0 comments by Matt Zemek on 4/13/2015
This season, something important was restored in Charlotte. Decades ago, the NBA came to a college basketball-loving part of the United States, accompanied by a genuine buzz. The Hornets showed that there was more than enough basketball for a fan’s entertainment dollar in the Carolinas. That identity — the one carried by the likes of […]
0 comments by Matt Zemek on 6/17/2014
Most professional sports teams that face a truckload of pressure heading into a given season are saddled with championship expectations or something close to them. The following list generally adheres to that statement. There’s only one exception. As this top-five list unfolds, we’ll mention the teams that — while belonging to slots six through 10 […]
0 comments by Matt Zemek
How will the Boston Celtics evolve in year two under Brad Stevens? Can the Phoenix Suns continue to grow under Jeff Hornacek? What will Stan Van Gundy do with the Detroit Pistons? These and other questions are certainly intriguing, and they’ll have their own places in shaping the 2014-2015 season. Yet, there are 10 questions […]
0 comments by Matt Zemek on 6/16/2014
Some “all-time” lists are really hard to arrive at. Yet, as the San Antonio Spurs celebrate another NBA championship, the thought is striking in its obviousness: The top five coach-player relationships in NBA history aren’t very difficult to determine. The order might be a source of debate, but the noteworthy aspect of these five relationships […]
0 comments by Matt Zemek
The fact that the San Antonio Spurs gained revenge against the Miami Heat in only five games should not diminish the impact of this particular moment in NBA history. The fact that the Spurs drained the 2014 NBA Finals of the drama they initially promised should not reduce the significance and enormity of their achievement. […]
0 comments by Matt Zemek on 6/13/2014
Yes, this NBA Finals series has been an embarrassment. Absolutely right. No doubt about it. The championship series of the National Basketball Association — reasonably seen as the world championship series of basketball in the three years when the United States is not defending its basketball honor at the Summer Olympics — has indeed given […]
0 comments by Matt Zemek on 6/9/2014
The safest bets in professional sports, eh? Immediately, you could think of dozens… so there need to be some ground rules here. This list pertains to positive achievements, not failures. Therefore, “the Cleveland Browns not making the Super Bowl” or “the Chicago Cubs not making the World Series” are off the list. The list focuses […]
0 comments by Matt Zemek on 6/7/2014
A long line can be drawn through the entirety of the NBA’s history, from the 1940s to the present day. What the Minneapolis Lakers began in 1949, the Miami Heat and San Antonio Spurs will develop in the 2014 NBA Finals. * When the history of the NBA is written, the Chicago Bulls and Michael […]
0 comments by Matt Zemek on 6/1/2014
How old are the San Antonio Spurs? No, really — how old is this team? Tim Duncan, 38, continues to produce with the relentless consistency of his 20s, because his career has been nothing but a study in machine-like regularity at a high level of competition. Kawhi Leonard is only 22, but he often plays […]
0 comments by Matt Zemek on 5/31/2014
On the next to last night of May, every NBA writer is cranking out an obituary for the Indiana Pacers. You will read, in some form or fashion, the first of many words about this team, words such as “unpredictable,” “volatile,” “erratic,” “immature,” and “unprepared.” You’re going to read about a team that reached Game […]
0 comments by Matt Zemek on 5/21/2014
The Indiana Pacers are climbing the Mount Everest of the NBA. The first several thousand feet in Game 1 were easy, but as soon as the ascent became more challenging, the surrounding atmosphere unleashed the indiscriminating fury of Mother Nature. Some winds picked up and blew right in the faces of the Pacers, blurring David […]
0 comments by Matt Zemek on 5/19/2014
The Miami Heat might be the reigning NBA champions, but for one thing, they’re in big trouble. Moreover, the winner of the Western Conference Finals is likely to be favored to win this season’s NBA title. Once again, TNT gets the better conference final series, which should make basketball viewers happy. What should one look […]
0 comments by Matt Zemek on 5/15/2014
Some things about organized sports seem to be so easy to see; adjust to; and implement. Yet, smart reforms are frequently ignored by the governing bodies of these sports or the commissioners who wield considerable power over them. It gets to be more than a little exasperating… for fans, journalists, pundits, and most of all, […]
0 comments by Matt Zemek on 5/12/2014
The Oklahoma City Thunder are probably still going to win their Western Conference semifinal series against the Los Angeles Clippers. They’ve been the better team through four games. They have the better superstars. (Sorry, Chris Paul, but it’s true.) They’ve regained home-court advantage. Los Angeles’s role players — specifically those called upon to shoot well […]
0 comments by Matt Zemek on 5/10/2014
No, the two conference semifinal series that shifted scenes (and control) Friday night are not over. A 2-1 best-of-seven series is not a done deal. Moreover, too many plot twists have littered these NBA playoffs; offering a final verdict on a 2-1 series is plainly premature. And yet… If history tells us anything in the […]
