Over the weekend, we saw a trio of buzzer-beaters from Derrick Rose, Paul Pierce and LeBron James win NBA playoff games. All three were certainly fantastic moments that ended intense, exciting postseason games. But before we get too excited about them, let’s consider these two factors. 1. The shots by Rose and Pierce were lucky. Yes, lucky. The next NBA player who actually tries to bank in a straightaway shot will be the first. Was some experience and skill involved in finding
ATLANTA — With less than two minutes left in the third quarter, Washington forward Drew Gooden hit a baseline jumper to put the Wizards and Hawks in a 73-73 deadlock. It marked the sixth time in eight postseason games that Atlanta had blown a double-digit lead, and the once-jovial Philips Arena crowd let out a collective groan. “Here we go again.” On the ensuing play, however, Dennis Schroder drove to the rim on a pick-and-roll and kicked the ball out to the left corner to an
ATLANTA- The last time the Hawks played the Wizards in the regular season, John Wall finished with a double-double. Unfortunately for Wall, that double-double included double figures in the turnover category. [Read more…]
BROOKLYN – Mikhail Prokhorov will reportedly be in Turkey on Sunday celebrating his 50th birthday with legions of $20,000 models hoping to console him after his American playtoy’s season came to a crashing halt at the hands of the Atlanta Hawks in Game 6 Friday night. So what does the unabashed playboy do with this broken playtoy? A little more than five years ago, Prokhorov vowed to bring a championship to Brooklyn or get married if that didn’t happen within five years. Now,
It took longer than expected, but the Atlanta Hawks took care of business in a big way in Game 6 against the Brooklyn Nets with a 111-87 victory to close out the series. The Nets kept it close heading into half time with a six-point deficit, but the Hawks shut the door in the third quarter, outscoring their opponent 41-21. Up next are the Washington Wizards – a team the Hawks went 3-1 against in the regular season. The one loss came
Everyone knows that the Eastern Conference is nowhere near as good as the Western Conference. But that doesn’t mean that the first round of the East playoffs won’t be compelling. As everyone knows, all you need is one road team to win to make a series interesting. Can the top-seeded Atlanta Hawks rediscover their rhythm? Did the Boston Celtics build confidence with two late-season wins over Cleveland? Is Chicago’s Derrick Rose returning to form or just an accident waiting to happen again? Do
BROOKLYN – A string of poor play may cost the Brooklyn Nets a playoff spot in the pathetic Eastern Conference. Their inability over the last several games – and throughout the season as a whole – to consistently beat winning teams could end up being the back-breaker for this ballclub. Despite being without Joakim Noah, the Chicago Bulls outscored the Nets 30-15 in the third quarter and ran away with a 113-86 laugher that cost Brooklyn the eighth spot in the East,
Teams in the NBA playoff races aren’t the only ones watching scoreboards this time of year. Take the Philadelphia 76ers, for example. The Sixers lost their first 17 games, were mathematically eliminated from the playoff race nearly a month ago and almost certainly will lose 60-plus games for the second straight season. But GM Sam Hinkie and the rest of the Sixers’ front office are tracking the results of other games almost as closely as their own. That’s because Philadelphia could have