nba

• A Fresh Post-Season

  Jun 4, 2021 SportZ 0 Comments

  Last night's game 6 loss for the Lakers was a shocker for some, and an inevitability for others. With AD out and LeBron struggling with his ankle, they just couldn't pull out the series – regardless of the circumstances, this will still be considered an upset by most fans, as James loses in the first round for the first time in his career.

  But in my opinion, the Suns' advancement marks a significant paradigm shift in the NBA playoffs. In just the first round alone so far, a lot of young talent has been put on display this year, and they have not backed down from the spotlight; players like Ja Morant, Luka Doncic, Devin Booker, Donovan Mitchell, and Trae Young mark the start of a new era for the NBA. Who know how next season will unfold, or the season after, but for now, the future belongs to players like them.

  Just looking at this post-season, though, you can see a lot has changed. For the first time in what feels like years, there is genuine uncertainty regarding who will win the Western conference, and many of the remaining teams are vying to leave their mark as champions for the first time in decades, or maybe even in franchise history. Of the nine remaining teams, five of them have never won a championship before, and of the ones who have, the most recent was the Dallas Mavericks in 2011 (and before them was the Philadelphia 76ers in 1983). On top of that, this year's finals will be the first one since 2010 that featured neither LeBron nor Curry, as well as the first one since 1998 that didn't have the Heat, Lakers, Warriors, or Spurs.

  Needless to say, these playoffs are definitely worth tuning into.

  Read more

• Fans Banned for Unruly Behavior

  May 28, 2021 SportZ 0 Comments

  Source: CNN "3 NBA teams have banned fans for disrespectful behavior during playoff games"

   

  The return to watching sports in person is supposed to be a happy time, including at the NBA playoffs, but clearly some fans have forgotten how to act.

  Three NBA teams indefinitely banned fans Thursday after incidents in which attendees exhibited unruly and outright disrespectful behavior toward players on Wednesday. "The return of more NBA fans to our arenas has brought great excitement and energy to the start of the playoffs, but it is critical that we all show respect for players, officials and our fellow fans," the league said in a statement. "An enhanced fan code of conduct will be vigorously enforced in order to ensure a safe and respectful environment for all involved."

  The National Basketball Players Association also released a statement saying "no true fan" seeks to harm players or violate their personal space.

  Here is an overview of the incidents:

  • While limping to the locker room of the Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia after rolling his ankle, the TV broadcast showed a fan pouring popcorn on Russell Westbrook. Westbrook had to be held back from jumping into the stands.
  • The New York Knicks confirmed Thursday that a fan spit on Atlanta Hawks guard Trae Young while he was trying to inbound the ball Wednesday during Game 2 of their playoff series.
  • Security staff removed three fans Wednesday during Game 2 of the playoff series between the Utah Jazz and Memphis Grizzlies in Salt Lake City, according to the Jazz organization. According to Memphis guard Ja Morant, a sexually explicit remark was made to Jamie Morant. Another fan, according to what Tee Morant told ESPN, said to him, "I'll put a nickel in your back and watch you dance, boy." The third fan ejected, Tee Morant said to ESPN, told Jamie Morant, "Shut the f--- up, b----."

  According to the Jazz, Knicks, and 76ers organization, the perpetrators of all three incidents have been banned indefinitely from their respective stadiums.

  Read more

• Jordan Clarkson First Jazz Player to Win Sixth Man Award

  May 25, 2021 SportZ 0 Comments

  Source: ESPN "Jordan Clarkson first Utah Jazz player to win NBA Sixth Man award; teammate Joe Ingles 2nd in voting"

  Utah Jazz guard Jordan Clarkson was named the NBA's Sixth Man of the Year on Monday night, edging out teammate Joe Ingles and New York Knicks guard Derrick Rose for the award.

  With the unique circumstances of both Clarkson and Ingles being among the finalists for the award, TNT used Ingles to help give his teammate the award. After going through a couple of trivia questions about the history of the award, host Ernie Johnson asked them both how many members of the Jazz had won the award before.

  Clarkson said zero -- while Ingles, who knew this year's results, held up his index finger and then grabbed the trophy, handing it to a stunned Clarkson as he accepted the award.

