When commentators and analysts look back at the San Antonio Spurs' sweep of the Los Angeles Clippers, many of them will focus on the Spurs' 24-0 run from Game 3. But they were successful because they continually out-executed the Clippers on offense, not just during the one run. In the second half of each game, we saw the Spurs perfectly execute one of coach Gregg Popovich's set plays just when they needed it.
In case you were out living a life of leisure, here's what you missed in sports over the weekend.
So much amazing is happening, and the Shootaround crew is here to help you keep track of it all. You'll find takes on moments you might've missed from the previous night, along with ones you will remember forever.
I would like to think that Dwyane Wade's meltdown is some sort of karmic payback for tossing Mike Bibby's sneaker. You get back what you give into this world, man. Just so happens that Heat coach Erik Spoelstra got back a little of it, as well. In the third quarter of a game that Wade would just as soon go to the Total Recall machine to have wiped from his memory, the Heat guard missed a few shots and seemingly coasted back on defense while the Pacers were on the break. This bothered the Heat coach and that, in turn, enraged Wade.
In case you were out living a life of leisure, here's what you missed in sports on Thursday.
So much amazing is happening, and the Shootaround crew is here to help you keep track of it all. You'll find takes on moments you might've missed from the previous night, along with ones you will remember forever.
And where are your Chris Bosh jokes now, America? Just one night after the flaming car wreck of offensive ineptitude in Boston, we were presented with something truly ghastly. After a graceless first half, typified by their 24 percent shooting and a desperate turn to Dahntay Jones to spark their game, the Pacers bounced back in the third quarter of Tuesday night's 78-75 win over the Heat. Scoring 28 points — nearly matching their first-half total of 33 — Frank Vogel's crew of crazy kids got everyone involved by evenly spreading shots among their slew of rangy guards and forwards. The Heat? Not so much. The Big Two (RIP this) plus their band of merry scrubs mostly wilted in the harsh glow of a staggering 20-4 run. The Heat scored just 14 points in the third on three field goals. Yikes. Without Bosh rolling from the high post, the Heat's spacing was disastrous, compounding a torrent of errant jump shots. For stretches on Tuesday night, there was little to enjoy, just an endless loop of clanged iron — the two teams finished a combined 4-for-31 from 3-point land. And while LeBron and Wade combined for 52 of their team's 75 points, they were out of sync most of the second half. No other Heat player scored more than five points.
In case you were out living a life of leisure, here's what you missed in sports on Tuesday.
Following the most successful regular season in the history of the franchise, the Clippers won a playoff series for just the second time ever by beating the Grizzlies in Game 7 on Sunday. This series was already the most exciting first-round series in this year’s playoffs even before it went to Game 7, so I’m guessing that many of you had plans to catch the game. But with Sunday being Mother's Day, there’s a good chance that you ended up missing it because finding a store that had flowers and cards for your mom at the last minute wasn’t as easy as you thought it would be.
Well, don’t worry if that was you, because I watched the game for you and made sure to document all of the important things you missed.
So much amazing is happening, and the Shootaround crew is here to help you keep track of it all. You'll find takes on moments you might've missed from the previous night, along with ones you will remember forever.
As Chris Paul dribbled out the clock Sunday in Memphis, everything the Clippers had hoped for when he arrived had come true. In just one season, Paul managed to provide the franchise with both relevance and probably the biggest win in its history. What the Clippers did Sunday — on the road, in a building known for the grind — was play the type of game they didn’t always seem fit to play this year. The result was a kind of success that often seemed out of reach. So why, after all that, does it still feel like they’re doomed?
In case you were out living a life of leisure, here's what you missed in sports over the weekend.
This week on the Triangle Podcast, I talked to my NBA Playoffs Shootaround co-pilot, Robert Mays, about the Greek economy. J/K, we talked about the playoffs. Mays and I discussed the very entertaining Grizzlies-Clippers series, the joys of watching Chris Paul in the fourth quarter, and whether Vinny Del Negro has anything written on that piece of paper of his. We also bid farewell to the Knicks-Heat series, heaped praise on JaVale McGee, and talked about how the Bulls-Sixers will end our friendship. Peace, Mays. I hate you.
Amos Barshad then joined me to talk about his beloved Celtics, Rajon Rondo's need for attention, and the similarity between Amos's facial hair and that of Danilo Gallinari.
The pod wraps up with "casual American soccer fan" David Jacoby grilling me on the final weekend of the English Premier League, the upcoming Euro 2012 tournament, and the future of the U.S. Men's National Team. Enjoy!
So much amazing is happening, and the Shootaround crew is here to help you keep track of it all. You'll find takes on moments you might've missed from the previous night, along with ones you will remember forever.
There was a moment Wednesday night when Mike Bibby was the best basketball player in America. Off to an energetic start in the first quarter before a crowd of no more than 342 Miamians, Bibby pressed the Knicks offense into an early cluster of 3-pointers, brisk pull-up jumpers, and lithe dunks. Melo slashed. Amar’e skied. J.R. Smith didn’t totally ruin everything. There Bibby stood, a 33-year-old third-string point guard on a gasping seventh seed playing for their lives against the presumptive conference champs, and he was running things. And man, was he out of breath.
So much amazing is happening, and the Shootaround crew is here to help you keep track of it all. You'll find takes on moments you might've missed from the previous night, along with ones you will remember forever.
This is something that Memphis coach Lionel Hollins said after the Grizzlies' Game 4 overtime loss to the Clippers on Monday night: "There's a lot of posturing and a lot of coaches whining on every call all the way up the sideline and on the court … That's the gamesmanship that goes on, and you can't let it bother you and you can't lose your poise."
In case you were out living a life of leisure, here's what you missed in sports over the weekend.
So much amazing is happening, and the Shootaround crew is here to help you keep track of it all. You'll find takes on moments you might've missed from the previous night, along with ones you will remember forever.
As we saw with Dallas last postseason, there are instances where the playoffs come down to having a roster with just enough shot-makers. For the Mavs, it was guys like DeShawn Stevenson. Last night in Memphis, it was another guy who, according to the NCAA, never technically played college basketball.
In case you were out living a life of leisure, here's what you missed in sports on Wednesday.
