NBA

[Macca 16,955]

Well, that's devastating.

Kobe reckons he made a move and it just went pop. Calf muscles and Achilles tendon injuries are the domain of the older athlete.

Story of the Lakers year really. You'll almost certainly be playing OKC if you make the playoffs. Utah and the Lakers both won today but LA are possibly going to have to beat the Spurs and Houston to make it anyway.

[Jack Jack 415]

Well, that's devastating.

I'm just chatching up with the news. No one wants to see Kobe go down. He's got such an incredible fighting spirit, it's quite hard to see him so down and disillusioned in his press conferences.

But as the great man says himself "If you see me in a fight with a bear, prey for the bear". I'll half expect to see him come off the bench in the playoffs. Even to see him on the sidelines I'm sure will be a great lift for the team.

[Macca 16,955]

I'm just catching up with the news. No one wants to see Kobe go down. He's got such an incredible fighting spirit, it's quite hard to see him so down and disillusioned in his press conferences.

But as the great man says himself "If you see me in a fight with a bear, prey for the bear". I'll half expect to see him come off the bench in the playoffs. Even to see him on the sidelines I'm sure will be a great lift for the team.

Be interesting to see how the Lakers go in their last 2 games. Both the Spurs and the Rockets can move from their present seeding so both games are 'alive' right now.

Seems there might be a few unhappy campers with regards to Derrick Rose not coming back to play in the playoffs ...

... Derrick Rose never will know because he never tried

Rose should have given it a go, should have tested the knee on the biggest stage — not for the fans, not for the media, not for the entourage, not for his coaches or his teammates, but for himself. He should have eased his own mind moving forward.

Earlier this week, Thibodeau was asked about center Joakim Noah doing everything he can to return from plantar fasciitis in his right foot.

‘‘That’s what he’s supposed to do. He’s a pro,’’ Thibodeau said. ‘‘A pro has the responsibility to do everything he can, to come back as quick as you can.’’

He was talking about Noah.

Or maybe he wasn’t.

Edited April 14, 2013 by Macca

[Macca 16,955]

Lakers defeat the Spurs without Kobe! If Utah lose at Minnesota tomorrow then LA are in. Otherwise, it comes down to the last game of the season for both sides. Overall seedings are not done yet ... standings ...

... Spurs @ Lakers highlights

[pantaloons 2,019]

Gutsy, gutsy win at Staples today. Starting backcourt of Blake and Meeks meant that the backup guards were Darius Morris and Chris Duhon. Hoping dearly that Nash can get himself back pronto.

[Macca 16,955]

Gutsy, gutsy win at Staples today. Starting backcourt of Blake and Meeks meant that the backup guards were Darius Morris and Chris Duhon. Hoping dearly that Nash can get himself back pronto.

Ok, all decided tomorrow.

For those with cable, ESPN have the Lakers game vs Houston on live from 12.30pm. Keeping in mind that the Utah @ Memphis game (10.00am start our time) will probably be decided by the time the LA game starts.

Utah have to win to keep their hopes alive. Memphis can grab the 4 seed from the Clippers if the Clippers lose at Sacramento. The Clippers @ Sacramento game is on at 12.30pm (our time)

Not sure on the status of the tie break between Golden State / Houston or Houston / Lakers

[Jack Jack 415]

Pretty incredible day of basketball ahead. Should be great.

Carn the Lakers.

[Macca 16,955]

Pretty incredible day of basketball ahead. Should be great.

Carn the Lakers.

Steve Salisbury said today on SEN that the Lakers have a better chance without Kobe. His reasoning was that without Kobe, all the members of the team would work harder around the court and get into position to shoot more often. He went on to say that the players don't work as hard with Kobe in the team because he's so good.

Find it difficult to believe that Kobe wouldn't improve any team. You'd reckon any decent coach would 'find a way'

However, Salisbury didn't see them getting past the 1st round anyway (which would be against OKC?)

Nash won't play tomorrow by the looks of it ... here's the latest with Steve's injury ...

... Lakers News: Steve Nash's Nagging Injury Spells Trouble for Playoff Hopes

Edited April 17, 2013 by Macca

[Jack Jack 415]

Lakers win in OT, clinch the 7th seed. First round against the Spurs. Game on.

[Macca 16,955]

Lakers win in OT, clinch the 7th seed. First round against the Spurs. Game on.

