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When the San Antonio Spurs beat the New York Knicks in the 1999 NBA Finals, it was considered a championship coronation for long-time Spurs center David Robinson.
With plenty of help from second-year power forward Tim Duncan, that title validated Robinson’s career. But more importantly, it spawned a run of sustained success that is incredibly unique in the NBA, especially for a small-market franchise like the Spurs.
There once was a time when Oklahoma City Thunder superstar Kevin Durant wanted to separate himself from his “nice guy” image.
Nike rolled out a marketing campaign just for the occasion, touting a slogan that stated, “KD is not nice.”
Au contraire, mon frère, Durant is still (perhaps) the nicest guy in the midwest—if not the entire league.
In lieu of the tragedy that has hit residents in Moore, Oklahoma, Durant has pledged to help ease the pain [as reported by Royce Young of DailyThunder.com].
As you may have heard, a class-E5 tornado hit Moore, a suburb of Oklahoma City, Monday afternoon. The storm, which had winds that were between 200 and 210 miles per hour, was large enough that it left a two-mile wide trail of destruction in its wake.
24 people have been confirmed dead, including nine children. More than 230 people were injured. Several people have been pulled from the rubble of what once were homes and local businesses.
While the news was alarming—and a tragic reminder that Mother Nature can be savage beast—the quick response to help those in need has been nothing short of inspiring.
Since Durant announced his intent to donate $1 million dollars, two more donations of equal amount have been made.
As Ira Winderman of the Miami Sun Sentinel wrote, you can help too.
You can donate to the American Red Cross’ tornado relief efforts online or by texting REDCROSS to 90999.
Our continued prayers are with those who have experienced injury or loss in Oklahoma.
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NEW YORK — You know why the dateline for the Draft Lottery says “New York” instead of “Secaucus, N.J.?”
Because they dynamited the old NBA Entertainment Studios where the lottery was held for more than a decade, so if they wanted to do the ping-pong ball thingee amid a pile of rubble.
So the Millennium Hotel in Times Square is the place where the fate of the 14-non-playoff teams will be decided, and the team that has the most to lose by winning is the Toronto Raptors.
When the Raptors acquired Kyle Lowry from the Houston Rockets, they surrendered a draft pick that is Top 3 protected this year, Top 2 protected in 2014 and Top 1 protected in 2015. So if the Raptors’ combination of ping-pong balls comes up tonight, they will keep their pick but will have a much higher likelihood of losing it next year when the 2014 draft will be the most loaded in over a decade.
That pick is now the property of the Oklahoma City Thunder, who acquired it in the James Harden trade. So if the 99-1 odds hold, it’ll be the Thunder selecting 12th. Who might they select? Check out our Mock Draft 2.0.1, which will be subbed out tonight by Mock Draft 3.0 after the festivities are complete.
Here are the mathematical chances each team has of winning the lottery:
TEAM 1000 PICK 1 PICK 2 PK 3
Orlando 250 25.00% 21.51% 17.77%
Charlotte 199 19.90% 18.81% 17.12%
Cleveland 156 15.60% 15.74% 15.59%
Phoenix 119 11.90% 12.60% 13.30%
New Orleans 88 8.80% 9.66% 10.68%
Sacramento 63 6.30% 7.10% 8.12%
Detroit 43 4.30% 4.94% 5.79%
Washington 28 2.80% 3.26% 3.89%
Minnesota 17 1.70% 2.00% 2.41%
Portland 11 1.10% 1.30% 1.58%
Philadelphia 8 0.80% 0.95% 1.15%
Toronto 7 0.70% 0.83% 1.01%
Dallas 6 0.60% 0.71% 0.87%
Utah 5 0.50% 0.59% 0.73%
This summer, when your favorite team’s owner or GM tells you a certain player is financially out of reach, here’s how you know he is lying.
His lips are moving.
NBA business is booming, folks. And not just for the so-called big markets. Take a quick look at the conference finals, which feature four teams from middle to small markets collecting millions for every home playoff game.
Take a look at the Sacramento Kings, who were just sold for a record $525 million even though they haven’t been in the playoffs in seven years and play in an outdated arena in a small market.
