FanHouse

NBA Power Rankings: Big Top Lakers

Brett Pollakoff — 2009-11-25T16:50:00 00:00

Filed under: Bucks, Cavaliers, Celtics, Hawks, Lakers, Magic, Mavericks, Nuggets, Suns, Trail Blazers, NBA Power Rankings

Not only have the Lakers been dominant since the return of Pau Gasol, but they've been fun to watch, too. The home win over the Thunder was a complete circus, where you had Kobe Bryant hitting shots from behind the backboard, followed by an impromptu performance from Will.i.am of the Black Eyed Peas, who was handed a mic during a fourth quarter timeout to "spontaneously" do one of his hit songs. Things are good right now in L.A., and the rest of the league has a lot of catching up to do -- read on to see where they all rank this week.

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Roy's Anthem Absence Draws Attention

Brett Pollakoff — 2009-11-25T08:00:00 00:00

by Brett Pollakoff

Filed under: Trail Blazers

Before every single NBA game, both teams line up at their respective ends of the court while the national anthem is performed live. It's a ritual that we've become so accustomed to seeing, that we're not exactly doing a roster check or a headcount to make sure that every player from each team is participating.

If we did, then we'd notice the conspicuous absence of Brandon Roy from the festivities.

Portland's all-world guard has chosen since last season to spend this time alone in the tunnel, instead of on the court with his teammates. And while he's not doing this as any kind of protest, it might be sending the wrong kind of message.

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Rules Say Nate Robinson's Shot at Wrong Basket Wouldn't Have Counted

Brett Pollakoff — 2009-11-24T12:20:00 00:00

by Brett Pollakoff

Filed under: Knicks, Nets

During Sunday's game against the Nets, the Knicks' Nate Robinson fired a shot at the wrong basket, just after the first quarter buzzer had sounded. This infuriated his coach, Mike D'Antoni, because ... well, you never know, right? What if the shot had been released a split second before the buzzer, or the referees saw it that way, and decided to count the basket?

As it turns out, D'Antoni had nothing to worry about. Because according to the NBA rulebook, a player can't intentionally score a basket for the opposing team.

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Tired Pistons No Match for Rested Suns

Brett Pollakoff — 2009-11-23T12:45:00 00:00

by Brett Pollakoff

Filed under: Pistons, Suns, NBA Last Night

PHOENIX -- The NBA's schedule is never something that teams will use as an excuse for playing particularly poorly in any single game.

But sometimes, the way things shake out, it can definitely be seen as a legitimate reason.

The schedule dictated that the Pistons finish up their four-game, West coast swing against a Suns team that averages 117 points per game on their home floor. And coming off of a tough, overtime loss in Utah the night before, Detroit never had a chance.

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Nate Robinson Shoots at Wrong Basket, Mike D'Antoni Is Not Amused

Brett Pollakoff — 2009-11-21T14:35:00 00:00

by Brett Pollakoff

Filed under: Knicks, Nets, NBA Videos

Just after the first quarter buzzer sounded at the Meadowlands, Nate Robinson of the Knicks turned and fired a three-pointer at the basket of the New Jersey Nets. The shot went in, and, being as the period had already ended, the basket was waved off by the official.

No harm done, right? Uh, wrong. Mike D'Antoni was furious at Robinson for even trying such a stunt, especially with it coming so closely after the buzzer.

(UPDATE: Apparently, D'Antoni holds a grudge: he kept Robinson on the bench for the rest of the game.)

Knicks! Nets! NBA action at its finest. Video of the shot and the exchange, after the jump.

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'Sheed's Threes a Problem for the Celtics

Brett Pollakoff — 2009-11-21T13:55:00 00:00

by Brett Pollakoff

Filed under: Celtics, Magic

When the Celtics signed Rasheed Wallace over the summer as their big offseason acquisition, they may have thought they were getting a big man who would stretch the floor with his three-point shooting, and one who would force the centers on the other contenders to come out of the paint to try and stop him.

But 13 games into the Sheed experiment in Boston, Wallace's three-point shooting has hurt his new team far more than it has helped them. And Friday night's 0-for-8 performance from beyond the arc?

That one was so bad, it made history.

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Josh Smith Beats the Rockets

Brett Pollakoff — 2009-11-21T11:59:00 00:00

by Brett Pollakoff

Filed under: Hawks, Rockets, NBA Videos

Josh Smith would probably be the first to tell you that he didn't have a great game on Friday against the Rockets. But he was there at the end when it mattered most, and hit the game-winner with 0.7 seconds left to power the Hawks to their 11th win, tops in the league at this early point in the NBA season.

Smith finished with a pretty solid line of nine points, eight rebounds, four blocks, and three assists, but was limited by foul trouble to just 24 minutes of action. In fact, he had played just 30 seconds of the fourth quarter, before being inserted with 34 seconds remaining, and his team clinging to a five-point lead.