There's some good match-ups. 4 games on Sunday (our time) kick things off.

The Rockets / OKC series has some added drama with James Harden up against his old team.

... from today ... Houston @ Lakers highlights

[DemonDave 1,089]

Being a Spurs fan I was fully expecting us to be matching up against the Rockets, how on earth did Lakers get up into 7th? I havent been keeping track

of the other teams this week.

Good to see Patty Mills get a nice points haul against Golden State yesterday, and also from an Aussie persepective I hope Bogut and the Warriors get thru

to the second round as well.

I guess its up to Howard to really step up for LAL now, I watched the game against Spurs the other day, was a great contest v Tim Duncan. I'm not so sure Steve

Blake can carry you that far in the playoffs though.

Go Spurs Go!

[pantaloons 2,019]

Interesting stuff from Salisbury. We need to make sure we don't starve Howard and Pau of shots. That's still our best route to easy points. But without Kobe (and no, we are not a better team without him) it does make us less predictable and gives the likes of Blake, Jamison and Meeks more shots and responsibility. I expect us to lose in 5. The Spurs are banged up too though, so that may help.

[Jack Jack 415]

Being a Spurs fan I was fully expecting us to be matching up against the Rockets, how on earth did Lakers get up into 7th? I havent been keeping track

of the other teams this week.

Good to see Patty Mills get a nice points haul against Golden State yesterday, and also from an Aussie persepective I hope Bogut and the Warriors get thru

to the second round as well.

I guess its up to Howard to really step up for LAL now, I watched the game against Spurs the other day, was a great contest v Tim Duncan. I'm not so sure Steve

Blake can carry you that far in the playoffs though.

Go Spurs Go!

I keep forgetting about Mills and the Spurs. Probably because he's seldom got any meaningful minutes for most of the season. I was excited for Mills last season, but with no gametime it's probably put me off a bit. Still, now that we're here, Go Aussie, Go Patty!

Bogut and GSW coming up against Denver doesn't look too promising. But GSW look to have a pretty solid team, if Bogut can stay healthy and they could be good for a few years of playoff action.

Interesting stuff from Salisbury. We need to make sure we don't starve Howard and Pau of shots. That's still our best route to easy points. But without Kobe (and no, we are not a better team without him) it does make us less predictable and gives the likes of Blake, Jamison and Meeks more shots and responsibility. I expect us to lose in 5. The Spurs are banged up too though, so that may help.

Any news on Nash? Blake has put in some incredible efforts the last few games, but surely Nash would be a cut above.

There's some good match-ups. 4 games on Sunday (our time) kick things off.

The Rockets / OKC series has some added drama with James Harden up against his old team.

... from today ... Houston @ Lakers highlights

Oh yeah, Harden against OKC. How good will that be.

So many great games ahead. The playoffs will be a welcome distraction that for sure.

[Macca 16,955]

I keep forgetting about Mills and the Spurs. Probably because he's seldom got any meaningful minutes for most of the season. I was excited for Mills last season, but with no gametime it's probably put me off a bit. Still, now that we're here, Go Aussie, Go Patty!

Bogut and GSW coming up against Denver doesn't look too promising. But GSW look to have a pretty solid team, if Bogut can stay healthy and they could be good for a few years of playoff action.

Any news on Nash? Blake has put in some incredible efforts the last few games, but surely Nash would be a cut above.

Oh yeah, Harden against OKC. How good will that be.

So many great games ahead. The playoffs will be a welcome distraction, that's for sure.

Playoffs start from 5am AEST tomorrow ...

... schedule for the 1st week of the playoffs

Tips (Winners in dark italics)

OKC vs Houston

San Antonio vs LA Lakers

Denver vs Golden State

LA Clippers vs Memphis

Miami vs Milwaukee

New York vs Boston

Indiana vs Atlanta

Brooklyn vs Chicago

Edited April 20, 2013 by Macca

[Jack Jack 415]

Good idea Macca.

New York have some injury concerns. As do Denver and Chicago. Will be interesting to see how it all plays out.

