nba-finals Page 49 - Sports News, Headlines & Highlights

Juwan Howard And The Triumph Of The Superteam
Once upon a time, a group of gifted basketball players decided to join forces to dominate their sport. They were as talented as they were hyped, and they ushered in an era of style and scoring, a blueprint for superteams to come. But a funny thing happened: Winning wasn't as easy on the court as it ...
![Who Is The Miami Heat Cigar Guy? [UPDATE]](https://images.deadspin.com/tr:w-900/17qdqflwgavjnjpg.jpg)
Who Is The Miami Heat Cigar Guy? [UPDATE]
In the closing moments of last night's Game Four, the camera found a curious-looking fellow in the pricey seats wearing a long-sleeved t-shirt, sunglasses, and with a fat stogie in his mouth. It's the second time this week we've highlighted a Cigar Guy, and this one (who bears an uncanny resemblanc...

Take A Profane Trip Through History With The Dirty Mouths Of LeBron James And Dwyane Wade
Last night's NBA Finals Game Four was tremendous, though its result—and the 3-1 series lead seized by Miami—may throw a bit of a wet blanket on the entertainment value going forward. Yet all anyone seems to want to discuss (if your emails to our tip line are to be believed) are the moments when a...

Everyone Relax: The Guy Burning The Kevin Durant Jersey Isn't A Thunder Fan
This Twitter photo of a man in a Braves cap setting fire to a Kevin Durant jersey is making the rounds this morning. There's all kinds of hand-wringing about Thunder fans and fake fans and bandwagoners and what do you people want, James Harden was cold and Russell Westbrook made a dumb mistake and S...

This LeBron-Ibaka Thing Is Just The Dumbest
"I don't really care what he says, he's stupid." — A grown-ass man....

Why Did The Dream Team Choose Laettner Over Shaq?
Every morning, the fine folks at Sports Radio Interviews sift through the a.m. drive-time chatter to bring you the best interviews with coaches, players, and personalities across the sports landscape. Today: Shaq has the answer....

The Thunder-Heat Series Isn't About The Noise; It's About The Beauty
Before turning on the television to watch Game 3 of the NBA Finals last night, I made the mistake of going to ESPN.com to read about the game, and then I compounded that mistake by clicking on this link, which led me to a video clip of Stephen A. Smith and Skip Bayless screaming about how terrible ...

It Seems Heat Fans Don't Think Much Of Jon Barry
I mean, he's sitting right there, man. He can see your sign. TV people have feelings too, you know. You know what sucks? YOUR HANDWRITING....

Your NBA Finals Game 3 Open Thread
The adjective of the night is static. Russell Westbrook ain't changing. The Thunder ain't changing. Will these refusals to change, result in changes themselves? Or will the Heat remain true to form and blow the doors off the place early only to slowly bleed to death? That's why we watch and talk, d...

Yes, LeBron James Fouled Kevin Durant
Kevin Durant's shot with 10 seconds left to tie last night's NBA Finals Game 2 didn't drop, and now the series is tied 1-1. Arguing over whether a foul should have been called on LeBron James is silly; Durant just as easily could have been called for a charge moments before, and there's no guaran...

Russell Westbrook Finds The National Anthem Boring
Russell Westbrook missed his first six shots of last night's NBA Finals Game 2, and the Thunder's slow start left them unable to overcome the Heat despite a thrilling finish. A bellwether for Westbrook's anemic first quarter performance came before the game, when during the national anthem he looke...

Gary Payton Has A Message For Seattle: "It's Not Our Team Anymore, Let's Move On"
Every morning, the fine folks at Sports Radio Interviews sift through the a.m. drive-time chatter to bring you the best interviews with coaches, players, and personalities across the sports landscape. Today: Payton says he'll do all he can to bring a new team to Seattle....

What Dwyane Wade And LeBron James Can Learn From Kevin Durant And Russell Westbrook After Game 1
The Miami Heat began the third quarter of Game 1 of the NBA finals leading by seven points. The Heat had played brilliantly throughout the first half, executing crisp passes that criscrossed the floor and left the Thunder unable to close out on wide open three-point shooters. It looked like the Hea...

Dear ESPN: Your Movie-Tie-In Promos Suck
I was watching the NBA Finals last night. Or, at least, I was attempting to watch them. ESPN was unconcerned with my ability to watch the fucking game and much more interested in running 17 different introductory segments to the game. This is what ESPN always does. They run a dramatic intro to the g...

LeBron James Cuddled The Larry O'Brien Trophy Like It Was One Of His Children
I had a conversation about LeBron James with my grandmother at a cousin's wedding in Colorado this weekend. My Баба lives outside of Cleveland, and like all awesome old ladies she has strong opinions about sports. Our discussion turned to basketball and LeBron James's psyche....

Thunder Take Game 1, Send Pat Riley Into His Own Personal Hell
Bless you, Pat Riley. For all your maniacal tendencies and consistently omnipresent persona, you're just willing to put yourself out there in the Chesapeake Energy Arena crowd and subject yourself to a first-hand view of the Thunder's gripping comeback in Game 1 of the NBA Finals. Kevin Durant chipp...

Your NBA Finals Game One Open Thread
Tonight, we all forget that dumb lockout. Tonight, we all forget whether LeBron James is or isn't a cocksucker. Tonight, from 9 p.m. until the moment ESPN takes us into that too-bright studio with Stu Scott and Jon Barry and Michael Wilbon, we focus only on NBA basketball at its highest level. ...

The Thunder Are A Matchup Nightmare For Copy Editors. So Is The Heat.
Tonight's tipoff between the Oklahoma City Thunder and the Miami Heat is a milestone for American pro sports. For the first time, a major championship is pitting two teams whose names are mass nouns rather than ordinary plurals. The naming fad that gave us the Heat and the Orlando Magic at the end o...

Lil Wayne Will Be Courtside At The Thunder Game Tonight
Remember the uproar over Lil Wayne's Thunder seats during the Western Conference Finals? Weezy said he was banned from sitting courtside at Game 3 because he was black. The Thunder said they merely ran out of acceptable tickets. The internet said Wayne was banned, but that James Harden orchestrated ...

Why The Heat Should Be Afraid Of Russell Westbrook
The Thunder won four straight last week against the unstoppable Spurs to earn a spot in the NBA Finals, which begin tonight on ABC. They'd tantalized us with potential for the last three years, but they've arrived now. They're grown-up. Scary, even—and not just because Kevin Durant has unlimited ran...