The San Antonio Spurs swept the Cleveland Cavaliers in what had to be one of the least watched NBA Finals in many years. Watching the Lebron-led Cavs break against the solid as a rock Spurs left everyone here at Hooplog looking forward to the off-season, as the Eastern Conference has a lot of work to ahead to match the likes of the Western powerhouses, Spurs, Suns, and Mavericks. With Kobe possibly on his way out in L.A., maybe he could help revitalize an Eastern Conference team.
Just to recap, here's the moves made in the past 24 hours or so:
The Bulls signed Ben Wallace (and acquired P.J. Brown and one year of his contract for Tyson Chandler's enormously long/overpriced deal)
The Hornets went insane and signed Peja Stojakovic, Bobby Jackson, and traded for Tyson Chandler.
The Lakers signed Vlad Radmanovic.
The Clippers signed Tim Thomas.
The Hawks signed Speedy Claxton.
Like I said...a whole new NBA. And the free agent signing period hasn't even officially began.
The joy and anticipation stoked by the possibility of an unprecedented Battle of L.A. disappeared with the greatest playoff collapse in Lakers history. To make matters even worse, it was capped by an embarrassing flop in Game 7. So now, with the Clippers about to play Phoenix in the... Link
- Kobe Bryant is absolutely, hands-down the greatest basketball player on the planet. - Flash Gordon's curveball is making a lot of Phillies fans forget about Billy Wagner. - If Peter Forsberg is truly "The Best Player in the World" then he alone should have willed his Flyers over... Link
We love Sam Cassell, and it's not just because he's unafraid to slip in a "Coming to America" reference while addressing 19,000 people. The guy's a winner. (A winner who closed his thank-you address to the Staples Center fans before the final regular-season game by saying "Sexual Chocolate!") In... Link
In the LOS ANGELES TIMES, Jason Reid writes that "the Clippers return to work today in preparation for their first postseason series in nine seasons. The Clippers are seeded sixth in the Western Conference and have home-court advantage in the first round against the No. 3 Denver Nuggets. Game... Link
A response to Kobe, Lakers ready to face Nash, Suns:I keep hearing people ask "Which of the Suns is gonna keep up with Kobe?" "How're the Suns gonna cope with Kobe?" How come no one's asking "How're the Lakers gonna cope with Steve Nash?" Geez! Two MVP-caliber seasons and... Link
On practice days, Lakers center Andrew Bynum arrives an hour early to work with Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. Make no mistake that they are still developing the sky hook that Bynum vowed to bring back on draft night last June. His version...... Link
Ross Siler of the LOS ANGELES DAILY NEWS writes, "Even if the Lakers come up short in the first round of the playoffs, even if the Maurice Podoloff Trophy for MVP goes to somebody else, Kobe Bryant at least can take something of significance from this season. With four... Link
There was considerable talk around the time of the Earl Watson trade that this move was going to spur Luke Ridnour to greater heights; that the reason he wasn’t playing to the level people expected this season was because he lacked adequate motivation, unlike the past two seasons when... Link
Alright, since everyone in the league was off last night, it's time to reset the playoff race. I'm going to break down the remaining win probabilities for each of the four teams in the hunt - the Lakers, Kings, Hornets and Jazz. (My previous posts on win probability are... Link
Yesterday, as I was mangling facts about Kareem Rush, I also pointed out that Phil Jackson was sticking it to the Bobcats for letting rush go. Jackson called the move "vindictive." The Bobcats' Bernie Bickerstaff more than took the bait,...... Link
Check out this article at ProBasketballNews.com for my take why Kobe Bryant should win the 2006 NBA MVP: Who Should Win MVP? I address the criticism that players who shoot a lot and score a lot do not merit MVP consideration by placing Bryant's season in historical context. Bryant's... Link
It was the rivalry that gave Phil Jackson the chance to deride San Antonio as the land of "conventioneers and tourists" and Shaquille O'Neal the chance to declare, "One lucky shot deserves another" after Derek ...... Link
Mike Bresnahan of the LOS ANGELES TIMES writes, As his teammates bounced up and down the court, Chris Mihm worked out on a stair-climbing machine, moving up and down rhythmically, another positive indicator in a Laker season that has taken a recent turn for the better. Mihm could have... Link
Lamar Odom posted a double-double with 20 points and 12 rebounds while dishing out eight assists and Kwame Brown added 13 points and nine rebounds, as the Lakers snapped a two-game losing skid.... Link
Mike Bresnahan of THE LOS ANGELES TIMES reports, "If Phil Jackson has his way, chrysalis will happen a little more rapidly for Lamar Odom. A week ago, the Laker coach compared Odom's chances of becoming a scorer to the slow, delicate process of a caterpillar becoming a butterfly. He... Link
"The Lakers finally lost their tenuous hold on eighth place in the Western Conference, eagerly, elatedly, and without regret," writes Mike Bresnahan of the LOS ANGELES TIMES. "The playoff landscape doesn't look quite as tricky from their new perch, virtually tied for seventh in the West with New Orleans/Oklahoma... Link
Wade scores 40; Lakers spoil Hornets' homecoming Dwyane Wade returned from a two-game absence to score 40 points and lead the host Miami Heat to its 10th straight win, a 118-112 victory over the Washington Wizards last night.... Link
The NBA returned to New Orleans Wednesday night, as the Hornets and Lakers played in front of a sold-out crowd. And while Kobe Bryant led the Lakers to a 113-107 win, the 17,744 fans in attendance were more than happy to have their team back home.... Link
Chris Perkins of THE PALM BEACH POST writes, Heat center Shaquille O'Neal celebrated his 34th birthday Monday, and although he's a year older on the calendar he's years wiser in knowledge. In an interview with ESPN, O'Neal said his current NBA incarnation is the best among the three teams... Link
It's still pretty early to tell, but if the Lakers continue giving up games like last night's Celtics fiasco and last week's Hawks debacle, the playoff lighthouse that has been guiding the hopes of Lakers fans everywhere will slowly extinguish. Think about it, if we beat these two teams... Link
Mike Bresnahan of THE LOS ANGELES TIMES writes, "The Laker rookie made his first impact in a game since joining the team in January, six months after undergoing open-heart surgery to repair an enlarged aortic root."... Link
Perhaps this is a bit pre-mature...if you call 11 minutes premature, but it looks like the Lakers are standing pat. Despite the plethora of rumors floating around, it appears our last 30 games are going to be played by the squad we currently have.I'm only slightly disappointed in that... Link
Well I’m glad the NBA (David Stern) came to its senses and invited Gilbert Arenas to play in Houston this weekend after all. Too bad Gil had to go and finish the first half of the season with a 4-for-22 effort and 6 turnovers at Dallas. Ouch.So we have... Link
