What do you get when an NBA playoff team faces a team with one of the worst records in the NBA?
Well just ask Ty Lawson, who set the NBA record for consecutive three-pointers made in a game last night:
Where To ‘Melo? (UPDATED)
January 15, 2011 By 1 Comment
The Miami Heat were among this past offseason’s biggest stories. No doubt, no doubt. The teaming of the superstars made waves all over the sporting world and began a new era in the NBA. But at the same time, they aren’t doing anything new. They took the blueprints to success from the Lakers, Celtics, Bulls, and numerous other dynasties.
But along with the Heat’s mega-offseason came another side story. The story of Carmelo Anthony and just where he’d end up.
The attention seems to be mainly focused on the Big Apple. You have Prokhorov fighting to the earth’s ends in order to secure Melo for the future Brooklyn Nets, and then you have Amar’e attempting to recruit Anthony to play alongside him in New York. Heck, I’ve even heard Charlotte and Houston mentioned in this crazy mix. It seems as if we are in the midst of a great game of tug-o-war.
But it is yet to be finalized where the Syracuse alum will end up. Will he land alongside Amar’e, and try and build another mega-team? Or will he take his talents to New Jersey and try to continue Prokhorov’s global agenda? I wish I knew the answer.
Carmelo Anthony and the Nets: The Blockbuster Trade That Isn’t (Yet)
January 10, 2011 By Leave a Comment
As J.A. Adande writes, we are basically just waiting at this point for the Carmelo Anthony trade, involving about an entire team’s worth of players, to get its kinks worked out, for the proper promises to be made, and for everyone to get on the right airplane.
If it happens, Carmelo Anthony will presumably sign the hanging-rain-cloud that is the three year, $65 million extension with the New Jersey Nets. Yes, he will have a guaranteed contract before any potential lockout later this year, but other than that, why would Carmelo Anthony want this?
The NBA Morning After: Possibilities Actualized Edition
December 8, 2010 By 1 Comment
The Morning After is a look at the night that was in the NBA along with other NBA-related fodder.
The Miami Heat. Holy shit. Road game in hostile environment? Yup. Opposing team strong in the front-court and point guard positions, Miami’s two biggest weaknesses? Yup. A focused, unrelenting, fast-paced, ice-cold statement win? Yes, yes, yes and yes.
For the first time this season, the Heat played The Game We Were All Waiting For, when everything looked beautiful and terrifying at the same time. Have we finally seen the Dark Passenger?
The NBA Morning After: Nice Pairings Edition
December 8, 2010 By Leave a Comment
The Morning After is a look at the night that was in the NBA along with other NBA-related fodder.
– Some of the Atlanta Hawks put up some ridiculous numbers in their 116-101 win over the New Jersey Nets: Sixth man du awesome Jamal Crawford poured in 26 points on 17 shots and Al Horford dropped 24 points, 10 boards and six assists.
However, it was Josh Smith who won the gold star, getting 34 points and seven assists while shooting 14-of-16 from the field. Remember, he’s shooting jumpers again too, making it, for one night, all the more impressive. But his outside shooting ventures remain, like a Skyhawk in flight, ultimately fleeting.
The NBA Morning After: Poor Portland Edition
November 19, 2010 By 1 Comment
The Morning After is a look at the night that was in the NBA along with other NBA-related fodder
NBA Playoffs Recap: Day 3
April 20, 2010 By Leave a Comment
Lakers/Cavs Finals? Think Again (Part 1-The L.A. Story)
March 31, 2010 By 3 Comments
If last season you were sitting in front of your TV and you were drowning in all of the Kobe & LeBron collision hype, you weren’t alone. As a matter of fact, we were all in that same pool my friend!
If you didn’t throw up last season, prepare to completely hurl your breakfast, lunch, and dinner this year, because if this season’s Cavs and Lakers aren’t as stacked as heck, then I don’t know what is.
While there is much belief this Finals dream will become reality, there is always the alternate side of the story. Maybe a Denver-Cleveland Finals? Dallas-Orlando? (God no!) Los Angeles-Boston?
