1 vs. 8 and 2 vs. 7 series, the first round of the NBA playoffs has been incredibly competitive, just as much so as anyone could have reasonably hoped. The Clippers and Grizzlies are showing everyone how good they are – and how unfair it is that one will lose this series. The Warriors and Nuggets are playing must-see basketball. And just today, Chicago and Brooklyn went to three overtimes. [Read more…]
Last season, the creaky Boston Celtics entered the Eastern Conference playoffs as the fourth seed, having gone 39-27 over the NBA’s lockout truncated season. They ended up just three games better than the 36-30 New York Knicks, who ended up the conference’s seventh seed. [Read more…]
The myth died for good only two years ago, but it seems more distant than that because it was so silly. It’s unlikely that it will return, but then again, people are still looking for Big Foot, the Loch Ness Monster, mermaids and flying saucers. So who knows? Maybe at some point, some basketball idiot will call Dirk Nowitzki “soft” again. That person would indeed have to be an idiot. But then, that was always true. Those who preached such nonsense
36-year-old rookie? Seasoned novice? Veteran newcomer? Pablo Prigioni is the personification of the word “oxymoron.” [Read more…]
The Denver Nuggets were supposed to prove this season that a superstar is not needed to find great team success in the postseason. They were supposed to do it with chemistry and depth, but both of those things may have taken a huge hit on Thursday, when Danilo Gallinari suffered what appeared to be a devastating knee injury while driving to the basket against the Dallas Mavericks: [Read more…]
NEW YORK — Tyson Chandler, the NBA’s reigning Defensive Player of the Year, has been conspicuous by his absence, even if the Knicks have won seven games in a row entering play on Sunday. Fortunately for the club, the 2013 NBA All-Star broke his silence Sunday night and revealed that he is eyeing a return to the lineup as soon as Tuesday night when the club travels to Miami to battle LeBron James and the Heat. [Read more…]