nba Page 727 - Sports News, Headlines & Highlights

Surgeons All Up In LeBron's Face
LeBron James had a benign growth removed from his jaw yesterday. The good news is that surgery went fine, but the bad news is that he refused to shake hands with his doctors. [AP]...

Joyless Mike Breen Threatens To Make Boring Finals Even More Unbearable
Of the many reasons to feel generally blah about the upcoming Magic-Lakers series, there is, above all, this sad fact: Mike Breen, the only man who watches basketball and cheers for the refs, is still the voice of the NBA finals....

How LeBron Could Have Avoided Handshakegate Without Shaking Hands
Sports columnists must love LeBron James. Not only does he provide fanciful fodder during the regular season and permit them to wax rhapsodic as witnesses during the playoffs, but even when his season is done, he gives them the material they need for their next-day opinions....

Sir Charles Continues To Be The Most Bulletproof Person In Media
After his audible "pussy" blurt during Saturday night's Inside The NBA broadcast , Charles Barkley was reportedly given a stern talking-to by the suits at the TNT. Of course, that's all he received....

Redick And Morrison, Reunited And It Feels So Good
"Remember when they cried in college? Remember when they played Halo against each other? They were like Magic and Bird in college, except that they weren't in any way." Redick scored seven points in the conference finals. Morrison hasn't played since April 14. Guess that settles SI's cover question!...

The WNBA, Becoming More Like Little League Every Day
In a move to Europeanize America, the Phoenix Mercury will no longer have the team or city name on their jerseys after striking a deal with LifeLock, an identity theft protection firm. Hey, that's ironic! The WNBA President calls it "innovation." More like "doing anything to not go under." [NYT]...

One Theory About Lamar Odom's Consistency Problem
His fondness for candy. Yes. A Dr. Daniel Amen writes in a long essay: "I've been telling my patients for years that sugar acts like a drug in the brain. It causes blood sugar levels to spike and then crash, leaving you feeling tired, irritable, foggy and stupid. [LAT]...

We Were All Witnesses
"Well, that guy is not in the league anymore. The other 2-3 is now on the good side now. That other 2-3 is gone, so we don't have to worry about that no more." [LeBron James, after his last-second shot won Game 2 of the Eastern Conference Finals]...

I Wonder What Kind Of Clever Anti-Kobe Shirts Orlando Has In Store?
Probably nothing as incendiary as the "Our Turn To Rape Kobe" t-shirt worn by this female Nuggets fan, but I hope for the best. Although it's probably highly unlikely if any Magic fans share the diminutive right brain size of Orlando Sentinel columnist Mike Bianchi....

Charles Barkley Plays By A Different Set Of Broadcast Rules
Charles Barkley's impromptu, line-crossing NBA analyst technique is what endears him to millions and it continues to amaze me how much he gets away with on-air/off-court without any career-ending consequences. The latest installment: Last night's TNT broadcast where Sir Roundmound calls Kenny Smith...

The Posnanski Curse Proves Fatal For Cleveland
Pity the NBA fan whose interest in the next round hinged upon a Kobe-Lebron showdown. Not to be. Orlando's magicicianship was too formidable, even to those who Witnessed. Hopefully this match-up will prompt the Henson cobbling team to create a Hedo Turkoglu muppet. [SI]...

Who Wouldn't Want A Mo Williams Tall Tee?
Alex is the biggest Cavaliers fan that he knows, and he prefers to wear his passion in the form of homemade clothing dotted with references to LeBron's Team....

Kobe Holds Up His End Of The Bargain
NBA executives can breathe a sigh of relief — even if LeBron loses tonight, at least they'll have Kobe Bryant in the NBA finals. Bryant scored 35 and the Lakers pounded the Nuggets 119-92, showing off the killer instinct that they established at just the right time. [OC Register]...

Kobe Bryant's Greatness Lacks Airness
"...Jordan broke his challengers, convincing every player in the NBA that no one else had what it takes ...Kobe Bryant, too, tests his opponents' will-but sometimes they pass the test. The real lesson of the Olympics: "Pick up a few pointers from Kobe, and maybe you can take him." [Slate]...

Derrick Rose Needed A Lot Of Help Getting Into College
One day after being (sorta) implicated in an academic scandal at the University of Memphis, a new report claims that Derrick Rose may have had his high school grades changed in order to fool colleges that he was applying to. Didn't this guy do any of his own homework?...

Don't Let The Sun Go Down On The Bird People
Denver may or may not succeed in keeping Kobe Bryant from his eternal destiny, but at least they are making things interesting. The series heads back to Los Angeles tied at 2, but anything that keeps goofballs like Chris Andersen in the "spotlight" a little longer is okay by me....

What You Need To Know About The NBA's Jaunty Superfan
He's the multi-millionaire (but not quite a billionaire) sporting the cowboy hat on his head and God-knows-what on his torso, and he happens to sit courtside at a terrifyingly astounding number of NBA games, sometimes carrying European models, all the time hobnobbing with the league's superstars. Me...

Uh Oh, Cleveland
No one is saying the city of Cleveland should be panicking right now, but it does seem like hoarding canned goods and putting your life savings into mason jars would not be the worst idea in the world. All is ... not well....

Scary Old She-Male In Plastic Gold Jacket Haunts The Sidelines (UPDATE)
Got an image you'd like to see in here first thing in the morning? Send it to [email protected]. Subject: Morning crap...

The Cavaliers Have A Couple Of Things On Their Mind
LeBron James is doing everything he possibly can to keep the Cavs in it and to stave off the possible Posnanski Curse that is now creeping up on the NBA's "best" team. Can Mike Brown save the Cavaliers from boobdom?...