Stories related to: basketball

Two of the Suns' most valuable big men will miss Game 5 for briefly leaving the bench after Robert Horry's grotesque foul against Steve Nash, who was thrown against the scorer's table Monday. An NBA rule states that a player who leaves "the immediate vicinity of the bench" during an altercation automatically receives a suspension. More »

Dirk Nowitzki was named the first European MVP of the NBA, but he was also the first since Moses Malone in 1982 to receive the award after losing in the first round of the playoffs.  Nowitzki put up career statistics, especially in shooting efficiency, while leading Dallas to the sixth-best record in basketball history.  Voting finished before the postseason. More »

After seven playoff wins, the Pistons finally dropped a game in Chicago; they return home with a 3-1 series lead. The Bulls had coughed up a 19-point lead in Game 3, and seemed headed for similar disaster in Game 4, when Detroit pared a 21-point lead to seven late in the fourth, despite Chris Webber's second straight scoreless game. More »

After an historic upset of top-seeded Dallas, Golden State has lost its first two games against Utah, the second in an overtime thriller in which it led with 2.9 seconds left in regulation. Blossoming point guard Deron Williams hit the tying basket and ended with 31 points, electrifying a Utah crowd dressed uniformly in powder-blue t-shirts. More »

Despite six years of success in Detroit, where his defense and charisma helped turn around a slumping franchise, Ben Wallace can't get a break from the fickle fans who once loved him. Wallace jumped ship to division rival Chicago after being offered a frankly insane $60 million, four-year deal. Detroit fans are acting like jilted lovers. More »

Bleeding copiously, wiry Canadian heartthrob Steve Nash was forced to the sidelines in the final minute of the semifinals opener against San Antonio, and Phoenix wilted without their go-to scorer.  Nash's nose collided with the forehead of rival point guard and Frenchman Tony Parker, who scored 32 points.  Tim Duncan topped with 33 and 16 boards. More »

Heading into Game 5 with a 3-1 series lead, the 8-seeded Warriors had all the momentum on their side. Now the Mavericks are the team with a swagger after a close but decisive win at home. The good news for Golden State is that they're going home, where the most rabid fan base in pro basketball awaits. More »

in the NBA, white referees call up to 4.5% more fouls against black players than against white players, according to a study by Justin Wolfers and Joseph Price, a Penn professor and a Cornell graduate student. And the opposite is also true: black refs call more fouls on white players, though the discrepancy isn't as large.  More »

Eighth-seeded Golden State won't just be bidding to eliminate the top-seeded Mavericks when their first-round NBA playoff series resumes tonight in Dallas. In what the Wall Street Journal calls "one of the nastiest personal feuds in professional sports," coach Don Nelson's Warriors can send Dallas and owner Mark Cuban home early. More »

Minus All-Stars Gilbert Arenas and Caron Butler, who kept things competitive in 2006, the Wizards succumbed in four games to the Cavaliers. Cleveland, nevertheless, looked vulnerable in sweeping the playoffs' most hapless team. Doughty young LeBron had a poor shooting night, going 8-22, but he hit 14 of 17 from the line to help win it. More »

The big three for the San Antonio Spurs heated up at the right time, as the Spurs stifled the Nuggets 97-88 last night, to even their series at one apiece. Tim Duncan led the way with 22 points, Tony Parker dropped in 20, and Manu Ginobili scored 17 off the bench. More »

The Toronto Raptors won their first playoff game in nearly five years last night, beating the New Jersey Nets 89-83 to even their best-of-seven series at one game apiece. Toronto used a 31-point fourth quarter to overcome a five-point deficit. More »

The Bulls became the playoffs' first team to exceed 100 points, and Luol Deng did a convincing Dwyane Wade impression in dominating the fourth quarter, scoring 14 and 26 overall. Wade and Shaq, Miami's stars, were subdued in the latest setback to their defense of last year's championship. Chicago shot 55% from the field. More »

Sportswriters voted the preternaturally quick Leandro Barbosa the NBA's best sixth man in 2007. Used primarily off the bench, the Brazilian guard served to propel the Phoenix Suns to a higher gear, after the team had already established its fast-paced, high-scoring brand of play; he achieved over 18 points per game. More »

High-scoring Nuggets Carmelo Anthony and Allen Iverson combined for 61 points in an eye-opening playoff opener against San Antonio, winning 95-89 and stealing home court advantage. The combination of the two ruthless scorers, while difficult to manage earlier in the season, now has Denver peaking at the perfect time. More »

Veteran referee Joey Crawford has been suspended for the season for his hot-tempered ejection of Spurs star Tim Duncan, who was disciplined for laughing at a foul while on the bench.  As Russ Bengtson points out, Crawford has a history of taking the actions of players somewhat personally. More »

The bad blood between 31-year referee Joey Crawford and softspoken, inoffensive Spurs leader Tim Duncan may end in a physical altercation, predicts the gloomy-faced forward. Crawford ejected Duncan in Sunday's match against the Mavs with two technical fouls, both issued for Duncan's perceived rebelliousness while on the bench. The second foul was for laughing. More »

With more than just city bragging rights at stake, the Los Angeles Clippers defeated the Lakers 118-110 last night. The Clippers moved into a tie for the eighth and final playoff spot with idle Golden State, as both teams sit 1.5 games behind the Lakers. More »

Longhorns freshman heartthrob Kevin Durant has announced he will leave Texas for the NBA draft.  Durant averaged a frankly absurd 25.8 points and 11.1 rebounds over the course of an award-sweeping first-year campaign that ended one game short of the Sweet Sixteen. Texas benefitted from a new NBA rule that grants eligibility to players only  a year after graduating from high school. More »

The Dallas Mavericks clinched the NBA’s best record and the number one seed in the Western Conference playoffs, winning 96-86 over the Los Angeles Clippers at home yesterday. With five games remaining in the regular season, the Mavs can now afford to rest stars Dirk Nowitzki and Jerry Stackhouse as they prepare for the postseason. More »