LATEST STORIES FROM 20 SECOND TIMEOUT
Mark Heisler on Kobe Bryant's "Peaks and Valleys"
June 11, 2009 by
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I generally shy away from making the cliched Michael Jordan-Kobe Bryant comparisons: Jordan clearly had more career accomplishments--though Bryant may have enough time left to match Jordan, assuming Bryant goes on a late career championship splurge like Jordan did--and Jordan was physically...
Magic Set Finals Single Game Field Goal Percentage Record, Beat Lakers 108-104
June 10, 2009 by
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The Orlando Magic set an NBA Finals single game record by shooting .625 from the field and had five players score between 18 and 21 points as they defeated the L.A. Lakers 108-104, cutting the Lakers' lead to 2-1. The 1991 Chicago Bulls had held the Finals single game field goal...
There is a Little "Little Dez" in All of Us
June 08, 2009 by
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My favorite Nike "puppets" commercial is the one featuring "Little Dez":I think that everyone has a little "Little Dez" in him--at least until most of us are taught that it is not "cool" to be so outwardly and genuinely enthusiastic or to ask...
Lakers Edge Magic in Overtime to Take 2-0 Lead
June 08, 2009 by
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It was neither easy nor pretty but the Lakers displayed just enough grit, savvy and clutch play to defeat the Orlando Magic 101-96 in overtime to take a 2-0 lead in the NBA Finals. Kobe Bryant led the Lakers with 29 points and eight assists, adding four rebounds and two steals, but...
LeBron James’ Magnificent Playoff Run is One for the Ages
June 06, 2009 by
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LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers did not parlay their great regular season into a championship run but that does not change the fact that James authored one of the greatest single season playoff performances in pro basketball history. He is the only player to ever average at...
Bill Russell on Dwight Howard
June 06, 2009 by
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Ahmad Rashad and the NBA TV pregame show crew (Gary Payton, Chris Webber) spoke with 11-time NBA champion Bill Russell prior to game one of the Finals. Russell made three very interesting comments, two about Dwight Howard and one about the NBA playoffs in general:1) Russell said that...
Where CRUNCHTIME versus DUNKTIME Happens
June 05, 2009 by
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adidas has just made a cool NBA Finals T-shirt featuring Kobe Bryant versus Dwight Howard with the tagline "Where CRUNCHTIME versus DUNKTIME happens." It is available at the nbastore.com for $19.99.
Brilliant Bryant Shreds Magic as Lakers Roll, 100-75
June 05, 2009 by
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"You look thirsty, you ain't getting no mercy, mercy/ And ain't no way that you can rehearse for me/ Murder I wrote, murder I wrote is what I figure... When it comes to this I never smile."--L.L. Cool J, "How I'm Comin'" Kobe
Bryant may not be smiling...
Los Angeles Versus Orlando Preview
June 03, 2009 by
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NBA FinalsLos Angeles (65-17) vs. Orlando (59-23)Season series: Orlando, 2-0Orlando can win if…they establish Dwight Howard in the post as a consistent 20-plus ppg threat while also making 9-10 three pointers a game with a three point shooting percentage around the .380-.400 range...
Kobe Bryant's NBA Finals Resume
June 02, 2009 by
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Kobe Bryant is about to make his sixth NBA Finals appearance in the past decade, more than Shaquille O'Neal (five) or Tim Duncan (three since 2000, four overall). If Bryant's L.A. Lakers win the championship he will own more rings (four) than Larry Bird (three) and only trail...
Howard's Triumph Over James May be a Sign That the NBA is Going Back to the Future
June 02, 2009 by
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Shaquille O'Neal often says that he is the LCL (last center left) but the Cleveland Cavaliers just found out that this is definitely not true: while most of the world focused on LeBron James, Kobe Bryant and the puppet commercials, Dwight Howard hopped into a souped-up DeLorean...
Are the Lakers Really Better Off When Kobe Bryant Shoots Less Frequently?
June 01, 2009 by
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If you watch the ESPN/ABC NBA pregame shows with any regularity then you know that Mike Wilbon and Jon Barry have repeatedly cited statistics that they say prove that the Lakers are better off when Kobe Bryant shoots less frequently. Recently, the Wall Street Journal ran a brief item...
Dominant Howard Ends Cleveland's Dream Season, Lifts Orlando into the NBA Finals
May 31, 2009 by
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Dwight Howard had the best game of his young playoff career and as a result his Orlando Magic defeated the Cleveland Cavaliers 103-90, winning the Eastern Conference Finals four games to two. Howard scored a playoff career-high 40 points, shooting 14-21 from the field and 12-16 from...