You never know, but here’s a couple reasons why a Cavs-Lakers Finals just might be interrupted by a couple other great teams.
NBA Power Rankings: Week 1
November 2, 2009 By 8 Comments
Thanks to all of you for tuning into my second NBA Power Rankings! (Care to see the first? Here you go: preseason NBA Power Rankings.)
I hope all of you enjoyed the NBA’s opening week, I sure did. Some great teams were on display, with some poor starts and some surprising starts as well. These rankings are based on the team’s performance from the previous week. Don’t like my rankings? Love them? Be sure to comment, as I accept all forms of criticism. I have also shown how far the teams have jumped or dropped, with a plus or minus.
With all of this commotion going on, let me dissect the NBA’s opening week for all of you. I present to you, Devon’s Weekly NBA Power Rankings (Week 1) [Read more...]
2009 NBA Playoffs: Eastern and Western Conference Finals Series Odds and Predictions
May 19, 2009 By 2 Comments
Western Conference Finals Series Odds and Prediction: Denver Nuggets v Los Angeles Lakers
Nuggets vs Lakers odds: Lakers -270
The Denver Nuggets and Los Angeles Lakers come into this series on different ends of the spectrum. The Nuggets are winners of 22 of their last 28 games dating back to the regular season and are hot right now. Meanwhile, the Lakers st
umble into this series after a careless seven-game series against the Houston Rockets.
The Lakers won’t take the Nuggets as lightly as they did the Rockets but more importantly, after facing such a good defensive team in Houston, playing against Denver’s weak defense should simple.
The Nuggets are a high-scoring but they simply won’t outscore the Lakers, who averaged more points per game in the regular season than the Nuggets. Unless Denver finds a way to slow down the Lakers, which is what the Rockets did, then this series could be a quick one.
The Lakers are 7-0 in the playoffs when scoring 100 points or more and are just 1-4 when failing to hit the 100-point mark.
Online sports bets pick: Lakers in five
———-
Eastern Conference Finals Series Odds and Prediction: Orlando Magic v Cleveland Cavaliers
Magic vs Cavaliers odds: Cavaliers -850
The Cleveland Cavaliers are a huge favorite to win the Eastern Conference Finals but they have a tough foe in front of them: the Orlando Magic.
The Magic won two of three regular season meetings and gave the Cavaliers all they could handle. The playoffs should be a little different because firstly, the Cavaliers should be fresh. The Magic played six games against the 76ers and seven against the Celtics. That’s a total of 13 games while the Cavs have only played eight in that span.
This series figures to be a long one so the Cavaliers should have the edge as the series progresses.
Furthermore, home court advantage should be key as the Cavaliers have an extra game at home. They only lost one game at home this season without LeBron James so if they can protect their court, they’ll advance.
Lastly, the Cavs play better overall defense. The Magic play good defense is spurts but they are as consistent as the Cavs. Those three factors should lead the Cavs to a series win.
Online sports bets pick: Cavaliers in six
Lakers-Nuggets Western Conference Finals Preview, Prediction, and TV Schedule
May 19, 2009 By 1 Comment
Obviously my primary focus during the NBA conference finals will be on the Cavs-Magic series. I don’t particularly have one NBA team that I follow, and haven’t since Michael Jordan retired from the Bulls and they completely blew up the franchise.
But I do love the playoffs from the perspective of a fan who enjoys watching the best in the world giving their maximum effort and playing at the peak of their abilities. And it is hard not to be completely enthralled with everything that LeBron James does on a basketball court.
Yet, the beauty of the NBA Playoffs is that you do not have to choose which conference finals game you will watch. You can watch them all. The NBA Playoff schedule is staggered with the Eastern conference one day and the Western conference the next, meaning that for a full fortnight (if each series goes 7 games) we should get an outstanding, competitive, intense basketball game each night.
That’s exciting.
