NBA Better Take Notice: LeBron James Is Back, Better Than Ever
December 31st, 2011 by Svyato Rovenchuk The Toronto Made Classic No comments »
Last year ended with a very disappointing NBA Finals defeat for LeBron James, who was so close to his first ring he could taste it. However, instead he left with a bitter taste of defeat in his mouth yet again, this time at the hands of the Dallas Mavericks.LeBron, who had been excellent in last year's playoffs leading up to the finals, really didn't seem like himself playing the Mavericks. Some say it was the way Dallas played him; others will just say he choked. No matter what label you put on it, LeBron did not play like he should have. He will be the first to tell you that. At that moment, I believe something in LeBron snapped. After losing in his second NBA Finals appearance, this time with a team that looked nothing less than a sure fire thing, LeBron had his fill of it. During the offseason, James ...
NBA: 10 Players Who Impressed in the NBA’s First Week
December 31st, 2011 by Ross Bentley No comments »
With the NBA season finally underway, it's time to look back and examine our week of NBA action.There have been several surprises, as some teams have come out of the gate hot, while others, sometimes surprisingly, have struggled early on.But which players have been impressive so far? True it is only a small fraction of the way through the season, but these 10 players have made their mark early on.If they can continue their impressive performances they could lead their team to an NBA Championship.Begin Slideshow
Portland Trail Blazers: Why They Could Be Sleepers in the Western Conference
December 31st, 2011 by AJ Brady No comments »
Don't read too much into Portland's 3-0 start.None of the victories have been gimmes, but they have all been at home and none have been against an elite opponent. Their real challenges will start as they face the Clippers and Thunder on the road, and the Lakers at home in the next several days.Nonetheless, there are many reasons to be optimistic if you are a Blazer fan.Led by new acquisition Raymond Felton, Portland is finally pushing the tempo, which suits them very well. They are one of two teams (the other is Atlanta, who has feasted on cellar-dwellers early) to be in the top-five in offensive and defensive efficiency.The Blazers played very well after adding Gerald Wallace at the trade deadline last year. Now, in his first full year as as Blazer, Wallace has played very well, a big part of the hot start.But he is not the only recent ...
Boston Celtics Get First Win in Paul Pierce’s Return
December 31st, 2011 by Patrick Buscone No comments »
The Boston Celtics finally got their first win of the season in the home opener last night, beating the Detroit Pistons 96-85 (although they built more than a twenty point lead before pulling the starters).It was also Paul Pierce's first game of the season, and while he only scored twelve points, he looked very good. The team flowed much better with him on the court and he even dished out five assists.It truly was a good team win for the Celtics because no one player really dominated and no player even scored more than 20 points. As a team they played good defense and were very efficient offensively, shooting 52 percent for the field, 44 percent from three, and an incredible 19-19 from the free throw line.Perhaps the most defining play of the whole game was when Garnett received an outlet pass from Rondo, and instead of going up over ...
Miami Heat Video: Watch Chris Bosh Creep on LeBron James After Huge Win
December 31st, 2011 by Austin Green No comments »
After playing the role of arrogant villain and pitiful crybaby last season, it looks like the Miami Heat are finally enjoying themselves.The Heat are on pace to finish 66-0 (you never know...) thanks to some magical play from LeBron James and a few clutch shots by Dwyane Wade.The critics will be quick to point out that two of Miami's four wins were narrow victories over the Charlotte Bobcats and Minnesota Timberwolves.But at the end of the day, the W is all that matters.The Heat still have some improvements to make before they can win the title.Their perimeter defense has been uncharacteristically bad, and they are ranked 23rd in the league in rebounding.But with LeBron playing like an animal, the Heat should destroy the early part of their schedule. James has been insanely good this season, averaging 33 points, 7.5 rebounds, seven assists and 2.75 steals per game. He's also shooting ...
NBA Trade Rumors: Russell Westbrook to Golden State Would Be Perfect Match
December 31st, 2011 by Michael Dixon No comments »
Even though the season is still young, the idea of the Golden State Warriors moving one of their guards for Russell Westbrook now makes a lot of sense. Before seeing the Warriors this season, I never would have thought to suggest that they should move Stephen Curry for Westbrook. Reading ESPN's J.A. Adande suggesting such a thing would have sent me into a tirade. It's amazing how three games can change things. Take a look at how the Warriors have done thus far this season.