After the exceptionally gritty Rockets came from 10 points down with under two minutes remaining to tie it at 103 with five seconds left, Smith was there to clean up Mike Bibby's missed jumper for the win. Video after the jump.

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Clippers Broadcast Team Suspended for Comments About Hamed Haddadi

Brett Pollakoff — 2009-11-21T10:09:00 00:00

by Brett Pollakoff

Filed under: Clippers, Grizzlies, NBA Media Watch

The Clippers got what was by far their best win of the season on Friday, but unfortunately, the team's longtime play-by-play man Ralph Lawler wasn't in his usual courtside spot to see it.

Lawler and color commentator Michael Smith were suspended for Friday's game, for what the team deemed to be inappropriate remarks the two made during the Clippers' telecast on Wednesday, when the team faced the Memphis Grizzlies.

The comments in question were regarding Hamed Haddadi, who is a rookie and the first Iranian player to appear in the NBA.

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Pau Gasol to Return Against the Bulls

Brett Pollakoff — 2009-11-19T13:40:00 00:00

by Brett Pollakoff

Filed under: Bulls, Lakers, NBA Injuries

After missing the Lakers' first 11 games of the season with a hamstring injury, Pau Gasol appears ready to make his return to the court tonight in a nationally televised matchup against the Bulls.

"I think that I'll be able to go tomorrow," Gasol told reporters on Wednesday. "It felt great today and I don't plan on any reason why it wouldn't feel the same way tomorrow."

Gasol's return will be a welcome addition for a team that has struggled offensively on the nights when Kobe Bryant didn't score 40 or more points. Thankfully for L.A., Bryant has managed to do that in four of the team's 11 games so far, and every time it resulted in a win for the Lakers.

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NBA Power Rankings: Soaring Hawks

Brett Pollakoff — 2009-11-18T13:00:00 00:00

by Brett Pollakoff

Filed under: Cavaliers, Celtics, Hawks, Lakers, Magic, Mavericks, Nuggets, Pacers, Suns, Trail Blazers, NBA Power Rankings

The Atlanta Hawks find themselves at the top of our rankings this week, thanks to a five-game winning streak against some strong competition -- a gritty overtime win over the Blazers and a road win in Boston were both impressive. Now, let's see if they can avoid the top-spot-jinx on Wednesday night, when they'll host Miami in a rematch of last year's first round playoff series. As for the other 29 teams? Read on to see how they stacked up.

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Kevin Garnett Cares Not for Your Rookies

Brett Pollakoff — 2009-11-17T20:15:00 00:00

by Brett Pollakoff

Filed under: Celtics, Pacers

Kevin Garnett has a reputation as a villain on the basketball court, at least to those wearing the uniform of the team he's going up against that particular night. While he's sometimes been criticized for taking things too far, It's understandable to a point, because in the heat of the game, it's not exactly to your advantage to play well with others.

But what about off the court?

When there's no game, the cameras aren't rolling, and no one else is around, that's when a person's true self is exposed, good or bad. And this little story about how Garnett treated a couple of the Pacers' rookies over the summer shows that his off-the-court persona might be just as rough as the one we're accustomed to seeing on it.

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Trevor Ariza Gets His Ring

Brett Pollakoff — 2009-11-16T23:55:00 00:00

by Brett Pollakoff

Filed under: Lakers, Rockets, NBA Videos

Trevor Ariza was a fan favorite during his days in Los Angeles, and an integral part of the Lakers squad that won a championship just a few months ago. So it's no surprise that when he returned on Sunday as a member of the Houston Rockets, fans greeted him with a long standing ovation, while his former teammates Kobe Bryant and Derek Fisher presented him with the ring that he earned as a key member of that title-winning team.

Video of the brief but heart-felt ceremony, after the jump.

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NBA HouseCast: Celtics and Lakers Struggle, Brandon Jennings Does Not

Brett Pollakoff — 2009-11-16T12:30:00 00:00

by Brett Pollakoff

Filed under: Bucks, Celtics, Lakers

Welcome to the NBA FanHouse podcast, where our writers get together a few times a week to talk about everything going on in the world of hoops. Want to participate? Leave a comment, or follow us on Twitter @NBAFanHouse.

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Lakers a Long Way From the Title

Brett Pollakoff — 2009-11-15T13:45:00 00:00

by Brett Pollakoff

Filed under: Lakers

Just how bad was the beatdown that the Nuggets put on the Lakers Friday night? In case the 105-79 final score wasn't enough of an indication, try this on for size: Denver held L.A. to just 23 points in the second half, which was the lowest ever in the Lakers' franchise history.

The Nuggets were feeling pretty good about themselves after the win, and they should: it was a quality victory in which the home team executed on both ends of the court for 48 minutes. But they would also be wise not to get ahead of themselves. Because while L.A. was at the top of the standings heading in, honestly, the 7-1 record was a bit of a fraud.

