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LeBron James and the Miami Heat are now closing in on not their first, not their second, but their third consecutive NBA Finals appearance, where they will be looking for their second ring with “The Big Three.”
But before we can punch Miami’s ticket to the Finals, the Heat still have four games left to
win against an Indiana Pacers team they’ve lost 2 out of 3 against this season.
Here’s the bottom line on Carmelo Anthony’s recent play. Using the measuring stick of points per shot, it is his worst four-game stretch of the postseason since the first four playoff games of his career.
Furthermore, when compared alongside other worst four-game stretches of contemporary solo superstars, it is near the bottom.
Following Sunday’s loss to Indiana in the Eastern Conference semifinals opener, the Knicks are 1-3 in their last four games, including 0-2 at home. Their only win saw them nearly squander a 26-point lead in a matter of minutes as they repeatedly force-fed Anthony (and, to be fair, J.R. Smith) in isolation situations.
The Slam Dunk contest mostly turned out to be a snooze fest of sorts.
Saturday night actually kicked off with a promising reverse dunk off the side of the backboard from former champion Gerald Green, but took a dive from there, as the contestants repeatedly failed to convert their attempts on the first couple of tries. Green was surprisingly the biggest culprit, as the high-flyer ultimately failed to covert his double-dunk attempt in the allowed time.
What is the ceiling of Washington Wizards point guard John Wall?
When Wall entered the league as the No. 1 overall pick of the 2010-2011 Draft, some believed he may become one of the best point guards to ever play the game. Yes, the hype was that strong.
And why not? He had incredible athleticism, size, played defense and displayed the ability to find teammates.
In his second game ever as a Wizard, he quickly showed promise with 28 points and nine assists in a losing effort against the Atlanta Hawks. In his third game, he had 29 points, 13 assists and nine steals in an overtime victory against the Philadelphia 76ers. In his sixth game as a pro, Wall added a triple-double to his fast-growing resume with 19 points, 10 rebounds, 13 assists, one turnover and six steals – joining Magic Johnson as the only rookie ever to post a triple-double with six steals in his first six games.
With just two games remaining on the NBA schedule before All-Star Weekend — Heat/Thunder, Clippers/Lakers tonight on TNT — most of the league has shifted its focus towards this weekends festivities in Houston.
Today’s case study, Kenneth Faried of the Denver Nuggets, who will be a participant in Saturday nights featured event, the Slam Dunk Contest.
