Tag: Kobe Bryant (Page 27 of 30)

      Your guide to Christmas Day basketball

      December 25, 2008 /

      The NBA schedulers did a nice job this year – there are five games slated for Christmas Day that include nine good teams…and the Washington Wizards.

      Well, they can’t all be winners.

      Here’s a quick breakdown of the NBA action, starting with the one everyone wants to see…

      MUST-WATCH

      Celtics @ Lakers, 5:00 PM ET (ABC)
      This “Game of the Year” might be better described as the “Game of the Season,” but let’s not get bogged down in semantics. The Celtics (27-2) bring their 19-game winning streak to Los Angeles, where the Lakers (23-5) are returning from a disappointing 2-2 road trip that featured losses to the Heat and the Magic. Will the Celtics miss James Posey? Will Andrew Bynum make the difference down low? Both teams feel that this is a statement game, so expect a playoff-type atmosphere at Staples Center.

      NEXT BEST

      Spurs @ Suns, 2:30 PM ET (ABC)
      These two teams gave us the most exciting first round series last spring and there’s a bit of a rivalry brewing. I think the Suns took a step back with the Shaq trade, and Steve Nash is grumbling about his role in the offense, so it will be interesting to see if the Spurs can get a win in Phoenix.

      IF YOU HAVE THE TIME

      Hornets @ Magic, 12:00 PM ET (ESPN)
      Chris Paul is the league’s best point guard and Dwight Howard is one of the league’s best centers. It might be worthwhile to tune into this one at about 1:30 ET and see if it’s close.

      Mavericks @ Blazers, 10:30 PM ET (TNT)
      If the Mavs still had Devin Harris, this one would be a lot more fun. The Blazers and Mavs are currently in the 6/7 positions in the Western Conference playoff race, so this one is important in terms of pecking order. Keep an eye on the up-and-coming Brandon Roy, who just dropped 52 points on the Suns a week ago (and is averaging 25.5 points per game in December).

      HEY, AT LEAST THERE’S LEBRON

      Wizards @ Cavaliers, 8:00 PM ET (TNT)
      The schedule-makers were probably hoping that the Wizards would have more than four measly wins at this point in the season, but at least the game features the star power of LeBron. Maybe he and DeShawn Stevenson will reignite their silly feud from last season.

      NBA, NBA Finals, Television

      Nice NBA doubleheader on TNT tonight

      November 20, 2008 /

      There are just two NBA games tonight, and they’re both good ones. Better yet, they’re both on TNT.

      Pistons (8-3) @ Celtics (10-2), 8 PM ET
      After an 0-2 start to the Allen Iverson Era in Detroit, the Pistons have gone 4-1 over their last five games, which includes wins against the Lakers (in L.A.) and at home against the Cavs. Tonight, they head into Boston to face the defending champs, and hope to avenge a 12-point loss on Nov. 9. Meanwhile, the Celtics have won eight of their last nine, and look every bit as good as they did last season.

      Lakers (8-1) @ Suns (8-4), 10:30 PM ET
      The Kobe/Shaq rivalry is renewed in Phoenix, where the Lakers hope to continue their torrid start to the season. Neither team played last night, so the players should be fresh and ready to go. Shaq has had a nice season thus far; he’s averaging 15.1 points and 7.8 rebounds, while shooting 59% from the field. Meanwhile, the Lakers are doing it with defense. Efficiency-wise, they have the top D in the league.

      NBA, Television

      Lakers perfect no more

      November 15, 2008 /

      Coming off a win in Oakland the night before, the Pistons didn’t show any signs of fatigue as they gave the Lakers their first loss on the season (106-95). Detroit held the Laker starters to just 26-70 (37%) from the field, while Allen Iverson and Rasheed Wallace led the way with 25 points each. Tayshaun Prince had to cover Kobe Bryant most of the night, but still finished with 18 points, six assists and four rebounds. He held Kobe to just 12-30 from the field, but more importantly, Bryant only attempted four free throws on the night.

      The Lamar Odom Watch continues – he came off the bench and went 5 for 5 from the field to score 11 points, but he only played 20 minutes and had just one rebound and one assist. Trevor Ariza posted 10 points, seven rebounds, two assists and two steals. He continues to be the Lakers’ most productive bench player and should probably get a look in the starting lineup.

      This was an impressive win for the Pistons. It was the second game of a back-to-back on the road against the best team in the league. Even Kwame Brown (10 points, 10 rebounds, 3 assists) played well against his old team.

      Right now, it’s looking like the Billups-for-AI trade was just what the doctor ordered.

      Fantasy Basketball, NBA

      Early-season NBA awards

      November 13, 2008 /

      The NBA season is less than a month old, but that’s not going to stop me from handing out some early-season awards…

      The most outstanding rookie award goes to…Rudy Fernandez.
      Derrick Rose is probably the front-runner for the ROY award, but Rudy has been better thus far. His PER is an eye-popping 23.89 (Rose’s is 17.78), which is second-best amongst all shooting guards, and it seems like night after night he’s making a highlight-reel play. Fernandez is averaging 15.4 points, 2.9 rebounds and 2.0 assists, while shooting 48% from the field and 46% from long range. To top it off, he’s nailing 93% of his free throws and is registering 1.3 steals per game. His fine play is allowing the Blazers to be patient with Jerryd Bayless by running Brandon Roy at he point and Fernandez at off guard. Michael Beasley, O.J. Mayo, Jason Thompson and Kevin Love deserve honorable mention.

