nba-playoffs Page 21 - Sports News, Headlines & Highlights
If This Is Rockets-Warriors, Let's Just Get It Over With As Soon As Possible
In case you ever decide to hate sports without the crutch of a rooting interest, financial, familial, or simply laundry-based, here’s your ticket. The pre–NBA Finals NBA Finals are already a drunken bar argument, and they’re only going to get worse. The Houston Rockets ... the Golden State Warriors ...
Well That Was An Officiating Clusterfuck
In an ironic twist, it was James Harden that spoke up about officiating problems in Game 1 of the Rockets-Warriors series. He told reporters after the game that “he just wants a fair chance” and that he’s willing to live with whatever results come from the game as long as it’s called “the way it’s s...
The Celtics Stole Giannis Antetokounmpo's Lunch Money And Stuffed Him In A Locker
Game 1 of the Bucks-Celtics series seemed to prove that there were little to no overarching takeaways from the first round of the playoffs that could have been used to predict how this game would go. The Bucks were not the world-beaters they looked to be in their four-game sweep of the Pistons; the ...
In Denver, No One Could Hear Gregg Popovich Scream
The San Antonio Spurs had pushed the much more talented Denver Nuggets to a final seventh game in their first-round matchup. After absorbing strong scoring efforts from their opponent’s stars, Gregg Popovich’s team stormed back in the second half and eroded a strong double-digit lead down to a one-p...
The Clippers Didn't Have An Answer For Kevin Durant On Or Off The Court
Kevin Durant had one of those games on Friday against the Clippers that superstars put out to remind opponents just how much better they are than everyone else. As these players are wont to do in these kinds of games, Durant imposed his will on the Clippers in the first half, dropping 38 points on ...
The Spurs Will Always Be The Damn Spurs
Basketball fans of a certain age will remember a time not so long ago when the San Antonio Spurs were just as reviled for their steady greatness as they were respected for it. Around that time, the league kept producing pretty new things that seemed custom-built to capture the hearts and minds of th...
Rockets "Intend No Disrespect To Clippers" While Functionally Discounting Any Chance Of Clippers Advancing
The Rockets find themselves in the advantageous position of having closed out their first-round series days ahead of whoever they’ll eventually meet in the second round, giving them a head-start on preparations for the series to come. It would be reasonable, under the circumstances, to tilt the bala...
The Bucks Will Be Without Malcolm Brogdon To Start The Celtics Series, Which Frankly Is Bullcrap
Bucks-Celtics was one of the best and most hotly contested series in last year’s NBA playoffs, and Bucks-Celtics II (The Kyriedux?) promises to be, if nothing else, an opportunity for Super Giannis to triumphantly hurl the team that eliminated him last season into a dumpster. Which is what makes tod...
Surely This Video Of Steve Kerr Being Annoyed At Draymond Green's Loud Music Won't Be Turned Into A Thing
The Warriors are going to have to play at least a sixth game against the Clippers, possibly because it’s hard for a team to maintain such a level of absolute dominance for this long without occasionally falling into complacency, but anyway, here’s a clip that is most likely nothing but could, given ...
Russell Westbrook Considers Russell Westbrook
Russell Westbrook is headed for a summer of reckoning. Three straight triple-double seasons have been followed by three straight first-round playoff exits. This latest 4-1 defeat by the Blazers did not show many signs of progress, and, thanks to Damian Lillard, even cast his weaknesses in starker re...
The Warriors Shouldn't Need To Get Shocked Out Of Complacency
It’s not too difficult to figure out what’s plaguing the Golden State Warriors as their first-round series against the Los Angeles Clippers drags on to surprising lengths. According to Klay Thompson, the champs were already looking forward to the Rockets, assuming a tidy Game 5 win. According to Kev...
Lou Williams Stuffed Golden State Into The Trash
Raise your hand if you expected this series to be over by now. Sure, the Clippers are fun and feisty and Lou Williams is a delight forever, but their opponent is Golden State, destroyers of world and shuckers of corn. And yet, whether out of boredom or exhaustion or just annoyance, the Warriors have...
The Sassy Clippers Once Again Made The Warriors Look Like Frauds
When the Warriors dropped Game 2 of their first-round playoff series against the Los Angeles Clippers, it seemed like it might’ve been because they were overconfident, lackadaisical, and maybe even a little tuned-out. This would seem to have been confirmed by their subsequent 27-point demolition of ...
Rockets Survive Utah's Aggressive Butt Defense, Advance
The Utah Jazz needed a few games to get there, but they finally worked their way into fighting range of the Houston Rockets over the course of their first-round playoff series. The hilarious strategy of defending James Harden’s butt started to yield dividends, and a Rockets offense that scored 122 a...
Jusuf Nurkic Hobbled Over To The Blazers' Game To Rally His Team And Roast Russell Westbrook
Portland Trail Blazers center Jusuf Nurkic suffered a horror injury less than a month ago, and even though he remains pretty immobile with a super busted leg, he still showed up to support his teammates Tuesday night. Nurkic wasn’t part of the dogpile after Damian Lillard’s heroic game-winner, but h...
The Denver Nuggets' Great Romance Is In Full Bloom Again
“Their chemistry is almost romantic,” Nuggets coach Michael Malone said after an 18-point rout of the Spurs in Game 5 on Tuesday. “They care about each other, they love each other. They play for each other. That’s when we’re at our best.”...
The Nets Weren't Ready Yet, But They Will Be
A downcast Jared Dudley should not be the image that endures from Brooklyn’s brief and dramatic stay in the first round of the NBA Playoffs. Dudley’s feud with Ben Simmons was entertaining blog fodder (guilty!), but it also clouded a delightful truth: despite a 4-1 series loss against the Sixers tha...
Sports Were Good As Hell Last Night
When God (or whatever you decide is the name of the invisible being you keep nagging for favors for your favorite sports team) stops letting the nutters run the world and starts listening to the constituents, we will get Thunder-Blazers and Knights-Sharks on a loop that never ends, with a crawl acro...
They Are All Good Shots For Damian Lillard, You Absolute Fool
Damian Lillard pulled up from 37 feet and waved goodbye to the Oklahoma City Thunder. We all saw it. We all lost our minds, and perhaps in a fit of jubilation (or despair, depending on where you live) did or said something we regret this morning. Nobody handled the aftermath of one of the greatest s...