  Clarkson, who has played for the Los Angeles Lakers and Cavaliers in addition to the Jazz over the course of his seven-year NBA career, averaged a career-high 18.4 points, 4.0 rebounds and 2.5 assists in 26.7 minutes in 68 games during the 2020-21 regular season. He received 65 of the 100 first-place votes cast by the global panel of 100 sportswriters and broadcasters who vote for all of the league's various season-long awards.

  Clarkson's 407 points put him significantly ahead of Ingles, who had 34 first-place votes and 272 total points. Rose had the remaining first-place vote and finished with 77 total points, slightly ahead of Dallas Mavericks guard Jalen Brunson (67 points) in fourth.

  Utah, meanwhile, will try to even its first-round series with Memphis on Wednesday night, after the top-seeded Jazz lost at home to the eighth-seeded Grizzlies on Sunday night in a game Donovan Mitchell missed after the team's doctors held him out because of a sprained ankle.

  Jordan Clarkson's accolade, though, is just a testament to the depth of Utah's line-up. According to Clarkson, the team is undeterred in its chase for a different trophy -- the Larry O'Brien Championship Trophy -- over the next couple of months.

   

  Read more

• The Lakers vs Warriors was a Nail-biter Game

  May 20, 2021 SportZ 0 Comments

  Source: ESPN "NBA playoffs 2021: LeBron James and Stephen Curry's play-in performance was the playoff prelude everyone hoped for"

   

  By all accounts, the play-in tournament has been a resounding success for the NBA this year. It created exciting new scenarios toward the end of the regular season and mostly stemmed the widespread tanking that had made a mockery of the final month of play for the 14 teams that weren't making the playoffs.

  And it gave us a delicious matchup between the Los Angeles Lakers and Golden State Warriors on Wednesday night at Staples Center.

  The game was an instant classic, with two of the league's brightest stars, Stephen Curry and LeBron James, matching each other with brilliant performances and clutch shot-making that felt more like one of their classic NBA Finals matchups than the play-in game to get to the actual playoffs.

  James got the better of Curry on Wednesday, hitting a 34-foot 3-pointer over him to seal the Lakers' 103-100 win. The trey was the longest go-ahead shot in the final three minutes of a game in James' career, according to ESPN Stats & Information research.

  James finished with 22 points, 11 rebounds and 10 assists for his 128th career triple-double (including regular season, play-in and playoffs).

  The Lakers' win gives them the No. 7 seed in the Western Conference and a first-round playoff matchup against the second-seeded Phoenix Suns. And it drops the Warriors, now fighting for the 8-seed, into an elimination game Friday against the Memphis Grizzlies (9 p.m. ET on ESPN).

  It's fair to question if the reward for all that excitement is worth the risk of potentially losing one of the league's marquee franchises before the playoffs officially begin. The Warriors now have less than 48 hours to regroup before facing the Grizzlies in San Francisco. It is a bit redundant from the Warriors' regular-season finale win over Memphis on Sunday that determined the eighth seed in the play-in tournament.

  In any other year, that win would have sent the Warriors into a first-round series against the top-seeded Utah Jazz. But this year, they'll have to play two extra games, one of which is an elimination game, just to advance to the same series.

  When considering this, it's easy to see why some fans may have gripes about this new format. Even LeBron himself has stated that whoever came up with the play-in tournament "needs to be fired". Like all new things, it will take a while to get used to this new format, but when we do, assuming it's permanent, it has the potential to be an exciting and suspenseful prelude to the post-season. It's already showing signs of that, as shown by this game.

  Read more

• Dwight Howard Signs with Philadelphia 76ers

  Nov 20, 2020 SportZ 0 Comments

       

   

       According to his agent, Charles Briscoe, Dwight Howard is signing a one-year deal with the Philadelphia 76ers.

       

       This free agency move follows a championship season with the Los Angeles Lakers, during which he contributed great minutes and a number of solid plays as a rebounding and defensive anchor. His departure will leave a hole in LA's front-court, as he joins the 76ers, who also acquired Danny Green through a trade. According to sources, Howard agreed to a veterans minimum exception of $2.6 million.

       

       Only time will tell how his veteran presence and skill-set will affect the 76ers in the upcoming season.

   

   

  Read more