A dejected Mark Cuban met with reporters after his Mavs were eliminated by the San Antonio Spurs in the first round of the 2010 NBA playoffs and, despite another disappointing early exit, the outspoken Mavericks owner remained optimistic that his team will make another run next season with the current group he has assembled. “Let … [Read more…]
KEVIN DURANT: ‘STILL THE SAME KOBE’
Heading into the 2010 NBA playoffs, Kobe Bryant’s health and the thousands of mileage his body has racked up over the years was a hot-button topic with the media. Some questioned whether the 31-year-old Bryant, the reigning NBA Finals MVP, could keep up with 21-year-old scoring champ Kevin Durant from Oklahoma City in their head-to-head … [Read more…]
HOW SERIOUS IS LEBRON’S ELBOW?
The Cavaliers are moving on to the Eastern Conference semifinals but the mysterious injury to LeBron James’ right elbow, something he compared to hurting your funny bone, is no laughing matter with Cavaliers Nation. James claims that he’s had the injury for quite some time, but he doesn’t know how or when he hurt it. … [Read more…]
KOBE SENDS LOUD MESSAGE TO OKC
Prior to Game 5 of the first-round series between the defending NBA champion and top-seeded L.A. Lakers and the eighth-seeded Oklahoma City Thunder, Kobe Bryant was asked by one of the reporters if the Lakers felt that their backs were against the wall. In classic Bryant response, he replied: “Backs against the wall? What’s going … [Read more…]
MELO: ‘I CAN’T DO IT BY MYSELF’
The Denver Nuggets, a team that started the season with hopes of challenging the L.A. Lakers in the Western Conference and winning a NBA title, are on the brink of elimination in the first round. Denver is down 3-1 to the Utah Jazz and the pressure of getting bounced early in the playoffs has the … [Read more…]
CARLISLE: ‘WE NEED TO GET DOWN & DIRTY’
Dirk Nowitzki calls the Dallas-San Antonio series a street brawl. Spurs coach Gregg Popovich said Game 4 was about as physical and hard-fought game he’s seen in quite some time. There were three flagrant fouls called, all in the second half. The fireworks started with 1:21 remaining in the third quarter when Richard Jefferson was called … [Read more…]
ONE MAN’S OPINION: THE NBA’S 10 BEST DEFENDERS
After winning his third consecutive NBA Defensive Player of the Year award, Orlando Magic center Dwight Howard has clearly established himself as the best stopper in basketball. Howard was second in the league rebounds (14.1) and fourth in blocked shots (2.3), and his presence in the middle allowed the Magic to be the fourth-best defensive … [Read more…]
BRANDON ROY HAS WILLIS REED MOMENT
A knee injury was not enough to keep Portland Trail Blazers guard Brandon Roy from missing the playoffs. Eight days after undergoing knee surgery to fix a torn meniscus on his right knee, Roy returned to the basketball court and played in a pivotal playoff game at the Rose Garden. OK, maybe it wasn’t quite … [Read more…]
LITTLE MAGIC IS ORLANDO’S BIG PLAYER
Jameer Nelson is on a mission. His poor performance in the 2009 NBA Finals against the L.A. Lakers has fueled his desire to get back to the Finals and atone for his disappointment. In fairness to Nelson, he wasn’t healthy during the Finals and it showed. He failed to cover Derek Fisher late in Game … [Read more…]
KENNY SMITH: ‘DURANT WILL BE THE BEST IN 3 YEARS’
LeBron James will likely collect his second regular-season MVP trophy in a few days, but according to TNT’s Kenny Smith, Kevin Durant will take away LeBron’s crown as the game’s best player three years from now. “In three years, he’s going to be the best player in basketball,” Smith said of the 21-year-old All-Star, who … [Read more…]