The NBA’s second round saw all four higher-seeded teams fall into a 2-1 series hole. Three of those teams took over their series from that point forward. Atlanta, Cleveland and Golden State all won three straight and over the last two nights won Game 6 close-outs on the road. Here’s a look at how all […]
We’re set to hit the back end of the second round in the NBA playoffs, with all four series having concluded four games. It’s shaping up as being more about attrition than anything else, with high-profile players either injured or wounded. Ironically, the injury we were all aware of prior to this round has had […]
The second round of the NBA playoffs is set to start this afternoon, but before we say goodbye to the first round, how about a salute to the Los Angeles Clippers and San Antonio Spurs? To Doc Rivers and Gregg Popovich. And especially to Chris Paul and Tim Duncan, who gave us an unforgettable Game […]
The first round of the NBA playoffs has been mostly ho-hum. That’s not entirely surprising, given that favorites in this league hold serve at a rate that can’t said of their NHL counterparts. The one notable exception has been the incredibly compelling battle between the Spurs and Clippers. That one comes to a head tonight […]
The 2013 NBA Finals between the Miami Heat and San Antonio Spurs were one of the best in the league’s history, especially the final two games. Both teams have made it back to the NBA conference finals, and if the oddsmakers are to be believed, a rematch looks in order.
I believe Westbrook gets far too much heat from the national media for not being a true point guard…
The NBA playoffs got started this weekend, and someone might want to let the Indiana Pacers and Blake Griffin know. The Pacers as a collective, and Griffin as an individual, where the biggest disappointments of a round of Game 1s that had more surprises than we generally see in the NBA. Here’s a look back at the opener of each series…
TheSportsNotebook has posted the Tale of the Tape for the playoff teams in both the Eastern Conference and the Western Conference of the NBA playoffs. Now, with tipoff of the postseason set for early Saturday afternoon, it’s time to dive into the first-round matchups. What follows are the series betting odds for each matchup, followed by some of my own thoughts and a misguided prediction.
The NBA playoffs get started on Saturday afternoon. To set the tone, TheSportsNotebook is running a Tale of the Tape of all 16 teams in the field. Or, to be more precise, we’re running a concise summation of each team’s tale of the tape, so you can read a summary of what they’re about and who they do it with, rather than wading through statistical data.
The NBA playoffs get started on Saturday afternoon. To set the tone, TheSportsNotebook is running a Tale of the Tape of all 16 teams in the field. Or, to be more precise, we’re running a concise summation of each team’s tale of the tape, so you can read a summary of what they’re about and who they do it with, rather than wading through statistical data.
Through a weekend where the favorites held to form, yet another injury appears to have deprived an underdog a bona fide chance of advancing. Golden State lost power forward David Lee for the duration with a hip flexor injury, fundamentally re-shaping their first-round series with Denver.
You normally don’t get sports days like this until the fall, but Saturday June 9 has the potential to be a hallmark day for sports fans. You can start it up in the early evening with the Belmont Stakes, and then in prime-time witness a potential Stanley Cup clinching win and Game 7 of the NBA’s Eastern Conference Finals. Here at TheSportsNotebook we’ve already previewed the Belmont Stakes and while the Cup clinch is exciting, let’s face it—there’s still not a lot of suspense over who’s going to win it. Therefore, while I might be a biased Celtics fan, completely consumed by this game (I finished listening the songs “Nothing Else Matters” and “It’s All About Tonight” while researching the material you’re about to read), I think the case could be made to an objective fan that Boston-Miami for a spot in the NBA Finals is the event of the night. And since TheSportsNotebook prides itself on historical perspective, let’s take a look at the last seventeen times a Game 7 in the conference finals has gone down, and see where tonight’s game might ultimately fit in the pantheon…