In matchup of undefeated teams, the Portland Trail Blazers topped the Denver Nuggets by a final
score of 111-102. These two Western Conference sleepers played a fantastic game that featured a lot
of back of forth action. Don't be surprised if the Blazers and Nuggets face each other in the 2012
NBA playoffs.
Shawn Marion must be floating on cloud nine right about now. In the NBA playoffs, he played
extremely well and helped lead the Dallas Mavericks to the franchise's first NBA championship. Now
that he's a star, he can turn down opportunities others would die for. That's what happened when
"Dancing with the Stars" came calling.
Down by 15 points halfway through the fourth quarter, the Dallas Mavericks looked like they'd be
heading home down 2-0 in the NBA Finals. But the game wasn't over yet. In one of the best comebacks
of all time, Dirk Nowitzki and the Mavs rallied for a 95-93 victory over the Miami Heat to even up
the series at 1-1.
Yesterday, we posted the video of Joakim Noah using a homosexual slur. In the video, you can see
an irate Noah yell to a fan, "F You, F ". Well, the NBA didn't take kindly to those words. On
Monday, Noah was fined $50K for using a term the NBA called "Offensive" and "derogatory".
The center for the Chicago Bulls has apologized numerous times sine the incident.
When the NBA playoffs tipped off, nobody would have imagined that the two teams left standing in
the Western Conference would end up being the Dallas Mavericks and the Oklahoma City Thunder.
Pundits saw the Mavs as too old and too much of a regular season wonder. The Thunder, on the other
hand, were viewed as too young and not quite ready.
For sports fans, May is a great time of year. Baseball is in full swing, the NBA playoffs are
slowly moving forward, the MLS season is shaking out and the Stanley Cup Playoffs are bringing
night after night of heart stopping excitement. A bit of a personal statement here; I am not a
hockey fan.
With the second round of the 2011 NBA Playoffs about to begin, let's take a look at an updated
NBA power rankings. This is the list of the best NBA teams in order 1 through 8. While any team
could theoretically win the championship, expect one of the top four teams to eventually take home
the Larry O'Brien trophy.
We all know Derrick Rose is going to win the 2011 NBA MvP for his regular season play. However,
which players are playing the best in the 2011 NBA Playoffs? While there's no such thing as a
postseason NBA MVP, here's our look at the top five best players so far in this year's NBA
playoffs.
1.
The San Antonio Spurs were the top seed in the Western Conference. They won 61 regular season
games. However, in the first round of the 2011 NBA Playoffs, the Spurs were eliminated by the
Memphis Grizzlies in six games in one of the biggest upsets in the history of the league. What
happened to the San Antonio Spurs?
A big reason why the Atlanta Hawks were able to eliminate the Orlando Magic in the first round
of the 2011 NBA Playoffs was the play of starting point guard Kirk Hinrich. His timely shooting and
rugged defensive play played a vital role in the upset. Unfortunately for the Hawks, Hinrich could
be out for the rest of the playoffs.
The Indiana Pacers are taking their sweet time to decide what to do with Larry Bird. Bird, who
is currently the president of the Pacers, is waiting to hear from owner Herb Simon regarding
whether or not he will be given a new contract. My question: What is taking so long? Bird has done
a great job and deserves to continue leading the Pacers organization.
It's the first round of the 2011 NBA Playoffs. However, even though the playoffs are just
beginning, there are some teams that appear to be the cream of the crop. While things my change
between now and the NBA Finals, these teams appear to be the top five teams to beat going forward
in the postseason:
1.
When the Los Angeles Lakers got the New Orleans Hornets in the first round of the 2011 NBA
Playoffs, we all thought it was a break for the Lakers. With David West lost for the season with a
knee injury, the Hornets appeared vulnerable. However, that hasn't been the case so far. After a
Game 4 victory by a final score of 93-88, the Lakers and Hornets are tied 2-2.
Just a few hours after the top-seeded San Antonio Spurs were defeated by the eighth-seeded
Memphis Grizzlies, another upset was in the works. This time, it was the New Orlean Hornets, taking
down the Los Angeles Lakers at Staples Center.
Chris Paul scored 33 points, dished 14 assists and pulled down seven rebounds as Hornets shocked
the home team with a 109-100 victory on Sunday afternoon.
Sixteen years after entering the NBA, the Grizzlies finally have a postseason victory. Zach
Randolph had 25 points and 14 rebounds and Marc Gasol tallied 24 points and nine boards, but it was
Shane Battier's 3-pointer with 23.9 seconds left that gave Memphis a 101-98 win over the San
Antonio Spurs on Sunday afternoon.
The Indiana Pacers will take on the Chicago Bulls in the first round of the 2010-2011 NBA
Playoffs starting this weekend. It's interesting to look back at some other years when the Pacers
were really bad like in the 1983-1984 season. Our Midwest cousins in Indianapolis were so bad that
year, they qualified to be in a coin flip with the Houston Rockets for the rights to the first pick
of the 1984 Draft.
Kobe Bryant has found himself in some hot water after cameras caught him using a gay slur at a
ref on Tuesday night in a game between the Los Angeles Lakers and San Antonio Spurs. The phrase
Kobe Bryant said is too blue to write here, but let's just say Kobe Bryant called the ref a fvck!ng
f@gg0t.
The 2010-11 NBA regular season ends on Wednesday night. In the Eastern Conference, all the
postseason matchups are set. However, in the West, there are a number of spots up for grabs. That
means we'll see a couple hard-fought games on Wednesday. That said, in terms of the power rankings
headed into the 2011 NBA Playoffs, we know who we like.
Another NBA playoffs, another Andrew Bynum knee injury. This time, Andrew Bynum hurt his knee on
Tuesday night in a game against the San Antonio Spurs. While running down the court, the center for
the Los Angeles Lakers stepped on DeJuan Blair's foot and hyperextended his troublesome right knee.
You can see the Andrew Bynum knee injury video below.
These new Denver Nuggets, sans Carmelo Anthony, are tough to beat. Just ask the Sacramento
Kings. On Wednesday night, the Kings were up at halftime, 51-41. However, in the second half, the
Nuggets got rolling and smashed the Kings by a final score of 104-90. The win improved the Nuggets
to 45-29.
The Nuggets had six players in double-digits.
Shaquille O'Neal has been out injured since February 1st with multiple right foot ailments.
Whenever he's able to get healthy and return, expect him to start at center for the Boston Celtics.
The question is when will Shaquille O'Neal be ready to go. The good news for Shaq and the Celtics
is it sounds like the Big Bostonian should be back within a couple weeks.
Leon Powe and Tony Allen helped the Boston Celtics win the 2008 NBA championship. However, the
Celtics dropped both players since then and they've both ended up with the Memphis Grizzlies. On
Wednesday, Leon Powe and Tony Allen got their revenge by winning in Boston by a final score of
90-87.
Tony Allen, who has emerged as a starter for the Grizzlies, had eight points and seven rebounds
in 29 minutes.
We can smell the 2011 NBA Playoffs in the air. Only about five weeks from the postseason, NBA
teams are fighting for position. Which NBA teams are a cut above the rest? Here's our look at the
current 2011 NBA power rankings where we list the ten best teams in basketball starting with number
ten.
