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LeBron Is Peerless, and Not Just in NBA

February 14, 2011   Terence Moore   No comments

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OK. So LeBron James occasionally has flashed signs this season of having flesh and blood like the rest of us.

Just occasionally, though.

There was Sunday in Boston, for instance, where LeBron wasn’t his clutch self down the stretch at the foul line. Plus, he was hounded into an average scoring game by the Celtics’ Rajon Rondo.

Not only that, courtesy of an 85-82 loss, the Miami Heat continued to show that LeBron and the rest of their Big Two and a Half (Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh) remain a work in progress by losing for the fourth time in five games against one of the NBA’s top teams.

Still, nobody tops LeBron as the Most Valuable Player.

I’m talking about the NBA, of course. But I’m also talking about LeBron as the undisputed MVP among players throughout the four major sports leagues in North America. He still has to find a way to win it all, but that’s a different column. As for this one, nobody is a more significant force for any team in any of those leagues than this defensive end of a basketball player who is transforming the Heat into a championship-caliber bunch for the first time in five years.

 

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Van Gundy: Sloan’s Departure Bad and Sad for the NBA

February 11, 2011   Tim Povtak   No comments

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Jerry Sloan and Stan Van GundyORLANDO, Fla. — Magic coach Stan Van Gundy listened all day to the speculation surrounding the sudden and surprising resignation of Utah’s legendary coach Jerry Sloan, and came to one conclusion.

“It’s not good for the league, and it’s not good for the (coaching) profession,” Van Gundy said Friday after his team’s morning practice. “It’s a sad thing all around.”

Van Gundy, like most everyone else in the game, expressed his unending admiration and respect for the most tenured coach in major professional sports, but he disagreed with the popular theory that Sloan was driven out by Jazz point guard Deron Williams.

“I would be absolutely shocked if this was a case of a player running a coach out. I don’t think you could run Jerry Sloan out of Utah. There is just too much respect there,” Van Gundy said. “I’d also be shocked if the front office ran him out, or even suggested he get out. Unless they (front office personnel) are lying through their teeth, they wanted him to stay.”

Van Gundy’s theory is that Sloan just got tired — of the job, of dealing with the constant internal conflicts with players that are just part of the job.

 

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The Works: The NBA Destroys All Monsters

February 09, 2011   Bethlehem Shoals and Eric Freeman   No comments

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Today in The Works: Monsters invade the NBA, and only players can save us. Enjoy!

Monster Movies

Anyone remember Godzilla vs. Barkley? It was only the most awesome Nike ad campaign of the last thirty years. But if you thought it was a fantasy, you were dead wrong. Charles Barkley was actually commissioned by Japan (back when it had money) to seek out and destroy Godzilla, once and for all — or at least until they needed him for an American remake. It was like the Hellboy series, only with more nervous owners. In this great spirit, and perhaps in the interest of taking on any future monster problems, we propose the following dream match-ups.

Blake Griffin vs. King Kong: After being captured by Clippers owner Donald Sterling during a slum-building project on Skull Island, King Kong is shipped to Los Angeles for display in the Staples Center to make Sterling an easy buck. He escapes, though, and only marauding forward Blake Griffin can save the city from certain doom. After a long chase, King Kong ascends to the top of the fake skyscraper in Universal Studios’ King Kong attraction and plummets to his death. But it’s not Griffin who fuels him — instead, it’s his love for Clippers superfan Penny Marshall, whom he bonded with during the long boat ride back from the island. (EF)

 

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Byron Scott Has Been Through Worse Than Cavs’ Losing Streak

January 30, 2011   Tim Povtak   No comments

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ORLANDO, Fla. – This isn’t the worst thing to happen to Cleveland Cavaliers coach Byron Scott. It’s not even the worst basketball thing.

Not even close.

Scott may have won three NBA championships as a player and reached the NBA Finals twice as a head coach, but he is no stranger to tough basketball times.

Scott and his Cavs lost their 20th consecutive game Sunday night, 103-87, to the Magic, leaving them just three away from the NBA record for consecutive losses – set by a team on which Scott played a key role.

Scott may have found fame playing alongside Magic Johnson as part of the Showtime Los Angeles Lakers, but he also spent one miserable season with the first-year expansion Vancouver Grizzlies, which lost 23 consecutive games during the 1995-96 season.

 

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Rasheed Wallace to Return? Agent Disputes Stephen A. Smith

January 11, 2011   Sam Amick   No comments

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This wasn’t quite the same as Stephen A. Smith predicting the ultimate destination of LeBron James, but it did cause a mini-stir nonetheless.

The media personality told host Kevin Frazier on the Dan Patrick show that Rasheed Wallace would come out of retirement to join his old Boston Celtics teammates just in time for another deep playoff run.

“I’m here to tell you that Rasheed Wallace will come out of retirement once the (Feb. 24) trading deadlines expires in all likelihood, because he wants another shot at the Lakers,” Smith said.

