Apr 17, 2015 by Robb Todd
Atlanta took the NBA by surprise this year and had a playoff spot secured so soon that it made the end of their regular season anti-climatic.
Most people refuse to pick a team to win the Eastern Conference that doesn’t have a player named LeBron James, but the Hawks went 3-1 against Cleveland in the regular season and have home court advantage.
But that’s getting too far ahead. Atlanta has to get through Brooklyn first (which, let’s be honest, shouldn’t be hard) and the Cavs have to put down a Boston team that surprised many by slipping into the playoffs despite a sub-.500 record.
The East, however, isn’t a two-horse race. Chicago is easing Derrick Rose back just in time for the playoffs. It’s not easy recovering... Read More
Apr 17, 2015 by Robb Todd
Golden State and the Splash Brothers have been one of the best storylines of the NBA regular season. Carrying the league’s best record into the postseason, it’s impossible not to see them as serious title contenders.
However, the West is also home to the defending champions and while San Antonio had what might be considered a “down year” by their standards, nobody is looking past the Spurs.
Tim Duncan & Co. finished the season on a tear winning 16 of their last 20 games. The Clippers, who face the Spurs in the first-round, sported the same record over their last 20 games, too, including seven in a row to finish the season.
San Antonio-L.A. is the series to watch in the first round, and whichever team makes... Read More
Apr 13, 2015 by Sling Staff
Indiana is finishing up strong and with only a few games left the Pacers still have a shot at the playoffs. Indiana beat another playoff hopeful on Sunday, the Thunder, which marked the Pacers’ fifth win in a row.
“We know every game matters for us and we’ve got to continue to play at this level to get in,” George Hill said. “It just sucks that we don’t control our own destiny as far as needing help from others. We just got to hope for the best.”
That help would have to come in the form of a loss by the Brooklyn Nets, who have the same record as the Pacers but own the tie-breaker.
You can watch Indiana make its final push at home against the Wizards and... Read More
Apr 06, 2015 by Sling Staff
Will he be back or won’t he?
Chicago’s Derrick Rose said he’d “probably” return this week and it just so happens that on Thursday the Bulls play the Heat on TBS. Lucky us!
“If anything, I’m just trying to get my mental (approach) together so when I come back it won’t be like my previous times,” the former MVP said about his third comeback from knee surgery. “I think I was away from the game too long (during) previous injuries, and with me missing five, six, seven weeks now, I think that my return is about to be (smoother).”
Miami still has a chance at landing a playoff spot despite being nine gems under .500 as of this writing, but the Rose-less Bulls are coming off a big... Read More
Apr 03, 2015 by Robb Todd
“40-0.”
Everyone is talking about it. But the Wildcats say that belongs only to them, 38 games into the season.
Check out the legal battle that’s brewing over “40-0”: last week, the University of Kentucky “sent a cease-and-desist letter to Louisville lawyer David Son, whose company is selling blue-and-white ‘40-0’ T-shirts on his website, 40and0.com.”
None of that will matter if Wildcats don’t win two more games. But how could they possibly lose? Here’s one answer.
It’s a good question, indeed, but maybe people should be a little more concerned about Duke, which faces a 7 seed in its game. (No disrespect, Michigan State.) Duke seems to be peaking and that peak extends all the way to the NIT. Stanford beat Miami in OT, 66-64, to win... Read More
Mar 30, 2015 by Sling Staff
Are LeBron James and Kevin Love really buds or not? Can’t they get it together and beat the King’s former team? Let’s keep it 100: it shouldn’t be that hard. Yet the Cavs lost in Miami the last time these two squads met.
Maybe there’s a little intrigue there but not as much as there is with the two Golden State games this week on Sling TV.
The Warriors travel to L.A. to face the Clippers on Tuesday, and while Golden State sports the best record in the league, L.A. has been on a roll recently, winning eight of its last 10 as of this writing.
Oh, but that might sound a little too hopeful because guess what? The Warriors have won nine in a row. Fancy that.
... Read More
Mar 27, 2015 by Robb Todd
Kentucky’s record-setting destruction of West Virginia makes it easy to forget there are other teams in the Sweet 16.
Oh, but there are other teams. Notre Dame, Wisconsin and Arizona made that clear last night, and tonight Duke—hey, remember them?—will have a chance against Utah to put its stamp on things. As will a few other talents squads.
But does even mentioning teams other than Kentucky feel like whistling past a graveyard? Here’s a warning from the Wildcats’ latest victim:
“They were what I thought they were,” West Virginia coach Bob Huggins said after the 78-39 blowout. “That’s the best defensive team I think that I’ve ever coached against. And when they’re making shots, there’s nobody going to beat them.”
Here’s what else you need to... Read More
Mar 26, 2015 by Robb Todd
Kentucky’s quest to go undefeated continues tonight against West Virginia, which also knocked out the Wildcats five years ago, almost to the day. Bob Huggins remembers it well.
Still, with so many people certain that Kentucky will steamroll everyone in their way, there is a lot of focus on Coach John Calipari’s future in the NBA. One report even calls him “desperate” to try again at the professional level.
