SH Blog: League announces stronger flopping policy, Gortat says Suns are mentally weak

1 Comment

Dwight HowardThere’s nothing quite like the intensity and importance of playoff basketball. We’re all craving for it all to begin after having to watch a countless number of meaningless games over the last couple of weeks, where teams decide to sit their main players to rest for postseason action.

Unfortunately, we’re still a couple of days away from seeing any of it, as the first set of games don’t start until Saturday afternoon. If you’re wondering how things will play out in the first round and what teams need to do to be successful, you’re at the right spot. Sheridan Hoops has the five factors of each series and predictions on which teams will move onto the second round. Check them out below:

Pages: 1 2 3

SH Blog: Griffin disagrees with decision on Ibaka, Balkman chokes teammate in PBA

Leave a comment

Blake GriffinNote to all NBA players: a punch against your opponent won’t get you suspended, as long as it’s below the belt and you’re not a repeat offender.

That’s the impression the league left most of us with after making the decision to not suspend Serge Ibaka for taking a shot at Blake Griffin’s jewels, fining him $25,000 instead.

Pages: 1 2 3

Fantasy Spin: Nuggets Wear Down Clippers, OKC Edges NYC & a $300 Freeroll Tonight

Leave a comment

There were two very good games on Thursday and we’ll preview a dozen more on tonight’s NBA schedule, but in addition to updates that will help you manage Roto and Head-to-Head teams, the big fantasy news tonight will happen at DraftStreet.

Everyone should join the Sheridan Hoops Freeroll, where there’s no cost, no obligation and you could win $100 cash or one of 14 consolation prizes. There’s also one final chance to qualify for a $50,000 grand prize in the DSBBC tournament. Details for both events are on Page 3.

Thursday Results

JR SmithOKC @ NYK: Even without Carmelo Anthony (knee), the Knicks made this quite a battle. A season high from J.R. Smith (36 PTS, 3 REB, 3 AST, 3 STL) included six 3-pointers and Amare Stoudemire (16 PTS, 8 REB, 2 BLK) battled tight defensive pressure all night. They shot only 41% as a team and were held to 22% in the final quarter. For the visitors, Kevin Durant (34 PTS, 8 REB, 6 AST) was terrific and Russell Westbrook (21 PTS, 6 REB, 5 AST, 2 STL) is still pretty good even when he misses 14 shots and rolls an ankle. Kevin Martin (16 PTS, 4 REB, 4 AST, 2 STL) played 32 minutes for the Thunder and Serge Ibaka (12 PTS, 9 REB) blocked five shots.

LAC @ DEN: It was a superb first half (49-all) as the Clippers slowed down Denver’s trademark fast-break attack. In the third quarter, L.A. began to run out of gas and Ty Lawson (21 PTS, 11 AST, 6 REB) took over. Kenneth Faried (11 PTS, 10 REB, 4 BLK) played strong D, while Danilo Gallinari (20 PTS, 6 AST, 5 REB) was an offensive force and three bench players reached double figures. Jamal Crawford (ankle) was unavailable, so Matt Barnes (19 PTS, 3 AST) played 36 minutes off the bench but Chris Paul (16 PTS, 10 AST, 4 REB) and Blake Griffin (17 PTS, 2 REB, 2 AST) were not quite as spectacular as usual.

Friday Previews

OKC @ CHA: Sooner or later the woeful Bobcats will surprise someone. Tonight seems unlikely. Ben Gordon is worth a pickup in some formats and is a decent start, as Ramon Sessions (knee) is out for at least a couple of weeks. Byron Mullens is playing on a tender knee, so Josh McRoberts has a pulse in deeper leagues. Michael Kidd-Gilchrist is trying to finish strong in his rookie year. The Thunder stars will probably do just enough to win; I’m looking elsewhere in the Freeroll.

IND @ ORL: Don’t expect a miracle from the Magic, but don’t overlook them. Jameer Nelson is healthy again, Arron Afflalo is a versatile asset and the kids are alright, especially newcomer Tobias Harris, who comes off the bench with a green light. However, the Pacers have experience and talent on their side, and might be grumpy after blowing a big lead at home on Wednesday. At their best, they shut down opponents with tremendous team defense while David West and Paul George do the scoring.

Pages: 1 2 3

SH Blog: Kings trade Robinson to Rockets, Nets and Celtics discuss deal for Pierce and more rumors

1 Comment

The official NBA Trade Deadline is on Thursday, at 3:00 P.M., EST.  That means the clock is ticking for teams around the league, and rumors continue to circle around Josh Smith and company.

In today’s blog, we’ll get straight to all the rumors, including the ones that appear to be shot down and ones that are still well in discussion. All of this, of course, means plenty of Woj “bombs” and reports are to be expected.

Before we get to all the rumors, here’s a totally unexpected trade that went down between the Houston Rockets and Sacramento Kings, from Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo Sports (as promised): “Houston Rockets and Sacramento Kings The Houston Rockets acquired Sacramento’s Thomas Robinson, the fifth overall pick in the draft, in a three-way deal on Wednesday night, league sources told Yahoo! Sports. The Rockets sent Patrick Patterson, Toney Douglas and Cole Aldrich to the Kings, and Marcus Morris to the Phoenix Suns as part of the trade. The Kings give up Robinson, the power forward out of Kansas, Francisco Garcia, Tyler Honeycutt and a future second-round pick to the Rockets, sources said. Morris, the 14th overall pick of the 2011 draft, had started 17 games for the Rockets this season, averaging 8.6 points and 4.1 rebounds. Morris averaged 21 minutes a game for Houston.”

Pages: 1 2 3

SH Blog: Popovich Explodes on Dwight; Mitch Kupchak on Lakers Future; Where Will Josh Smith Land?

Leave a comment

With just over 24 hours until the NBA trade deadline, rumors are swirling and NBA players and GMs are contemplating their futures.

Be careful what you put stock into, though.

Pages: 1 2 3