The Oklahoma City Thunder had the Golden State Warriors on the ropes but couldn’t apply the knockout punch. Facing elimination on the road in Game 6, the Warriors showed their championship mettle and stunned the Thunder with a performance for the ages. Klay Thompson lit up the Thunder for a playoff record 11 3-pointers, with … [Read more…]
Kobe Bryant played his last NBA game on April 13, 2016. It was the conclusion of a 20-year career — all with the Los Angeles Lakers — that included five championships, two Finals MVPs, two Olympic gold medals, 18 All-Star Game appearances, and one 81-point game. The Black Mamba may have said goodbye to basketball, but … [Read more…]
When it comes to basketball savants, few can compare to Jerry West. The “logo” won a championship as a player and executive, building two dynasties in Los Angeles. The 77-year-old Hall-of-Famer is without peer in terms of player evaluations. It took him just 20 minutes in a pre-draft workout in L.A. to figure out that an … [Read more…]
There are 30 teams in the NBA, but realistically speaking there are only a handful of teams capable of hoisting the Larry O’Brien trophy. If you’re a fan of the Sixers, Kings, Lakers, Nuggets, Nets and Hornets, it’s probably safe to book that reservation to Las Vegas or the Caribbean in June. Sure there are … [Read more…]
Basketball players have been referred to as the greatest athletes in the world. In the NBA, you see superbly conditioned athletes soar to the basket and throw down rim-rattling dunks or muscle past two or three defenders. Sometimes we marvel so much at these super beings that we, as fans, wonder how pro basketball players … [Read more…]
LAS VEGAS — The Samsung NBA Summer League in Las Vegas hit the ground running with a record-setting opening night. The marquee matchup between the Los Angeles Lakers and the Minnesota Timberwolves pulled in the largest crowd to watch a summer league game at UNLV’s Thomas & Mack Center, as more than 12,000 came to … [Read more…]
LAS VEGAS — You don’t have to be a basketball junkie to love the NBA Summer League, especially if the venue is Las Vegas, Nevada. For the general admission price of $25 you get to watch a slew of games at UNLV’s Thomas & Mack Center and Cox Pavilion. And if you’re paying attention … [Read more…]
This year’s draft was supposed to be the rebirth of the Los Angeles Lakers brand. After Minnesota took Karl-Anthony Towns the Lakers were poised to land arguably the best center in the draft in Duke center Jahlil Okafor. It was a marriage made in basketball heaven, right? The Lakers and a dominant center. You couldn’t … [Read more…]
No athlete in the world has taken a beating publicly from fans, the sports media and other professional athletes for not being clutch more than LeBron James. For years ESPN talking head Skip Bayless has mercilessly mocked LeBron for not having the “clutch gene” or being afraid of driving to the hoop because he doesn’t want … [Read more…]
Back in 2012 the great Bill Simmons wrote a great piece on Grantland that rips Oklahoma City management for breaking up a three-headed monster in James Harden, Russell Westbrook and Kevin Durant. The last line of Simmons’ article read: Oklahoma City will rue the day it traded James Harden. Fast forward to 2015. The Thunder … [Read more…]