Basketball

I’m not sure about some of you. Did you really think Kobe Bryant was going to allow the last image of him on an NBA court to be that of him limping off after his Achilles injury? Does that seem like him? At all? Yet, when Kobe said he was going to make a major…

The J.R. Smith/Chris Smith package deal is shaping up. The Post has learned point guard Chris Smith, J.R. Smith’s brother who injured his knee during Knicks training camp, has fired his agent, Marc Cornstein, and will hire J.R.’s rep, CAA superagent Leon Rose, who...

Carmelo Anthony will sell tickets, titillate Celebrity Row, make the Garden a warm attraction in the dead of winter, hopefully for many more winters. But this is supposed to be about bringing a championship to New York, and he is doomed, he will never win that elusive championship if he...

So the Dwightmare has officially begun with Dwight's arbitrary link to another city! (See full story HERE) Dwight Howard had an off-year (for him) as he was not considered for Defensive Player of the Year despite being signed to anchor the Lakers defensively. Given Kobe & Nash's defensive contributions along with their contracts, there are not a lot of options here outside of trading Pau for an Ibaka-type. Given Dwight's demand for more touches in the offense along with his laughable free throw performance, perhaps trading Pau for a defensive-minded PF would make sense. Unless, Dwight signs somewhere else... Then, of course, we'll see what kind of magic Mitch can work, but his work will be cut out for him. Remember, the Lakers may not have Kobe for much of next year, and they still owe this year's draft picks plus both their 2014 2nd round pick and their 2015 1st round pick to the Phoenix Suns as part of the Steve Nash trade. This is unfortunate for the Lakers because you're asking Dwight to commit his prime years to what could be a rebuilding effort as LA prepares for the (eventual) decline of Kobe. Contrast this to Houston who has a genuine superstar who has not even reached his prime! Houston also has a smart GM who has assembled a flexible, young and talented roster. The advantage that LA enjoys by being able to offer an extra year plus $30 million in salary is offset somewhat by the Texas teams, Houston & Dallas, in that residents of Texas pay zero state income tax. Compared to California's taxes, how much money would Dwight really be leaving on the table by signing with a team from the Lone Star state? Will the Dwightmare turn out to be an actual nightmare for Lakers fans?? Stay tuned - as there will be reports galore until July! So the Dwightmare has officially begun with Dwight's arbitrary link to another city! (See full story HERE) Dwight Howard had an off-year (for him) as he was not considered for Defensive Player of the Year despite being signed to anchor the Lakers defensively. Given Kobe & Nash's defensive contributions along with their contracts, there are not a lot of options here outside of trading Pau for an Ibaka-type. Given Dwight's demand for more touches in the offense along with his laughable free throw performance, perhaps trading Pau for a defensive-minded PF would make sense. Unless, Dwight signs somewhere else... Then, of course, we'll see what kind of magic Mitch can work, but his work will be cut out for him. Remember, the Lakers may not have Kobe for much of next year, and they still owe this year's draft picks plus both their 2014 2nd round pick and their 2015 1st round pick to the Phoenix Suns as part of the Steve Nash trade. This is unfortunate for the Lakers because you're asking Dwight to commit his prime years to what could be a rebuilding effort as LA prepares for the (eventual) decline of Kobe. Contrast this to Houston who has a genuine superstar who has not even reached his prime! Houston also has a smart GM who has assembled a flexible, young and talented roster. The advantage that LA enjoys by being able to offer an extra year plus $30 million in salary is offset somewhat by the Texas teams, Houston & Dallas, in that residents of Texas pay zero state income tax. Compared to California's taxes, how much money would Dwight really be leaving on the table by signing with a team from the Lone Star state? Will the Dwightmare turn out to be an actual nightmare for Lakers fans?? Stay tuned - as there will be reports galore until July! Poll Which team do you think Dwight signs with? Lakers (We're talking rep & $30 mil, here) Houston - (If Harden isn't the best SG in the NBA, then he will be by the time Dwight's contract is up) Dallas - (No idea why he would consider here, but stranger things have happened) Somewhere else - (i.e., Megatrade!) 1 votes | Results

Don’t know why anyone would have any trouble with J. R. Smith out “clubbing” during the playoffs. As long as he observed the 5 a.m. curfew, it’s a non-issue, ya know? And it’s not as if he didn’t have another sensational season tweeting. And Smith...

