It is easy to criticize Carmelo Anthony. All weekend the broadcasts were displaying the not-so-glorious playoff record of Carmelo Anthony — 15-37 entering Sunday’s series-extending win over the Heat, apparently the worst of any player with at least 50 playoff games. Redemption came for Anthony when his go-ahead 3-pointer stood up and the Knicks defeated […]

Frank Vogel is already one of the league’s best up-and-coming coaches. He took over the Pacers in the middle of the 2011 season and went 20-18, helping guide Indiana to its first Playoff berth since the shameful and embarrassing “Malice at the Palace” and the darkest days in the franchise’s history. It almost sucks to […]

This season has seen the changing of the guard. The superstars of one decade are starting to phase out and give way to the superstars of the next. Kevin Garnett and Tim Duncan missed the All-Star Game for the first time since 1998 (Garnett also was at the 1997 game). Shaquille O’Neal was out of […]

If you have watched the NBA Playoffs at all, you have probably been inundated by advertisements for Marvel’s The Avengers. Since Disney is the parent company for both Marvel and ESPN, the weekend games had a blatant and obvious tie-in to the movie. Marvel and Disney have beaten audiences over the head with this movie […]

Tony Parker scored 28 points and dished out eight assists while shooting 10 for 19 from the floor in San Antonio’s 106-91 Game One victory over Utah. It was exactly the start the Spurs expected and exactly what the Jazz did not want to happen. Parker and the Spurs looked like San Antonio from its […]

Playoff series are as much about what happens between games as they are about what happens during the game. This is where the nuances of a Playoff series are worked out and coaches prove their real value. They adjust and tinker with their game-plans to give their team new ways to put players in the […]

Kevin Garnett has a way of getting under his opponent’s skin. It is part of his psychological warfare on his opponents. It has what has made him great and what has made him hated. Ivan Johnson became a household name (sort of) after a big game on national TV. The TNT crew loved his tenacity […]

The news hit the NBA hard Saturday when it came out that Derrick Rose would miss the remainder of the Playoffs with a torn ACL. It put a big damper on what is supposed to be one of the banner weekends on the NBA calendar. The talking heads sought a reason why this would happen […]

The story on John Wall all season was that he was falling short of his potential. This super talented point guard seemed to be in a toxic environment with players who could care less about the team’s success. And certainly not about his. Whether that was conscious or unconscious likely will be irrelevant. What everyone […]

Minneapolis is a fun place to live. You got the Mall of America a short drive away. It really is the Land of A Thousand Lakes. If you like city living with a lot of parks for outdoor play — not to mention a cherry in a spoon — Minneapolis is your place. Except for […]

Remember back in November? People were saying they would never watch the NBA again. The lockout — a battle of millionaires and billionaires — had soured everyone to the game and was going to make fans tune out. That was one of the driving forces behind the NBA getting back to the court by Christmas. […]

Previously on “Days of Our NBA Union’s Lives,” a power struggle between Derek Fisher and Billy Hunter had the players calling for one or the other’s resignation. Billy Hunter had mobilized his constituents to try and topple Fisher from his perch as the president of the NBA Players Association. The masses have gathered and Hunter’s […]

For the last 22 games, Mike Woodson has been a godsend to New York. For once, everyone is excited about Knicks basketball and is talking about the goings on the court rather than drama off of it. No more bickering coach clashing with management over the direction of the team. No more struggles while high-priced […]

The lockout seems so long ago. We have not had to spend any late nights waiting for Derek Fisher and Billy Hunter to emerge from a hotel conference room and explain to us why we were not going to have basketball. The negotiations were extremely contentious — thus, our nearly losing the entire season — […]

There is not a lot to play for right now in Minnesota. The Timberwolves have been eliminated from the Playoffs. Their lightning rod point guard has been shelved for the last month and a half of the season. The good vibes have worn down. And, making matters worse perhaps, their star player suffered a concussion […]