There’s always a lot of talk about a lot of things and here’s a little more smack from West Virginia freshman guard Daxter Miles, Jr.: “I give them their props, salute them for getting to 36-0. But tomorrow, they’re going to be 36-1.”
To do that, the Mountaineers will rely, as usual, on the press. That’s... Read More
Mar 25, 2015 by Robb Todd
If only we could predict the future. That’s what creates the madness in March: we can’t. Not even a little bit, and it reminds us that we don’t really know anything for certain. (That goes for you, too, Kentucky fans – and you, too, IRS!)
Because of this, it emboldens people to make even wilder predictions. Since there’s no prediciting this stuff, anything we say could be correct.
But here are some pretty solid preditions. At least more solid than Jell-o:
• This year’s tournament isn’t over but this story makes predicitions about which eliminated teams will make the tournament again next year.
• Kentucky Coach John Calipari failed in his first gig in the NBA. Here’s a prediction about how he’d do if he tried... Read More
Mar 24, 2015 by Robb Todd
The Sweet 16 is set and everyone’s bracket is looking pretty darn good. Well, 14 brackets out of 11.57 million are looking good. That’s how many people correctly predicted the Sweet 16 correctly.
If you didn’t get them all right (and you didn’t!) there’s no reason to cry about it. Roxanne Chalifoux has cried enough for all of us, and she cried while playing the piccolo for the Villanova band as she watched her team fall to N.C. State. Those tears earned her a gig with The Roots.
Nova fans know deeply that nobody is invincible but you’ll still have a difficult time persuading anyone that Kentucky can be beaten. The Wildcats are even odds in Vegas to win it all while UCLA is... Read More
Mar 20, 2015 by Robb Todd
Everyone knew there would be upsets, but not as many knew which teams would be upset. Who picked UAB over Iowa St., raise your hands?
Well, maybe you picked Georgia St. too. Maybe you’re a genius! Maybe you thought about picking Wofford over Arkansas because of The No. 5 Jinx but changed your mind at the last second.
Excellent.
You also never doubted that the NCAA made the right choice with UCLA and you are all in favor of NOT reviewing goal tending calls. Sorry, SMU.
There were a record five 1-point games yesterday—madness!—but that’s all history. We have to live in the now and now you need to know this:
A breakdown of every game today.
Even better: a breakdown... Read More
Mar 19, 2015 by Robb Todd
There has been so much talk about Kentucky it might get a little tiresome but there is just so much to talk about. But … let’s remember that today’s games tip off with another team worth paying attention to: Notre Dame.
The ACC newcomer is having a moment.
“It is different to say Notre Dame won the ACC championship,” North Carolina Coach Roy Williams said after his Tar Heels fell to the Irish, 90-82, in Saturday night’s title game.
And it’s different to think of Notre Dame as a school that is better at basketball than football.
While not many people think Kentucky can be beaten, the few who do target the Fightin’ Irish as one that could—but first they have to beat Northeastern in today’s first... Read More
Mar 18, 2015 by Robb Todd
BYU blew a 17-point halftime lead against Ole Miss. Surprised? Hey, that’s the type of thing that put the “madness” after March.
Hampton dispatched Manhattan and had fun doing it, even though they now have to face Kentucky. Check out Hampton’s bench celebrate this free throw. That’s a team that seems unconcerned with the carnage that awaits them against the Wildcats. But wait a minute … let’s not forget what happened to BYU and, for that matter, what happened to Duke last year against Mercer.
Maybe the Pirates—that’s Hampton, btw—will pull off the greatest upset in tournament history. That sounds crazy, but it’s not impossible. It’s just nearly impossible. Plus, Hampton coach Edward Joyner has Jesus’s phone number on speed-dial.
“Hey, Jesus, first of... Read More
Mar 17, 2015 by Robb Todd
It will be hard not to feel a little sorry for the winner of the tournament’s first game tonight. Yes, the winner.
Manhattan and Hampton are playing for the right to go up against unbeaten No. 1 seed Kentucky.
But don’t feel too sorry for the Jaspers' RaShawn Stores, no matter what the outcome. Stores, a senior point guard and team captain, has had a storybook career, and this profile in the New York Times is worth reading.
Stores walked on at Manhattan and won over Coach Steve Masiello, who understood very well what Stores was trying to accomplish. Masiello had walked on at Kentucky when he was a player.
“He means everything,” Masiello told the Times. “He’s an extension of me on the court.... Read More
Mar 16, 2015 by Robb Todd
The basketball gods giveth, the basketball gods taketh away—and dunk one right in your face.
Right, UCLA? Right, Temple? Right.
Temple wasn’t the only snub Sunday but the Bruins were the most shocking inclusion. Here’s a rundown of some other teams that might be more than a little upset that UCLA is in and they are out.
But, hey, let’s look at one of the positives of UCLA’s gift from the committee: it sets up a great storyline with second-round opponent SMU. Former Bruins coach Larry Brown, who led them to a national title in 1980, now helms the Mustangs. This contest is Brown’s first NCAA tournament game since 1988 when he led Kansas to a title, the same year that SMU last won a tournament game.... Read More
Mar 16, 2015 by Sling Staff
LeBron and the Cavaliers travel to Miami once again but that isn’t even close to being the best game this week on Sling TV. (Unless all you care about is LeBron.)
