Archives › Rob Mahoney
-
NBA finals, Lakers Celtics: Rajon Rondo's defensive impact could be minimized
Jun 1, 2010, 2:58 PM EDT
4 CommentsRajon Rondo should be relieved. After facing a few games’ worth of staggered screens set by Orlando’s bigs, L.A. will assuredly not be employing a similar strategy to wear down Rondo in the finals; running an offense centered around Derek Fisher’s dribble penetration would be both baffling and hilarious, akin to ignoring the finer works…
-
Though there are a number of competitive teams partaking in this summer’s FIBA World Championships, Spain was understandably considered the best possible candidate to upset the Americans. Those chances have dwindled significantly with Pau Gasol’s announcement that he will miss this summer’s tournament in order to rest for next season. From Janis Carr of the…
-
NBA finals, Lakers Celtics: L.A. Times writer crosses all kinds of lines in mocking Paul Pierce's stabbing
May 31, 2010, 1:10 PM EDT
UPDATE 1:10 pm: The LA Times has pulled the piece in question from its site. Of course, things in the Internet age do not disapear so easily, you can find it here. 12:14 pm: One of the things that’s so unique about this year’s NBA finals is that the teams love and respect each other.…
-
The Warriors continued their tired march as one of the most poorly run organizations in the NBA this season, with their 26-56 record nothing more than a reflection of the team’s misfortune from top to bottom. There is undeniable talent on the Golden State roster — had Steph Curry started rolling in November rather than…
-
NBA Playoffs, Magic Celtics: Brandon Bass is giving the Magic a nice boost
May 28, 2010, 12:54 PM EDT
After playing sparingly throughout the regular season and in the first two rounds of the playoffs, Brandon Bass has been unearthed. After two successful seasons with the Mavs averaging nearly 20 minutes a game, Bass was boxed up and hidden away in Stan Van Gundy’s attic. There were just too many big bodies worthy of…
-
NBA Playoffs, Lakers Suns Game 5: Phoenix may have lost, but Steve Nash was absolutely bananas
May 28, 2010, 2:33 AM EDT
The Suns were right there. They were within striking distance, with plenty left in the tank, and thanks to a miracle three by Jason Richardson, had a real shot at forcing overtime and taking the decisive Game 5. It just wasn’t meant to be. Ron Artest’s put-back crushed those hopes with a few bounces on…
-
The Bucks’ successful season was sure to raise the individual stock of a number of the principals involved (Think John Salmons earned himself a few bucks in free agency with his tear?), and assistant coach Kelvin Sampson appears to be the first to reap the benefits. Not only do the Cavs seem to have legitimate…
-
Say what you will about Zach Randolph’s defense, but the man knows how to steal headlines, if nothing else (hyuk, hyuk, hyuk). Just hours after it was reported that some fun evidence was discovered linking Randolph to large amounts of marijuana, TMZ (I know, I know) reported that Zach has also been implicated in a…
-
The idea of a cover athlete for a sports video game is simple: brainstorm a list of current popular athletes — with emphasis on those with recent relevance — in the target sport, narrow them down based on willingness, costs, marketability, and other factors, then wash, rinse, and repeat every year. With Chris Paul set…
-
A long, long time ago, things were undeniably pleasant in Blazerland. Brandon Roy’s rise to stardom had invigorated an already fervent fan base, LaMarcus Aldridge was well on his way to becoming an impact player, and a collection of young talent spearheaded by the imminent Rookie of the Year, Greg Oden, looked set to take…
-
NBA Playoffs, Magic Celtics Game 5: Vince Carter should do the exact same thing he did last game, only completely different and much better
May 26, 2010, 1:30 PM EDT
Vince Carter had no redeemable value for the Magic in Game 4. He wasn’t scoring well, and finished with just three points on 1-for-9 shooting. He wasn’t making plays for his teammates, even if he wasn’t necessarily a ball-stopper. He wasn’t hitting the boards particularly hard, and he certainly wasn’t making any significant contributions on…
-
Hornets do want Thibodeau, but haven't made a formal offer
May 26, 2010, 1:15 PM EDT
