// All eyes were supposed to be on LeBron James as the NBA Finals began Tuesday night. Would James continue his spectacular postseason? Would he put his disappearing acts in last year’s Finals behind him? Would he finally break through and win his first championship? Those aren’t the questions fans are asking anymore. In fact, after one game, the focus is no longer on James. It is on Kevin Durant, whose 36 points and eight rebounds lifted the Oklahoma City Thunder to
csprtContainer(); The Oklahoma City Thunder are one of the youngest teams in history to reach the NBA Finals, where historically young teams do not do very well. Hall of Fame NBA writer Mark Heisler references the 1995 Orlando Magic, who knocked off Michael Jordan and the Chicago Bulls to reach the NBA Finals, only to be swept by the older Houston Rockets – who just happened to have the experience of being defending champions. Does Heisler believe the Thunder will crash and burn
Tonight is Game 1 of the NBA Finals, and the buzz is palpable. Can the Heat draw on last year’s disappointment as motivation? Is the stage too big and bright for the youth of the Thunder? Which team will get its vaunted transition game going? And if it is a one-possession game in the final minute, will LeBron James again become a shrinking violet or impose his newly indomitable will? We all want to see a competitive series with no shortage of spectacular
The 12 referees who work the NBA Finals will wear No. 57 on their jerseys as a show of recognition to colleague Greg Willard, who has pancreatic cancer. A 24-year veteran, Willard is one of the NBA’s top officials, having worked the last two NBA Finals, the pinnacle of officiating. He was still working in the early rounds of this postseason before pulling out with an undisclosed illness. The gesture was arranged by the National Basketball Referees Association with the NBA’s cooperation. “Greg’s
Maybe it was the unrelenting schedule finally catching up to us. Maybe it was the hectic planning of last weekend’s trip to Philadelphia for an AAU tournament. Whatever the reason, we missed a week of The Bernucca List, and we apologize. Reader Technologic provided the right answer for last week’s list, which was “The last 10 players to lead their team in scoring in a road Game 7 win.” Congratulations, Technologic. Can we call you Techno for short? Onto this week’s list,
By Chris Bernucca This NBA lockout is a 12-inch stupid sandwich. The owners have been stupid in believing they could get back in one negotiation everything they have given away over the last 12 years. The players have been stupid in underestimating the backlash from a fickle fan base hit hard by a nationwide economic malaise. And both sides have been extremely stupid in coming close enough to shake hands, then refusing to with the childish insistence of “You first!” It is another in