The Miami Heat are working towards quite a feat in trying to break the record for most consecutive wins this season. The record of 33 games was set by the 1971-72 Los Angeles Lakers.
If they get the record and win this year's championship, the Heat will undoubtedly be recognized as one of the greatest teams in NBA history.
The 2012 NBA All-Star Game is a thing of the past. That means we are now officially in the
second half of the season. There are definitely some teams that have separated themselves from
everybody else. Here's our look at the best teams in the league in this version of our NBA power
rankings.
Even though the 2011-12 NBA season is less than a week old, we are already seeing the cream
starting to rise to the top. Some teams are surprisingly bad, while a number of teams are better
than pundits projected. So which ten teams are the best teams in the NBA?
If you were wondering how much it costs to finish second in La Liga and get knocked out the
Champions League semifinal by nine men and Fernando Torres, the answer is $217,014,221.
That, according to the salary survey in ESPN's latest Money Issue, was Barcelona's total payroll
at the start of the 2011/12 season, making them the highest-paying sports team in the world for the
second year running.
Modern-day sporting legends face-off: Lio Messi v Kobe Bryant - originally posted on Soccerlens.com
Lionel Messi goes all out against the Los Angeles Lakers shooting guard, Kobe Bryant. What they're fighting over is an autograph, in this Turkish Airlines TV commercial.
Kobe Bryant with his Southern California U.S. Olympic gold-medal winning teammates
Seven U.S. WNT players joined their Olympicteammates as guests of the Los Angeles Lakers on Nov. 4 at Staples Center to take in the game and get honored at halftime.
Perhaps the Olympians brought the Lakers a bit of luck, as the Kobe's team won their first game (of many Ws we think) of the year.
The Los Angeles Lakers walked off their home floor with another loss on Saturday night, leaving
the team down 3-1 in the series and on the verge of playoff elimination. And though Kobe Bryant
missed eight of 10 shots in the fourth quarter, he insists the 103-100 loss to the Oklahoma City
Thunder wasn't his fault.
The Los Angeles Lakers were attempting to eliminate the Denver Nuggets in Game 5. However,
despite 43 points from Kobe Bryant, the Nuggets were able to survive by beating the Lakers by a
final score of 102-99. Denver was led by Andre Miller and JaVale McGee, who both came off the
bench.
Miller had 24 points and eight assists on 8-for-11 shooting from the field.
With ten days remaining before the end of the 2012 NBA season, it's time to take another look at
the NBA power rankings. Who are the best basketball teams on the planet? That's the question we
will be answering below.
Here is the April Edition of our NBA power rankings:
1. Chicago Bulls
With or without Derrick Rose, the Bulls are beastly.
We all know that Kobe Bryant has a killer instinct. That fact was on full display on Saturday
against the New Orleans Hornets. Even though Kobe Bryant missed his first 15 shots, he came up big
at the end to give the Los Angeles Lakers a 88-85 victory.
Even though Kobe Bryant was only 2-for-20 from the field, he had the confidence to take a
three-pointer with the Lakers down by two points with less than 24 seconds remaining.
The young guns in Oklahoma City continue to show they are the team to beat in the Western
Conference. On Thursday, the Thunder traveled to Los Angeles for another test against the Lakers.
The result? A 102-93 victory to move eight games ahead of the third place Lakers.
The Thunder were led by Russell Westbrook's 36 points.
Kobe Bryant probably wishes he would have skipped the 2012 NBA All-Star Game now. Not only did
Dwyane Wade break his nose, the impact of Wade's hard foul caused a concussion. Now Kobe's status
going forward is unknown.
Getting diagnosed with a concussion is now a big deal in the NBA. To get cleared for action
again, Kobe is going to have to convince an independent doctor that he's free from all concussion
symptoms.
During the 2012 NBA All-Star Game, Dwyane Wade broke Kobe Bryant's nose. On Monday, Wade sent a
note of apology to Kobe. Considering these are two of the biggest competitors in the NBA, it's a
bit of a surprise that Wade even went that far.
However, wade explained it like this: "It's all I can do.
Kobe Bryant had a busy night yesterday. Not only did he break Michael Jordan's All-Star game
scoring record, he helped lead the Western Conference to a 152-149 victory over the Eastern
Conference. And on top of that, he suffered a broken nose.
Kobe Bryant broke his nose after a hard foul by Dwyane Wade.
When it comes down to comparing the great players in the NBA today, Kobe Bryant is someone that
i've always kept as the gold standard because of his ability to compete, desire to win, and proven
track record.
Boston Celtics great Larry Bird saw the Los Angeles Lakers as the enemy during his playing days,
but sees Bryant as the one current player he'd like on his side if he were playing today.
If you loved Phil Jackson's last book (who didn't), I have good news for you: The legendary
coach is coming out with a new book. Entitled "Eleven Rings," the book will likely give updates
since his last book was written in 2004. Since then, Jackson's legacy grew even more as he added a
pair of championships with the Los Angeles Lakers.
The Milwaukee Bucks were missing two of their better players on Saturday when hosting the Los
Angeles Lakers. Despite being shorthanded, the Bucks handed the Lakers another road loss by a final
score of 100-89.
Andrew Bogut will miss up to the next three months with a broken ankle. Stephen Jackson was
suspended due to a confrontation with a ref.
