Watch your head, because the LeBron Haters Street Team is gonna be out in full force today. Although LBJ posted a triple-double (29 pts, 12 rebs, 12 asts) and hit some big-time daggers down the stretch to lead the Cavs past Detroit, it’s the one blocked shot on his stat sheet that’s causing problems … With 1:30 to go in the fourth, Detroit was down three and Will Bynum was on his way in for a breakaway layup. Of course that’s when LeBron came flying into the picture to smack the ball off the backboard. Chalk up another Top-10 highlight and MVP resume-builder, right? Not quite. Read More »
I’ve said it before and I’m saying it again: In just about every sport, you can’t accurately judge a draft class for at least three years after the fact (and longer than that in baseball).
Going into the ‘09 NBA Draft, everybody decided early that the class was weak, but look around the League now. Tyreke Evans and Stephen Curry look like certified future superstars, while Brandon Jennings isn’t far behind. Read More »
Bulls/Magic was over the moment Derrick Rose crashed to the floor and sprained his left wrist. On a night when the Bulls were already playing without Joakim Noah (foot) and Luol Deng (calf), and Orlando has been smashing all non-contender squads during their now seven-game win streak, Chicago’s only chance would be if D-Rose went off like Shep in Above the Rim — or if Vinny Del Negro hopped in a Hot Tub Time Machine and brought Mike and Scottie back with him … Late in the first quarter, Rose went to the rack and threw his body into Dwight Howard, hurting himself when he tried to break the fall. The play was exactly like the one from last month when Dwight and Rose collided and Rose wound up with a hip injury. Read More »
Sometimes it’s tough to pre-plan what you’re gonna watch on a given night, but this past Tuesday was easy: When I saw “Utah at Chicago” on the schedule, I knew that meant Deron Williams and Derrick Rose were going to put on a show. 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 »
Derrick Rose has only participated in one dunk contest in his life. And he can’t even remember exactly when. Arguably the most athletic point guard in the NBA and one of the League’s most explosive players, period, Rose has a strong resume of in-game dunks — this season alone he’s had notable bangers on Greg Oden, Zach Randolph and Goran Dragic — he’s just not a contest dunker.
But that won’t stop him from being a tough dunk contest judge. Rose and Chris Paul and part of Powerade’s Dunk Domination, where regular folks can send in videos of their best dunks to be evaluated by D-Rose and CP3. Read More »
Buy Low:
Tony Parker has been pretty dismal this season, thanks to various injuries. However, he’s proven to be immune to coach Gregg Popovich’s fondness for holding his stars out of the second of back-to-back games during the final weeks of the season. If Parker can keep away from sharp objects in his home and amass some consistent playing time, he should be a great buy-low target for owners who are lucky enough to be in leagues with a late trade deadline or none at all, especially since the Spurs have a great fantasy playoff schedule. Read More »
Dwyane Wade needed a team like the Warriors on the schedule last night. In just his second game back from the calf injury that cost him four crucial games as the Heat try to stay in the playoff picture, Wade was coming off a 6-for-17 effort against Orlando; G-State’s crew of D-League call-ups running Nellie’s defensive “system” was the perfect opportunity to get back in rhythm … Wade finished with 35 points (15-23 FG) and 12 assists — throwing in crazy-angle bankers, pull-ups, finger rolls and one alley-oop from Carlos Arroyo where he had to move his head out of the way so he wouldn’t hit the rim — but the Heat still got all they could handle for a Warriors squad whose roster of injured guys would beat the healthy guys more often than not. Read More »
