Oklahoma City Thunder’s Serge Ibaka had a Willis Reed moment. For those who are too young to remember Willis Reed, he’s the guy who lifted the New York Knicks to a world championship in 1970 by sinking two baskets at the start of Game 7 despite a leg so badly hurt he could barely jog. … [Read more…]
Last season when Oklahoma City had the devastating trio of Russell Westbrook, Kevin Durant, and James Harden the team’s rallying cry was “Thunder up!” This season, despite owning the second-best record in the Western Conference, the theme has been downgraded to “Thunder down!” So what gives? As good as Oklahoma City has been all season … [Read more…]
For those who still think that James Harden is not a superstar, you need to watch the Feb. 20 game between the Rockets and Thunder very closely because we just witnessed one of the best individual performances in the NBA this season. It was a game that makes second-guess the Thunder’s decision to trade the … [Read more…]
The Miami Heat fought through a ton of adversity Tuesday night, including leg cramps that forced LeBron James to watch the final three minutes of the fourth quarter, to take Game 4, 104-98. The Heat now hold a commanding 3-1 edge in the NBA Finals and can clinch the championship in Game 5. Here are … [Read more…]
What a difference a week makes. Last week the San Antonio Spurs were on a historic roll, winning 20 in a row and were a perfect 10-0 in the postseason. Seven days later the unbeatable Spurs are going fishing after dropping four consecutive games to the Oklahoma City Thunder. The Spurs’ season ended Wednesday night … [Read more…]
The San Antonio game plan for Game 4 of the Western Conference finals was simple. Crowd Kevin Durant, Russell Westbrook, and James Harden and put the onus on the offensively challenged Oklahoma City big men. In theory it’s an excellent well-conceived idea by Gregg Popovich and the Spurs coaching staff. But what Popovich didn’t anticipate … [Read more…]
The biggest mistake Oklahoma City head coach Scott Brooks made in the Game 1 loss to San Antonio was his decision to play “small ball.” Instead of sticking with his normally rotation, Brooks tried to match the lineup Spurs coach Gregg Popovich went with in the fourth quarter and it totally backfired. The nine-point lead Oklahoma … [Read more…]
ESPN basketball guru Stephen A. Smith — also known as Screaming A. or Stephen Naismith, whichever you prefer — says the San Antonio Spurs are unbeatable and doesn’t think any of the teams left in the NBA playoffs, including the Oklahoma City Thunder, can knock them off. “They don’t have a weakness,” Screaming A. says … [Read more…]
New York Knicks center Tyson Chandler was recently named the 2012 NBA Defensive Player of the Year, breaking Dwight Howard’s three-year stranglehold on the award. Chandler helped improve the Knicks defense significantly and was a big reason why the team earned a playoff berth despite numerous injuries. So why in the world was Chandler on … [Read more…]
At the halfway point of the lockout-shortened, 66-game NBA season, two teams have emerged from the pack and two players have risen to the top: the Miami Heat led by LeBron James, and the Oklahoma City Thunder led by Kevin Durant. The Heat own the best record in the East while the Thunder own the … [Read more…]