"No Mercy": Bryant Produces, Directs and Stars as Lakers Smash Nuggets
May 30, 2009 by
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"No mercy," Kobe Bryant instructed his teammates during a second half timeout when the L.A. Lakers already enjoyed a double digit lead over the Denver Nuggets and they followed his advice, rolling to a 119-92 game six victory in the Western Conference Finals to advance to...
Brilliant Performance by LeBron James Lifts Cavs Over Magic in Game Five
May 29, 2009 by
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LeBron James added yet another chapter to his book of impressive playoff performances, authoring a huge triple double (37 points, 14 rebounds, 12 assists--numbers no player has matched in the same playoff game since Oscar Robertson had 41-15-12 on March 21, 1963) and completely dominating...
Precision Passing by Bryant Carves Up Nuggets
May 28, 2009 by
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Kobe Bryant set a Conference Finals scoring record (which was then immediately broken by LeBron James) with 147 points in the L.A. Lakers' first four games versus the Denver Nuggets, but in the pivotal game five the Nuggets elected to aggressively trap Bryant and he made them pay...
Howard Dominates Overtime as Magic Win Pivotal Game Four Versus Cavalliers
May 27, 2009 by
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Dwight Howard scored 10 of his team-high 27 points in overtime as the Orlando Magic posted a 116-114 victory to take a 3-1 lead over the Cleveland Cavaliers in the Eastern Conference Finals. Howard led both teams in rebounds (14) and blocked shots (three) while also passing for four...
Nuggets Erase 14 Point First Half Deficit, Earn Split in Los Angeles
May 26, 2009 by
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The L.A. Lakers do not always play hard (or smart), so consequently they end up having to do things the hard way--and if the Lakers are going to attain their goal of winning the 2009 NBA Championship then they are going to have to win at least one game in Denver, because the Nuggets...
Magic Overcome James' 41 Points to Take 2-1 Lead
May 26, 2009 by
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LeBron James scored 41 points, dished for nine assists and grabbed seven rebounds but he shot just 11-28 from the field--including 2-15 on perimeter shots--and he missed five fourth quarter free throws as the Orlando Magic defeated his Cleveland Cavaliers 99-89 to grab a 2-1 lead in...
Nuggets' "Crash Ball" Wrecks Lakers
May 26, 2009 by
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The L.A. Lakers had an opportunity to take a commanding 3-1 lead over the Denver Nuggets in the Western Conference Finals but the Nuggets played what Lakers Coach Phil Jackson termed "crash ball" and the Lakers simply crashed, losing 120-101, their worst defeat in this year...
Bryant Scores 41 as Lakers Take 2-1 Lead Over Nuggets
May 24, 2009 by
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This is a great time to be a basketball fan, because The Best the Game Offers are both performing splendidly on the sport's biggest stage, the playoffs: LeBron James is averaging 42 ppg in the Eastern Conference Finals and just hit the biggest shot of his career to tie Cleveland...
Witness This! James' Last Second Three Pointer Saves Cavs
May 23, 2009 by
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This time, "The Shot" electrified Cleveland instead of adding yet
another chapter to the star-crossed city's long history of devastating
postseason disappointments: LeBron James drilled a tough, contested
three pointer as time expired to lift the Cleveland Cavaliers...
Hubie Brown Breaks Down Cleveland-Orlando and LeBron-Kobe
May 21, 2009 by
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Prior to Orlando's 107-106 game one victory over Cleveland, I interviewed Hall of Famer Hubie Brown, who is doing Eastern Conference Finals color commentary for ESPN Radio, working alongside play by play man Mike Tirico.Friedman: "Do you think that the optimal defensive strategy...
Resilient Magic Rally From 16 Point Deficit to Stun Cavaliers, 107-106
May 21, 2009 by
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LeBron James authored one of the epochal single game performances in NBA playoff history--49 points on 20-30 field goal shooting, eight assists, six rebounds, three blocked shots, two steals--but the Orlando Magic erased a 16 point lead to steal homecourt advantage with a 107-106 victory...
Bryant Outduels Anthony, Carries Lakers Past Nuggets
May 20, 2009 by
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Kobe Bryant scored 40 points--including 18 in the fourth quarter--and alternated between guarding All-NBA players Chauncey Billups and Carmelo Anthony as the L.A. Lakers rallied from a 13 point deficit to beat the Denver Nuggets 105-103 in game one of the Western Conference Finals...
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NBA analysis and commentary with links to David Friedman's articles and interviews with legends such as Julius Erving, Oscar Robertson and many others.
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