Tom Thibodeau seems destined to finally join the head coaching ranks this summer after working for 19 years as an assistant. However, whether that opportunity will come with the Hornets or another team is still up in the air. Although New Orleans is definitely interested in bringing Thibodeau in as their new head coach (particularly…
-
NBA Playoffs: Teams for the Finals may not be set, but the schedule is
May 26, 2010, 12:17 PM EDT
Now that the Lakers-Suns series is guaranteed to go beyond five games, the schedule for the NBA Finals is confirmed. With the hope of avoiding a significant layoff in between the Conference Finals and the Finals, all general NBA fans should become Suns fans in the short-term. At least until they win one more game…
-
NBA Playoffs, Lakers Suns Game 4: A peek inside the Phoenix locker room
May 26, 2010, 12:06 PM EDT
The Phoenix Suns are quite possibly too likable. Whether in victory or defeat, the personalities are just too magnetic to draw any real ire. Even if you’re turned off by Amar’e’s (over)confidence, how could that negative possibly balance out the good vibrations coming from the rest of the roster? If you think otherwise, watch this…
-
The Detroit Pistons are in a heap of trouble. They may have the No. 7 pick in this year’s draft, but they’re also locked into a roster that was good enough to tie for 13th in the Eastern Conference this season. There will be some growth with some of the younger players on the roster…
-
NBA Playoffs, Magic Celtics: Game 4 a good a reason as any of why Stan Van Gundy's job isn't in jeopardy
May 25, 2010, 1:59 PM EDT
The Magic were on the brink of franchise embarrassment on Monday night, as the Celtics were in command of the series with a 3-0 lead and came back to force overtime despite fantastic outings by Dwight Howard and Jameer Nelson. Orlando’s season could have drifted away had Paul Pierce found an open Ray Allen at…
-
NBA Playoffs, Lakers Suns: Channing Frye gives advice to basketball scribes
May 25, 2010, 12:40 PM EDT
Of all the words spent discussing, analyzing, explaining, and picking apart Lakers-Suns, a good number of them have concerned Channing Frye. The Suns’ bench on the whole has had their moments, but Frye is the one reserve that has yet to really contribute with his most valuable skill: shooting. Channing has made just one of…
-
Dan Majerle just wants to coach, likes the Chicago job just fine
May 24, 2010, 1:28 PM EDT
Dan Majerle threw his hat into the ring for the Sixers coaching job, which is a step in the coaching dance that can be loosely interpreted to mean, “I’ll take any head coaching gig, no matter how mediocre.” So naturally, when faced with the possibility of coaching the Chicago Bulls next season — who not…
-
NBA Free Agency: Rudy Gay could be the Grizzlies' latest huge mistake
May 24, 2010, 12:28 PM EDT
Among this year’s free agent class, there are the can’t-miss prospects (LeBron James, Dwyane Wade, Chris Bosh), the impressive consolation prizes (Joe Johnson, Amar’e Stoudemire), and then a third, less illustrious subgroup: those destined to be overpaid. Carlos Boozer seems a likely candidate as any, as a team with cap space and money to spare…
-
NBA Playoffs, Lakers Suns: Game 3 was a nice win for Phoenix, but can they do it again?
May 24, 2010, 12:11 PM EDT
One of the things that made the second round of this year’s playoffs so bizarre was the prevalence of sweeps. It’s incredibly difficult for any NBA team to sweep another regardless of talent, because beating the same opponent four times in a row requires such an incredible level of focus and consistency. It just doesn’t…
-
NBA Playoffs, Lakers Suns Game 3: The Phoenix starters came up big on a rare off-night for the heralded reserves
May 24, 2010, 2:13 AM EDT
The Suns’ reserves have been the heart and soul of Phoenix’s extended playoff run. Goran Dragic, Leandro Barbosa, Channing Frye, Jared Dudley, and Louis Amundson have each had their moment in the spotlight, with their collective shooting, energy, savvy, and synergy making all the difference for the Suns in these playoffs. That wasn’t exactly the…
-
Artest-Ariza comparisons spark Twitter spat between Ariza and Artest's brother
May 21, 2010, 12:39 PM EDT
Ron Artest doesn’t really like being compared to Trevor Ariza, and it turns out that Ariza feels very much the same way about being compared to Artest. In fact, Ariza engaged in a mini-debate of sorts with Daniel Artest, Ron’s brother, on Twitter, in which the two engaged in 140-character rebuttals concerning the relative merits…
