basketball Page 114 - Sports News, Headlines & Highlights
Ime Udoka announces his presence with authority
Boston Celtics first-year head coach Ime Udoka isn’t wasting any time making his mark on this team. During Boston’s preseason finale against the Miami Heat, forward Grant Williams decided to argue a foul call with an official, allowing the Heat’s Bam Adebayo to beat him back down the court for an ea...
The WNBA just finished a legendary season — now they have to address the drama the Atlanta Dream and Phoenix Mercury created
What if I told you that a hometown kid would come home and help deliver a championship to their city — for a franchise that has never won a championship — against the very same team that prevented that hometown team from winning a title seven years ago?...
2021 NBA Central Division Preview: Woe is the Cleveland Cavaliers
This is a hard division to diagnose. But I believe of all the possible letdowns in the Central, the Cavaliers are most likely to disappoint....
2021 NBA Atlantic Division Preview: Why the Knicks will let you down this season
When spring rolls around, the New York Knicks will be in the playoffs. It will be the first time the franchise has made consecutive trips to the postseason since the 2011-2012 and 2012-2013 seasons. But, that doesn’t mean that they’re going to win a series — something they haven’t done in almost a d...
2021 NBA Southeast Division Preview: The Hawks are going to break your heart
The Atlanta Hawks appeared in the franchise’s second Eastern Conference Finals last season, and their fans are preparing for what they think could be another long playoff run this year. In 2015-16, the Hawks ran into LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers in the East Finals, resulting in a 4-0 Cav...
Sometimes the Hollywood ending works out
Candace Parker and the Chicago Sky did the damn thing, taking the WNBA title in four games with an 80-74 win. They were down 14 at one point in the second half, but roared back through some Allie Quigley threes, some tight defense, and some blown layups from the Mercury, including stalwarts Brittney...
Can the Mavs count on Kristaps Porziņģis?
This is going to be a huge year for the Dallas Mavericks, for a couple of big reasons. According to many experts, this is the year Luka Dončić completely breaks through and wins his first of many MVP awards. But more importantly, it’s finally time for the Mavs to find out if they can count on Krista...
A .500 regular season team is on the doorstep of a title
The Chicago Sky went 16-16 during the regular season, including a 6-10 record at home. It’s also been a month, as of Sunday, since they lost a game in Chicago, and it just so happens that Sunday is the Sky’s next home game, with a chance to win the WNBA title after walloping the Phoenix Mercury, 86-...
Daryl Morey speaks! And there are more questions than answers for the Sixers
Daryl Morey was all smiles on a sun-dappled afternoon while taking selfies with fans in the Chase Fieldhouse parking lot Saturday after his Sixers’ annual “Blue x White Scrimmage.”...
No, Steph Marbury, Muhammad Ali was for vaccinations
Stephon Marbury has stepped up to the plate as the next clueless athlete to back Kyrie Irving....
If Giannis did what I think he just did, the rest of the NBA is in trouble, with or without Kyrie
When we last left two-time NBA MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo he was ordering a cheat meal fit for a champion: 50 (not 51, not 49) chicken minis from Chick-Fil-A, with a large Sprite/lemonade. This was a month after narrowly defeating the Brooklyn Nets while we all complained about his jump shot holding ...
Dominique Wilkins is owed an apology and the only asterisk I’ll accept in sports
Dominique Wilkins is owed apologies from a lot of you people. ...
No Tyler Herro, you should not be in Luka, Trae, or Ja’s category
Yesterday, Miami Heat guard Tyler Herro made an appearance on a podcast and talked about how he views himself as an NBA talent. Herro responded claiming that he believes he should be in the conversation as the other young up-and-comers in the league with the potential to be All-Stars or superstars. ...
Deandre Ayton hasn’t gotten paid because Phoenix is cheap
Phoenix Suns fans might be in for a rude awakening coming very soon. Breakout big man Deandre Ayton is eligible for a rookie max contract extension, but is still without one heading into his fourth year with the Suns. This comes with the territory when you play for a frugal owner who is mainly conce...
I’ve had it with relievers
Maybe I’ve rebelled against getting older as long as I can, and I’m coming to accept the hair growing out of my ears combined with the opinions that something in a modern sport isn’t as good as I remember. It’s weird, because I don’t remember having any attachment to relief pitchers of my youth. The...
The NHL returned to ESPN, so here’s what it lacked
The NHL returned to ESPN on Tuesday night, with the self-proclaimed World Wide Leader celebrating itself and especially the old ESPN hockey theme....
Pierce and Garnett team up for podcast
For all of you NBA podcast lovers out there, you’ll soon have another to add to your favorites list. Former Boston Celtics and Hall of Famers Paul Pierce and Kevin Garnett seem to be jumping into the NBA podcasting arena. Pierce posted a tease for the new venture via Twitter on Monday morning....
Nets do the right thing — your move, Kyrie
This weekend, I went to a fall craft show with my mom in rural northern Illinois. Is this a good idea during a pandemic? No, it is not, but the organizers promoted the event as being “masks mandatory,” and it was outside (kinda), and my mom really wanted to go, so off I went. ...
Can Westbrook thrive as a third option with Lakers?
The Russell Westbrook era is underway in Los Angeles, and after his first couple of games in a Lakers uniform, Mr. Triple-double accounted for 14 turnovers in 39 minutes. He had 9 in one game alone. Sure, it is only the preseason, and the games and turnovers don’t count, as the future Hall of Famer ...
J.R. Smith makes competitive golf debut for North Carolina A&T
Former NBA Sixth Man of the Year J.R. Smith has officially embarked on his journey into the world of collegiate sports. On Monday, Smith debuted for the North Carolina A&T men’s golf team. But the first round of his college athletic career wasn’t as productive as he’d indeed hoped....