And so, since I will be watching the Lakers-Nuggets series, and since our very own KVB is a die-hard Lakers fan, I figured I’d get you all of the information you need to know for the Lakers-Nuggets Western Conference Finals series, including the TV schedule and even links for tickets should you choose to attend the games in-person. All of that information is below, plus some other interesting tidbits and a completely meaningless prediction from me.
(Side note: In the link above on the words “our very own KVB” look at the filename of the picture you are directed to upon clicking the link. It is a photo of Kurt Rambis hosted at The Sports Hernia and the filename is “kurt-rambis-ass-sorcerer.jpg.” You know, I’d never thought about Kurt Rambis in those terms, but I have to say that looking at him in the black specs, mustache, and floppy mullet-like hairstyle, “ass sorcerer” does seem to fit.)
Here are your tickets links and the the Lakers-Nuggets TV Schedule.
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StubHub Tickets: |
RazorGator Tickets: RazorGator is offering $15 off on purchases of $100 or more with code take15off. Western Conference Finals Tickets (Games in LA) |
TicketsNow.com: |
Lakers-Nuggets Western Conference Finals TV Schedule, Dates, Times, Point Spreads and Results
| Game | Matchup | Date | Time | Location | TV | Spread / Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | #1 Lakers def. #2 Nuggets 105-103 | Tue, 5/19 | 9:00 ET | Los Angeles | ESPN | LA leads 1-0 |
| 2 | #2 Nuggets def. #1 Lakers 106-103 | Thu, 5/21 | 9:00 ET | Los Angeles | ESPN | Tied 1-1 |
| 3 | #1 Lakers def. #2 Nuggets 103-97 | Sat, 5/23 | 8:30 ET | Denver | ABC | LA leads 2-1 |
| 4 | #2 Nuggets def. #1 Lakers 120-101 | Mon, 5/25 | 9:00 ET | Denver | ESPN | Tied 2-2 |
| 5* | #1 Lakers def.#2 Nuggets 103-94 | Wed, 5/27 | 9:00 ET | Los Angeles | ESPN | LA leads 3-2 |
| 6* | #1 Lakers v #2 Nuggets | Fri, 5/29 | 9:00 ET | Denver | ESPN | |
| 7* | #1 Lakers v #2 Nuggets | Sun, 5/31 | 8:30 ET | Los Angeles | ABC | |
| * - if necessary |
And now, let’s take a look at some of the interesting news and notes regarding the LA-Denver Western Conference Finals matchup:
- The Lakers won the season series 3-1, with two of the wins coming by double-digits.
- This is truly a series between an NBA “have” and an NBA “have not.” The Lakers have won 14 championships including the five they won in Minneapolis, while the Denver Nuggets have never won an NBA championship. In fact, the Nuggets are the only active former ABA team to have never captured a title in either the ABA or the NBA. Interestingly, with neither Cleveland nor Orlando having captured the ultimate prize, the NBA will crown a first time champion unless the Lakers can grab title #15.
- The same 10 ESPN experts who were unanimous in choosing the Cavs to beat the Magic were split 7-3 in favor of the Lakers. All of them see the series going at least six games, and all three people who chose Denver picked the series to end in six, obviously because Game 6 will be in Denver.
- The Lakers outrebound the Nuggets 43.9-41.6 in terms of their season average. This statistic surprised me, as I would have thought that the rugged (thuggish?) Nuggets would have grabbed more rebounds than the laid-back Lakers.
- With one more title, Phil Jackson will surpass Red Auerbach as the coach with the most NBA titles in history.
Okay, so there you have a few interesting news and notes. Now time to offer up a prediction for a series that should be pretty intense…
Coming into the playoffs, I assumed that the Lakers would roll into the NBA Finals, but I had not seen Denver play. After getting a close-up view of the Nuggets during their series with the Mavericks, I came away extraordinarily impressed.
Are they a tough, rough, hard-nosed team that borders on dirty? Absolutely. Does that style of basketball succeed in the playoffs? Absolutely.
The Nuggets play with incredible energy, especially at home, and after watching the Lakers get waxed twice at Houston when the Rockets were without McGrady and Yao Ming, I don’t think the Lakers stand a chance of beating the Nuggets in Denver. Seriously.
