NBA ROUNDUP: 6/20 - 6/26
It’s been a whirlwind week with multiple teams making drastic moves to catch up to the Los Angeles Lakers. The dream match-up in the Finals with Kobe Bryant playing against LeBron James and former teammate Shaquille O’Neal may become a reality come next season. It’s been a busy draft day and it seems the teams that benefited the most so far has been the Cleveland Cavaliers, San Antonio Spurs and Orlando Magic. Expect more drastic moves this summer. Read more
RIVALS LOADING UP
June 25, 2009 by R.C. Cola · Leave a Comment
With the Los Angeles Lakers king of the castle, a few of the other contenders are bulking up with the hopes dethroning the champs. The San Antonio Spurs kicked it off by trading for All-Star-caliber forward Richard Jefferson. The Cleveland Cavaliers, however, seriously loaded up by pairing Shaquille O’Neal with LeBron James, setting up a dream NBA Finals match-up. Read more
REVIEW: KOBE DOIN’ WORK
May 1, 2009 by R.C. Cola · Leave a Comment
Beware, only hardcore Kobe Bryant fans need watch Spike Lee’s “Kobe Doin’ Work.” Read more
TOP NBA GAMES: 4/6 - 4/12
April 6, 2009 by B. C. · Leave a Comment
Last week I wrote about the decline of the Detroit Pistons. This week, I noticed that the Pistons and the Denver Nuggets have essentially switched places in their respective conferences’ playoff standings. The Pistons were the No. 2 seed heading into the playoffs a year ago while the Nuggets were eighth. Currently, the Nuggets are the two seed and the Pistons are eighth. So, is there anyone out there who still thinks that Allen Iverson is a better point guard than Chauncey Billups? Read more
TOP NBA GAMES: 3/30 - 4/05
March 30, 2009 by B. C. · Leave a Comment
In the blink of an eye, a once dominant sports franchise can fall into mediocrity. It happened to two teams this season, one from the Eastern Conference and one from the Western Conference. I’m talking, of course, about the Detroit Pistons and the Phoenix Suns. It’s kind of sad actually, that up until just a year ago, these two teams were always mentioned as championship contenders. Age, changing systems, and departing point guards have all led to the rapid decline of these once-proud franchises. Seeing this, you really can’t give enough credit to the San Antonio Spurs organization, who has basically kept the same team for the past 10 years and somehow maintained their championship caliber level of play.
THE “KNICKS” EFFECT ON STATS
March 27, 2009 by R.C. Cola · Leave a Comment
It seems like the best cure for a player or team in a slump is a visit to Madison Square Garden. Read more
TOP NBA GAMES: 3/23 - 3/29
March 23, 2009 by B. C. · Leave a Comment
I just checked the NBA playoff standings and something immediately caught my eye. The Charlotte Bobcats are only a game behind the Chicago Bulls for the final playoff spot in the Eastern Conference! Much of their success this season must be attributed to coach Larry Brown, who is working his magic yet again by taking another underdog team and turning them into a playoff contender. This makes me wonder how truly dysfunctional a team the New York Knicks must have been that he was only able to muster up 23 wins despite a roster full of talent. What a waste.
TOP NBA GAMES: 3/16 - 3/22
March 16, 2009 by B. C. · Leave a Comment
Did you see the numbers LeBron James posted this past week? Three straight triple-doubles and a 51 point outburst against the Sacramento Kings. The guy is insane. Now, being a Lakers fan, I root against him every chance I get. But even I can’t deny that we’re all witnesses to something truly special here. Oh yeah, he’s still only 24 years old. Read more
PARKER, SPURS SHOW THEY’RE STILL A THREAT
March 9, 2009 by R.C. Cola · Leave a Comment
The Boston Celtics, Los Angeles Lakers and Cleveland Cavaliers are all bandied about as contenders to the championship. But often neglected are the San Antonio Spurs, a team with the experience, depth and leadership to still make another title run. Read more
TOP NBA GAMES: 3/9 - 3/15
March 9, 2009 by B. C. · Leave a Comment
Shaq is feuding with an ex-coach and an All-Star caliber ex-teammate. Sound familiar? In Orlando, it was coach Brian Hill and Penny Hardaway. With the Lakers, it was Phil Jackson and Kobe Bryant. This past week, Shaq exchanged words with former Miami Heat coach Stan Van Gundy and former wingman Dwayne Wade.
