Seven matchups to watch on Friday’s 13-game schedule…
Detroit @ Orlando: The Demons vs. Dwight Howard
How else do you explain Howard consistently looking his worst against the Pistons no matter who’s on the roster or the coaching staff? Earlier this week, old nemesis Ben Wallace led a new unit of goons that limited Dwight to eight points and five boards, and fouled him out in just 17 minutes. How much money would Superman pay Krypto-Nate Robinson this summer not to sign with the Pistons if it looked like things were headed that way? Read More »
Four matchups to watch on Thursday’s two-game schedule…
Chicago @ Cleveland: Luol Deng vs. LeBron James
For all the grief he took last season — getting the big contract, then promptly going into the tank with injuries and subpar play — Deng has been earning his money this year (17.8 ppg, 10.5 rpg). Read More »
After seeing this last night, all I could do was think of Anthony Carter’s crazy shot back-in-the-day with the Heat. What’s the best over-the-backboard shot you’ve ever seen?
Yesterday we talked about the point guard war brewing between Rajon Rondo and Chris Paul. As news leaks about from various sources about what was exactly said it is hard to sort out fact from fiction(One source claims Rondo told Paul “he has a ring and Paul will never get one”). Neither CP nor Rondo is willing to talk about what happened on the court but regardless the rivalry has captured the fans attention. For today’s Reebok Still Talkin’ Quote of the Day we turn to Boston’s head coach Doc Rivers and his interesting perspective. Read More »
At every gym and every park where there’s a basketball court, you’ll find that guy who’s saddled with a team of four bums. Whether he’s a point guard or a big man, a kid or a 40-year-old, you can often find him by his facial expression: Less of a boiling frustration and more of a miffed resignation that’s steadily losing its steam. He’s not mad anymore, just annoyed over something he can’t control; the only reason he’s not cussing the bums out and sucking his teeth every other play is because his teammates are his friends, or it’s just not in his nature to be a jerk. Read More »
For Today’s Reebok Still Talkin Quote of the Day we were going to bring you the drama between Chris Paul and Rajon Rondo but, as AP described it, the point guard battle of the decade went well beyond just one quote. Instead we turn to another one of the NBA’s elite point guards, Chauncey Billups. After the Nuggets 133-123 track meet last night against the Memphis Grizzlies Mr. Big Shot had this to say about his teammate Carmelo Anthony. Read More »
The worst part about preseason polls is that voters adopt a loyalty to those pre-determined spots even after the season shows us some of those picks were just wrong. College football gets it the worst, but the same often applies for the NBA; the only saving grace is that, at the end of the day, voter opinion doesn’t matter because the NBA has a playoff.
That said, we ignored making a preseason NBA Hit List power ranking, so as not to influence this first week’s edition. Counting down from worst to first… Read More »
Whether Chris Paul and Rajon Rondo like it or not, the two are going to be going at it for at least the next 10 years. Eastern Conference or Western Conference, it doesn’t matter. They could face each other in the preseason the postseason or a pickup game and the two might still feel the same thing: disdain. Read More »
Even with Vince Carter’s ankle keeping him sidelined for his latest return to Toronto (where he could get booed in an Orlando uniform this time), there were more than enough ready-made story lines going into Magic/Raptors: Hedo Turkoglu’s first game against his old squad, the next chapter in the Dwight Howard vs. Chris Bosh rivalry (quietly and consistently more exciting than Deron Williams vs. Chris Paul), and the intrigue of seeing which players would be visibly sleep-walking for a 1 p.m. EST tip-off the day after Halloween. So you can understand why nobody was ready for J.J. Redick to become the headliner. Read More »
By now, you should know that when NBA announcers keep saying, “Kobe is really frustrated,” it’s actually code for, “Kobe’s shot isn’t falling and he’s battling with the refs.” … That was the case during Lakers/Mavericks last night, as L.A. got smoked on its homecourt and Kobe (20 pts, 6-19 FG) struggled between breaking out his best whiny faces. Read More »
