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…]
Something is missing from the Boston Celtics and the team’s All-Star point guard senses it too. After the Celtics were embarrassed by the Bulls and Heat, both games on national TV, Rajon Rondo admitted that his team is not the same battle-tested unit that flipped the switch during last season’s playoffs and made it back … [Read more…]
After his 30-point performance against the Boston Celtics on national TV on Thursday night, Chicago Bulls All-Star guard Derrick Rose may have just clinched the NBA most valuable player award. Rose put on a spectacular show against one of the best defensive teams in the league, getting to the rim at will and destroying his … [Read more…]
Dennis Rodman, the former Detroit Piston and Chicago Bull star who took eccentric into a whole new stratosphere, says he was informed on Thursday that he’ll become one of the newest members of the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame in Springfield, Mass. The official announcement won’t come until Monday, but in typical Rodman fashion he … [Read more…]
The McDonald’s High School All-American game is annually one of the best games for all basketball fans because it offers a window to the future of the sport. The game itself is not too entertaining because of all the bad shots, failed alley-oops and turnovers but the event serves its purpose in terms of evaluating … [Read more…]
Those looking at the NBA spread for San Antonio’s games this week may see the lines affected by injuries, which have hit the Spurs at precisely the wrong time. Future Hall of Famer Tim Duncan is out with an ankle injury, and now Manu Ginobili may be sitting this week because of a leg contusion … [Read more…]
The NCAA Tournament is the best showcase event in terms of evaluating talent entering the NBA. In the past 10 years, current NBA stars Dwyane Wade (Marquette), Derrick Rose (Memphis), Russell Westbrook (UCLA), Deron Williams (Illinois) and Carmelo Anthony (Syracuse) all made their big first impressions in The Big Dance. Of course, there are always … [Read more…]
NBA studio analyst Kenny Smith, who is moonlighting as a college basketball expert this month, admitted an oversight on Thursday night. Smith said he owes Arizona’s Derrick Williams an apology for underestimating his talents. “Derrick Williams is a man,” Smith said. After the 6-foot-8, 240-pound sophomore forward put together the most impressive game of the … [Read more…]
Not counting the play-in games that happened earlier in the week, the first round of the 2011 NCAA men’s basketball tournament has been nothing short of spectacular. Matt Howard’s put-back lifted Butler over Old Dominion and Temple’s Juan Fernandez beat the buzzer against Penn State. But the best buzzer-beater from the opening week was executed … [Read more…]