ClutchPoints Articles - Page 12

The 2005 NBA Draft was the last time that high school basketball players were allowed to jump straight over college to the pros. A number of rules were put into place by the league as well as the NCAA to force student athletes to attend at least one year of college before entering the draft. […]

If you want to see the record-setting 73-9 Golden State Warriors at home in the playoffs, you’re going to have to pay up big time. With all of the playoff matchups set and a couple of days for the markets to normalize, the average ticket prices for all of the venues in the NBA postseason […]

Wednesday evening was an incredible night for basketball. At the exact same time that Kobe Bryant was dropping 60 points in his final career game, the Golden State Warriors set the NBA record for wins in a single season at 73. It was tremendous to watch, but it posed a little bit of a conundrum […]

Phil Jackson’s tenure as the president of the New York Knicks has been tenuous so far. The team took major strides from last year’s horrific product, but many fans are questioning Jackson’s leadership and handling of the coaching situation. One of the primary concerns that people have is that Jackson isn’t open enough to coaches […]

While most of the basketball world and the city of Los Angeles focused in on Kobe Bryant‘s final NBA game at Staples Center on Wednesday night, thousands of Angelenos attended the Dodgers game that evening just up the freeway. The two franchises have deep rooted histories in the city, and the Dodgers organization made sure […]

The day after Kobe Bryant‘s NBA career wrapped up with a fitting send-off performance, the Los Angeles Lakers cleaned out their lockers following the worst season in franchise history. Still, on this day, the focus remained on Bryant. When one of the game’s all-time greats drops 60 points before saying goodbye, there’s obviously going to […]

During Kobe Bryant‘s amazing farewell tour, he developed a habit of signing sneakers for a number of opposing players around the league. He even managed to bring Tony Allen, one of Bryant’s greatest competitors, to the verge of tears. It wasn’t just big stars either; Bryant said he’d give them to anybody who asked. It’s […]

What a night. Just when you thought Kobe Bryant had given basketball fans everything he possibly could, he willed his way to a miraculous 60-point performance in his career finale. It truly was the perfect ending to a fantastic career (given the circumstances of how bad this team really is, at least). After the final […]

As Kobe Bryant put the icing on the cake of his incredible 20-year NBA career last night, a number of NBA stars paid their respects to the Mamba. From LeBron James to Dwyane Wade to stars from other sports such as Yasiel Puig and David Beckham, everybody seemed to be losing their collective minds by […]

Following the incredible 60-point finish to his decorated career, Kobe Bryant addressed the media for the final time as a member of the Los Angeles Lakers late last night. Maybe it had not hit him yet that his career was really over, or maybe he had already come to terms with that reality, but Bryant […]

The Rams certainly have a long history in the city of Los Angeles, having played in Southern California from 1946 through the 1994 season. While some fans are welcoming them back with open arms, others are waiting for the franchise to prove themselves to the city that they abandoned for two decades. The product on the […]

What a finish. Kobe Bryant’s Lakers might’ve had a horrible season, but the Black Mamba went out on top with 60 points in his career finale, the highest point total by one player this season. Crazy. Now, it’s time to look back at some of the most memorable moments in Bryant’s career captured by some […]

Did that really just happen?! Somehow, after months and months of anticipation for Kobe Bryant‘s final game, he managed to drop 60 points for the sixth time in his career in a comeback victory over the Utah Jazz. Yes, 60. Insane. A few minutes after the final whistle, the crowd remained in a frenzy as […]

Kobe Bryant‘s farewell tour is on its final chapter as the Black Mamba plays out the last game of his historic career in front of the world. Before the game itself began, there were a number of festivities to be held, including a moving video tribute that nearly brought Kobe to tears. Moments later, for […]

Talk about nostalgia. As the basketball world simultaneously celebrates and mourns the end of Kobe Bryant‘s amazing career, fans that have watched him play since day one received a blast from the past when his former teammate Shaquille O’Neal stopped to say hello on the bench. After appearing in the tribute video that the Lakers showed […]

Kobe Bryant is off to a blistering start in the final game of his career, dropping 15 points in the first quarter as I write. Before the opening tip-off, the Lakers honored Bryant with a tribute video surpassing all of the great ones he has seen in opposing arenas throughout his farewell tour. Watch as […]

The Houston Rockets have a chance to make the playoffs tonight with a home win over the Sacramento Kings. If they make the postseason, Marc Stein is reporting that the chances of current head coach J.B. Bickerstaff keeping his job are pretty high. However, the Rockets will also likely look at former Bulls coach Tom […]

It’s been a season filled with growing pains for the Minnesota Timberwolves, but they have shown a great deal of promise. Many experts are even picking the T-Wolves to be title contenders 3-5 years from now. After the tragic passing of their head coach Flip Saunders before the season, Sam Mitchell has worn the interim […]

If you do decide to spend hundreds, possibly thousands of dollars to see Kobe Bryant‘s final game tonight, you deserve to be entertained by all of the ceremonies as well as the Mamba himself. Kobe wouldn’t have it any other way. It appears that everybody in attendance will be in luck, according to head coach […]

Kobe Bryant, the NBA’s third all-time leading scorer and a five-time champion, will close out his career tonight with one last game. The tributes have been coming in for months and it has been a season-long celebration of his career, but now everybody, from LeBron James to the NBA itself to stars from other sports, […]