 

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Video: Shaquille O’Neal Reacts to Being Fined $35K for Criticizing Referees

December 29, 2010   Brett Pollakoff   No comments

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Shaquille O’Neal was fined $35,000 by the league for criticizing officials after he fouled out during Boston’s Christmas Day loss to the Magic. Part of O’Neal’s remarks specifically targeted referee Bob Delaney (who wears 26 on his jersey), which is obviously a guaranteed fine every single time.

“I guess they (fans) come out to see No. 26 play,” O’Neal said. “He was a great player out there today. They paid all that money to see No. 26 come play. My thing is, if you’re going to call it, call it the same way every time. Don’t pick and choose who you are going to call it against.”

We may think that $35K is chump change to a player of O’Neal’s stature, and to be fair it is — the guy has made in excess of $20 million in salary in each of the past nine seasons. But based on his reaction to the fine — captured in the following video clip by CSNNE.com — you wouldn’t think that was the case.

 

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Shaquille O’Neal Fined for Ripping Refs

December 27, 2010   FanHouse Staff   No comments

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Shaquille O'Neal Shaquille O’Neal has been fined $35,000 by the NBA for comments about the officiating in Boston’s 86-78 loss Saturday to the Orlando Magic, the league announced Monday.

O’Neal was ineffective in the Christmas Day game, fouling out in fewer than 13 minutes. He finished with just two points, a single rebound and a block. Dwight Howard was also frequently whistled, tallying five fouls in 33 minutes.

“We have two premier big men out there today. He is pushing, I’m pushing. Let us play,” O’Neal told reporters after the game. “If I was fan, I would be pissed. You pay all that money for good seats and you have two of the best guys in the country sitting on the bench. That’s what happens when you have control freaks out there.”

O’Neal also singled out referee Bob Delaney, who wears 26 on his uniform, for criticism. “I guess they (fans) come out to see No. 26 play. He was a great player out there today,” O’Neal said. “They paid all that money to see No. 26 come play. My thing is, if you’re going to call it, call it the same way every time. Don’t pick and choose who you are going to call it against.”

 

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Shaq Signing Pays Off Big for Celtics

December 27, 2010   Tim Povtak   No comments

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When the Boston Celtics finally made the decision last summer to add over-the-hill center Shaquille O’Neal to their delicately-balanced chemistry — and to a roster already filled with big egos — even they wondered privately if it could possibly work.

Adding his larger-than-life personality yet rapidly-fading skills to a team that already had been to the NBA Finals in two of the previous three years carried a huge risk, delivering a potential recipe for disaster.

It has turned out to be the best thing they ever did.

It’s why the Celtics (23-5) go into Tuesday night’s game at Indiana still comfortably leading the Eastern Conference, despite seeing their 14-game winning streak snapped on Christmas Day in Orlando. It was no coincidence that the streak ended when O’Neal had his worst game of the year.

Yes, he has been that key.

 

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Shaq Rips Officials After Fouling Out Quickly in Celtics’ Loss

December 25, 2010   Tim Povtak   No comments

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Boston CelticsORLANDO, Fla. — Celtics center Shaquille O’Neal wasn’t happy about losing on Christmas Day to the Orlando Magic, but he was even more upset by the way the game was officiated.

He didn’t like it one bit. And he didn’t mind telling you.

O’Neal, one of the greatest centers in NBA history, fouled out after only 12:39, leaving the game after a controversial charge against Magic center Dwight Howard.

The Magic won the game, 86-78, even though Howard managed only six points in 33 minutes. Howard finished with five fouls. He wasn’t happy with the officiating either, but the victory softened his displeasure.


O’Neal, 38, is chasing his fifth NBA title, having won three with the Lakers and one with the Heat. Even though he is long past his prime, O’Neal always gets charged up to play against Howard, now the best center in the league.

“We have two premier big men out there today. He is pushing, I’m pushing. Let us play,” O’Neal said. “If I was fan, I would be pissed. You pay all that money for good seats and you have two of the best guys in the country sitting on the bench. That’s what happens when you have control freaks out there.”

 

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Celtics and Knicks Plant Seeds for Rivalry With Shootout in New York

December 15, 2010   FanHouse Staff   No comments

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One game doesn’t make a rivalry, but after needing a last-second shot to seal Boston’s 118-116 win Tuesday at Madison Square Garden — and relying on instant replay to prove Amar’e Stoudemire‘s potential game-winner was too late — Paul Pierce is now willing to admit the Knicks have their attention.

“The Knicks have arrived,” Pierce said in a postgame television interview. “They’re going to be a force to reckon with in the division.”

After trailing by as many as 12 in game, the Celtics closed the gap in the fourth quarter and took the lead for good on Pierce’s 14-footer from the elbow with 0.4 seconds left. After using a timeout to advance the ball to half court, New York’s Landry Fields inbounded the ball to Stoudemire, who drained a 3-pointer from the top of the arc.

For at least a few moments it seemed as if the Knicks had their signature win of the young season, but referees realized after viewing the replay that Stoudemire released the ball just tenths of a second too late.

 

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