Marty Fenn Articles - Page 135

Last season, the Milwaukee Brewers stunned the baseball world by winning the National League Central and making a run all the way to the NLCS, coming within just one game of a World Series appearance. One of the most notable reasons for Milwaukee’s success was the dominance of their bullpen unit, which ranked fourth in […]

The Milwaukee Bucks won 60 games in the just-completed NBA regular season, their highest total since 1980-81. To celebrate Milwaukee’s historic achievement before the beginning of its first-round playoff series against the Detroit Pistons, the Bucks paid homage to a franchise legend: Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. The man formerly named Lew Alcindor was in attendance for Game […]

Even though the Philadelphia 76ers dropped their series opener against the Brooklyn Nets on Saturday amidst a cellphone controversy and some back talk between Ben Simmons and some fans, they are remaining positive, including Jimmy Butler. Speaking of Butler, he was easily the best player on the floor for Philly in Game 1. He posted […]

Utah Jazz shooting guard Kyle Korver missed the last six games of the regular season with a knee injury, but there is a chance that he may be available for Game 1 of Utah’s opening playoff series against the Houston Rockets, according to ESPN reporter Tim MacMahon: Sources: Key Jazz reserve Kyle Korver (right knee […]

The Oklahoma City Thunder could be at an early disadvantage in their first round series against the Portland Trail Blazers, as ESPN’s Royce Young says that star forward Paul George will be a game-time decision on Sunday afternoon ahead of Game 1: Paul George is a gametime decision, Billy Donovan says. He’ll go through his […]

The Denver Nuggets and San Antonio Spurs played in a back-and-forth affair in Game 1 of their Western Conference matchup on Saturday night, with the contest coming right down to the waning seconds. The Nuggets had trailed 97-92 with just over two minutes to play, but cut the deficit to one on a Jamal Murray […]

The Denver Nuggets emerged as one of the best teams in the Western Conference in the 2018-19 season, and third-year point guard Jamal Murray is a large reason for the team’s steady improvement over the last two years. Murray–the seventh overall pick in the 2016 NBA Draft–averaged career highs in points (18.2), assists (4.8) and […]

Has there ever been any single NBA season as comparable to a soap opera as that of the Los Angeles Lakers in 2018-19? From the first day that they signed LeBron James in free agency, to the utter calamity of the Anthony Davis saga, to Magic Johnson resigning as president of basketball operations and the […]

There used to be a time when Blake Griffin was known mostly for highlight-reel poster dunks and sensational feats of athleticism. And yet over the course of his NBA career, Griffin has continued to expand his game to the perimeter. This season with the Pistons, Griffin is averaging a career-high 24.5 points per game while […]

The Denver Nuggets were hardly a trendy pick to be a top-three team in the Western Conference. After all, the Houston Rockets and Oklahoma City Thunder seemingly had the star power to make deep runs, and of course the Warriors were still the preeminent pick to repeat as NBA champions. Denver also rostered a very […]

By the time of his third season in the NBA, Serge Ibaka had become one of the best defensive players in the NBA. Ibaka led the league in blocked shots four seasons in a row while also proving to be one of the better offensive rebounding big men in the game, asserting himself as an […]

The Los Angeles Lakers and former head coach Luke Walton mutually agreed to part ways yesterday, capping a strange week in which former president of basketball operations Magic Johnson stepped down so that he could “be himself.” The Lakers’ search has officially begun, and ESPN reporter Adrian Wojnarowski indicates that the frontrunners for the job […]

In the 2016 Western Conference Finals, the Oklahoma City Thunder came within just one game of defeating the 73-9 Golden State Warriors and advancing to the NBA Finals. So when former Thunder superstar Kevin Durant decided to join the Warriors in the summer after OKC failed to close out the series, he became one of […]

One of the paramount questions surrounding DeMarcus Cousins’ return to action with the Golden State Warriors was whether or not he would have an adverse effect on their team defense. Despite being dealt with some fairly unjust criticisms early on, Cousins has actually been a frontcourt anchor for a team that has simply regressed on […]

Over 900 miles separate Denver and San Antonio, but there’s a far smaller degree of separation between multiple parties of the Denver Nuggets and San Antonio Spurs. San Antonio head coach Gregg Popovich attended the Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs, and served as a mentor for current Nuggets head coach Mike Malone. Popovich actually […]

Had the Portland Trail Blazers lost their game against the Sacramento Kings on Tuesday night, they would have faced the Utah Jazz as the fourth seed in the Western Conference. Down 28 points, it was presumed that Portland would throw in the towel and rest their guys for the start of the postseason. This was […]

Given the narrative surrounding the Portland Trail Blazers as a perennial “one and done” playoff team, it is hard to remember that they were a favorite in last year’s first-round series against the New Orleans Pelicans. But the Trail Blazers meekly bowed out to New Orleans in four games, a resounding sweep that still burns […]

Despite leading the Sacramento Kings to a 39-43 record and the most wins since the 2005-06 season, former Kings head coach Dave Joerger was fired by general manager Vlade Divac on Thursday afternoon. In the wake of a strange resignation from Magic Johnson and a number of other firings throughout the league, the move to […]

Things have not been too peachy on the North Side of Chicago during the early goings of the 2019 MLB season. While the reigning National League Central champion Milwaukee Brewers have jumped out to an 8-2 start, the Chicago Cubs dropped to 2-7 after losing two of three in Milwaukee this weekend. After an offseason […]

