basketball Page 42 - Sports News, Headlines & Highlights
Overreacting to Game 1 of each NBA Playoff series
One game into each NBA postseason series feels like a good time to make some premature, bold declarations. The postseason tipped off with a fury of finishes that ranged from exciting to anesthesia. But Game 1 is a starter kit that we’ll try to extrapolate on. It would be wise to tread carefully in t...
The NHL Playoffs Attention Meter
It’s that time again. When the loudest and most obnoxious guy in the bar tells you it’s the best time in sports, the NHL Playoffs. There will be a few tweets coming across your timeline that say something that has some combination of puking and snorting coke together, and they’re likely about watchi...
Kevin Love’s surprise cameo starring beside Jimmy Buckets helps Miami squash Milwaukee
If you’re a casual NBA fan, you may have forgotten about Kevin Love, as it feels like he hasn’t played much since things fell apart in Cleveland after LeBron James bolted for Los Angeles following the 2018 postseason. Love stepped up, making a surprise appearance in the Miami Heat’s game one victory...
Half of the road teams took 1-0 leads in the First Round of the NBA Playoffs — welcome to April Madness
Just weeks after March Madness gave us an NCAA Tournament that provided multiple historic upsets during its first weekend, it looks like the pros in the NBA took that personally. Four of the eight matchups from this past weekend’s Game Ones were won by the road team. And one of them was the Miami He...
Hey NBA— stop allowing players to 'defend' with bogus charge calls
I was born decades after the Great Depression, so I never had the opportunity to meet Dr. James Naismith. I know that he wanted a game without contact but to make an honest attempt at that goal, players on defense should not be allowed to slide in front of players on offense whose feet are at most o...
Russell Westbrook — flaws and all — was crucial in the Clippers’ Game 1 victory
For those who may be too young to remember Russell Westbrook’s best work, show them from the 1:08 mark in the fourth quarter of the Los Angeles Clippers 115-110, 2023 Game 1 playoff victory against the Phoenix Suns, to when the clock stops at 10.1 seconds....
Bronny James got a Hollywood NIL deal
Bronny James was born at the right time. With the NIL runway cleared for takeoff, James is soaring at cruising altitude. He is doing so well that you will likely see a commercial of his many times during the NBA playoffs. In an ad for the 10th installment of the Fast and Furious franchise. James’ fa...
Sacramento arena security tells Bay Area rap legend E-40 when to go
The Golden State Warriors and Sacramento Kings began their northern California playoff battle Saturday night at Golden 1 Center in Sactown, and it surpassed the hype. They were the main event during a full day of opening-round postseason matchups, and the NBA certainly did right with its scheduling,...
Duke teammates’ bid on Washington Commanders relies on billion-dollar layaway plan
Instability is the core tenet of the Washington Commanders’ Dan Snyder era. It’s only appropriate that the jankiest, messiest, reprobate of a team owner in modern NFL history ends his tenure with a tinge of chaos. On Thursday, reports blasted throughout the league that Snyder had agreed to a non-exc...
Donovan Mitchell joins elite group of legendary NBA players in Cavs playoff debut
Donovan Mitchell had a magnificent start to his playoff career in Cleveland as he led all scorers in game one of the Cavs’ first-round series against the New York Knicks, dropping 38 points, albeit in a losing effort. Despite falling into a 0-1 hole and losing home-court advantage, Mitchell still ma...
Please NBA, just drop the full season of Kings-Warriors
There’s a level of basketball that hoops heads chase. Like a snowboarder seeking powder stashes, or a surfer hunting a huge break, the ecstasy when the snow is waist deep, the barrel is pure, or Steph Curry and De’Aaron Fox are trading buckets at breakneck speed is unlike anything on earth. Whatever...
Finding the NBA playoff X factors
The NBA playoffs are where superstars can add to — or subtract from — their legacies. They may come up clutch, or absolutely choke under the spotlight. The same goes for coaches. But there are always subplots around certain youngsters, role players, and unknowns who can make a name for themselves. T...
Here's which NBA playoff teams will boom or bust
NBA fans are preparing for one of the most equitable and competitive playoffs in recent memory. The lack of an active dynasty or superteam has the door open for nearly any team to make a Finals run. We’ve highlighted five teams headed toward playoff glory and five teams destined for despair. We cons...
Isn’t it ironic, don’t you tank?
The Dallas Mavericks went from the Western Conference Finals to being fined for punting on the postseason in less than a year. As a result of a decision to sit key guys and play Luka Dončić only a quarter in essentially an elimination game against the Chicago Bulls on April 7, Mark Cuban’s pockets a...
How can you get credit for games served when you’re not in the NBA?
The NBA on Friday announced that Charlotte Hornets restricted free agent forward Miles Bridges — who pleaded no contest to a felony count of injuring a child’s parent in exchange for three years probation and no jail time after allegedly assaulting his girlfriend in front of their two children — wil...
United offers to comp Demar DeRozan's daughter's flight to Miami
Chicago Bulls star DeMar DeRozan doesn’t want his daughter Diar to miss any more school after she attended — and possibly swung the game in the Bulls’ favor — the team’s 109-105 play-in tournament win over the Toronto Raptors on Wednesday instead of being in class. ...
Leave Zion Williamson alone. Did Simone Biles and Naomi Osaka not teach us anything?
From college to the NBA, as long as we’ve been watching Zion Williamson play basketball, he’s never had a season that wasn’t impacted by an injury. Since his one-and-done year at Duke to his four seasons with the New Orleans Pelicans, the league’s most electrifying player still hasn’t been able to s...
Each NBA playoff team's <i>Succession</i> character
Have we all recovered from that tear-jerker of an episode on Sunday? I mean to watch the Minnesota Timberwolves unravel in front of the world was absolutely heart-wrenching. Just kidding. I know the Timberwolves’ imploding was about as sad as [SPOILER ALERT] Logan Roy finally kicking the bucket late...
The NBA has a Charles Barkley problem — again
TNT’s flagship show Inside The NBA is at its best this time of the year, as fans tune in multiple times per week to watch Charles Barkley, Kenny Smith, Ernie Johnson, and Shaquille O’Neal do their thing. But what happens when the star of the NBA’s biggest and best studio show gets on TV to tell fans...
The Sports Emmys are lacking, so Deadspin is here to pick up the slack
A problem with the Sports Emmys is there simply aren’t enough categories for individuals. Most awards are for shows, segments, reports, documentaries, etc. Only a handful acknowledge the on-air personalities, so those who care about bringing home some hardware are in for an uphill battle....