Tips (Winners in dark italics)

OKC vs Houston

San Antonio vs LA Lakers

Denver vs Golden State

LA Clippers vs Memphis

Miami vs Milwaukee

New York vs Boston

Indiana vs Atlanta

Brooklyn vs Chicago

Edit: The basketball world moves quickly, 3 coaches gone already. Scott was fired by the Cleveland Cavaliers, Frank was ousted by the Detroit Pistons and Doug Collins resigned as coach of the Philadelphia 76ers, all three Thursday, a day after the end of the regular season. There's talk about Cleveland being interested in Phil Jackson. Never a dull moment.

Edited April 20, 2013 by Jack Jack

[Macca 16,955]

Good idea Macca.

New York have some injury concerns. As do Denver and Chicago. Will be interesting to see how it all plays out.

Tips (Winners in dark italics)

OKC vs Houston

San Antonio vs LA Lakers

Denver vs Golden State

LA Clippers vs Memphis

Miami vs Milwaukee

New York vs Boston

Indiana vs Atlanta

Brooklyn vs Chicago

Edit: The basketball world moves quickly, 3 coaches gone already. Scott was fired by the Cleveland Cavaliers, Frank was ousted by the Detroit Pistons and Doug Collins resigned as coach of the Philadelphia 76ers, all three Thursday, a day after the end of the regular season. There's talk about Cleveland being interested in Phil Jackson. Never a dull moment.

They'll all slot back into other positions someplace ... the College system or in other roles within the NBA. 7 or 8 NFL coaches were all gone within a day or so of the completion of the season. It's all very matter of fact over there.

A few of the picks are no-brainers in the 1st round but we may see a surprise or 2. The Lakers may extend their series vs San Antonio but that might have more to do with how healthy the Spurs are.

For those with cable, it looks like ESPN are covering selected games in the 1st round (beginning tomorrow with game 1 of the Bulls @ Nets 10am AEST) ESPN radio will be covering various games as well. Will post details when available.

Edited April 20, 2013 by Macca

[Jack Jack 415]

For those with cable, it looks like ESPN are covering selected games in the 1st round (beginning tomorrow with game 1 of the Bulls @ Nets 10am AEST) ESPN radio will be covering various games as well. Will post details when available.

NBA League Pass is free for the first few days of the first round. So you can see all the games live or on demand.

[Macca 16,955]

Milwaukee's Brandon Jennings predicted a series victory in 6 games ... the Bucks had better get a move on after today's game 1.

... Milwaukee @ Miami game 1 highlights

[Macca 16,955]

Bulls even the series against Brooklyn and the Clippers/Grizzlies encounter ends up with a thrilling finish.

Highlights LA Clippers / Memphis Grizzlies

ESPN are covering the Boston / New York game from 10am tomorrow. Celtics won't want to fall 2 down.

[Jack Jack 415]

Brooklyn look like losing again. Pretty disappointing stuff.

Bobcats sacked their coach a few days agao, I suspect Brooklyn will be doing the same in the not too distant future.

A few things I missed from the regular season. Mavs finally got to .500 with a few games left in the season, so Dirk could shave off the beard (I wonder if that's what inspired Watts?)

And I maybe Neeld can take something out of the report on the Wizards playing group. (Call me cruel, but I can't stop laughing at the headline)

[Macca 16,955]

Golden State win to take a 2-1 advantage over Denver ... highlights

Knicks, Spurs and Miami all have 3-0 leads whilst the Pacers and OKC have 2-0 leads. OKC losing Westbrook is a huge blow. He may be a chance to return later in the playoffs if the Thunder get through the 1st and 2nd rounds of the playoffs.

[Geddy Lee 582]

22 points in 6 minutes.

Steph is a freak.

[pantaloons 2,019]

22 points in 6 minutes.

Steph is a freak.

Congrats big fella. Good to see them doing well. Folks in the Bay Area support their pro sports teams in awesome fashion, and when the Warriors get to the playoffs it's a madhouse. Hope they keep it up.

[DemonDave 1,089]

Have a look at this shot on nba.com that Curry makes in the warmup!

http://www.nba.com/warriors/video/2013/04/28/GameFourPreStephmov-2462153?ls=iref:nbahpts

He is shaping up to be one of the next big stars in the NBA the way he is going...

[Sydney Demon 3]

http://www.heraldsun.com.au/sport/meet-americas-first-openly-gay-sport-star/story-fnecrvvd-1226632585532

BASKETBALLER Jason Collins this week shocked the world of US professional sport by declaring - on the cover of Sports Illustrated - that he was gay.

Collins is the first active player in one of America's major sports to make such an admission.