Two words come to mind after the Lakers were swept by the Mavericks in the 2011 Western Conference semifinal series: heartless and classless. The Lakers, the two-time defending champions and the model franchise for the past three decades in the NBA, did not display the heart of champion nor the poise of a champion in … [Read more…]
Zach Randolph is finally getting the recognition he richly deserves. It took 10 seasons and four stops in NBA cities, which included Portland, New York, Los Angeles and now Memphis, but the man/beast known as “Z-Bo” is showing the basketball world that he is the real deal and the only reason why we haven’t realized … [Read more…]
Injuries are always going to play a major role in sports, but they get magnified in the playoffs, and especially when it’s a star player. Derrick Rose of Chicago and Kobe Bryant of Los Angeles were both questionable with sprained ankles as they headed into Tuesday’s games, but like the warriors they are, their ankles … [Read more…]
Orlando Magic head coach Stan Van Gundy is always must-see TV whenever he’s given a microphone and surrounded by reporters. After the Magic defeated the Hawks in Game 5 to close to within 3-2 in their playoff series, Van Gundy was in prime form during his postgame press conference. You could tell Van Gundy has … [Read more…]
Chris Paul is having fun again, and that’s bad news for the rest of the league. After two injury-plagued seasons, the Hornets superstar point guard is back in the mix in terms of BPG (best point guards), and he’s proving all those naysayers wrong for doubting he’d ever return to his old form. Chris Paul … [Read more…]
Just a few days removed from his postgame meltdown in which he questioned his coach for not giving him enough minutes, Brandon Roy is officially back as an NBA superstar. With his surgically repaired knees holding up just fine, Roy delivered one of the greatest fourth-quarter performances in playoff history when he carried the Trail … [Read more…]
Despite getting a boost from the return of Manu Ginobili, the Spurs went down to the Grizzlies in Game 4 and now trail in the Western Conference first-round series 3-1. Since the NBA expanded to 16 teams in the playoffs, the eighth-seeded team has only beaten a top-seeded team three times. The Grizzlies would like … [Read more…]
Since the L.A. Lakers acquired – or stole, depending on how you interpret the historic heist – Pau Gasol from the Memphis Grizzlies in 2008, the Lakers have been to the NBA Finals three consecutive years. They lost to the Celtics in 2008, defeated the Magic in 2009 and outlasted the Celtics in seven brutal … [Read more…]
Home-court advantage and the No. 1 seeding in the Eastern Conference playoffs have not resulted in a championship the past two seasons. Just ask LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers. James powered the Cavaliers to 66 and 61 wins and the No. 1 seeding in the East two years in a row, but a great … [Read more…]
LeBron James and Heat teammate Zydrunas Ilgauskas played a little game of dodgeball with the opposition recently. James got into it with Boston’s Jermaine O’Neal last Sunday when O’Neal threw a body block on James during a fastbreak. LeBron didn’t like the hard foul and he retaliated by hurling the basketball at O’Neal’s back. This … [Read more…]