For the final time in his career, Kobe Bryant will take the court tonight at Staples Center. The city of Los Angeles and basketball fans everywhere are mourning his retirement, even though the player we know as the Black Mamba hasn’t been on the court for a few years. Ever since Kobe tore his Achilles […]

We are just days away from the end of the 2015-16 NBA regular season. Wednesday will certainly be a day to remember, with Kobe Bryant playing his final game and the Warriors trying to set a new NBA record with 73 single season wins. With it all winding down and the playoffs coming soon, let’s […]

As long as Phil Jackson stays with the New York Knicks, it appears that Kurt Rambis will as well. Of course, Jackson’s tenure in the Big Apple might have an approaching expiration date. Rambis, currently the interim head coach for the Knicks, is reportedly the front runner to attain the position full time. If Jackson […]

When the Golden State Warriors ended their 19 year draught of regular season away wins against the San Antonio Spurs on Sunday – and also ended the Spurs’ undefeated home season – they did so behind their star, Stephen Curry. One of his more impressive plays in the game came in the fourth quarter with […]

Throughout Kobe Bryant‘s legendary 20-year NBA career, there have been many peaks and valleys along the way. While compiling the third-most points in league history and five championships, Bryant’s brash personality rubbed some of his teammates the wrong way, including two great centers. Shaquille O’Neal‘s feud with Kobe is well-documented, but the two are at […]

Kobe Bryant is the greatest competitor of his generation, even though his body won’t allow him to perform at nearly as high of a level anymore. His work ethic and dedication to success are truly second to none, even to this day. Throughout Bryant’s final year in the NBA, he has seemed relatively calm despite […]

The Golden State Warriors are just one win away from passing the 1995-96 Chicago Bulls for the best record in NBA history. Even if the Warriors fall short and don’t collect victory #73, tying the historic mark is a remarkable achievement on its own. There’s a reason only two teams have ever passed the 70-win […]

Jerry Colangelo has been in the news a lot lately. The longtime NBA executive was hired by the Philadelphia 76ers in December to become the franchise’s chairman of basketball operations, and over the last few months he has reportedly played a big role in general manager Sam Hinkie stepping down. Colangelo’s son, Bryan, is now […]

You don’t become the third leading scorer in the history of the NBA without putting your entire, mind, body, and soul into your craft. The work ethic has to be beyond elite to get there, which is a good way to describe how Kobe Bryant approaches the game of basketball, and his shooting in particular. […]

Over the course of his illustrious career, Kobe Bryant has surely tortured some fanbases and franchises more than ever, but not one of the 29 teams other than the Los Angeles Lakers has completely escaped the dominance of the Black Mamba. Sure, the Toronto Raptors saw a side of Bryant that nobody else has when […]

Kobe Bryant only has one more game in his career left as he laces up for the final time Wednesday night against the Utah Jazz. While we’ve seen some vintage Kobe sporadically throughout this season we’ve also seen some not so vintage airball Kobe. On Monday night’s game against the Thunder, Kobe tossed one up […]

Kobe Bryant has been an influential basketball player for many players in the league today including Russell Westbrook and Kevin Durant. When the Lakers faced the Thunder on Monday night, Durant and Westbrook decided to pay tribute to Kobe by gifting the Black Mamba a very special personalized book. The book contains images and personalized […]

Kobe Bryant is nearing the end of his career as he will play his last game on Wednesday night against the Utah Jazz. Throughout this entire season, Kobe has been on his Farewell Tour with opponents, legends, fans, and just about everyone paying their respect for the Black Mamba. Kendrick Lamar who is both a […]

Russell Westbrook has been an absolute monster this season as he now has 18 triple-doubles, the most by any player since Magic Johnson. Westbrook achieved his 18th triple double in astonishing fashion Monday night against the Lakers as he reached 11 points, 10 rebounds, and 10 assists in only 18 minutes of play. Before the […]

Even if you don’t watch or pay attention to golf, you probably heard about Jordan Spieth’s epic collapse in the Masters yesterday. After building what appeared to be an insurmountable lead on the final day of the tournament, Spieth blew it all on the final few holes, and because he won last year, he had […]

It has been quite the journey for Kobe Bryant to arrive at this point. After 2o seasons and a flurry of major surgeries over the last few years, it wasn’t certain that Bryant would be able to complete his final season in the NBA. In fact, Bryant himself had doubts that his health would hold […]

Kobe Bryant was unquestionably the best shooting guard of his era, but one of his greatest competitors and rivals was Richard “Rip” Hamilton of the Detroit Pistons. Many fans can recall their matchup in the 2004 NBA Finals as well as various battles in the regular season, but they probably don’t know that their relationship […]

In just two days, Kobe Bryant‘s stellar career will come to an end as the Los Angeles Lakers host the Utah Jazz to complete the 2015-16 regular season. As soon as Bryant announced that he would retire at the end of the season, ticket prices for this game went through the roof. On average, they’re going […]

The end is near. Kobe Bryant will be playing the final game of his 20-year NBA career and the Golden State Warriors will be playing one final game to try and finish with a record of 73-9, something that’s never been done in NBA history. As expected, ticket prices for the final games have soared […]