From the moment Game 1 was in the books until the last 3-4 minutes of the fourth quarter of Game 2, it was shaping up to be one of those games the Spurs always win when they’re in danger of a deficit. But on those possessions where they usually hit daggers, Tony Parker and Tim Duncan bricked free throws. And on those possessions where they usually get defensive stops, Amar’e Stoudemire dominated the paint and Jason Richardson was slinging jumpers. Unable to make the plays they usually make late in big games, the Spurs fell behind 0-2 in the series as it heads to their gym … Read More »

That was Brent Barry‘s line before last night’s Cavs/Spurs game, his way of saying Mo Williams needed to step up and lead Cleveland since LeBron was out with a sore ankle. After sticking a big three midway through the fourth quarter to tie it, Mo (17 pts, 8 rebs, 8 asts) was at the line with nine seconds left and the Cavs up one. He made both free throws (between shots, did you see that girl in the crowd who looked exactly like J.J. Hickson?), and although Greg Popovich drew up a beautiful play to get Roger Mason a wide-open three, “No Shot Rog” bricked to complete his 0-for-8 night beyond the arc … Read More »

Maybe it’s just us, but it seems O.J. Mayo has been playing noticeably better ever since the whole USC thing finally came to a conclusion. Since the turn of the new year, around the same time the ‘SC sanctions were handed down, O.J. has been averaging 20-plus points per game and seems like he’s literally had a weight lifted off his shoulders — getting up for more dunks than usual and showing more hang time and creativity in the air … Mayo scored 19 last night in an upset win over San Antonio. The Grizzlies were in control most of the second half, but the Spurs chipped away and cut the lead to one on Roger Mason‘s jumper with 41 ticks left. Read More »

I don’t really do fantasy basketball. Between watching a handful of NBA games every night, playing my own video-game season on NBA 2K, and trying to fit a healthy amount of college and a little bit of high school hoops into the mix, fantasy is a little more than I can handle. But I do like putting together custom lineups just as much as the next fan, hence the Create-Your-Team feature from one year ago. Time for Round Two. Read More »

Who do you want your offense to run through with everything on the line? Counting down 30th to 1st (one per team), I’ve ranked the League’s go-to guys…

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#5: TIM DUNCAN, San Antonio Spurs

Figuring out where to slot Tim Duncan on this list wasn’t nearly as difficult as figuring out whether he really should be called the Spurs’ go-to guy. Read More »

Last year we debuted the “Highs and Lows” system — previewing the NBA season by predicting the respective ceiling and basement for each team. Same theme, different season…

Added: Richard Jefferson, Antonio McDyess, DeJuan Blair, Theo Ratliff, Keith Bogans

Lost: Bruce Bowen, Kurt Thomas, Ime Udoka, Drew Gooden, Fabricio Oberto, Jacque Vaughn Read More »

We argue. You decide…

CHRIS PAUL (by Ben York) On both sides, the argument for who is better cannot be made by simply comparing stats. On the contrary, it goes much deeper than that.

Let me start by saying that you really couldn’t go wrong with either of these players on your team. Even though I’m arguing for Chris Paul, if I had to pick which player I’d rather have in the playoffs, I would have absolutely zero hesitation in picking Tony Parker. He’s proven to be so damn good, and clutch, for the Spurs in the post-season it’s hard to make a fair comparison to Paul who has only been in the playoffs twice. Read More »

After ranking the top 30 players of the first round, who brought up the rear as the biggest flops of the postseason so far? (Second round included.)

10. Travis Outlaw “Mr. 4th Quarter” needs to show up for the other three. He had a couple crunch-time moments in the Blazers/Rockets series, but Outlaw’s shot was generally off throughout (31% FG, 9.0 ppg). With a $4 million salary that comes off the books in 2010, and the Blazers bringing back a healthy Martell Webster next season, don’t be surprised if Outlaw gets traded. Read More »

Facing a must-win Game 2 on their home court, the Celtics were clicking for the most part. Ray Allen shook off his Game 1 stinker, Rajon Rondo was dominant in posting a triple-double, and Big Baby played the game of his life (26 pts, 9 rebs). Boston even neutralized Derrick Rose after he torched them in Game 1. They really would have been good money and won convincingly if it wasn’t for Ben Gordon … Read More »

In those two long, slow days between the end of the regular season and the start of the NBA playoffs — as well as the actual off-days during the playoffs — there’s really nothing left to do but get injured or let some “bulletin-board material” slip out of your mouth. So far there hasn’t been much going on injury-wise beyond the Kevin Garnett news, and no smack talk other than a couple of Sixers admitting Orlando would be “easier” to go through than Boston. Read More »