The reality is, the Lakers right now are nowhere near that good, and are a far cry from playing like the team that finished last season as the world champions.

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Dwyane Wade Sends the Nets to 0-10

Brett Pollakoff — 2009-11-14T23:04:00 00:00

by Brett Pollakoff

Filed under: Heat, Nets, NBA Videos

The Nets have had a string of injuries take away their chance to be at all relevant the first part of this season, and in fact, they were winless through nine games heading into Miami to face Dwyane Wade and the Heat on Saturday. They appeared to have a chance to get their first win of the season, though, thanks to a sluggish effort from a Miami team that was missing Jermaine O'Neal from the start, and Mario Chalmers after five minutes due to injury.

New Jersey led by three with 30 seconds remaining, before Quentin Richardson accidentally banked in a three-pointer to tie the game at 78. The Nets got the lead back, thanks to a tip-in from Brook Lopez with just under four seconds remaining.

But unfortunately for the Nets, Dwyane Wade plays for the Heat. And even though he hadn't made a shot the entire second half, he drained a three with 0.1 left on the game clock to make sure that New Jersey stayed winless.

Video after the jump(er).

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Byron Scott Fired by Hornets

Brett Pollakoff — 2009-11-12T14:00:00 00:00

by Brett Pollakoff

Filed under: Hornets, Suns, NBA Last Night, NBA Coaches

How good are the Phoenix Suns this season? It may be too early to tell, but they're at least good enough to get their latest opponent's head coach fired just nine games into the season.

Byron Scott has been relieved of his coaching duties and the team will make the formal announcement at a press conference later this afternoon. This comes in the wake of a disappointing 3-6 start to the season, and, most recently, a completely lackluster and discouraging performance against the Suns in a nationally televised blowout on Wednesday night.

Ziller: Where Will Scott Land? | Jeff Bower, Tim Floyd Take Over
Moore: Did CP3 Make a Mistake Re-Signing?

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Brad Miller Can't Beat the Buzzer

Brett Pollakoff — 2009-11-11T11:05:00 00:00

by Brett Pollakoff

Filed under: Bulls, Nuggets, NBA Last Night, NBA Videos

Great game in Chicago last night, where the Nuggets and the Bulls went down to the final ticks of the clock to decide the outcome. And if you were rooting for the home team, you likely found the ending to be more than a little bit controversial.

With the Nuggets up by one, and 0.3 seconds showing on the game clock, the Bulls inbounded to Brad Miller, who caught it, quickly turned, and appeared to beat the buzzer as the ball left his hand and went through the basket. But after going to the instant replay, the officials ruled the ball was still in his hands as time expired.

To the video!

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NBA Power Rankings: Rising Suns

Brett Pollakoff — 2009-11-10T14:45:00 00:00

by Brett Pollakoff

Filed under: Bulls, Cavaliers, Celtics, Hawks, Lakers, Magic, Mavericks, Nuggets, Suns, Trail Blazers, NBA Power Rankings

We're just eight games into the season, but there's no doubt who the surprise team is at this point. The Phoenix Suns are off to a 7-1 start, and have road wins over two of the three remaining one-loss teams. They've done it with Steve Nash leading the league in assists at almost 13 per game, and with the team leading the league in three-point shooting at a ridiculous 47 percent. But all of that only got the Suns to No. 2 in this week's rankings -- read on to see who's on top.

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Steve Nash Goes 20-20, Suns Go to 7-1

Brett Pollakoff — 2009-11-09T22:53:00 00:00

by Brett Pollakoff

Filed under: 76ers, Suns

Be honest: you didn't think that after eight games were played in this young NBA season that we'd be talking about the Phoenix Suns as one of the best teams in the league. But after Monday night's come-from-behind win in Philadelphia to finish a five-game road trip at 4-1, that's exactly where we find ourselves.

Behind 21 points and 20 assists from Steve Nash -- his seventh 20-assist game in his career and his second of this season -- the Suns came from eight points down in the fourth quarter to beat the Sixers in Philadelphia, and claimed a share of the league's top spot in the standings in the process.

Suns 119, Sixers 115: Recap | Scoreboard
Sun Not Setting on Grant Hill

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Report: Allen Iverson Mulling Retirement

Brett Pollakoff — 2009-11-09T12:37:00 00:00

by Brett Pollakoff

Filed under: Grizzlies, NBA Rumors

After Allen Iverson received permission from the Grizzlies to take a personal leave of absence on Saturday, it was only natural to wonder if that was the last we would see of him in Memphis. Iverson was clearly unhappy coming off the bench, and his coach, Lionel Hollins, was clearly unhappy with the distraction the situation was creating for his team.

Most thought that if Iverson didn't return to the Grizzlies, then he would surely end up somewhere else. But according to a report in The Commercial Appeal, retirement is something that instead may be on the iconic superstar's mind.

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