Despite being manhandled by the bigger and more talented L.A. Lakers in the Western Conference semifinals, the Utah Jazz remain undeterred. But, is Utah’s absolute best good enough to win? That’s the question head coach Jerry Sloan and his never-say-die Jazz face when the series switches to Salt Lake City for the next two games. … [Read more…]
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…]
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…]
Trouble in Laker Land? If you decode Phil Jackson’s recent comments after Game 2 of the Lakers’ first-round series against Oklahoma City, you get the sense that there is a certain discord between the Lakers coach and superstar Kobe Bryant. When reporters asked Jackson if Bryant’s shooting performance – 12-for-28 in Game 2 and finished with 39 points … [Read more…]
With one thunderous dunk, Andrew Bynum served notice to Oklahoma City and the rest of the league that his strained Achilles’ tendon is doing just fine. Bynum posterized Nenad Krstic in the first half of Game 1 in the Lakers’ first-round series against Oklahoma City, highlighting a strong start for the defending world champions that … [Read more…]
Since the NBA All-Star break, the heaviest talk revolved around what was wrong with the Los Angeles Lakers. Is this Phil Jackson’s last dance in L.A.? Does Kobe Bryant have dead legs? Is Kobe’s finger injury hindering his shooting? Is Derek Fisher on his last legs? Is Pau Gasol still too soft? Can Andrew Bynum … [Read more…]
Kobe Bryant – aka the Black Mamba – recently brought down the Raptors with one killer shot with 1.9 seconds left in the game to push the Lakers to a 109-107 victory, ending their three-game slide. It was Bryant’s sixth notable game-winning, late-game shot that allowed his team to escape with a victory, and three … [Read more…]
If the Denver Nuggets were competing in the World Series of Poker, they would probably go “all in” on every other hand. It’s the mentality of a supremely confident player with a touch of a cocksure attitude, comparable to a slugger who prefers to swing for the fences with each cut. The Nuggets are also … [Read more…]
LeBron James won Round 2 of his showdown with Kobe Bryant, and I have a funny feeling it won’t be the last time we’ll see those two dueling on the basketball court this season. LeBron James scored 12 of his 37 points in the fourth quarter as the game turned into a playoff-style, possession-by-possession struggle. … [Read more…]
Dear Santa: Last June, I was deprived of a Kobe Bryant-LeBron James matchup in the NBA Finals when LeBron and the Cleveland Cavaliers were unceremoniously dumped by the Orlando Magic in the Eastern Conference finals. I know I’ve already asked a ton of gifts this Christmas but I would like one more present. I would … [Read more…]