GOODEN A LOCK FOR THE SPURS
March 4, 2009 by R.C. Cola · Leave a Comment
Big surprise, Drew Gooden is headed to the San Antonio Spurs after wrapping out the buyout deal with the Sacramento Kings. The power forward will help the Spurs compete against the Los Angeles Lakers, bringing depth to the team’s front court. Gooden actually faced the Spurs in the NBA Finals when he played for the Cleveland Cavaliers in 2007. He wanted to come to a contender, and the Spurs definitely are one.
DREW GOODEN A FREE MAN
March 2, 2009 by R.C. Cola · Leave a Comment
Drew Gooden agreed to a buyout deal with the Sacramento Kings, freeing up the big man to sign with another team once he clears the waiver wires, according to Yahoo Sports. Gooden is reportedly looking to sign with the San Antonio Spurs, which badly needs some front court-support if they have a shot at beating the Los Angeles Lakers.
TOP NBA GAMES OF THE WEEK: 2/23 - 3/1
February 23, 2009 by B. C. · Leave a Comment
Monday //
Boston Celtics at Denver Nuggets. As unlikely as it might sound, the Nuggets are currently just a half game behind the San Antonio Spurs for the second best record in the Western Conference. Read more
GINOBILI INJURY HITS SPURS
February 20, 2009 by R.C. Cola · Leave a Comment
An injury to Manu Ginobili’s right leg - sidelining him two to three weeks - puts a hamper on the San Antonio Spurs’ run in the Western Conference. After a rocky start, the team has been solid, and let’s face it, you can never count out Tim Duncan. Thursday marked a tough day as potential trade deals fell apart and news of Ginobili filtered through the team. The Spurs, however, did grind out a victory against the Detroit Pistons.
STREET FIGHTER 4 AND NBA SUPERSTARS
February 19, 2009 by Andy · 2 Comments
This week marked the return of classic. No, I’m not talking about the sudden reunion of the Kobe-Shaq duo. Street Fighter made a comeback in its fourth (official) iteration. In honor of the storied franchise, let’s take a look at which characters translate into NBA superstars. Read more
CELTICS BOUNCE BACK
February 12, 2009 by R.C. Cola · Leave a Comment
You can’t keep the Irish down. After back-to-back losses to the Los Angeles Lakers and San Antonio Spurs, the Boston Celtics held on topple the New Orleans Hornets. Paul Pierce led the way with 30 points, and the team overall stepped up their play in the final period. That’s a far cry from the fourth-quarter collapse saw in the previous two games. Chris Paul was largely ineffective, and the Hornets are still plagued by injuries.
SPURS ARE CHAMPIONSHIP CONTENDERS FOR A REASON
February 10, 2009 by Andy · Leave a Comment
The San Antonio Spurs have been considered championship contenders season after season for the past 10 years. Blake Murphy of Hoops Addict makes a good point that the team success goes beyond Coach Popovich and superstar Tim Duncan by emphasizing that the Spurs culture. The Spurs strategy to focus on signing high character players is successful as we can see with the emergence of players like Roger Mason Jr. and Matt Bonner. Players that are less successful elsewhere come into the Spurs system and flourish. Other teams need to be taking notes from the Spurs and follow their strategy. All Hail the Spurs.
WHO TAKES THE LAST SHOT?
February 10, 2009 by Andy · Leave a Comment
Experts declare that Kobe Bryant should take the last shot in the game, but statistics show that Kobe Bryant has only hit 25% of his final shots. Other players, like Roger Mason Jr. of the San Antonio Spurs is three of three this year. What’s interesting about this statistical point of view by Henry Abbott of ESPN is that teams become much more formulaic and safe at the end of games. Coaches want the ball to be in the superstar’s hand at the end of the game. This leads to higher level of focus by the defense because they know who they should concentrate the energy on.
MAVS LET HOWARD GO OFF, WIN ANYWAY
February 3, 2009 by R.C. Cola · Leave a Comment
Sometimes feeding the big dog isn’t such a good idea. The Orlando Magic learned that lesson when “Superman” Dwight Howard went off for 35 points against the Dallas Mavericks, yet still lost. The Mavs dedicated themselves to guarding against the outside shot, which paid dividend in a dominating win. The Dallas Morning News says it’s the same strategy the Mavs employ against the San Antonio Spurs and Tim Duncan.
TOP NBA GAMES OF THE WEEK: 2/2 - 2/8
February 2, 2009 by B. C. · Leave a Comment
Thursday //
Los Angeles Lakers at Boston Celtics. Three monstrous games between the top two teams in each conference highlight an otherwise slow week in the NBA. After opening the season with a record setting 27-2 start, the Celtics staggered through their next nine games going just 2-7, beginning with a loss to the Lakers on Christmas Day that ended their 19-game winning streak. Read more