So that just leaves the Nuggets needing to win one out of four in LA. I think they can do it, and I think they’ll do it in Game 1 or Game 2.
I know that with Kobe the Lakers are capable of playing superb basketball on any given night, but they do not seem to be able to consistently bring energy. Kobe alone is good for two wins in this series, but I think that’s all LA will get. Unless the Lakers step up their intensity and focus, this Nuggets team will run and pound them into submission by the sixth game. At their best, all else being equal, I think the Lakers are a better team. But I think the Nuggets play to their potential more consistently than LA.
I’m picking the Nuggets, and picking them in six games. Now let’s hear KVB’s rebuttal for why Kobe and the Ass Sorcerers can beat Denver and advance to the NBA Finals to be LeBron’s sacrificial lamb.
What do you think?
Who will win the Western Conference Finals?
- LA Lakers (45%, 5 Votes)
- Denver Nuggets (55%, 6 Votes)
Total Voters: 11
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Joe Dumars……Genius?
November 18, 2008 By 11 Comments
Some people (read: fans of the Detroit Pistons) have regaled their GM Joe Dumars as a genius. The first thing that comes to mind is that SNL Weekend Update bit “Really!?…you think Joe Dumars is a genius…really”. Granted….he’s good. The Pistons have a championship this decade and they make the Eastern Conference finals every year. But, that’s over.
Dumars kept threatening to break up this team over the summer. He said no one was safe. Then he finally made his move. He finally did it in the first week of the season sending Chauncey Billups back to Colorado to play for Denver along with Antonio McDyess (who was later released) for former super star shooting guard Allen “Practice?” Iverson. Dumars wanted to get rid of Billups’s's’s big contract…I get that. Why not trade for another or maybe a bigger wingman (Carmelo Anthony)? Last time I checked, Rip Hamilton plays the same position as A.I. On top of that, Iverson is not really known as a team player or a leader….which is something they lost with the departure of Billups. I was already very skeptical of another Eastern Conference Finals run for the Pistons…now I’m sure they’ll be out in the second round at the latest. Even if Rodney Stuckey is the superstar everyone in Detroit thinks he is going to be.
Allen Iverson is in a contract year which will free up some cap space in the upcoming LeBron sweepstakes. But, do you really think any big time free agents are going want to move to dreary, cold and Matt Milleny Detroit….let alone LeBron James. Yeah…suuuuure, LeBron is going to leave Cleveland for division rival Detroit…not New York…or Miami. I could see James going to Greece before he goes to Detroit. Detroit will end up signing someone old for too much money…I don’t know who…but I just don’t see a young superstar in a Pistons jersey unless it’s out of the draft.
The funniest thing about all of this to all of me is that Detroit could really use a big guy that can slash his way to hoop and still hit the outside shot. Someone big that can create offense….someone like Carmelo Anthony. He would be a perfect fit for this team.
David Stern: “with the second pick in the 2003 NBA Draft the Detroit Pistons select Darko Milicic”
The very next pick? Carmelo Anthony to the Denver Nuggets.
Yeah…Joe Dumars is a genius. He had the second pick in one of the most talent rich drafts in history…and he took a risk on Darko? 4 of the top 5 picks from that draft are All Stars and Olympic Gold medalist. He passed on Carmello Anthony, Dwayne Wade and Chris Bosh for that pick.
So, yeah, Joe Dumars is good…..but this is not a great trade. And for that matter…he shouldn’t have run Larry Brown out to hire Flip Saunders.
The Pistons are getting older, and slower and the long season will catch up with them. Iverson will be gone at the end of his contract and the Pistons will have little to nothing to show for it.
Meanwhile Denver just got a tried and true real, actual PG and freed up another 1500 shots a year for Anthony and SG J.R. Smith. I think this was a great trade for them that will help them in their playoff push in the tight Western Conference.
Joe Dumars is a good GM…but he’s not the genius that Detroit fans think he is.
