Basketball is back. It may not be the usual games we’ve been accustomed to, but it’ll have to do. The NBA and its partners have created a unique bubble plan, setting up shop at Walt Disney World in Orlando, Fla.,where 22 teams will be participating in an AAU-type environment. The bubble plan has daily COVID-19 … [Read more…]
The officials not only robbed Blake Griffin and the Clippers a victory against Dallas on Tuesday, but they denied basketball fans one of the most incredible finishes you’ll ever see. After O.J. Mayo tied the game at 97 with a gorgeous baseline move, Clippers forward Matt Barnes — who was a standout football player in … [Read more…]
So, I turned 41 on Wednesday and decided to give my two cents on the NBA season thus far. Here are some of my observations: — The Lakers surprising 1-4 start. Not the kind of beginning fans and basketball gurus expected, but there a lot of new players in Los Angeles and assistant head coach … [Read more…]
During the NBA lockout there were several — and you know who you are — basketball writers and so-called experts who said the NBA was headed for a dark spring because no one is going to watch a bunch of spoiled athletes paid by a bunch of greedy owners. Well, guess who’s watching? The hype … [Read more…]
The Dallas Mavericks are back in the NBA Finals, a feat very few people outside of Texas considered a possibility. Dirk Nowitzki will get another opportunity to win that elusive ring, and he’ll have to go through Dwyane Wade and the Miami Heat yet again. This time, Wade has some good company. He’s got wingmen … [Read more…]
Two words come to mind after the Lakers were swept by the Mavericks in the 2011 Western Conference semifinal series: heartless and classless. The Lakers, the two-time defending champions and the model franchise for the past three decades in the NBA, did not display the heart of champion nor the poise of a champion in … [Read more…]
Just a few days removed from his postgame meltdown in which he questioned his coach for not giving him enough minutes, Brandon Roy is officially back as an NBA superstar. With his surgically repaired knees holding up just fine, Roy delivered one of the greatest fourth-quarter performances in playoff history when he carried the Trail … [Read more…]
Since the L.A. Lakers acquired – or stole, depending on how you interpret the historic heist – Pau Gasol from the Memphis Grizzlies in 2008, the Lakers have been to the NBA Finals three consecutive years. They lost to the Celtics in 2008, defeated the Magic in 2009 and outlasted the Celtics in seven brutal … [Read more…]
Despite all the hoopla in South Beach, the road to the NBA championship still runs through the Los Angeles Lakers. Size still matters and, last time I checked, the two-time defending champions still boasts the best frontline in basketball. As good as Kobe Bryant is – and he’s in the Michael Jordan conversation should he … [Read more…]
Last June, the Los Angeles Lakers were humiliated by the Boston Celtics by 39 points in Game 6 of the NBA Finals at the new Boston Garden. That drubbing is still fresh in the minds of Kobe Bryant and Phil Jackson. Both future Hall of Famers are chomping at the bit to get back to … [Read more…]