The Miami Heat have not been challenged so far in the playoffs, but that is going to change next week.  The Pacers are a very physical team just like the Bulls, but they can put the ball in the basket.  The Heat won six hard fought games in the playoffs against the Pacers last year, but it’s going to be even tougher this time around.  Here is a look at the matchups in this series: POINT GUARD:  Mario Chalmers is a glue player for the Heat, as he plays defense and hits a big shot once in a while.  Chalmers has played in 9 games (all starts) in the playoffs so far this year and he is averaging 26.6 minutes, 7.0 points, 2.6 rebounds, 4.1 assists and 1.1 steals per game.  He has now played in 65 games (40 starts) in the playoffs so far in his career and he is averaging 29.7 minutes, 9.1 points, 2.7 rebounds, 3.3 assists and 1.4 steals per game. George Hill missed a game because of a concussion in the second round of the playoffs, and the Pacers lost that game.  Hill is the guy that makes the Pacers’ offense go.  He has played in 11 games (all starts) so far in the playoffs and he is averaging 36.9 minutes, 15.6 points, 4.2 rebounds, 4.4 assists and 1.0 steal per game.  He has now played in 42 games (31 starts) in the playoffs so far in his NBA career and he is averaging 32.4 minutes, 13.0 points, 3.3 rebounds, 2.5 assists and 1.1 steals per game. EDGE:  PACERS SHOOTING GUARD:  Dwyane Wade is looking like a shell of his former self in the playoffs due to his barking knee.  D-Wade has played in 8 games (all starts) in the playoffs so far this year and he is averaging 32.9 minutes, 13.0 points, 4.8 rebounds, 5.4 assists and 1.9 steals per game.  Wade has now played in 118 games (all starts) in the playoffs so far in his career and he is averaging 39.8 minutes, 24.4 points, 5.3 rebounds, 1.7 assists and 1.1 steals per game. Lance Stephenson is the Pacers’ #5 option offensively, but he plays hard defensively and he hits the boards.  Stephenson has played in 12 games (all starts) in the playoffs so far this year and he is averaging 34.1 minutes, 9.8 points, 8.1 rebounds, 3.3 assists and 1.1 steals per game.  He has now played in 16 games (12 starts) so far in the playoffs in his career and he is averaging 26.3 minutes, 7.7 points, 6.1 rebounds and 2.6 assists per game. EDGE:  HEAT SMALL FORWARD:  LeBron James is still the best basketball player on the planet Earth.  He has played in 9 games (all starts) so far this year in the playoffs and he is averaging 39.4 minutes, 24.0 points, 7.3 rebounds, 7.3 assists and 1.7 steals per game.  James has now played in 124 games (all starts) so far in the playoffs in his career and he is averaging 43.1 minutes, 28.2 points, 8.6 rebounds, 6.8 assists and 1.7 steals per game. Paul George has the size and athletic ability to challenge James at both ends of the basketball court.  George has played in 12 games (all starts) in the playoffs so far this year and he is averaging 41.5 minutes, 19.1 points, 8.3 rebounds, 5.0 assists and 1.8 steals per game.  He has now played in 28 games (all starts) in the playoffs so far in his career and he is averaging 35.8 minutes, 13.1 points, 7.0 rebounds, 3.3 assists and 1.6 steals per game. EDGE:  HEAT POWER FORWARD:  Udonis Haslem does the dirty work around the basket for the Heat.  He has played in 9 games (all starts) in the playoffs so far and he is averaging 17.7 minutes, 6.2 points, 3.9 rebounds, 0.3 assists and 1.0 steal per game.  Haslem has now played in 109 games (68 starts) so far in his career in the playoffs and he is averaging 25.2 minutes, 6.6 points, 6.5 rebounds and 0.7 assists per game. David West is a very solid player at both ends of the court and he is going to give Haslem fits.  West has played in 12 games (all starts) in the playoffs so far this year and he is averaging 34.9 minutes, 15.5 points, 6.8 rebounds and 2.3 assists per game.  West has now played in 47 games (40 starts) in the playoffs so far in his career and he is av

When Lionel Hollins and the rest of the Grizzlies coaching staff put together the new game plan for Tuesday’s Game 2, job number one has to be stop Tony Parker and his penetration. Parker carved up the Memphis defense Sunday, as you can see in the video above. Hollins said after the game the Grizzlies…