Yesterday was the end of an era at American Airlines Arena in Miami, as Dwyane Wade played in his final home game in front of the Heat fans. To the delight of the crowd–and indeed to the rest of the NBA world–Wade poured in 30 points in a blowout win over the Philadelphia 76ers, proving […]

Despite winning 46 games last season, not too many analysts or fans expected that the Denver Nuggets would be a top-three team in the Western Conference this season. Yet the Nuggets have a chance to clinch the no. 2 seed in the West with a win over the Minnesota Timberwolves on Wednesday night. And Nuggets […]

Jerry West is as iconic as an individual as any in NBA history. “The Logo” is not only one of the greatest players ever, but he also one of the best executives the game has seen. West has a brilliant track record in the front office, having drafted Kobe Bryant in 1996 while also signing […]

Paul George will not be playing in the Oklahoma City Thunder’s tilt against the Milwaukee Bucks. According to Brett Dawson of The Athletic, George has been listed as inactive. Earlier reports said that the All-Star forward is dealing with a sore right shoulder. Paul George is out tonight. Listed as inactive, per the Thunder. — Brett […]

The Los Angeles Lakers’ tumultuous 2018-19 season took another drastic turn on Tuesday evening when Magic Johnson held an impromptu press conference to announce that he was stepping down as president of basketball operations. Johnson’s decision came totally unbeknownst to team owner Jeanie Buss and LeBron James, both of whom were reportedly shocked by the […]

After coming within a single game of reaching the NBA Finals last season, expectations for the Boston Celtics were sky-high during the preseason. And yet despite having a healthy Kyrie Irving playing at an elite level and Gordon Hayward returning to the lineup, the Celtics have struggled to establish themselves among the elite teams in […]

Duke Blue Devils star Zion Williamson has capped one of the most notable college basketball seasons in recent memory by winning the Naismith Player of the Year award, becoming just the third freshmen to ever earn that distinction. Anthony Davis and Kevin Durant were the other two: Zion Williamson has been named the Naismith Player […]

From the very first day he took over for Fred Hoiberg as the head coach of the Chicago Bulls, Jim Boylen has been all business. Despite some early adversity — like scheduling a practice after a back-to-back and nearly invoking a player mutiny — and battling it out with the media, Boylen has managed to […]

The Chicago Bulls have not had a good history with respect to star players on large contracts while also struggling with knee injuries (just ask Derrick Rose). So when Chicago’s front office decided to match the four-year, $78 million offer sheet that Zach LaVine signed with the Sacramento Kings last summer, there was plenty of […]

The Boston Celtics took a one-game lead over the Indiana Pacers for the fourth spot in the Eastern Conference standings with their win over the Pacers on Friday night, and Brad Stevens says it is full steam ahead until the playoffs. Stevens told NBC Boston’s Chris Forsberg that there will be no limitations on any […]

The Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame announced the Class of 2019, and head coaching Bill Fitch is reportedly among the inductees. Fitch coached 25 seasons in the league over a career that spanned more than 27 years. He currently ranks tenth on the all-time coaching wins list with 944 victories. Current Dallas Mavericks head […]

Despite posting one of the most historic seasons in NBA history, James Harden has drawn the ire of NBA fans for his style of play after winning the league’s Most Valuable Player award last season. Harden has frequently been called out for accentuating foul calls and “flopping,” and is averaging the over 11 free-throw attempts […]

For over 45 years, Oscar Robertson had been the only player in the NBA to average a triple-double in a single season. Oklahoma City Thunder point guard Russell Westbrook has now accomplished that feat in three consecutive seasons, the first time anyone has ever done that in league history. Whereas Westbrook’s first time averaging a […]

Blake Griffin made the All-Star team and is producing one of the best all-around years of his career, but his achievements seem to have flown under the radar this season. With the Detroit Pistons clinging to the eighth and final playoff spot in the Eastern Conference standings, Griffin dropped 45 points in a loss to […]

The 2019 MLB season has already been filled with surprises. The Seattle Mariners–the preeminent “sellers” of this past offseason–have the best record in the bigs. The Red Sox, Yankees and Astros all have losing records. The Chicago Cubs lead the majors in batting average and on-base percentage, and yet have stumbled out of the gate […]

The Philadelphia Phillies made the biggest splash of the 2018-19 offseason when they signed Bryce Harper to the largest free agent contract in the history of professional sports. And yet, there is another former MVP on the Phillies roster that will actually be more important to Philadelphia’s success this season. Indeed, Andrew McCutchen–who was one […]

Before he became one of the greatest coaches in NBA history, Gregg Popovich was an assistant for the lowly Golden State Warriors. And before Mike Budenholzer became a leading candidate for the NBA Coach of the Year Award as head coach of the Milwaukee Bucks, he was just another guy in the film room for […]

Boston Red Sox ace Chris Sale commanded headlines for all the right reasons over the past few months. From a profanity-laced dugout tirade that propelled the Red Sox to a win in Game 4 of the World Series to getting the final out in Game 5 and subsequently signing a five-year extension with the club, […]

As impossible as it seems, reigning National League MVP Christian Yelich is continuing the torrid pace that he set during the second half of the 2018 season. Through April 3, Yelich already had four homers (all of which coming in the first four games of the season, matching an MLB record) and was slugging 1.000 […]

Denver Nuggets head coach Mike Malone is not one for trickery. With his team two games back of the Golden State Warriors for the top seed in the Western Conference and also a game and a half ahead of the Houston Rockets for the second spot, Malone was asked whether or not he is the […]