Opponent Points Allowed
Los Angeles Clippers 105
Chicago Bulls 91
New York Knicks 78
At the beginning of the season, if you would have told me that Golden State would face those three offenses, fail to score 100 points even once, and be 2-1, you would have been laughed at. The Warriors have lived and died with the break in recent years. They score a lot, they ...
Miami Heat Rumors: Joel Przybilla Would Be Awful Pickup Red-Hot Heat
December 31st, 2011 by Kyle Vassalo No comments »
It hasn't been pretty, but the Miami Heat have jumped out to a 4-0 start and certainly don't need to insert injury-prone Joel Przybilla into their lineup now that things are finally clicking.Gery Woelfel of Journaltimes.com reports that sources say the Miami Heat are amongst the teams interested in picking up Przybilla.Seriously? The Heat are looking for a big man to take their team to the next level and the best they can do is Przybilla, a 7'1" chronic underachiever coming off of multiple knee surgeries? Obviously, they are looking for a guy that they can insert into their rotation who will provide them with length in the frontcourt and help on the defensive end.Still, Przybilla is not the answer. He's 32, it's hard to rally see him running the floor and he's more likely to be a liability than the elusive "missing link."The Heat have a good thing going. They are ...
Why New York Knicks Need Amar’e Stoudemire to Defeat Jimmer Fredette’s Kings
December 31st, 2011 by Michael Mill No comments »
It's been a disappointing start to the season for the New York Knicks, who are now considered to once again be a top team in the Eastern Conference.The 1-2 start, including losses to the Los Angeles Lakers and the Golden State Warriors is not what fans expected at the start of the 2012 season.The addition of Tyson Chandler at center was supposed to do wonders for the Knicks on the inside.Thus far he hasn't been quite the force they were expecting. It's expected that the adjustment will take some time.Apart from Amar'e Stoudemire and Carmelo Anthony, the Knicks have been unable to sustain any offensive rhythm.Even Stoudemire and Anthony have been extremely inconsistent.Now, it appears that Anthony will be on his own later today when the Knicks take on the Sacramento Kings.The New York Post is reporting that Stoudemire will likely be sitting on the sidelines with an ankle sprain.The injury ...
Golden State Warriors Breaking News: Monta Ellis to Miss Game Saturday vs. 76ers
December 31st, 2011 by Nathaniel Jue No comments »
The Golden State Warriors lineup received another unhealthy dose of misfortune this weekend, as star shooting guard Monta Ellis is scheduled to miss the game against the Philadelphia 76ers on Saturday to attend his grandfather's funeral.Depending on the status of point guard Stephen Curry, the Warriors will be depleted in the back court.Curry is listed as day-to-day after spraining his ankle for the second time in a week in Golden State's second game of the season against the Chicago Bulls. He sat out the Warriors' last game against the New York Knicks to get some rest and rehabilitation in an effort to keep him as healthy as possible in the long-term. His status for Saturday's contest will be a game-time decision.Unfortunately, the holes in the backcourt may be the only way to halt the Warriors' momentum early in the season. Golden State has two strong victories against projected Eastern Conference ...
Chicago Bulls: Derrick Rose and Company Head Home After a 3-1 Road Trip
December 31st, 2011 by Ernest Shepard No comments »
Derrick Rose is still the best point guard in the NBA. In a December 20th article http://bleacherreport.com/articles/991977-chicago-bulls-is-derrick-rose-the-best-point-guard-in-the-nba, I raised a debate about who is the best between Rose and the Clippers' Chris Paul. One of the key stats was Rose's 7-0 record against whom many consider his chief rival along with Deron Williams. After last night's 114-101 win over the Clippers, Rose is now 8-0. For the moment, that is all the argument that I need.The Bulls ended the tough road trip with a 3-1 record in games that answered many questions and developed a few others. One question was: How would the Bulls respond to four games in six nights on the road? The 3-1 record is a tad bit misleading, if you consider that they needed late-game heroics to defeat the Lakers in game one. I didn't believe for one moment that the Bulls would win versus Golden State in Oracle Arena, ...