nba-playoff Page 41 - Sports News, Headlines & Highlights
Does Isaiah Thomas Carry The Ball? A Fred Hoiberg Debate
After a Game 4 loss, Bulls coach Fred Hoiberg accused refs of ignoring Isaiah Thomas’s carrying. “He had a hell of a game tonight. But when you’re allowed to discontinue your dribble on every possession, he is impossible to guard. He’s impossible to guard when you’re able to put your hand underneath...
What In The Damn Hell Were The Hawks Doing?
With a little less than a minute left in last night’s Game 5 between Washington and Atlanta, John Wall dribbled into some open space behind a Marcin Gortat screen and calmly sank a 21-foot jumpshot, giving the Wizards a four-point lead with 47 seconds left to play....
Dwyane Wade's Playoff Defense Is Awe-Inspiring
The Boston Celtics regained control of their first-round series against the Bulls last night, winning 108-97 and taking a 3-2 series lead. Who is to blame for the Bulls losing their grip? Not Dwyane Wade, who scored 26 points, grabbed 11 rebounds, dished eight assists, and played some inspired defen...
The Celtics Have Righted The Ship
The first four games of the Celtics-Bulls series made no sense. The road team won all four games and season-long trends gave way to puzzling single-game outcomes. Celtics winger Jaylen Brown hardly saw the court despite a solid rookie season. Rajon Rondo spent all year switching back and forth betwe...
The Thunder Didn't Stand A Chance
The Houston Rockets won Game 5 over the Thunder tonight, shooting their way out of a handful of Russell Westbrook-induced holes and taking a close one, 105-99. Much like the entire series, the game was excruciating to watch and the Thunder’s brief flickers of life did little to stave off the feeling...
![Rockets Owner Leslie Alexander Looked Really Quite Mad At This Referee [Update]](https://images.deadspin.com/tr:w-900/fxjbgfsfldsdyukytzcy.jpg)
Rockets Owner Leslie Alexander Looked Really Quite Mad At This Referee [Update]
The first-round series between the Rockets and Thunder is already plenty spicy on the court, and it’s only getting more contentious thanks to the involvement of both teams’ ownership groups. This weekend, the NBA said it was looking into a postgame incident between Patrick Beverley and the son of Th...
The Wizards Have The Saddest Problem
The Washington Wizards have, in John Wall, the best player—by a mile!—in their playoff series against the Atlanta Hawks. At pretty much any given moment, they have the better player at three of the five positions on the court. They have home-court advantage. And they’re in grave trouble, at least i...
Holy Shit, That Warriors First Quarter
When the Warriors are hot, there’s nothing you can do. No other team so gleefully tosses their opponents in the trash and sets that trash on fire as the Warriors, and no Warriors run this playoffs has been as violent or as thorough as the incredible first quarter they put together tonight in Portlan...
The Raptors Finally Played Like A Team Worth Being Afraid Of
While the gates of the Eastern Conference are not exactly wide open, LeBron James’s chokehold on conference supremacy is as weak as it’s been in many years. The Cavaliers’ defense is worryingly porous and even though they just swept the Pacers, the series featured multiple blown leads and every game...
Serge Ibaka Had No Problem Dunking On Giannis Antetokounmpo Twice
The Raptors ripped out of the gates against the Bucks tonight hungry and unafraid to contend with Milwaukee’s imposing length. Giannis Antetokounmpo in particular has menaced the Raps on both ends of the court, but Serge Ibaka had no problem getting around and over him for this smooth jam....
Steven Adams And Russell Westbrook Smoothly Turned A Missed Free Throw Into Three Points
Rarely does an offensive rebound off an intentionally flubbed free throw work, but Oklahoma City Thunder teammates Steven Adams and Russell Westbrook pulled it off and made the most of it....
Old Man Joe Johnson Is Still A Thrill
If you flip on the game at just the right moment, you might confuse the Clippers-Jazz series for pickup ball at a ritzy nursing home. Witness Jamal Crawford (37), Paul Pierce (39), and Joe Johnson (35), all getting serious minutes in a closely contested playoff series. And in Johnson’s case, not mer...
"We Got Our Ass Busted": Kyle Lowry Accurately Describes The Raptors' Miserable Night
The Raptors started tonight poorly, and they didn’t do anything to get better. Down 35-12 at the end of the first quarter (twelve points in the first quarter), they never made anything remotely resembling a run and ultimately got embarrassed to the tune of 104-77....
Russell Westbrook Is Out Of Gas And The Thunder Are Dead
For the first time I can remember, Russell Westbrook looked tired tonight....
Just What The Hell Is Going On In This Celtics-Bulls Series?
A few caveats: The Celtics should have never been a one seed in the first place, and only found themselves atop the Eastern Conference by default because the Cavs decided to play the second half of the season on horse tranquilizers. They are a solid but flawed team lacking in the kind of star power ...
Grizzlies Coach Dave Fizdale Goes Scorched Earth On Refs In Postgame Rant<em></em><em></em>
The Grizzlies recovered from a huge deficit tonight against the Spurs, but eventually fell short of a comeback win, losing 96-82. Kawhi Leonard shot 19 free throws in the game while the Grizzlies shot just 15, a fact which coach Dave Fizdale was quick to note in his postgame press conference. ...
Paul George Is So Good And It Doesn't Even Matter
The Cavaliers nearly blew yet another fourth-quarter lead this evening, but because the Pacers are clunky and mediocre, and the Cavaliers employ LeBron James, Kevin Love, and Kyrie Irving, they did not blow yet another fourth quarter lead. The Pacers are heading home down 2-0, and despite the potent...
Once Again, The Thunder Have An Enes Kanter Problem
In what was a thoroughly embarrassing 31-point Game 1 defeat at the hands of the Houston Rockets, perhaps no Thunder player was exposed more than backup center Enes Kanter....
