Through the first 29 games last season, the Boston Celtics were on a phenomenal 27-2 run and seemed poised to challenge the 1996 Chicago Bulls’ record of 72-10 mark. But something happened to the Celtics’ bullet train that derailed their championship aspirations and date with history. On Dec. 25, 2008, the Celtics lost to the … [Read more…]
They’ve all heard the unflattering monikers thrown at the direction of the Los Angeles Clippers over the years: Losers, cursed, hard-luck, also-ran, deadbeat and dud. Ron Harper’s infamous “jail” reference to the franchise still resonates in the basketball community. But Blake Grifin, Eric Gordon, Al Thornton and Rasual Butler are having none of that. They … [Read more…]
It was a Thursday afternoon in El Segundo, Calif. The Southern California weather was very accommodating and the players practicing at the Toyota Center had a certain bounce to their step. The Los Angeles Lakers opened training camp this week and based on the sounds and images during a practice session, everything suggests that the … [Read more…]
We all know perennial NBA powers Lakers, Celtics, Cavaliers and Spurs will be playing deep into May, and even maybe through June. Each team has been there before and it would take a major injury to derail their title chances (see Manu Ginobili and Spurs). But what about those teams that enjoyed playoff success last … [Read more…]
Here are the juiciest stories worth keeping an eye on for this upcoming season: Artest, LO-Dashian and the Lakers Ron-Ron said that he’ll be on his best behavior when the real season begins. However, I think the Truwarier is talking about off the court stuff. As far as on the court, his game is about … [Read more…]
Mikhail Prokhorov, Russia’s richest man, is on the verge of becoming the first European majority owner in the NBA as he recently put a bid to buy 80% of the New Jersey Nets, according to published reports. Prokhorov, 43, said he will also fund nearly half of a project to build a new arena in … [Read more…]
There is no doubt that Pau Gasol and Dirk Nowitzki are the two best players in Europe. But who is better? After leading Spain to a gold medal in the 2009 European Championships, you can make a strong case for Gasol as the best non-American player in the world. Led by Gasol, named the “best … [Read more…]
After posting a perfect record during pool competition, the French national team were far from perfect in its 86-66 loss to Spain in the quarterfinals of the 2009 European Championships. The devastating one-sided defeat is just the latest in a long line of disappointments for France on the international stage since 2000 when it captured … [Read more…]
The Portland Trail Blazers had one of the youngest teams in the NBA last year, so general manager Kevin Pritchard has been tirelessly working hard to infuse some veterans into his roster this offseason. After striking out on free-agent studs Hedo Turkoglu and Paul Millsap, Pritchard is now down to Plan C, D and E. … [Read more…]
When Pat Riley took over the reigns of the Miami Heat franchise in 1996, he got the ball rolling with two important building blocks: center Alonzo Mourning and point guard Tim Hardaway. Thirteen years later, the Heat will honor Hardaway for helping Riley “get the ball rolling” in Miami as his No. 10 jersey will … [Read more…]