All posts by Darryl Brazley

When the weekend began, all of the NBA Conference Semifinals’ series were tied 1-1. The Western Conference featured 2 Clippers-Rockets games that were unwatchable hack-a-player showcases that ended with massive Clipper victories. Those games sandwiched a Warriors-Grizzlies game that ended with the Grizzlies closing out against the Warriors. The Eastern Conference games featured 3 buzzer beaters by Derrick Rose, Paul Pierce, and LeBron James. Friday showcased Game 3 of the Bulls-Cavaliers series. The score was tied at 96. LeBron knocked the ball out of Derrick Rose’s hand and Mike DunleavyRead More

Now that the NCAA’s Men’s Basketball Tournament is over, it’s time to think about the 2015 NBA draft. If you root for a team like the New York Knicks or the Minnesota Timberwolves, you may have been thinking about June 26, 2015 for a while now. Your team’s name is called and a tall young man walks across the stage. He puts on a hat with your team’s logo and he shakes the commissioner’s hand. At first, he’ll represent hope for your favorite franchise, but soon the season will start and he’ll helpRead More

These are the Nationally Televised Games for the week. All times are Eastern Standard Time. Monday Detroit at Atlanta 2:30PM ESPN “We are shifting priorities to aggressively develop our younger players while also expanding the roles of other players in the current rotation to improve performance and build for our future. As we expand certain roles, others will be reduced. In fairness to Josh, being a highly versatile 10-year veteran in this league, we feel it’s best to give him his freedom to move forward. We have full respect forRead More

Basketball used to come at a perfect time for me. Usually, by October, I’m chomping at the bit for basketball to begin. Usually there’s no basketball over the summer, other than Summer League, and by mid-October, my beloved Dallas Cowboys have already shown signs that they are headed to another season of mediocrity. This year was a bit different. The FIBA World Cup, along with an exciting rookie class, kept my attention throughout the summer. Also the Dallas Cowboys started off well, winning 6 of their first 7 games. WhenRead More

Basketball is one of the places where American exceptionalism still rings true. When we put out our best players, we dominate. In the 2014 FIBA world cup, we haven’t had our biggest stars. Chris Paul, Carmelo Anthony, Kevin Durant, Lebron James, Kevin Love and Dwight Howard are nowhere to be found. This year we’ve sent out the B-squad. The team this time around is younger, but still star laden, and it shows the future of the league. As the quarterfinals begin, here’s a quick summary of who’s on the roster.Read More

“I’m not having a press conference or a party. After this, it’s time to get to work.” – LeBron James   The best two-way player in the NBA, Lebron James decided to go to the Cleveland Cavaliers. Everyone knows the story. Lebron James, high school prodigy from nearby Akron, Ohio was drafted by the Cavaliers. After 7 moderately successful years (including a few ECF appearances and an NBA finals appearance)  he used his status as a free agent and the best basketball player in the universe to go to the MiamiRead More

“The transaction seems to have usurped the action in sports because the promise of tomorrow can feel so much better than your team’s today” – Dan LeBatard I’d say that the value of transactions has another basis. I’m 6’1 and about 155 lbs.  I won’t be a center in the NBA. When I criticize an NBA center about the basketball skills that they don’t have, I do so knowing that the things that they can’t do are also things that I can’t do, and never will.  However, fans can be amateur GMsRead More

“I’m gonna fight ’em off A seven nation army couldn’t hold me back” – White Stripes (Seven Nation Army)   A seven nation army, you say? How about nine? The defending NBA champion, Miami Heat has used Seven Nation Army by the White Stripes as a theme song for the last few years. Admittedly, they weren’t the first to do it, but they are the most popular. For the second year in a row, we have the Heat playing against the San Antonio Spurs.  The Spurs have players who wereRead More

Two nights ago the NBA Draft Lottery took place. With the exception of one team, the lottery ended up going chalk. Here are a list of winners and losers of the night.   Cleveland Cavaliers – Winner Cleveland ruined it for everybody.  Before the lottery, I said that there was no way that Cleveland would win. Now, they have the number one pick for the 3rd time in 4 years. One one hand, it means that the ugly tanking of Philadelphia and other teams was not rewarded by the ping pongRead More

It has been a beautiful weekend of playoff basketball. Despite the absence of the old guard, all of the playoff games so far have been compelling. The Knicks, Celtics, and Lakers aren’t necessary to make things interesting. After a huge focus on the tanking, non-playoff teams throughout the season, we now have the best teams going against each other (and the Eastern Conference too!). Here are some thoughts and observations from the beginning of playoff season.   The Pacers should be concerned about the Hawks It has been a runningRead More

Here are the NBA games you don’t want to miss this week. All times are Eastern. Wednesday Brooklyn at New York, 7PM ESPN When 2014 began, it appeared that we were headed for another year of depressing New York City basketball. The Nets overpaid for Paul Pierce and Kevin Garnett and they weren’t getting the results that the owners planned for. The Knicks didn’t make any major offseason improvements and the acquisitions of Metta World Peace and Andrea Bargnani were disastrous. Admittedly, neither of those two statements have changed atRead More

Hawes is a mid-level center who is a valuable commodity for the Cavaliers. Hawes gets an opportunity to play for a team that absolutely wants to make the playoffs, despite a dearth of talent. Cleveland is only 5 games out of the playoff picture right now meaning that Hawes will get to play for a team that’s trying for the rest of the year. He’s also going to be a free agent soon. 2) Evan Turner to the Pacers. Danny Granger to the Sixers Evan Turner should provide offense offRead More

  The NBA’s All-Star Weekend is the highlight of the season for the NBA. It’s a weekend-long party exhibiting the best individual players the league has to offer. All-Star weekend is typically highlighted by two events, the Slam Dunk Contest and the All-Star Game. This year’s party in New Orleans will be remembered for the great offensive showcase during the All-Star Game and the Slam Dunk Contest which was simply offensive to viewers. The Slam Dunk Contest is often complained about. The two most common complaints are that there areRead More