The best game of the week is a preview of what could be the NBA Finals: Atlanta verus Golden State. Both teams have balanced, high-scoring attacks and both look to convert 3s on the break instead of layups, so this promises to be an explosive matchup.
The Hawks beat the Warriors, 126-114, in Atlanta the only other time they met this season. And this game will be the last chance to see them battle unless they face each other in the finals. (Which seems quite likely.)
Monday, March 16
Cleveland at Miami, 8pm EST (ESPN)
Just before tipoff,... Read More
Mar 13, 2015 by Robb Todd
The field will be set Sunday and the mayhem—dare we call it “madness”?— will begin Tuesday. But a lot of the wagering has already begun, surely only where it’s legal.
Did you know that about $9 billion is bet on the NCAA men’s basketball tournament?
That was question No. 1. Here are a few more.
2) Can anyone beat Kentucky?
This might be the only question that matters. We should have saved it for last.
3) Is North Carolina State, despite coming of a loss to Duke on Thursday, the team most likely to shock the nation by upsetting a one or two seed in the second round?
The answer is no because if you know anything at all about... Read More
Mar 06, 2015 by Robb Todd
In addition to three games that pit Top 25 teams against each other, Sling TV has eight other games with squads on the bubble. Of the bubble teams, it’s hard not to have some sympathy for Texas.
The Longhorns end an extremely tough regular season Saturday at home against Kansas State. Nothing against the Wildcats, but after the run of talented teams Texas has faced—Oklahoma, Iowa State, West Virginia, Kansas and Baylor—it would be hard to imagine that the Longhorns won’t be salivating at the prospect of battling a team that is far removed from the Top 25.
After four consecutive losses to teams in the top 20, Texas won in overtime Monday against No. 14 Baylor, 61-59, giving them hope that a win against Kansas State might be enough... Read More
Mar 02, 2015 by Sling Staff
Rajon Rondo has been having a bit of a problem fitting in on the Mavericks but recent addition Amar'e Stoudemire hopes to help Dallas gel as they make a push for a title. And you can watch the revamped team twice this week on Sling TV, with games against Portland and Golden State.
The Blazers also have a key Western Conference matchup in Los Angeles against the high-octane L.A. Clippers, who are second in the league in scoring. The last time these two teams met, Portland lost at home, 100-94 despite 37 points from LaMarcus Aldridge.
Wednesday, March 4
LA Lakers at Miami, 8 p.m. EST (ESPN)
Will the Lakers celebrate after the game against the Heat like they did after beating the Celtics last week? TheRead More
Feb 23, 2015 by Sling Staff
With seven NBA games on Sling TV this week, how will you ever decide which one to watch? That’s a trick question. You don’t have to choose. You can watch all of them, and all of them means you’ll get to see OKC three times on the road against Phoenix, Portland, and the Lakers; and Portland twice at home against the Spurs and the Thunder. And a lot of other great action, too.
Here are a few more NBA questions to ponder this week.
Wednesday, Feb. 25
LA Clippers at Houston, 8pm EST (ESPN)
The Rockets jettisoned Isaiah Canaan and Alexey Shved and added guards Pablo Prigioni and the high-flying K.J. McDaniels (below) at the trade deadline. Will the bolstered bench be enough to overcome the Clippers?... Read More
Feb 17, 2015 by Robb Todd
The rivalry between Duke and UNC’s men’s basketball teams never needs an emotional boost.
However, Wednesday’s contest at Cameron Indoor Stadium between the No. 4 Blue Devils and No. 15 Carolina is shadowed by the loss of legendary Tar Heel coach Dean Smith, who passed Feb. 7.
“We have lost a man who cannot be replaced,” said Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski, who wore a Carolina blue tie to Smith’s funeral. “He was one of a kind and the sport of basketball lost one of its true pillars. Dean possessed one of the greatest basketball minds, and was a magnificent teacher and tactician. While building an elite program at North Carolina, he was clearly ahead of his time in dealing with social issues. However, his greatest gift was his... Read More
Feb 13, 2015 by Sling Staff
After a break following the All-Star game, the NBA gets back to action Thursday. And if you are still mad about the “travesty” of DeAndre Jordan not making the All-Star team, you can watch him and the man who took his spot on the All-Star team, Dirk Nowitzki, on the same night and fuel that rage.
Sling offers you the following NBA games to tune into this week:
Thursday, Feb. 19
Dallas at Oklahoma City, 8 p.m. EST (TNT)
Can Dirk defend his All-Star honor? Magic 8 Ball says: YES DEFINITELY
San Antonio at LA Clippers, 10:30 p.m. EST (TNT)
Will DeAndre make the Spurs feel his snub-wrath? Magic 8 Ball says: IT IS DECIDEDLY SO
Friday, Feb. 20
Cleveland at Washington, 8... Read More
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