It appears that Dirk Nowitzki has not been able to shake off the hangover from the Dallas Mavericks’ 2011 championship party because the way he reacted after an alley-oop dunk by teammate Brandan Wright against the Minnesota Timberwolves on Jan. 25, Dirk sounded like a college student partying at Oktoberfest. On a night when the … [Read more…]
USA Basketball recently announced the 20 finalists who will compete for the 12 spots on the senior men’s national team that will represent the U.S. in the 2012 Olympic Games in London. Among the finalists are holdovers from the 2008 gold-medal winning team in Beijing: Kobe Bryant, LeBron James, Dwyane Wade, Chris Bosh, Dwight Howard, … [Read more…]
Philadelphia has been a tortured city when it comes to its sports teams. The Flyers lost in the Stanley Cup final in 2010 and have not won since 1975; a loaded Phillies squad was a heavy favorite to win the 2011 World Series but got eliminated in the first round; and the “Dream Team” Eagles … [Read more…]
Prince is without a doubt Minnesota’s favorite son. But Ricky Rubio is fast becoming Minnesota’s favorite adopted son. Timberwolves All-Star forward Kevin Love – now in his fourth year in the NBA – says there is an electric atmosphere around the Target Center this season. Minnesota, which had been in the dark ages the past … [Read more…]
Russell Westbrook and Kevin Durant are arguably the best 1-2 combination in the NBA. But whenever you have two headstrong 23-year-old superstars on the same team playing for the same goals chances are they’ll have some disagreements. That ugly scenario played out in a game against the Memphis Grizzlies on Wednesday, Dec. 28, as Durant … [Read more…]
The Miami Heat basketball team is comparable to a Jay-Z and Kanye West world tour. Whenever Dwyane Wade, LeBron James and Co. are in town, expect a packed house each time. A record-setting 19,614 fans packed Time Warner Arena in Charlotte Wednesday night to watch the Heat and Bobcats, and one of celebrities in attendance … [Read more…]
The Dallas Mavericks celebrated their 2011 NBA title with a spectacular ring ceremony and unveiling of the team’s first championship banner on Christmas Day. Then, they got their bell rung by a Miami Heat squad that looks extremely motivated and primed for a huge run in 2012. Here are five observations from opening day in … [Read more…]
You can’t be successful in basketball without a good point guard, and that applies at all levels from high school to college to the NBA. The game has evolved so much in the past 10 years that a lot more is required of a point guard, and the position has become more valuable than a … [Read more…]
You can’t blame Kobe Bryant for looking and feeling a little surly these days. On the eve of training camp and the start of the 2011 free agency period, the Lakers thought they had All-Star point guard Chris Paul in a three-team deal. Just hours after the CP3 trade began circulating, commissioner David Stern nixed … [Read more…]
LeBron James opened a new can of worms last summer with his controversial “Decision.” Chris Paul and Dwight Howard are now following James’ villainous lead, holding their teams hostage by refusing to sign long-term deals with their current teams. Paul is on his way to the Los Angeles Clippers after the Hornets were unable to … [Read more…]