0 comments by Matt Zemek on 5/13/2016
Billy Donovan didn’t coach his team all that well in his first-ever NBA playoff series in late April. The Dallas Mavericks might have lost a 4-1 series to the Oklahoma City Thunder, but Rick Carlisle coaxed so much more out of the resources available to him. The talent disparity between the two teams was too […]
Oklahoma City’s Enes Kanter (11) and San Antonio’s Tim Duncan (21) chase the ball during Game 6 of the Western Conference semifinals between the Oklahoma City Thunder and the San Antonio Spurs in the NBA playoffs at Chesapeake Energy Arena in Oklahoma City, Thursday, May 12, 2016. Oklahoma City won 113-99. Photo by Nate Billings, The Oklahoman
0 comments by Matt Zemek
Oklahoma City shook down the Thunder against the San Antonio Spurs, but unlike the 2012 series in which Gregg Popovich was outmaneuvered by an unheralded opposing coach, Oklahoma City rallied from a 2-1 series deficit with its defense. In 2012, the Scott Brooks Thunder captured Games 4 through 6 because they scored at least 107 […]
during Game Three of the Eastern Conference Finals of the 2015 NBA Playoffs at Quicken Loans Arena on May 24, 2015 in Cleveland, Ohio. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement.
0 comments by Matt Zemek on 5/12/2016
Frank Vogel and David Blatt already had a lot to think about in the first place. The Memphis Grizzlies, Houston Rockets, and Indiana Pacers all need a head coach. The New York Knicks’ coaching situation has not been fully or formally resolved, but Phil Jackson is carrying himself in a way which suggests that he’ll […]
0 comments by Matt Zemek
We’ll eventually learn more about Scott Skiles’s abrupt resignation as the head coach of the Orlando Magic. Eventually. A press conference later on Thursday might tell us something. Subsequent reportage will unearth more details. In time, we should be able to fill in at least some of the blank spaces created by this shocking move. […]
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Bismack Biyombo didn’t carry the burdens which have weighed down so many of the participants in the Eastern Conference semifinal series between the Toronto Raptors and the Miami Heat. DeMar DeRozan, Kyle Lowry, Goran Dragic, and Joe Johnson were all expected to be far better than they’ve been in this series — if not by […]
0 comments by Matt Zemek on 5/11/2016
San Antonio Spurs general manager R.C. Buford will make the Basketball Hall of Fame as an executive. Buford’s been that great in his role over the past two decades, making the Spurs the best-run organization in the NBA over the longer march of time in the 21st century. The relentless consistency attained by the Spurs […]
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The words “Oklahoma City Thunder” and “consistent defense” have not coexisted much over the course of the full 2015-2016 NBA season. That, more than anything else, is why the Thunder’s ability to package the San Antonio Spurs in Saran Wrap rates as something of a surprise. The Thunder allowed 103 points per game (102.9, rounded, […]
0 comments by Matt Zemek on 5/10/2016
Eastern time zone residents might have gone to bed before the second half began in Game 4 of the West semifinal series between the Golden State Warriors and the Portland Trail Blazers. Time zones — like life itself, and Steph Curry — can be unfair. What’s also unfair: If the Warriors win on Wednesday night, […]
0 comments by Matt Zemek
Game 4 of the Eastern Conference semifinal series between the Toronto Raptors and Miami Heat — like the series itself — was painful to watch. Those of us who operate sports blogs traffic in the written word and the well-turned phrase, but once in a great while, the essence of a game — everything you […]
0 comments by Matt Zemek on 5/9/2016
Dave Joerger is now the head coach of the Sacramento Kings, which leaves Phoenix Suns fans in a state of clinical depression on Monday afternoon. Joerger essentially fired himself from the head coaching spot in Memphis, and as soon as he left the Grizzlies, he and the Kings rushed to the altar to get married. […]
Oklahoma City’s Kevin Durant (35) loses the ball between San Antonio’s Danny Green (14) and Patty Mills (8) in the final seconds of Game 2 in the second-round series between the Oklahoma City Thunder and the San Antonio Spurs in the NBA playoffs at the AT&T Center in San Antonio, Monday, May 2, 2016. Oklahoma City won 98-97. Photo by Bryan Terry, The Oklahoman
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In 2012, Danny Green was just beginning to find his way in the NBA with the San Antonio Spurs. When he faltered in the 2012 Western Conference Finals against the Oklahoma City Thunder, Green failed in a way that was completely understandable and, more precisely, acceptable. A young player newly breathed in the thin air […]
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The San Antonio Spurs and the Oklahoma City Thunder are like the San Francisco Giants: They create a big postseason storyline every even year. The Giants have won the last three even-year World Series, but in the NBA, the Thunder and Spurs have now established a pattern in even-numbered years as well. No, it’s not […]
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As soon as the Atlanta Hawks were eviscerated in Game 2 of their series against the Cleveland Cavaliers, it became apparent the Eastern Conference semifinal would not last more than five games. For the second straight season, the Hawks found no answers and no hope against the Cavs. There’s no shame in the losing itself, […]
SACRAMENTO, CA – October 7: Head Coach of the Sacramento Kings Michael Malone speaks to DeMarcus Cousins #15 during a game against the Toronto Raptors at the Sleep Train Arena in Sacramento, California on October 7, 2014. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory copyright notice: Copyright NBAE 2014 (Photo by Rocky Widner/NBAE via Getty Images)
0 comments by Matt Zemek on 5/8/2016
Dave Joerger is considering becoming the head coach of the Sacramento Kings, and the feeling from the other side of the table is mutual. No decision has been made at press time (Sunday at noon Eastern), but the mere possibility that Joerger could stage a “Kings Landing” makes it worthwhile to explore this relationship. * […]
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The inconvenient truth about Kyle Lowry’s breakout in Game 3 of the Eastern Conference semifinals is that it began not only before the fourth quarter, but before Dwyane Wade put the Miami Heat on his back. Yes, before D-Wade produced the surge which led the Heat to a flat-footed 68-all tie at the end of […]
