0 comments by Matt Zemek on 5/11/2016
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
0 comments by Matt Zemek
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 […]
0 comments by Matt Zemek
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 […]
0 comments by Matt Zemek
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. * […]
0 comments by Matt Zemek
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 […]
0 comments by John Cannon
Very few teams can do what the Golden State Warriors do. There are fewer still that can replicate the Warriors’ formula and use it to punish the NBA champions. Saturday night in Portland, the Trail Blazers were that team. Their defensive intensity was impressive, and it led to offensive opportunities. They made the extra pass, […]
0 comments by Matt Zemek on 5/7/2016
Whether Dave Joerger fired himself, or the Memphis Grizzlies essentially made Joerger fire himself, one thing’s for sure: The Grizzlies remain one of the strangest organizations in the NBA — not necessarily in a bad way, but with a clarity which is impossible to ignore. Some organizations are well-run, others immensely dysfunctional. The Grizzlies just […]
0 comments by Matt Zemek
Oklahoma City had a chance to bring the Thunder against the San Antonio Spurs in Game 3 of their Western Conference semifinals series on Friday night. San Antonio didn’t look like a 67-win club in Game 2, and while Kawhi Leonard (31 points and the game’s biggest rebound in the final minute) and Tony Parker […]
0 comments by Matt Zemek
Americans are notoriously impatient, and no matter what anyone might want to say about Tyronn Lue, there’s only one responsible way to view his presence as the head coach of the Cleveland Cavaliers. Simply stated, we simply can’t say anything particularly profound about Lue — at least not anything which can be taken seriously — […]
0 comments by Matt Zemek
If you saw the comment once about the Cleveland Cavaliers on Friday night, you saw it a million times. “If the Cavs can play like this against Golden State in the NBA Finals, they could win.” That’s the kind of statement which is simultaneously accurate, understandable… and bereft of any real meaning. Such a statement […]
0 comments by Matt Zemek on 5/6/2016
The Cavs have won every day of the Eastern Conference semifinals, if you think about it. Monday. Tuesday. Wednesday. Thursday. Four days have come and gone in the two East semis, and Cleveland has emerged the winner at the end of them. Let’s not pretend to ignore the larger reality behind the first two games […]
