0 comments by Matt Zemek on 5/28/2016
The Toronto Raptors became, in the end, the NBA’s most inconvenient team of 2016. Dwane Casey’s ballclub embodied numerous contradictions and tension points. The Raptors carried sharp contrasts into the playoffs. They developed more contrasts during the playoffs. They leave the postseason as a team whose future can easily be spun in a positive or […]
0 comments by John Cannon on 5/27/2016
The Golden State Warriors can’t dwell on Game 5 of the Western Conference Finals. Their attention must turn to Game 6 on Saturday against the Oklahoma City Thunder. If they don’t win Game 6, the value of Game 5 will vanish. The memory of Thursday night’s win will recede into the mists of history. I’m […]
0 comments by Bart D
Restricted free agency in the NBA is a chess game. It’s not all about signing a player you really want and crossing your fingers. If could be, “signing a player you want but can live without, understanding that at worst, a rival is going to hemorrhage their finances to keep him.” See: Roy Hibbert, Eric […]
0 comments by John Cannon on 5/26/2016
The Golden State Warriors have a challenge in their Game 5 showdown with the Oklahoma City Thunder that is unique in scope. They have two huge problems that need to be solved independently of each other, meaning that solving just one won’t be enough. The Warriors, as it turns out, had an Achilles Heel. For […]
OKLAHOMA CITY, OK – MAY 12: LaMarcus Aldridge #12 of the San Antonio Spurs pauses as he watches game action against the Oklahoma City Thunder during the second half of Game Six of the Western Conference Semifinals during the 2016 NBA Playoffs at the Chesapeake Energy Arena on May 12, 2016 in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. (Photo by J Pat Carter/Getty Images)
0 comments by Matt Zemek
Oh, to be a fly on the wall in the offices (and personal homes) of the San Antonio Spurs right now. What must the Spurs — coach by coach, player by player, support staffer by support staffer — be thinking as they watch the Oklahoma City Thunder lay waste to the Golden State Warriors in […]
0 comments by Matt Zemek
The Cavs of Cleveland do not have to win in Toronto on Friday night in Game 6 — not in a narrow, immediate, technical sense. The Cavs could lose. Heck, they could even get drubbed by the Raptors. It wouldn’t matter in the Eastern Conference Finals — not in all likelihood. LeBron James and head […]
0 comments by Matt Zemek
The Eastern Conference Finals between the Toronto Raptors and the Cleveland Cavaliers is the five-minute series. No, this isn’t a reference to the length of time in which these games cease to be competitive; it’s a reference to an old saying about climate change (in the older and less political sense of the term): Don’t […]
0 comments by John Cannon on 5/25/2016
Former NBA star and current TNT/NBA TV analyst Brent Barry talks about the remarkable rise of the Oklahoma City Thunder; the equally remarkable struggles of the Golden State Warriors; the coaches for whom he played; and growing up the son of an absentee NBA dad.
OKLAHOMA CITY, OK – MAY 22: Stephen Curry #30 of the Golden State Warriors covers his face in the fourth quarter against the Oklahoma City Thunder in game three of the Western Conference Finals during the 2016 NBA Playoffs at Chesapeake Energy Arena on May 22, 2016 in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. (Photo by Ronald Martinez/Getty Images)
0 comments by John Cannon
This column is mostly about Stephen Curry, but before discussing the NBA MVP, one of his teammmates illustrates why No. 30 must lead the Golden State Warriors out of a 3-1 deficit in the Western Conference Finals. An element of karma sometimes becomes a part of sports. A guy gets a foul call he doesn’t […]
OKLAHOMA CITY, OK – MAY 22: Stephen Curry #30 of the Golden State Warriors reacts to their 133 to 105 loss against the Oklahoma City Thunder in game three of the Western Conference Finals during the 2016 NBA Playoffs at Chesapeake Energy Arena on May 22, 2016 in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. (Photo by Ronald Martinez/Getty Images)
0 comments by Matt Zemek
Professional basketball possesses the most intense spotlight in North American team sports — perhaps not in terms of the amount of media coverage devoted to the endeavor (the NFL wins that distinction), but in terms of the extent to which one or two players get a disproportionate share of credit or blame for their team’s […]
0 comments by Matt Zemek
It’s not an original observation, but it’s the main observation which should be advanced at this point in the NBA playoffs: The 2016 postseason is shattering our perceptions of the league and its balance of power. The power of the statement lies not in any relevatory quality — the revelations taking place on the court […]
0 comments by Matt Zemek
How great Thou art — no, the “Thou” is not a deity, if you believe in one, but the Oklahoma City Thunder. The beloved old-time hymn, as many of you will recall, includes these lyrics: I see the stars, I hear the rolling thunder, Thy power throughout the universe displayed. Oklahoma City is the home […]
OKLAHOMA CITY, OK – MAY 22: Draymond Green #23 and head coach Steve Kerr of the Golden State Warriors argue a call with referee Tony Brothers #25 in the second quarter against the Oklahoma City Thunder in game three of the Western Conference Finals during the 2016 NBA Playoffs at Chesapeake Energy Arena on May 22, 2016 in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. 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. (Photo by J Pat Carter/Getty Images)
0 comments by Matt Zemek on 5/24/2016
A major postseason sporting event featured an important kick on a Sunday… and it had nothing to do with three points in an NFL playoff game. This wasn’t a missed 27-yard kick by Blair Walsh. This was a made one-yard kick by Draymond Green of the Golden State Warriors. He committed what the NBA called […]
0 comments by Bart D on 5/23/2016
Fun. That’s the most important part of all of this. Frank Vogel was introduced as the Orlando Magic’s 12th coach in franchise history Monday, and that’s what he talked about. “We’re going to win and we’re going to have fun winning,” he told the assembled media. “We’re going to win and we’re going to have […]
OKLAHOMA CITY, OK – MAY 22: Stephen Curry #30 and Klay Thompson #11 of the Golden State Warriors react in the second quarter against the Oklahoma City Thunder in game three of the Western Conference Finals during the 2016 NBA Playoffs at Chesapeake Energy Arena on May 22, 2016 in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. (Photo by Ronald Martinez/Getty Images)
0 comments by Matt Zemek
The Golden State Warriors have been here before. Last year, the Memphis Grizzlies took a 2-1 lead into Game 4 of a Western Conference playoff series on their home floor. The Warriors defeated them to turn around a series they eventually won in six games. Last year, the Cleveland Cavaliers took a 2-1 lead into […]
