Archives › Brett Pollakoff
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Grizzlies need to control the boards, increase the pace to bounce back in Game 2 against Clippers
Apr 22, 2013, 2:33 PM EDT
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LOS ANGELES — After the Clippers took Game 1 from the Grizzlies by dominating the glass, that was the area that Memphis seemed most focused on improving for the next game of the series and beyond. Being on the wrong end of a 47-23 rebounding margin will do that. But it wasn’t the big men…
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The one-eight matchup between the Heat and the Bucks in the Eastern Conference playoffs seemed to be the biggest mismatch of them all, for a variety of reasons. Nothing took place during Miami’s 110-87 blowout victory on Sunday to change those perceptions. Miami came into the postseason on an insane run, winning 37 of its…
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Manu Ginobili scores eight points in a minute and a half to bury the Lakers (VIDEO)
Apr 21, 2013, 8:41 PM EDT
Despite coming to end the third quarter, this was the key run that blew the game open and essentially sealed the Spurs’ Game 1 win over the Lakers. L.A. had managed to hang around within a manageable seven or eight points most of the afternoon, but then Manu Ginobili got loose for eight points in…
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Stifling defensive effort leads Spurs to Game 1 win over Lakers
Apr 21, 2013, 7:09 PM EDT
The Lakers put up a fight in Game 1 of their playoff series in San Antonio on Sunday, and hung within striking distance for most of the game. But thanks to a suffocating defensive effort from the Spurs, L.A. couldn’t score with enough frequency or enough volume the entire afternoon, and sparked offensively by Manu…
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Carmelo Anthony, Russell Westbrook, Chris Paul get Jordan playoff edition shoes
Apr 21, 2013, 11:00 AM EDT
Carmelo Anthony, Russell Westbrook, Chris Paul, and Blake Griffin are among the stars representing Jordan Brand who are getting new-look, player exclusive versions of their signature shoes. From the official release: The Air Jordan XX8 worn primarily by Russell Westbrook this season will feature a team-inspired white (home) or black (away) upper with photo blue and tour yellow…
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Jerry Stackhouse sings national anthem before playing in Nets’ Game 1 win over Bulls (VIDEO)
Apr 21, 2013, 9:30 AM EDT
Jerry Stackhouse didn’t have a lot to do with the Nets’ crushing of the Bulls on Saturday, playing just 12 minutes while going 0-for-3 from the field to finish with zero points and two rebounds. He did plenty for his team before the game, however, when he took the microphone at center court and sang…
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Vinny Del Negro, when asked if the Lakers have a shot against the Spurs: ‘No.’
Apr 21, 2013, 8:00 AM EDT
LOS ANGELES — There wasn’t much insight to be gained from Vinny Del Negro’s session with the media before his Clippers took down the Grizzlies in Game 1 of their playoff matchup on Saturday. But there was some fun at the very end, when Del Negro gave an honest answer to a question about the…
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Clippers dominate the glass, dominate the Grizzlies in Game 1 victory
Apr 21, 2013, 3:03 AM EDT
LOS ANGELES — The Grizzlies finished the regular season second in the league in rebounding differential, but you wouldn’t know it sorting through the wreckage of their 112-91 loss to the Clippers to open the playoffs on Saturday. It’s normally Memphis who bullies opponents on the glass and gets plenty of second chance opportunities, but…
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Andre Miller converts game-winning layup to give Nuggets Game 1 win over Warriors (VIDEO)
Apr 20, 2013, 8:40 PM EDT
The pundits say this year’s version of the Denver Nuggets is a team without a superstar. Try telling that to Andre Miller, who put in an especially dominant performance to lift the Nuggets to a 97-95 win over the Warriors in Game 1 of their first round playoff matchup. Miller scored 18 of his game…
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Paul Pierce, Carmelo Anthony speak on Boston Marathon bombing before Game 1 (VIDEO)
Apr 20, 2013, 4:45 PM EDT
Before the Knicks and Celtics tipped off the postseason at Madison Square Garden on Saturday, Paul Pierce and Carmelo Anthony stood together at center court, and each spoke briefly on the tragic Boston Marathon bombings that occurred earlier this week. Anthony sent along prayers and condolences on behalf of the Knicks organization, while Pierce thanked…
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Stan Van Gundy reportedly not interested in current head coaching openings
Apr 20, 2013, 12:30 PM EDT
Despite how things ended for him in Orlando, or maybe in part because of just how honest he was publicly while dealing with the whole Dwight Howard situation in his final season has head coach there, Stan Van Gundy remains one of the more well-respected head coaches in the league, and an intriguing name that’s…
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Steve Nash hopes to return to Lakers lineup for Sunday’s playoff opener
Apr 20, 2013, 11:00 AM EDT
Steve Nash has missed the Lakers’ last eight games due to a combination of a hip and hamstring injury, but said after practicing fully on Friday for the first time in weeks that he hopes to be able to go in Game 1 of his team’s first round playoff matchup against the Spurs on Sunday.…
