Tag: Phoenix Suns (Page 15 of 21)

      Discussing John Hollinger’s NBA playoff odds

      March 26, 2009 /

      Like most basketball fans, my attention at this time of the year has a tendency to be focused squarely on March Madness, but there’s this little thing called the NBA regular season that is still going on (who knew?) and there are several teams involved a heated race for the playoffs that start in mid-April.

      EASTERN CONFERENCE

      ESPN’s John Hollinger says that there are six Eastern Conference teams that have better than a 99% chance of earning a playoff spot this year: Cleveland, Boston, Orlando and Atlanta, who are all at 100%, along with Miami and Philadelphia.

      Right now, Hollinger gives the Bulls (90%) and the Pistons (89%) the inside track for the last two spots in the East. There are four teams — Charlotte (9%), Indiana (7%), New Jersey (5%) and Milwaukee (3%) — that are varying degrees of longshots to earn a final spot. They’re sitting at 30 or 31 wins, three or four wins behind Chicago or Detroit, so with about 10 games remaining, it’s conceivable that the Bulls or Pistons could collapse and one or more of these teams could get hot.

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      NBA, NBA Finals

      Couch Potato Alert: 3/13

      March 13, 2009 /

      Last night, you got a taste of madness…March Madness, as Connecticut/Syracuse played a 6-OT historic Big East quarterfinal game that seemed like it would never end. The player’s performances in this contest sum up why we love this time of the year in college basketball. You watch teams that will fight tooth and nail just to compete for another day. Neither team will receive a special trophy for last night’s game. No, Syracuse gets the opportunity to play West Virginia in a semifinal matchup this evening. Enjoy your hoop du jour.

      All times ET…

      NBA
      Friday, 7:30 PM: Indiana Pacers @Atlanta Hawks (NBA TV)
      Saturday, 9 PM: Los Angeles Clippers @ Denver Nuggets (NBA TV)
      Sunday, 3:30 PM: Dallas Mavericks @ Los Angeles Lakers (ABC)
      Sunday, 9 PM: Phoenix Suns @ Golden State Warriors (NBA TV)

      NHL
      Saturday, 3 PM: Ottawa Senators @ Pittsburgh Penguins (CBC)
      Sunday, 12:30 PM: Philadelphia Flyers@ New York Rangers (NBC)

      College Basketball
      Friday, 7 PM: #13 Villanova vs. #5 Louisville (ESPN)
      Friday, 7 PM: Maryland vs. #9 Wake Forest (ESPN2)
      Friday, 9 PM: #23 Arizona State vs. #20 Washington (Fox Sports Net)
      Friday, 9:30 PM: Boston College vs. #8 Duke (ESPN2)
      Friday, 9:30 PM: #7 West Virginia vs. #20 Syracuse (ESPN)
      Friday, 11:30 PM: USC vs. #14 UCLA (Fox Sports Net)
      Saturday, 1:30 PM & 4 PM: ACC Semifinals (ESPN)
      Saturday, 1 PM & 3:15 PM: SEC Semifinals (ESPN2)
      Saturday, 1:40 PM & 4 PM: Big-10 Semifinals (CBS)
      Saturday, 6 PM: Pac-10 Final (CBS)
      Saturday, 6 PM: Big 12 Final (ESPN)
      Saturday, 9 PM: Big East Final (ESPN)
      Sunday, 1 PM: ACC Final (ESPN)
      Sunday, 1 PM: SEC Final (CBS)
      Sunday, 3:30 PM: Big-10 Final (CBS)
      Sunday, 6 PM: NCAA Tournament Selection Show (CBS)

      World Baseball Classic
      Saturday, 8 PM: Puerto Rico vs. United States from Miami, FL. (MLB Network)

      College Basketball, Couch Potato Alert, March Madness, MLB, NBA, NHL, Television

      Will the Cavs revisit Shaq trade this offseason?

      March 10, 2009 /

      Obviously, it depends on how they fare in the playoffs, but if the Cavs fail to win a championship this year, and Shaq is still healthy and producing, they may revisit the trade that almost was.

      Phoenix looked ready to do it for the low, low, bargain price of Wally Szczerbiak and Sasha Pavlovic.

      However, instead of Szczerbiak, whose $13.5-million-a-year deal is expiring, the Cavaliers insisted the Suns take Ben Wallace, who has one more season at $14 million left.

      Oh, and Shaq, who’s still broadcasting his love for Phoenix, is saying privately he wants out, upset to the highest level of upsetivity, as he once said, at almost being traded, or the team’s return to running, or both.

