Category: NBA (Page 355 of 595)

      Couch Potato Alert: 4/17

      April 17, 2009 /

      John Madden was, um, colorful in the color analyst role on a NFL telecast. His catch phrases were the sound effects from the old Batman television series. After every play, you were guaranteed a “boom” or a “bam” from Madden in his description. He brought fun to the no fun league (NFL), and his name is synonymous in the gaming community for playing video football. And Madden was a maverick in another way; he left on top in two professions. He will be missed.

      The NBA and NHL postseasons start this weekend, and there are a few good baseball games on the tube as well.

      All times ET…

      NBA Playoffs
      Sat, 12:30 PM: Chicago Bulls @ Boston Celtics (ESPN)
      Sat, 3 PM: Detroit Pistons @ Cleveland Cavaliers (ABC)
      Sat, 8 PM: Dallas Mavericks @ San Antonio Spurs (ESPN)
      Sat, 10:30 PM: Houston Rockets @ Portland Trail Blazers (ESPN)
      Sun, 3 PM: Utah Jazz @ Los Angeles Lakers (ABC)
      Sun, 5:30 PM: Philadelphia 76ers @ Orlando Magic (TNT)
      Sun, 8 PM: Miami Heat @ Atlanta Hawks (TNT)
      Sun, 10:30 PM: New Orleans Hornets @ Denver Nuggets (TNT)

      NHL Playoffs
      Fri, 7 PM: Philadelphia Flyers @ Pittsburgh Penguins (Versus)
      Fri, 10 PM: St. Louis Blues @ Vancouver Canucks (Versus)
      Sat, 1 PM: New York Rangers @ Washington Capitals (NBC)
      Sat, 8 PM: Montreal Canadiens @ Boston Bruins (Versus)
      Sun, 3 PM: Pittsburgh Penguins @ Philadelphia Flyers (NBC)
      Sun, 7 PM: Vancouver Canucks @ St. Louis Blues (Versus)
      Sun, 10 PM: Anaheim Ducks @ San Jose Sharks (Versus)

      MLB
      Sat, 3:40 PM: St. Louis Cardinals @ Chicago Cubs (Fox)
      Sun., 1 PM: Cleveland Indians @ New York Yankees (TBS)
      Sun., 8 PM: St. Louis Cardinals @ Chicago Cubs (ESPN)

      Couch Potato Alert, MLB, NBA, NHL, Television

      Bill Simmons on the KG news

      April 16, 2009 /

      Predictably, Simmons was crushed to learn that Kevin Garnett will be unable to play early on in the playoffs. His editor asked him for an immediate reaction.

      The best thing about being a sports fan on the West Coast: Every game comes on three hours earlier. I watched a 12-inning Boston-Oakland game Tuesday night that ended at the totally reasonable time of 11:29 p.m. Had I stayed up for that one on the East Coast, I would have been dead for work the next day, Oh, wait, I don’t have a real job. Bad example. But you get the idea.

      The worst thing about being a sports fan on the West Coast: Things happen while you’re sleeping. I never know what to expect upon first glance at my Blackberry. Today, I woke up at 7:10 in the morning, trekked downstairs, let my dog outside, ground some coffee beans, filled the filter, added the water, got the brewing process going, and then, even as I was still wiping the crust from my eyes, these three e-mails were atop my inbox…

      It’s interesting to read his stuff on a shortened timeline. (He says he had only 150 minutes to write the piece.) Is it as funny or as good as his usual columns? You be the judge.

      NBA, NBA Finals

      Here’s how the NBA Playoffs are going to go…

      April 16, 2009 /

      Sure, with its seven-game format, the NBA Playoffs aren’t quite as consistently dramatic as March Madness, but there are a number of compelling storylines as we head into this year’s postseason. Will KG return in time to help the Celtics try to repeat? Will LeBron and the Cavs ride home court advantage to the Finals? Can Chris Paul and the Hornets put a less-than-stellar regular season behind them and make a run? Can Kobe finally win a title without Shaq?

