Marty Fenn Articles - Page 132

The 2018-19 NBA season was an up-and-down affair for the Oklahoma City Thunder, featuring MVP-caliber performances from Paul George and Russell Westbrook as well as frustrating inefficiencies and a rather shallow supporting cast. Most notably, however, the season ended in similar fashion: a first-round playoff exit. Oklahoma City had no answer for an unconscious Damian […]

The Toronto Raptors and Philadelphia 76ers are dueling in a win or go home Game 7 in Toronto, and Raptors star Kawhi Leonard continues to lead his team on both ends. Leonard swiped the ball from Sixers star Joel Embiid in the first quarter of Sunday night’s game and coasted to the other end for […]

In the Portland Trail Blazers’ first-round series, it was Damian Lillard who provided the heroics and helped propel his team to the next round. In the Western Conference semifinals against the Denver Nuggets, Lillard’s backcourt mate C.J. McCollum took up the mantle. McCollum scored 37 points in Game 7 to send the Blazers to the […]

The Denver Nuggets’ season came to a disappointing end on Sunday afternoon. Nikola Jokic and the Nuggets lost the final two games of the Western Conference semifinals and blew a 17-point lead in Game 7 against the Portland Trail Blazers. Despite the frustrations of losing a 3-2 series lead, not many analysts and basketball purists […]

Portland Trail Blazers wing Evan Turner is no stranger to big moments. As a senior at Ohio State University, Turner hit a game-winning, half-court jumper at the buzzer to beat arch rival Michigan in the quarterfinals of the Big 10 Tournament. However, the 30-year-old veteran has had to adjust to more of a bench role […]

The NBA may be trending more and more towards the 3-point line, but LeBron James says to hell with what the numbers say. James was critical about the notion of analytics while watching Portland Trail Blazers shooting guard CJ McCollum torch the Nuggets down the stretch with a number of mid-range jumpers. That’s exactly why […]

Gordon Hayward just finished a 2018-19 season which was full of growing pains and frustrations. In his first full year since suffering a broken leg during the first game of the 2017-18 season, Hayward averaged 11.5 points, 4.5 rebounds and 3.4 assists as the sixth man for the Boston Celtics. Gordon Hayward grappled with being […]

For someone who did not play a single game in the 2018-19 NBA season, Dallas Mavericks big man Kristaps Porzingis sure found a way to stay in the public eye. Porzingis went through a rather ugly separation with the New York Knicks that ultimately led to him being traded to the Mavs at the beginning […]

After creating stirring headlines during the 2019 playoffs, former Los Angeles Clippers guard Patrick Beverley will head into this summer as an unrestricted free agent. Luka Doncic took notice. Beverley’s reputation as a tireless worker and defensive agitator makes him both a beloved teammate and pesky opponent, but also garners the respect of superstars such […]

In the wake of the Houston Rockets’ season-ending loss to the Golden State Warriors in Game 6 of the Western Conference Semifinals, James Harden was asked what the team needed to do to get past Golden State in the future. Harden, as trite as ever, simply responded with a “we’ll figure it out in the […]

The Los Angeles Lakers finally filled their head coaching vacancy on Saturday afternoon, hiring former Pacers and Magic head coach Frank Vogel. The Lakers also hired former Nets and Bucks head coach Jason Kidd to be one of Vogel’s assistants, which may give Kidd a future path to the head coaching gig if Vogel struggles […]

Kurt Rambis was a force for the Los Angeles Lakers on the court in the 1980s. Now, some people are getting the impression he is a central force off the court. The Lakers have already had plenty of offseason drama, but the team gained some clarity on Saturday afternoon with the hiring of Frank Vogel […]

Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson continue to add to the “Splash Brothers” legend. For a brief moment, the Golden State Warriors appeared to be vulnerable. When Kevin Durant–in the midst of his greatest postseason yet–went down with a mild calf strain in a pivotal Game 5 in Oracle Arena, the balance of power shifted toward […]

The regular season for James Harden was a footprint in NBA history. Harden became the first player since Michael Jordan in 1987-88 to average at least 36 points per game, carrying the Houston Rockets during a season that saw a multitude of injuries and personnel changes. While Harden continued his scoring run into the playoffs, […]

The renaissance season of Derrick Rose was perhaps the most heartwarming storyline of the 2018-19 NBA season. After years of injuries and toiling away at his craft while bouncing around multiple organizations, Rose had his best year since his MVP season in 2010-11. “Pooh” averaged 18.0 points, 4.3 assists and 2.7 rebounds on a career-high […]

The Los Angeles Lakers were purportedly all set to hire former Cleveland Cavaliers head coach Tyronn Lue… until it all fall apart. According to ESPN NBA insider Adrian Wojnarowski, the Lakers and Lue were not only in disagreement over contract terms, but also with the notion of Jason Kidd possibly serving on Lue’s staff as […]

Given that each of the first four games of their Western Conference semifinal were decided by six points or less, it seemed that NBA fans were in for another classic series between the Golden State Warriors and Houston Rockets. Both teams held their home court, but the tide appeared to turn late in the third […]

With just over two minutes remaining in Game 5 of the Western Conference semifinals between the Golden State Warriors and Houston Rockets, everyone in Oracle Arena held their collective breath. After making a midrange jumper, Warriors superstar grabbed his right heel, suffering an apparent non-contact injury that looked eerily similar to a torn Achilles suffered […]

Jimmy Butler in Denver — the notion is worth discussing. The Denver Nuggets were one of the surprise teams of the 2018-19 NBA season, winning 54 games and stampeding to the second seed in the Western Conference. The surprises have continued into the postseason, where the Nuggets earned a hard-fought series win over the San […]

