By CLIFF BRUNT ISL Editor The NBA season just ended. No, not the 2011-12 season. Next season. Miami just ended it during free agency. By acquiring both Rashard Lewis and Ray Allen, the Heat just eliminated their concerns about depth and gave themselves a scary amount of flexibility. Unless a mega-deal gets struck and a [...]
Oklahoma City’s title hopes against the Heat depend on Westbrook
June 19, 2012 By Leave a Comment
By CLIFF BRUNT ISL Editor Nobody seems to like Russell Westbrook anymore. The Oklahoma City guard is getting ripped by national columnists, on the airwaves and by a lot of other people who claim to know a lot about basketball. If the Thunder win tonight, number zero will play a huge role. Don’t worry, OKC [...]
LeBron no-call vs. Durant worst in NBA since Jordan’s pushoff
June 17, 2012 By Leave a Comment
By CLIFF BRUNT ISL Editor Fourteen years ago, a heinous crime was committed on a basketball court in Salt Lake City. The victim, Bryon Russell, saw no justice. The perpetrator, Michael Jordan, walked free. Jordan’s Chicago Bulls trailed the Utah Jazz 86-85 in the final seconds of Game 6 in the 1998 NBA Finals when [...]
Pregame thoughts, Oklahoma City Thunder vs. Miami Heat, Game 2
June 14, 2012 By Leave a Comment
By CLIFF BRUNT ISL Editor Oklahoma City heads into Game 2 of the NBA Finals tonight with a 1-0 lead over the Miami Heat. Because of the 2-3-2 format, the pressure still is on the Thunder to win and retain homecourt advantage. Otherwise, Miami could tie the series tonight, win three straight at home, claim the [...]
Coronation for King James or new royalty?
June 12, 2012 By 2 Comments
Let’s hold off on this coronation for King James. Why? Because the Oklahoma City Thunder will win the NBA Finals. Sorry, LeBron. The honest truth is the Thunder are a better team, at least right now. In his pep rally after joining the Heat, LeBron famously said not one, not two and went on as [...]
Wade’s 41-point outburst ends Indiana’s season
May 25, 2012 By Leave a Comment
By CLIFF BRUNT ISL Editor There were 18,000-plus fans wearing Gold Swagger T-shirts at Bankers Life Fieldhouse. All of them put together probably couldn’t have guarded Dwyane Wade on Thursday night. Wade looked like he was controlled by some kid playing his Wii all night . The All-Star guard had 41 points and 10 rebounds [...]
Pacers could benefit from Hansbrough’s, Stephenson’s tactics
May 24, 2012 By Leave a Comment
By CLIFF BRUNT ISL Editor Tyler Hansbrough and Lance Stephenson might have dropped the two biggest assists for the Pacers in their second-round series against Miami. By hammering Dwyane Wade in Game 5, the kind of foul Jeff Foster was famous for, Hansbrough turned Miami into a team that felt it needed to prove its [...]
Pacers hope Granger, West stop hobbling before Game 6
May 23, 2012 By Leave a Comment
By CLIFF BRUNT ISL Editor It shouldn’t end this way. The Indiana Pacers have been relatively injury free all season long, and now, they risk the season ending with their two best players sidelined or at less than full strength. Danny Granger went down with a twisted ankle in Game 5 and David West went down with a sprained [...]
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