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As the NBA season rolls on, handicappers abound. Power rankings have become an industry of their own, giving fans and sportswriters fodder for discussion: Who’s No. 1? Before the season began, I suggested this was the Cleveland Cavaliers’ year. That opinion was based on the fact that they had a phenomenal regular season last year; rolled undefeated through two playoff series immediately after; and were left with the bitter taste of ...

The Milwaukee Bucks continued their unlikely romp through the NBA Tuesday night, stretching their latest winning streak to four with an 86-84 victory over the Boston Celtics. It was the Bucks’ 10th win in their last 11 games. They continue to climb higher in the Eastern Conference playoff picture and now sit comfortably in the fifth spot. The way they’re playing, they could ascend to even loftier heights. They held off the ...

Sometimes, they just hang on too long. In other cases, they never had much going on in the first place. Regardless, it’s no surprise that an NBA player would try to extend his career for as long as possible. The competition, the travel, the camaraderie, the perks, the pay…it’s a life well-lived, for much too short of a time. No matter. There comes a time when, for his own sake, the sake of ...

I like what Mike Brown did Saturday night in Milwaukee. The Cavaliers’ head coach sat LeBron James against the Bucks.  Cleveland lost, 92-85, but may have gained much in the process, as they were forced to perform without their leader. James rolled his right ankle during the Cavs win over Detroit Friday night in Cleveland. He stayed in the game and finished with 40 points and 13 rebounds as the Cavaliers came ...

The hue and cry was predictable. But it's misplaced. Opinions are flying about LeBron James' petition to change his jersey number from 23, which he wore from his youth to honor Michael Jordan, to 6, which he wears for Team USA. Players do this sort of thing. Kobe did it. These things are out of our hands, so worrying about the hows and whys and wherefores will do nothing. Besides, the ones worrying ...

Multiple media outlets reported Thursday night that Zydrunas Ilgauskas intends to return to the Cleveland Cavaliers later this month. An article on the web site of The Plain Dealer in Cleveland provided details, later confirmed by sports anchor Al Pawlowski on WKYC-TV in Cleveland. "It is Zydrunas' desire to return to the Cavaliers if a suitable contract can be agreed upon," agent Herb Rudoy said in an e-mail to reporters. "He has ...

They starred in their own SportsCenter commercial. Paul Pierce, Ray Allen and Kevin Garnett appeared in the memorable ôThree Amigosö spot, in which the trio propose a string of possible nicknames for themselves to ESPNÆs Scott Van Pelt. The anchor ends the debate by suggesting ôThe Boston Three Party.ö The promo was a fitting tribute to the threesome that propelled the Boston Celtics to the 2008 NBA championship, the franchiseÆs first ...

The news reverberated not only in Northeast Ohio Sunday, but throughout the NBA. Shaquille O’Neal’s right thumb injury isn’t just “significant,” as TNT’s David Aldridge so accurately reported just minutes after it happened Thursday night in Boston. It’s serious—as in requiring surgery, and a lengthy recuperation period of six to nine weeks. With seven weeks remaining in the regular season, it means the Cleveland Cavaliers will finish the year without their starting ...

If the NBA playoffs started today, the Milwaukee Bucks would be the seventh seed in the Eastern Conference—ahead of such presumed participants as the Miami Heat and the Charlotte Bobcats.   How did that happen? They haven’t had a taste of the postseason since 2006, and haven’t made a serious run at anything since 2001. Things are changing in Brewtown however, as the Bucks have rattled off ...

Sometimes this is how it happens. For the fourth time in five games since the All-Star break (and the acquisition of Antawn Jamison), the Cleveland Cavaliers struggled to find a rhythm as they took on the Celtics in Boston on Thursday night. The offense looked disjointed. The defense, a trademark of the team during its ascension to elite status in recent years, was little more than a myth. The Celtics, despite the absence ...