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PBT NBA Playoff Preview: Memphis Grizzlies vs. Los Angeles Clippers
Apr 20, 2013, 12:26 AM EDT
SEASON RECORDS Memphis: 56-26, fifth seed in the West L.A. Clippers: 56-26, fourth seed in the West thanks to winning the Pacific Division SEASON SERIES Clippers took three of the four meetings. KEY INJURIES None. OFFENSE/DEFENSE RANKINGS (points per 100 possession) Grizzlies: offense 101.7 (18th in NBA), defense 97.4 (2nd in NBA) Clippers: offense 107.7 (4th in NBA),…
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In this episode of the podcast, Kurt Helin and I sit down to discuss all eight of the first round playoff matchups. We take an especially close look at the Knicks and the Celtics, the Bulls and the Nets, the Spurs and the Lakers, the Clippers and the Grizzlies, and the Warriors and the Nuggets.…
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Looking at the possible first round upsets in the NBA playoffs
Apr 19, 2013, 10:30 AM EDT
There are some first round series in the NBA playoffs, like the one between the Heat and the Bucks, for example, that are nothing more than foregone conclusions. But there are others where the lower seed has a more than legitimate shot at beating a higher-seeded team winning and advancing, at least in theory. In…
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PBT NBA Playoff Preview: Los Angeles Lakers vs. San Antonio Spurs
Apr 19, 2013, 8:46 AM EDT
SEASON RECORDS San Antonio: 58-24, two seed in the West L.A. Lakers: 45-37, seven seed in the West SEASON SERIES The Spurs took two of the three regular season meetings between the tams, however the Lakers won the most important (and most recent) matchup to date, beating San Antonio this past Sunday to help secure…
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After weeks of trying to predict seedings and matchups while watching teams rest their perfectly healthy superstars, the playoffs are finally upon us. In no particular order, here are the story lines we’ll be watching when the postseason tournament opens on Saturday. How much damage can the Lakers do without Kobe Bryant? L.A. opened the…
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SEASON RECORDS Miami: 66-16, best record in the league and number one seed in the East Milwaukee: 38-44, eight seed in the East SEASON SERIES The Heat won three of the four matchups in the regular season, with one of the games in Miami going to overtime before the Heat secured one of those victories.…
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Marcin Gortat says lack of character in younger players a big problem for the Suns
Apr 18, 2013, 6:12 PM EDT
PHOENIX — Marcin Gortat was among the veteran Suns players who weren’t at all happy with the way this season went in Phoenix. Along with Goran Dragic and Jared Dudley, Gortat is a holdover from better times the team experienced while playing with the likes of Steve Nash and Grant Hill, two of the game’s…
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The NBA instituted an anti-flopping policy at the beginning of the season aimed at cutting down the amount of acting players do to garner the favor of the officials. The punishments for violating the league’s rules against flopping were extremely minor, with a player getting a warning for a first offense, followed by a $5,000…
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The Lakers had made the playoffs before they even tipped off against the Rockets on Wednesday, thanks to the Jazz losing in Memphis earlier in the evening. The only question for L.A. was whether they’d finish as the seven or eight seed, with the seven being preferable since it would mean avoiding a first round…
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Eastern Conference playoff matchups are set, Bulls get the five seed after beating Wizards
Apr 17, 2013, 11:47 PM EDT
There were still a couple of playoff positions in play on the final night of the regular season in the Eastern Conference, but the Bulls made sure that they ended up with the more advantageous first round matchup. By taking care of the Wizards 95-92, Chicago locked up the five seed in the East, and…
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Jeremy Lin wants Rockets to finish strong no matter the team’s place in the standings
Apr 16, 2013, 9:15 AM EDT
PHOENIX — The Rockets aren’t overly concerned with playoff seeding as they look ahead to their final game of the regular season, and maybe that’s a good thing considering the hit the team took on the chin from the Suns in Phoenix on Monday. Houston was unable to match the intensity of their opponent from…
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Baseline-to-baseline recaps: Knicks wrap up two seed in the East, Lakers stay in playoff hunt with win over Spurs
Apr 15, 2013, 8:00 AM EDT
Welcome to PBT’s roundup of yesterday’s NBA games. Or, what you missed while planning for your digital afterlife … Heat 105, Bulls 93: The outcome of this game was no surprise, but the fact that the Bulls put up a fight after falling behind big in the second quarter showed why they’ll be a tough…
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Jarrett Jack fined $25K for verbal abuse of an official after loss to Lakers
Apr 14, 2013, 10:30 PM EDT
Jarrett Jack has been fined $25,000 for “verbal abuse of a game official,” the league announced on Sunday via official release. The incident occurred at the end of the Warriors’ close loss to the Lakers on Friday, the same game in which Kobe Bryant went down with a torn Achilles injury that ended his season.…
