0 comments by Matt Zemek on 5/14/2016
The words “Game 7” might not stir the soul on Sunday afternoon in Canada as much as they ordinarily would in a second-round NBA playoff series, but the Miami Heat and Toronto Raptors won’t care. They shouldn’t. The reality of sports contains an always-present disclaimer: An event might not live up to the hype or […]
0 comments by Matt Zemek on 5/8/2016
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 Matt Zemek on 4/30/2016
Dwyane Wade, like former teammate LeBron James, was made for one of the most underrated crucibles in all of sports. Most sports fans and analysts pay close attention to Game 7s, those moments when a long series reaches the ultimate crescendo. Yes, Game 7s are almost always special, and they certainly reveal what exists inside […]
Apr 17, 2016; Miami, FL, USA; Miami Heat forward Justise Winslow (L) talks to Heat guard Josh Richardson (R) during the second half in game one of the first round of the NBA Playoffs against the Charlotte Hornets at American Airlines Arena. The Heat won 123-91. Mandatory Credit: Steve Mitchell-USA TODAY Sports
0 comments by Matt Zemek on 4/28/2016
The Miami Heat’s 2016 season is not over, but it seems reasonable to say — even now, before an elimination game Friday night against the Charlotte Hornets — that Miami’s presence as a threat to the Cleveland Cavaliers has been oversold. Game 5 of the Heat’s Eastern Conference first-round series on Wednesday night illustrated the […]
0 comments by Matt Zemek
Courtney Lee is a rebounder — and not principally in the sense of being a player who grabs missed shots. Yes, Lee’s rebounds at the end of Games 4 and 5 have put the Charlotte Hornets in position to eliminate the Miami Heat this Friday in North Carolina, but the story of Courtney Lee’s rebounding […]
0 comments by Matt Zemek on 4/21/2016
The Miami Heat have been the best team in the NBA over the past five days, in which all 16 playoff teams have played two games. You saw that coming during the regular season, didn’t you? If you say yes, you are either a family member of someone in the Heat organization… or you’re a […]
NEW YORK, NY – FEBRUARY 28: Joe Johnson #2 of the Miami Heat in action against the New York Knicks at Madison Square Garden on February 28, 2016 in New York City. NOTE TO USER: user expressly acknowleges and agrees by downloading and/or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Mike Stobe/Getty Images)
0 comments by Bart D on 2/28/2016
As far as national sports news goes this past week, “Joe Johnson signs with the Miami Heat” probably registered just slightly below whatever Johnny Manziel ate for lunch on Wednesday and several notches below “holy hell, did you see what Steph Curry did THIS week?” but probably, there was no more significant event in the […]
NEW YORK, NY – DECEMBER 12: Brook Lopez #11 of the Brooklyn Nets looks on during the first half against the Los Angeles Clippers at Barclays Center on December 12, 2013 in the Brooklyn borough of New York City. 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 Maddie Meyer/Getty Images)
0 comments by Joe Mags on 9/3/2015
Getting ready for the 2015-’16 season? I’m asking 50 questions before things get under way. Have an important question for the upcoming NBA season you want answered? Find me on Twitter (
0 comments by Joseph Nardone on 4/28/2015
Winning may disguise a team’s shortcomings for a period of time, but there are instances when everyone already knows the deal. Yeah, yeah: the Brooklyn Nets beat Atlanta on Monday night to continue in their quest to move forward in the playoffs. Yet, the winning of a single game hasn’t hidden a reality most already know […]
Photo by Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports
0 comments by Philip Rossman-Reich on 5/19/2014
The Nets had a payroll this year of $102,825,181. That is a lot of luxury tax — nearly doubling the amount the team paid to the players and the league. With that kind of a payroll comes outsized expectations — championship expectations. You do not spend that kind of money without expecting to win a […]
0 comments by Philip Rossman-Reich on 4/19/2014
Paul Pierce did not have to do much until the fourth quarter. When he turned it on in the fourth, he buried the Raptors. Pierce scored nine of his 15 points in the final 12 minutes and put the dagger in the Raptors at Air Canada Centre to help the Nets steal Game One and […]