      If Shaq were to end up in Cleveland next season, motivation wouldn’t be a problem. The main issues are his age (37) and his knees. Phoenix owner Rod Sarver is in a tough financial position, but a summer trade would require him to take on equal salary for the 2009-10 season (in the form of Ben Wallace and Sasha Pavlovic?), so he might as well hold onto Shaq if the big fella isn’t causing a ruckus. Cleveland’s best and cheapest shot at Shaq was the Szczerbiak-and-Pavlovic deal that apparently wasn’t good enough for the Cavs.

      Cleveland could revisit this trade in the summer, but since Shaq’s deal will be expiring next season, the Suns won’t be nearly as motivated to move him. They may ask for a young prospect and/or draft picks to make a deal work, and that’s a more expensive package than the one the Cavs just passed on.

      NBA, NBA Finals, Rumors & Gossip

      Amare won’t be back for the playoffs

      March 6, 2009 /

      There was some conjecture that Amare Stoudemire might be back for the postseason, but his doctor has put the kabosh on that.

      “It’s very difficult to explain to anyone how serious this is,” Dr. Pravin Dugel said, according to The Arizona Republic. “It’s more serious than any knee or ankle surgery. The healing is excruciatingly slow and delicate.”

      It had originally been hoped that Stoudemire could recover enough to resume activity in eight weeks. But Dugel said the recovery could take months, according to the report. And Stoudemire is not even allowed to attend Suns home games, due to the danger any jarring could pose.

      Stoudemire suffered the injury to his right eye on Feb. 18 in a game against the Los Angeles Clippers. He suffered multiple tears and had a “very large” and “traumatic” retina detachment with blood in his right eye at the time of surgery, Dugel said.

      The Suns are 4-4 since Stoudemire’s injury, with wins over the Lakers, Thunder, Bobcats and Raptors. Their four losses are against the Celtics, Lakers, Magic and Heat. Outside of a win against the Lakers, they seem to be in a pattern of beating bad teams and losing to good ones. If Shaq continues to stay healthy, the Suns will be competitive, though they are currently sitting in the #9 position in the West, so missing the postseason is a distinct possibility.

      NBA

      Couch Potato Alert: 3/6

      March 6, 2009 /

      If you could pry yourself away from the televised coverage of the T.O. ordeal for just one minute, you could tune in to a couple of key marquee matchups on the hardwood this weekend. It begins with Cleveland visiting Boston tonight, and with a victory the Cavs can confirm their status as a legitimate title contender. They’re no longer LeBron James and the Cavalettes coming to your favorite NBA arena. On Saturday, it’s #1 UConn versus #4 Pittsburgh in a crucial Big East matchup. Then, travel down Tobacco Road for Duke-North Carolina in an ACC heavyweight matchup this Sunday. This could be a dress rehearsal for next week’s conference tournament final, with the winner getting a #1 seed in the NCAA tournament.

      All times ET…

      College Basketball
      Saturday, 12 PM: #1 Connecticut @ #4 Pittsburgh (CBS)
      Saturday, 2 PM: #25 Syracuse @ #14 Marquette (ESPN Full Court)
      Sunday, 12 PM: #20 Purdue @ #8 Michigan State (CBS)
      Sunday, 4 PM: #7 Duke @ #2 North Carolina (CBS)
      Sunday, 6 PM: #19 Clemson @ #10 Wake Forest (Fox Sports Net)

      NBA
      Friday, 8 PM: Cleveland Cavaliers @ Boston Celtics (ESPN)
      Friday, 10:30 PM: Denver Nuggets @ Utah Jazz (ESPN)
      Saturday, 8:30 PM: Washington Wizards @ Dallas Mavericks (NBA TV)
      Sunday, 3:30 PM: Phoenix Suns @ San Antonio Spurs (ABC)
      Sunday, 7 PM: Philadelphia 76ers @ Oklahoma City Thunder (NBA TV)

      NHL
      Saturday, 1 PM: Chicago Black Hawks @ Boston Bruins
      Saturday, 10 PM: San Jose Sharks @ Vancouver Canucks (CBC)
      Sunday, 12:30 PM: Boston Bruins @ New York Rangers (NBC)

      World Baseball Classic
      Saturday, 2 PM: Canada vs. United States from the Rogers Centre in Toronto, Canada (ESPN)

      College Basketball, Couch Potato Alert, March Madness, MLB, NBA, NHL, Television

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