      The league MVP goes to…LeBron James.
      Cleveland is 6-2 and that projects to a 62-win season. If the Cavs can accomplish that, LeBron is going to run away with the MVP award. He’s averaging 29.8 points, 8.4 rebounds and 6.9 assists, and is shooting 49% from the field and 78% from the free throw line (which would be a career-high). A case could be made for Kobe Bryant, but he has a much better supporting cast and LeBron’s numbers are better across the board. (Besides, I don’t think voters would want to give Kobe back-to-back MVP awards.) Paul Pierce is a possibility, but he’s only shooting 41% from the field this season. Chris Paul is having an even better year than last season’s remarkable jump, but the Hornets are just 4-3 thus far. Atlanta’s Joe Johnson might be LeBron’s biggest challenger early in the season, but King James has him beat in virtually every statistical category. LeBron it is.

      The “I’m the real reason the Bucks traded away Mo Williams” award goes to…Ramon Sessions.
      Even though he’s playing fewer minutes (barely) than starter Luke Ridnour, Sessions is averaging more points (15.6 to 10.6), steals (1.1 to 0.9), has a better assist-to-turnover ratio (2.7 to 1.9), a better FG% (48% to 34%) and a better 3PT% (40% to 27%). I don’t think the Bucks are going to be too heartbroken when Ridnour’s contract is up after next season because it looks like Sessions, the former second-round pick, is Milwaukee’s point guard of the future. He’s in the final year of his rookie deal, so it’s going to be interesting to see what kind of contract he gets next summer.

      The “maybe it wasn’t such a good idea to come to L.A.” award goes to…Baron Davis.
      First, he thinks he’s going to get to play with Elton Brand, but Brand bolts for Philly. Now the Clippers are 1-7 and are losing games by a league-worst 13.4 points per game. Their defense is bad, but their offense is worse. They have scored the second-fewest points per game (88.3) and have the second-worst field goal percentage (41%). For his part, Davis hasn’t done much to help the cause. He’s shooting 37% from the field and just 26% from long range. If this keeps up, the Clippers will be out of the playoff race by Christmas.

      The “boy, Devin Harris and those two first round picks are looking really good right now” award goes to…Mark Cuban.
      Last year, when the Dallas owner pulled the trigger on a trade that sent Devin Harris and two first round picks to the Nets for a 34 year-old Jason Kidd, I was very skeptical. It was a longshot that the trade would pan out, as it was debatable at the time of the trade whether or not Kidd was even better than Harris. Certainly, Harris had a lot more upside, and his stint in New Jersey has allowed him to flourish. The first of the two picks was used on Ryan Anderson, and he is playing pretty well in limited minutes this season. The second pick is an unprotected first rounder in 2010, which could be a lottery pick if the Mavs can’t get things straightened out. They are 2-5 and their top four players – Kidd (35), Dirk Nowitzki (30), Jason Terry (31) and Josh Howard (28) – are all at least 28 years-old. Barring an injury to one of these guys, the Mavs will probably be fighting for a playoff spot in April, but that’s not exactly what Cuban had in mind.

      Fantasy Basketball, NBA

      Couch Potato Alert: NBA Wednesday

      November 11, 2008 /

      There are a few interesting NBA games tonight:

      Utah (5-1) @ Philadelphia (2-4)
      The 76ers are off to a disappointing start. Offseason acquisition Elton Brand is more than five points per game off his career mark, and Andre Iguodala is shooting a miserable 38% from the field. Second-year swingman Thaddeus Young is lighting things up with a 16.5 ppg average on 52% shooting. This game will feature a great power forward matchup between Brand and Utah’s Carlos Boozer. The Jazz have been without Deron Williams, but Utah still managed to get off to a 5-1 start. He’s expected to make his debut tonight. Too bad the game is only available in local markets (unless you have the NBA League Pass). Game time is 7 PM ET.

      Atlanta (5-0) @ Chicago (3-4)
      Three of the Hawks’ five wins have come on the road and they hope to extend their unbeaten streak tonight in Chicago. Unfortunately, the high-flying Josh Smith is sidelined with a high-ankle sprain, but Joe Johnson has been doing his best MVP impersonation (25.2 ppg, 5.2 rpg, 3.8 apg). For the Bulls, Ben Gordon (20.0 ppg) leads his team in scoring, but it’s rookie sensation Derrick Rose (17.7 ppg, 5.1 apg) who is really turning heads. The game is on locally at 8:30 PM ET.

      L.A. Lakers (5-0) @ Dallas (2-4)
      The Mavs are off to a slow start, but in Jason Kidd, Dirk Nowitzki and Josh Howard, they can compete on any given night. They host the Lakers who are coming off a long stretch of down time in their schedule. L.A. is getting great play from Kobe (of course) and Pau Gasol, while Andrew Bynum and Lamar Odom have been a little disappointing. Trevor Ariza and Jordan Farmar anchor a terrific bench. The game is on NBATV at 8:30 PM ET.

      Fantasy Basketball, NBA, Television

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