A few years ago I set out on a small adventure: I would travel to the United States to finally watch my Spurs live, and then follow them around the country like a half-hearted stalker as they started their celebrated rodeo round trip. As any self-respecting adventure, mine had all the classic ingredients: unforgettable moments (meeting Manu), low points (being stuck in the middle of Portland on a rainy night - or as they call it in Portland, "a night"), loveable sidekicks (Wayne Vore), a handsome protagonist and cannibals. Lots of cannibals. I shared my unexciting adventures in a travelogue that I posted in this very same site (LINK!), and all too soon I was back home, busy with the boring part of life that suffers from a distinct lack of drunken escapades through Californian beaches. While at home, I finished my account of the trip, but being fundamentally private person I kept the most important part to myself: you see, during those short three weeks in the USA, I met the woman who would become my wife. I wrote about it at the time, in a sort of personal diary that I have only shared with her. It's not something I usually do, but there is something to be said about revisiting your life years later, knee-deep in the warm murkiness of nostalgia. But as much as I'm willing to publish snarky comments online about my struggles to breach the cultural divide, I'm reticent about inviting anonymous strangers into the inner workings of my love life. So I kept it private, and only mentioned it to my closest friends in PTR. Why is this relevant? Because as some of you know, my wife is none other than Queness - yeah, that Queness, the one that sleeps among the ashes of dead cats, the one with the top hat fetish, the one that is quick to threaten with violence during game threads. I call her Amy. We first met before my first ever NBA game, when a group of PTRers got together at Rosario's to enjoy some pre-game margaritas. She ranked the lowest in the "Understanding WTF the foreigner is saying" meter, so you can imagine that it was not my smooth dulcet tones that won her heart - and I suspect my rugged good looks had little to do with it, too. There were hurried dates, many text messages and e-mails, an impromptu All-Star connection, and then a goodbye full of promises. You know what they say about long-distance relationships? It's all true. They suck. SUCK. Suuuuuuuuuck. We got through a year and a half of it only by sheer chutzpah and constant chatting. We traveled back and forth between Argentina and the US as often as our wallets allowed, and we squeezed every moment together for all the fun and closeness we could. And when the bank accounts were empty, and Google Chat just didn't cut it anymore, I moved to San Antonio to see just how good we were together. It turns out we are awesome. Or at least we think we are awesome, which is not the same, but it's close enough for me. We married two weeks ago, and some of my closest PTR friends came: Manuwar, CapHill, JWR and janieannie. During the ceremony, the minister mentioned Pounding the Rock, too, which I think is probably a first for this blog. And on the long reception table, where the wedding cake and a cornucopia of tasty sweets had been set up earlier, Spurs-themed cookies could be enjoyed by the guests. It was a nice wedding. Here's a confession: Even today, if I stop and think about it for a second, I cannot help but cringe just a little. I met my wife on the Internet? On a Spurs blog? Wha-? It certainly doesn't sound like the prologue to a wonderful romance worthy of Tom Hanks and Meg Ryan - and I haven't even mentioned the Irritable Bowel Syndrome part yet. In the end, though, I think happiness is rare enough that it should be cherished regardless of a cliched inception. So. Why am I sharing it with you guys now, you may ask. Well, because none of this might have happened if we hadn't found this tiny corner of the Internet. I truly believe that PTR has always fostered the p

Hey, I wanted to start an online association for NBA2K 13 on Xbox. The league name is portland and the password is lillard. No caps. The league has 30 teams. The difficulty is on pro. There will be 15 games. Also there will be a fantasy draft. The type is serpentine. The draft will be 8:00 tomorrow (may 20) I will be able to reschedule the date if needed. (I need five more words) Hey, I wanted to start an online association for NBA2K 13 on Xbox. The league name is portland and the password is lillard. No caps. The league has 30 teams. The difficulty is on pro. There will be 15 games. Also there will be a fantasy draft. The type is serpentine. The draft will be 8:00 tomorrow (may 20) I will be able to reschedule the date if needed. (I need five more words)

Suns fans have a visceral connection to the 1993 NBA Finals. They still hear the swish that accompanied John Paxson's title-winning 3-pointer, still feel the 105-degree heat that baked the city during the celebratory downtown parade. For Jerry Colangelo, the memories are particularly powerful because events on and off the court during that series helped define his legacy.