May 31, 2012
The 2012 NBA Draft Lottery Awards
Yes, the lucky recipients of the top three draft picks are what mattered in the 2012 NBA Draft Lottery, but the real excitement came in the introductions of the teams and their representatives. The winners and losers:
Read moreNovak Djokovic’s New Duds
I’m in Paris for the first time, and I was given one piece of advice to help me fit in: Don’t wear shorts. Europeans don’t, which means doing so is a surefire way to be pegged as a tourist. This is generally but not entirely true. The crowds at the French Open, in Roland Garros, […]
Read moreHow the Miami Heat Live and Die With Their Defense
After close games like Wednesday night’s Miami Heat–Boston Celtics Eastern Conference Finals Game 2, analysts usually want to dissect the plays run on offense. But Miami almost lost and ultimately won this one as a result of their defense. Toward the end of regulation, Ray Allen got an open 3 because of Miami’s defensive breakdown, […]
Read moreRankonia: The Triangle Power Rankings
1. Mario Balotelli: Role Model Rankonia Founding Father Chris Ryan is with you, Mario Balotelli, which means you get this week’s top spot. “This week, Manchester City and Italian striker Mario Balotelli made headlines by declaring, ‘I will not accept racism at all. It’s unacceptable. If someone throws a banana at me in the street, […]
Read moreGrantland Network Podcast: Chris Ryan, Robert Mays, and Rembert Browne
Today on the Triangle Podcast (affectionately know as Tripod around these parts) (and by these parts, I mean “my desk”), we focused on a crazy, fun, possibly conspiracy-riddled night in the NBA. First, Robert Mays — who contributes to our daily NBA playoffs round-up, The Shootaround — came by to talk about Rajon Rondo and […]
Read moreIs This the End of the Williams Sisters Era?
Perhaps it’s too early to say an era is coming to a close, but this is definitely a moment. Just a few days into the French Open, both of the Williams sisters, Venus and Serena, have been eliminated. Both losses were shocking in their own way. Serena’s first-round exit Tuesday, one of the bigger upsets […]
Read moreThe 10 Types of Stanley Cup Finals
Anze Kopitar scored in overtime Wednesday to lift the Los Angeles Kings to a 2-1 win over the New Jersey Devils in Game 1 of the Stanley Cup finals, a series that most expect to be a close one. While there’s no natural rivalry to build on, there are plenty of interesting players and story […]
Read moreNBA Playoffs Shootaround: LeBron and Rondo’s Greatest Show on Earth
So much amazing is happening, and the Shootaround crew is here to help you keep track of it all. You’ll find takes on moments you might’ve missed from the previous night, along with ones you will remember forever. Louder Than Rondo This video, highlights of Rajon Rondo’s 44-point Game 2, is kind of hilarious because, […]
Read moreMiddle Relief: What to Do With the Twins?
You’re the worst team in the American League. You’ve gone from six division titles in nine years to a possible second straight season in the cellar. Your pitching and defense is so bad, you need a telescope to spot the next-worst run prevention team in your league. You have one or two impact prospects in […]
Read moreAmericans in Paris
I’ve attended just a handful of sporting events outside the U.S. — rugby and cricket in Cape Town, soccer in Ghana — but never one where everyone was rooting against my guy. (Yeah, I know: No cheering in the press box.) In Paris, “Come on, Isner!” is replaced by “Oi, Arnaud.” There is one French […]
Read moreAbout Last Night: Rondo Isn’t Enough
In case you were out living a life of leisure, here’s what you missed in sports on Wednesday. Despite Rajon Rondo’s stellar performance — 44 points, eight assists, and 10 rebounds — the Miami Heat rallied from 15 points down to beat the Celtics 115-111 in overtime to take a 2-0 lead in the Eastern […]
Read moreMay 30, 2012
NBA Draft Lottery YouTube Hall of Fame
The Horseshoe Works Still the best. The 1985 Patrick Ewing “fixed” Lottery. Dave DeBusschere’s reaction is absolutely priceless. Look at his face. That’s just pure … relief.
Read moreDerek Jeter’s Diary: A W Is a W Is a W
The baseball season is a long and lonely road. To preserve his sanity, Yankees shortstop Derek Jeter keeps a diary. These are excerpts from The Captain’s private journal. Wednesday, May 23: vs. Kansas City Some kid named “Will Smith” made his big-league debut against us tonight. Now, I know what you’re thinking: That kid has […]
Read moreThe San Antonio Offense Clinic
The Oklahoma City Thunder needed to make adjustments going into Game 2 of the Western Conference Finals against the San Antonio Spurs. Adjustments they made, managing 111 points. Yet they still lost, allowing 120 points. The Thunder can’t win the series if they give up that many, but it’s not just their defensive shortcoming. What […]
Read moreFearless Predictions for the Stanley Cup Finals
Here it is, at long last, after three rounds of bruising and bloody playoff hockey: The New Jersey Devils play host tonight to the Los Angeles King in Game 1 of the Stanley Cup finals. It is the matchup everyone predicted at the start of the season and again at the beginning of the NHL […]
Read moreSpecial NBA Draft Lottery Shootaround
It’s Lottery Day! Since this is a particularly special day on the NBA calendar, we thought we’d do a special Lottery Shootaround, looking at all the story lines going into tonight’s Anthony Davis Sweepstakes. Also, for even more Lottery talk, be sure to check out Bill Simmons’s podcast with Chad Ford. The Conspiracy Scale On […]
Read moreFantasy Fiesta: Dipping Into the Mailbag
Mailbag time! If you’ve got a question for a future Fantasy Fiesta, e-mail grantlandfantasy@gmail.com, or do as these fine folks did by tweeting questions to me here: @jonahkeri.
Read moreB.S. Report: Chad Ford
Chad Ford joins Bill Simmons to discuss the 2012 NBA Draft Lottery, including the Anthony Davis sweepstakes and the Andre Drummond debate.
Read moreThe View From Paris on the NBA Playoffs
“Il y aura au moins un Francaise en finale NBA puisque la finale de la conference Est opposera le Boston de Mickael Pietrus au Miami de Ronny Turiaf. Il y en aura pour-etre trois puisque le vainquerur de cette confrontation pourrait y retrouver les San Antonio Spurs de Tony Parker et Boris Diaw qui afrontent […]
Read moreAbout Last Night: The Rise of the Bentonite
In case you were out living a life of leisure, here’s what you missed in sports on Tuesday. Tony Parker scored 34 points and dished out eight assists as the Spurs remained unbeaten in the postseason, beating the Thunder 120-111 and going up 2-0 in the Western Conference Finals. “I’m … I’m running out of […]
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