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Author Archives: Myles Ma
When It’s Over: The Victory Cigars
Every team has them. Mostly, they sit on the bench. But when they play, you know the game is over, one way or the other. Here are 10 most-notable victory cigars of the NBA playoffs, ranked in order of nothing at all. Kent Bazemore, Golden State Warriors His fellow teammates filled his car with popcorn because he’s just a dumb rookie, but consider this: The Warriors have won every playoff series in which Kent … Continue reading
The End Of The Regular Season: Should You Care?
We’ve come to the point in the season where, frankly, a lot of the games don’t matter. The playoff teams in the East are decided, while in the West, it looks like a contest between the Lakers and the Jazz for the eighth seed. Contenders will play each other, like the Spurs and the Nuggets on Wednesday, but they’re limping into the postseason, and you have to think they won’t play full-tilt. So with … Continue reading
The Great J.R. Smith Sleep Study
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Game of the Week: Brooklyn Nets at Portland Trail Blazers
I looked at the national TV schedule this week, and it is rough, unless you’re a Miami fan. I guess the NBA wants to concede the national conversation to amateurs who play with an overly long shot clock. Fine. It goes without saying that every Miami game is must-see as long as their streak is alive, but I wrote about them last week. So let’s focus on two mid-card teams, the Brooklyn Nets and … Continue reading
Game of the Week: Miami Heat at Boston Celtics
Hello again, Hickory High. Sorry I wasn’t around last week. I was in Istanbul. And the first thing I saw when I got out of the airport was a giant poster of Hedo Turkoglu, the Turkish Michael Jordan. Hedo gets a pretty bad rap because we feel he hasn’t reached his potential. There were moments when he was in Orlando when it seemed like he could be a key player on a contender, but … Continue reading
Game of the Week: Los Angeles Clippers at Denver Nuggets
The Oklahoma City Thunder, San Antonio Spurs, Miami Heat and Los Angeles Clippers are the cream of the league at this point. There is a mix of teams behind them who are just outside of that elite group. Denver might be the best of those non-elite teams. The Nuggets have top-five offense and are among the fastest teams in the league. On Thursday, they will test how close they are to the upper echelon … Continue reading
Game of the Week: Memphis Grizzlies at Miami Heat
The trade deadline has passed. The guys on the roster will be there for the stretch run. There’s nothing left now but playoff positioning. Did you know? These teams were inconsequential trade partners last week, one of many boring matches made during a lackluster trade deadline. Miami traded Dexter Pittman, who plays in the D-League, and for Ricky Sanchez, who plays in Argentina. Luckiliy, neither of these players will matter when they play on … Continue reading
Game of the Week: San Antonio Spurs at Los Angeles Clippers
We are past the All-Star break, which to me is the spiritual midpoint of the season. With the trade deadline approaching, teams have to decide whether they’re in position to make a run or whether to pack it in for the rest of the season. The two teams playing in the late game Thursday are in the former category. The Spurs are the winningest team in the league, but the Clippers have had the … Continue reading
Game of the Week: Los Angeles Clippers at Miami Heat
Somehow, the Miami Heat are flying under the radar. They’ve had ups and downs, but it hasn’t changed their standing as the team to beat in the East, and the favorite to repeat. But they haven’t been the best regular season team thus far. That distinction belongs to the San Antonio Spurs, the Oklahoma City Thunder, and when Chris Paul has been healthy, the Los Angeles Clippers, Miami’s opponent on Thursday. Key Players Chris … Continue reading
Game of the Week: Memphis Grizzlies at Oklahoma City Thunder
This is a big one. This game matches Oklahoma City’s league-best offense against Memphis’ league-best defense. It’s as big as a January game gets. Let’s get into it. Key Players I’ve already poured out my love for Marc Gasol in our All-Star roundtable, so I’ll focus on the other Grizzlies big man, Zach Randolph. If you watch Z-Bo under the boards, you understand why he’s such a strong rebounder. He’s as physical as anyone … Continue reading