The Philadelphia 76ers will be fighting for their playoff lives on Thursday night in Game 6 of their Eastern Conference semifinal against the Toronto Raptors. After winning Game 2 on the road and following up with a blowout win at home in Game 3, the Sixers have lost each of the last two games amidst […]

Charlotte Hornets point guard Kemba Walker has been one of the most underappreciated players in the NBA for years. With a limited supporting cast and a front office with a history of poor draft choices, Walker has somehow kept the Hornets somewhat relevant in the Eastern Conference while showcasing some of the most elite offensive […]

The last 14 minutes of Game 5 of the Western Conference semifinal between the Golden State Warriors and the Houston Rockets were as wild as any NBA fan could ask for in a playoff series. Klay Thompson was at the center of the action. Golden State had as large as a 20-point lead in the […]

Just as he has done all year, Houston Rockets star guard James Harden has been Houston’s best player during the team’s Western Conference semifinal against the Golden State Warriors. Harden is averaging nearly 35 points, seven rebounds and six assists while shooting close to 45 percent of the field, controlling Houston’s offense from the perimeter […]

Stephen Curry has not had it easy during the Golden State Warriors’ Western Conference semifinal against the Houston Rockets. After a fairly steady all-around performance in a Game 1 victory, Curry suffered a dislocated finger on his non-shooting hand in Game 2, and has not looked quite right ever since. Over the next three games […]

The Boston Celtics were on the ultimate high after defeating the Milwaukee Bucks by 22 points in Game 1 of their Eastern Conference Semifinal series, prompting former Celtics legend Paul Pierce to declare the series “over” and inspiring some confidence that the young and talented squad was finally peaking at just the right time. But […]

The 2019 MLB season has already seen a fair share of teams that had slow starts right the ship early in May. The Chicago Cubs have the best record in the league since their 2-7 start, and the Boston Red Sox have climbed all the way back to the .500 mark (with a plus run […]

For the better part of a decade, Clayton Kershaw has been perhaps the definitive star of the Los Angeles Dodgers. After three National League Cy Young awards, an MVP, 154 wins and a 2.40 career ERA, Kershaw has not only become one of the best pitchers in Dodger history, but one of the best pitchers in […]

The Philadelphia 76ers had seemed to gain firm control of their Eastern Conference semifinal against the Toronto Raptors following a 116-95 win in Game 3 that saw Joel Embiid break out of his series slump to score 33 points to go along with 10 rebounds and five blocks. But things were not quite as they […]

Portland Trail Blazers star Damian Lillard has never lacked confidence. Just in case you forgot, this is the same man that earned the nickname “Logo Dame” after repeatedly drilling near half-court shots in this year’s NBA All-Star Game. It’s the very same Damian Lillard who drilled a 37-foot 3-pointer over Paul George — the likely […]

What looked like a potential ho-hum Western Conference semifinal between the Golden State Warriors and Houston Rockets has suddenly become a dogfight. The Rockets evened the series and defended their home court behind the stellar play of James Harden — who scored 79 combined points in Games 3 and 4. The Rockets outrebounded the Warriors […]

Kyrie Irving has had arguably the best year of his career this season, and his stellar play carried over into Game 1 of the Boston Celtics’ Eastern Conference Semifinal matchup against the Milwaukee Bucks. Irving stuffed the stat sheet with 26 points, 11 assists and seven rebounds in a 22-point Boston win that had the […]

Toronto Raptors forward Pascal Siakam will play in Game 4 of the Eastern Conference Semifinals against the Philadelphia 76ers after he was previously listed as doubtful with a right calf contusion: Pascal Siakam will play in Game 4 against the Philadelphia 76ers. — Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) May 5, 2019 ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski reported Saturday that […]

Milwaukee Bucks guard Malcolm Brogdon will not play in Game 4 against the Boston Celtics, according to ESPN’s Malika Andrews: Budenholzer said Brogdon is making good progress. He has played five-on-five three times. “I think he’s getting close,” Bud said. — Malika Andrews (@malika_andrews) May 5, 2019 Brogdon’s apparent “progress” has apparently not been substantial […]

Boston Celtics guard Marcus Smart has yet to play in the playoffs after suffering a torn oblique in the final weeks of the regular season, but he may be suiting up for Game 4 against the Milwaukee Bucks: #NEBHInjuryReport Marcus Smart has been cleared for full contact and played 3-on-3 yesterday. He fully participated in […]

Stephen Curry was, for the most part, tremendous in the Golden State Warriors’ first-round victory against the Los Angeles Clippers. Curry dropped 38 points in the opener and would go on to average almost 25 points per game while shooting at an efficient clip from the field. The Western Conference Semifinals have not been the […]

While the Golden State Warriors and Houston Rockets battled to overtime in Game 3 of their Western Conference Semifinal showdown, the game was probably won and lost in the battle for the boards. Both teams shot better than 40 percent from the 3-point line, and the Warriors made 23 of 29 free-throw attempts, but the […]

The summer of 2019 is likely to be one of the most consequential offseasons in recent history for the Los Angeles Lakers. Given the recent resignation of Magic Johnson as president of basketball operations in the wake of the Lakers’ underwhelming season, the pressure will be on general manager Rob Pelinka to sign a max-level […]

There were plenty of spectacular performances in Game 3 of the Western Conference Semifinals between the Golden State Warriors and Houston Rockets on Saturday night. Both Kevin Durant and James Harden topped 40 points, while Eric Gordon scored 30 points in his fourth-highest scoring game of the year and Draymond Green recorded a triple-double. The […]

After scoring a game-high 46 points in the Golden State Warriors’ Game 3 loss to the Houston Rockets in the Western Conference Semifinals on Saturday night, Kevin Durant has tied Michael Jordan for the most points in the first four road games of a single postseason: KD and the 🐐 Durant tied MJ for most […]