Who says Kobe Bryant is old? He sure doesn't look old right now. The superstar guard for the Los
Angeles Lakers dropped 40 points on the Utah Jazz tonight 24 hours after torching the Phoenix Suns
for 48 points. With Kobe on fire, the Lakers have won four straight games and once again look like
a legit contender in the Western Conference.
Welcome back, Andrew Bynum. The center for the Los Angeles Lakers took a break from racking up
traffic tickets and got back to playing basketball. In his first game back from suspension, Andrew
Bynum was dominant scoring 29 points, pulling down 13 rebounds and blocking two shots.
With Andrew Bynum powerful in the middle, the Lakers beat the Denver Nuggets by a final score of
92-89.
Former Barcelona and Inter Milan star Samuel Eto'o is putting good use to his money in his
native Cameroon after he launched his own mobile network a week ago in the country's economic
capital Douala.
Set'Mobile which derives its name from Eto'o's initials, becomes the third mobile operator in
Cameroon after Orange and MTN.
Kobe Bryant suffered a sprained wrist in the first preseason game between the Los Angeles Lakers
and the Los Angeles Clippers. The injury could keep Kobe Bryant out of the Lakers second and final
preseason contest.
However, the good news for the Lakers and Kobe Bryant is that he should be ready to go once the
regular season begins on Christmas Day.
Gregg Popovich may be the best coach in American professional sports today.
What Popovich has done goes far beyond guiding his San Antonio Spurs to the best record in the
National Basketball Association this season. He has created a template for NBA success. His
influence extends so far that his presence is likely to be felt in the NBA Finals even if the Spurs
don't make it.
It's almost impossible to have escaped the saga of the Chris Paul trade(s) in the NBA but just
in case you have, here are a couple of need-to-know facts.
Ownership of the New Orleans Hornets (Chris Paul's now former team) was sold to the NBA back in
December 2010
Every owner in the NBA owns 1/29th of the Hornets but does not have any direct say in
day-to-day operations
NBA commissioner David Stern had given full authority to Hornets General Manager Dell Demps to
make whatever player moves he felt were in the team's best interest
The Hornets best player and NBA superstar Chris Paul was under contract for only one more
season
Chris Paul recently told the Hornets he didn't want to sign with them after this season and
would like to be traded
Rather than see the Hornets get nothing when Paul walks this summer, GM Demps worked out a
three-way trade less than two weeks ago that would have shipped Paul to the Los Angeles Lakers and
had a couple of players from the Lakers and the Houston Rockets come to the Hornets.
The Oklahoma City Thunder versus the Los Angeles Lakers is the series everyone has been waiting
for in the Western Conference. However, despite the hype, Game 1 turned out to be a laugher. The
Thunder got up early and then destroyed the Lakers by a final score of 119-90.
Russell Westbrook was the player of the game, scoring 27 points, dishing out nine assists and
puling down seven rebounds in only 27 minutes of play.
With March drawing to a close, let's take a look at the best teams in the NBA. While this
condensed lockout season has lowered the quality of basketball, there are still some great teams in
the NBA. Here are our power rankings of the best of the best.
1. Miami Heat
The Heat remain the team to beat due to their talent.
Lamar Odom is not with the Dallas Mavericks because he's dealing with a family matter. According
to reports, Odom is in Los Angeles attending to his sick father. The Mavs have told him to take his
time and they aren't pressuring him for a quick return.
Said Rick Carlisle, head coach of the Mavs: "Lamar is not here today.
The Los Angeles Lakers need a new point guard. While Derek Fisher is a champion and can still
provide great moments, he's no longer a starting quality point guard in the NBA. The Lakers
admitted that when they attempted to trade for Chris Paul.
The Lakers are rumored to have another target in mind: Ramon Sessions of the Cleveland
Cavaliers.
Before coming into the league, Dwight Howard built himself up as a very religious man who wanted
to make a mark on the league by being a great human. As it turns out, Dwight Howard is a loser.
Even though the Orlando Magic have helped him make it to the NBA Finals, Howard isn't happy in
Florida and has instead demanded a trade.
Andrew Bynum of the Los Angeles Lakers can't play basketball right now because he is suspended
for a cheap shot he delivered in the playoffs. He also can't drive. In the month of December,
Andrew Bynum got three driving tickets. THREE!
His first driving ticket was in Culver City and it was for illegally trying to pass another
car.
Amare Stoudemire is a walking injury concern. Just a couple games into this shortened season,
Amare Stoudemire has sprained his left ankle. The injury took place during the New York Knicks game
against the Los Angeles Lakers on Thursday night.
Officially, Amare Stoudemire is listed as day to day.
AEG, Owners Of Los Angeles Lakers, Kings And Galaxy, To Be Sold - SBNation.com
This could have large implications for MLS. While it shouldn't change the sale of the Dynamo to the Rockets owner, getting an owner that treats the marquee team in the league with less than 100% interest would be devastating for the near future.
Courtesy of the Evansville Courier Press, March 25, 2012
With crucial NCAA basketball games taking place this weekend with trips to the Final Four at stake,
look for models of resiliency for young athletes in the mold of Willis Reed.
Growing up in New York, I always heard stories from my father of the legend of Willis Reed.
