0 comments by Matt Zemek on 6/16/2014
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. […]
Photo by Bob Donnan-USA TODAY Sports
0 comments by Philip Rossman-Reich on 6/15/2014
The San Antonio Spurs won their fifth NBA championship with a 104-87 rout of the Miami Heat in Game Five. Matt Zemek: For me, the telltale moment of Game 5 arrived when the Heat led, 22-9, and seemed to be on their way toward — no, not necessarily winning, but certainly changing the energy of the […]
0 comments by Philip Rossman-Reich
The Heat raced out to a 22-6 lead in the first quarter of Game Five of the NBA Finals. Facing elimination, it was exactly what Miami needed. Then the Spurs worked their way back in to the game. They took the lead and made an emphatic statement with a 25-11 second quarter.
San Antonio leads Miami 47-40 at the half and are 24 minutes away from the franchise’s fifth NBA championship.
Photo by Soobum Im-USA TODAY Sports
0 comments by Philip Rossman-Reich on 6/14/2014
The Spurs are up 3-1 in the series with Game Five back in San Antonio. Even if the Heat extend the series another night, it has become clear their future is in major jeopardy. Miami will have some questions to answer as their “Big Three” have the option to hit free agency. We delve into […]
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 Philip Rossman-Reich
http://youtu.be/VDAMFtHHunE
While not as exciting as every Blake Griffin dunk, Kevin Durant is also a big jammer and now the league’s MVP. Here is a compilation of all his dunks from his MVP season.
Photo by Robert Mayer-USA TODAY Sports
0 comments by Philip Rossman-Reich on 6/12/2014
The Spurs took a commanding 3-1 series lead with a 107-86 blowout victory, sweeping the two games in Miami as the series shifts back to Texas with the Spurs one win away from a fifth NBA championship. Matt Zemek: The Miami Heat had won their last 13 playoff games following a loss. No NBA team over […]
Photo by Steve Mitchell-USA TODAY Sports
0 comments by Philip Rossman-Reich
Game Four of the NBA Finals takes place tonight in Miami. And after the way San Antonio dominated Game Three, there are some serious questions for Miami. The Heat must win this game with Game Five back in San Antonio. Today we ask how San Antonio can take complete control over this series: Philip Rossman-Reich: The […]
Photo by Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports
0 comments by Philip Rossman-Reich
Dirk Nowitzki has spent all 15 of his years in the NBA with the Dallas Mavericks. Outside of his early career struggles, there has really been no hint of him ever leaving. I guess, there was that one time when the Lakers put out feelers to try to swap Shaquille O’Neal for Dirk Nowitzki. But, […]
Photo by Bob Donnan-USA TODAY Sports
0 comments by Philip Rossman-Reich
The NBA Finals have taken a strange turn as the Spurs poured it on the Heat in Game Three with a record-breaking first half offensive performance to take a 2-1 series lead. It is clear the Heat will need to get some stops to win this series. So we turn our focus on Miami’s defense. […]
“The NBA continues to thrive and exact its reign of terror in large part from the money it receives from the Fans. The NBA is a band of hypocrites and bullies. They will not stop until someone stands up. They have taken the liberty to desecrate my privacy rights and my right to own property. I have no doubt that they will continue to find new ways to violate my rights and the rights of any person in order to draw attention away from their discriminatory and repulsive conduct.
We have to fight for the rights of all Americans. We have to fight these despicable monsters. THIS IS THE REASON I WILL NOT SELL MY TEAM.”
—Donald Sterling in a statement as to why he is suing to prevent the team’s $2.1 billion to Steve Balmer
In Sterling’s statement he mentions the NBA’s own discriminatory policies that have resulted in lawsuits against the league. One of those, of course, was Elgin Baylor’s suit against Sterling and the Clippers (another was a suit involving the Knicks . . . I cannot think of any others that were made public, but it is all a matter of public record).
Sterling continues to trot out the line that the NBA is violating his free speech rights and his property rights. He is, of course, a little misguided in his analysis. He was free to say what he said, but not free from the consequences. So long as the NBA followed its internal procedures, they are free to revoke his license.
Sterling was deemed incapacitated due to mental illness allowing his wife Shelly to sell the team on behalf of the Sterling Family Trust. It will be hard to convince a judge that $2.1 billion is not just compensation and overturn the sale.
Any moment now, Sterling might change his mind again and drop this suit.
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Photo by Steve Mitchell-USA TODAY Sports
0 comments by Philip Rossman-Reich on 6/10/2014
Matt Zemek: Going into Game 3, no player on either team needed to make a more dramatic improvement than Kawhi Leonard. It was Leonard, after all, whose mature-beyond-his-years performance in the 2013 Finals put the Spurs in position to win at the end of Game 6… and then kept them in Game 7 when the older […]
0 comments by Philip Rossman-Reich
The San Antonio Spurs set an NBA Finals record by shooting 13 for 15, 86.7 percent, in the first quarter of Tuesday’s Game Three. That totaled 41 points, including this crazy 3-pointer from Manu Ginobili to end the quarter.
As you can see from the shot chart, the Spurs did a lot of their damage right in the paint — 10 of 15 shots at the rim. The Heat defense was opened up by the passing and hot shooting from beyond the arc. San Antonio just put on a clinic.
Just an incredible offensive display. And it has not stopped heading into the second quarter.
It is not quite a Finals rematch. But LeBron’s trip to San Antonio will certainly feel like one. Photo by Bob Donnan-USA TODAY Sports
0 comments by Philip Rossman-Reich
The NBA Finals shift to Miami tonight for the next two games (not three!) as the series is tied at one. Game Three winners have historically gone on to win the NBA Finals when the series is tied 1-1, so the tension is high. What will happen next? Let us take you through those answers. […]
Photo by Soobum Im-USA TODAY Sports
0 comments by Philip Rossman-Reich
The NBA Finals is predictably tied at 1-1 after two games. How we got there is somewhat surprising with LeBron James cramping at the end of Game One and then looking superhuman in Game Two as the Heat won a close game. This series could very easily be 2-0 either way, which sets up an […]