      The Playoffs start on Saturday, and looking at the matchups, I think I have a pretty good idea how things will play out. Granted, I’m likely to make a few mistakes along the way, but that’s part of the fun, right?

      EASTERN CONFERENCE FIRST ROUND

      #1 Cavaliers vs. #8 Pistons
      Let’s see – the Pistons limped into the playoffs, going 8-9 in March and 3-5 in April. Earlier in the season, they traded away arguably their best player (Chauncey Billups) and the guy they got in return (Allen Iverson) is (rumored to be) spending his time getting banned from the local casinos. If Detroit had held onto Billups, maybe they’d be able to make this a series, but without him, they’re floundering. I hope Joe Dumars has fun with that cap space!

      #4 Hawks vs. #5 Heat
      Here’s a first round battle between two teams that don’t have a legitimate chance of making the Finals. If the NBA were to adopt a single-elimination format (or even three-game series across the board), maybe….maybe…one of these teams could get hot and make a run. As it stands, the winner will have the right to face a determined Cavs team in the second round. Not that it matters, but I’m going with the Hawks here. They have home court advantage, have won three of four against the Heat this season and are simply a better team. Hats off to Dwyane Wade for willing the Heat this far, but I don’t think we’re going to see a LeBron/D-Wade matchup in the second round. (Not unless Jermaine O’Neal discovers the Fountain of Youth by this weekend.)

      Continue reading »

      NBA, NBA Finals

      Doc Rivers on Garnett: “There is no way he can play.”

      April 16, 2009 /

      The Boston Celtics repeat hopes took a hit today as head coach Doc Rivers stated that Kevin Garnett is not ready to play, and insinuated that his star forward may not be ready for the entire playoffs.

      “I don’t see it. I just don’t,” Rivers said. “I’ve flipped completely, because I was watching him move (before) and he looked great. But after today, there’s no way he can play.”

      “The guy’s a warrior and you can see him trying to mask it, but after 20 minutes of running, there’s just no way,” Rivers said.

      This morning, Rivers raised the serious possibility that the layoff would extend through the playoffs.

      “It may send a message to our guys that there’s nobody you’re waiting for,” Rivers said in reference to his team’s reaction. “And it can help us in that way. That’s the only way it can help us.”

      With a healthy Garnett, the Celtics are title contenders. Without him, they’re just a good NBA team. This is obviously great news for the Cavs, Magic and even the Bulls, who now have a shot at pulling off an upset of the #2-seed in the East.

      NBA

      Who is Bill Simmons’ MVP?

      April 15, 2009 /



      Every year, Bill Simmons runs down the MVP race from No. 450 to No. 1 (don’t worry, he skips over a lot of players), and this year is no different.

      450. Elton Brand
      Dramatically edged out Gilbert Arenas and Tracy McGrady for the coveted LVP (“Least Valuable Player”) Award. Here’s what pushed it over the top: Not only did EB destroy Philly’s cap through 2035, he left the Clips with enough cap space that they reacted the same way looters react during a riot. They wanted to walk out of the store with something … or in this case, Marcus Camby, Ricky Davis, Zach Randolph and a 27-inch Sharp LCD. In a floundering economy, should they have guarded that extra cap room and bided their time like The Team That Shall Not Be Named did? OF COURSE!!!! OF COURSE!!!!! When you include Brand’s luring of Baron Davis to the Clippers, causing the Warriors to overreact with $66 million for Corey Maggette and Ronny Turiaf, you could argue that Brand murdered one franchise and gravely wounded two others. Sounds like an LVP to me.

      …

      166. Manu Ginobili
      Ways I’d dissuade my stars from participating in the Olympics or World Basketball Championships if I owned an NBA team: $1 million under-the-table bonus for NOT participating; free lease of a brand-new Maybach every year; bribery with help from a secretly recorded sex session with a hooker I hired to seduce them; blowing up the aforementioned Maybach as a final threat not to go; and finally, kidnapping.

      Simmons goes on to compare Wade’s career with Jack Bauer’s, and describes all the different reasons why ___________ is his 2009 MVP.

      Fantasy Basketball, NBA

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