Should Phoenix Suns fans request a refund after being guaranteed satisfaction? (Ball Don’t Lie)

 Phoenix  No Responses »
Dec 072012
 

Last Friday, Kelly Dwyer hipped you to the Phoenix Suns’ plans to issue their fans refunds if they did not have a satisfactory amount of fun at one of their games. It was a bold move, and also a smart one — the Suns received lots of press via the internet, TV, and various other media outlets.
On Thursday night, the Suns played that game, losing to the Dallas Mavericks 97-94 in front a sellout crowd at US Airways Center (though, as Shaquille O’Neal pointed out on TNT, there were some empty seats). But should fans demand a refund? Did they leave satisfied? If they weren’t, all they have to do is fill out a form at the team’s website and mail their ticket stub to the team offices.
This is a moral question, not merely a question of saving money. We are here to help. After the jump, consult a list of pros and cons to make an informed decision on whether or not it was a satisfying experience.

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Carmelo Anthony (game-time decision, cut left middle finger) offers Pop zing to say he’ll be at Knicks/Heat (Ball Don’t Lie)

 Charlotte  No Responses »
Dec 062012
 

Carmelo Anthony’s hand might not have been feeling 100 percent following his New York Knicks’ too-close-for-comfort road win over the Charlotte Bobcats on Wednesday night. But he was still feeling up to making jokes, which is about all you can ask for, really.
Anthony — who led the Knicks with 23 points in 38 minutes on Wednesday, but struggled from the floor, missing 14 of his 22 field-goal attempts — injured himself on this dive for a loose ball following a key J.R. Smith block on Bobcats center Bismack Biyombo with 2:10 remaining in the fourth quarter and the Knicks trailing Charlotte by two:

Knicks fans appreciate the hustle from Melo, who’s made something of a habit of this recently, but were none too thrilled with the result — a deep cut on his left middle finger, sending him to the locker room for five stitches and knocking him out for the remainder of the game, which the Knicks won on an appropriately hilarious Smith game-winner .
Unfortunately for Knicks fans, the injury might also force Anthony out of the lineup for Thursday night’s nationally televised TNT tilt against the defending NBA champion Miami Heat, whom the Knicks beat handily in their first game of the season. Asked late Wednesday what his status for the rematch would be, Melo demurred, and then teed up a goof. From Frank Isola at the New York Daily News :

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Andre Iguodala’s 3-pointer a tick too late as Warriors outlast Nuggets in hectic finish (VIDEO) (Ball Don’t Lie)

 LA Lakers  No Responses »
Nov 302012
 

Given its combination of pregame shenanigans , promises of forthcoming hell to pay and (oh-by-the-way) some legitimately competitive basketball capped by a late-game dagger from one of the NBA’s all-time assassins, the front-end of Thursday night’s TNT doubleheader was a pretty tough act to follow. Luckily, the back-end featured two of the league’s 10 fastest-paced teams, 10 players scoring in double-figures, cool dunks , mammoth blocks , Anthony Randolph and 18 combined 3-pointers.
The Denver Nuggets just kind of wish it was 19. And if not for the cruel mistress of the clock, it might well have been.
But before we get to the absolute end, we need to go back to the start — not of Thursday night’s game between the Nuggets and Golden State Warriors itself, but of the true late-stage weirdness, which came with about seven seconds left in the fourth quarter. For about 11 minutes and 53 seconds of that final frame, the Warriors had outplayed the Nuggets, turning an eight-point Denver lead at the end of three (which had been a 16-point cushion midway through the period) into a three-point Dubs advantage in the closing moments. In those closing moments, though, things went a big nutty. Behold:

The full list of weird things that happened there, if you’re keeping score at home:

Ranking the Chicago Bulls’ 5 Most Despised Rivals This Season

 Chicago  No Responses »
Nov 232012
 

Fierce rivalries have played a prominent role in the history of the Chicago Bulls’ franchise. Battles with teams such as the Detroit Pistons and Boston Celtics will go down as some of the NBA’s greatest matchups. They have featured some of the most infamous moments in NBA history.

Who can deny the bitterness between Michael Jordan and Isiah Thomas? It began with the infamous NBA All-Star Game freeze-out in 1985. Afterwards, the passion that they played with fueled their teams. They fought hard and demanded the same fight and competitiveness out of their teammates.

That is how rivalries are born. It is rivalries like those that helped make the NBA what it is today. Although NBA feuds are not what they used to be according to TNT analyst and Hall of Famer Reggie Miller and others, they are a necessary part of the game.  

NBA fans are always able to recall their favorite rivalries. When television networks promote their big NBA matchups, they highlight the rivalries that fans crave. The matchup is always the team that you love versus the team that you love to hate. The fact that those two teams hate each other is icing on the cake.

Who are the Bulls’ most despised rivals? What is the history behind the rivalries and are they still as prominent today, as they were when they began.

 

All win totals are up to date as of 11-23-2012

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Boston Celtics to Face Ray Allen and Miami Heat to Start Season: Fan’s Take (Yahoo! Contributor Network)

 Miami  No Responses »
Oct 302012
 

The Boston Celtics will start their 2012-13 road to the NBA Finals against the same team that killed that dream last season–the Miami Heat. The two Eastern Conference powerhouses will square off on Tuesday, October 30 at 8 p.m. ET with the game televised nationally on TNT.

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2012 NBA Opening Night Schedule: One NBA Fan’s Outlook (Yahoo! Contributor Network)

 Washington  No Responses »
Oct 252012
 

The 2012-2013 NBA season will begin on Tuesday, October 30. Three games are on the opening night schedule but only two of them will be televised nationally. The first game of the season features two young teams that are in the midst of full-blown rebuilding projects. The final two games of the night, which will be nationally televised on TNT, will highlight the four teams that have won the last five NBA championships.

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The full trailer for Kevin Durant’s movie “Thunderstruck” is here (VIDEO) (Ball Don’t Lie)

 Oklahoma City  No Responses »
Aug 032012
 

On the night that the Oklahoma City Thunder clinched a berth in the NBA Finals, TNT premiered the first trailer for “Thunderstruck,” a comedy for kids starring OKC superstar Kevin Durant. It didn’t look like it would supplant “Vertigo” as the official Greatest Film of All Time , but it appears as if it can serve its purpose as a late-summer diversion for children.
On Friday, the full 150-second trailer for “Thunderstruck” was released. Join us after the jump for some expert analysis.

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Charles Barkley Interested in Becoming the Next Philadelphia 76ers’ President

 Philadelphia  No Responses »
Jun 122012
 

Philadelphia’s 94.1 WIP sports radio host Anthony Gargano put out the possibility of Charles Barkley taking the position as the 76ers‘ president of basketball operations from Rod Thorn. Gargano proceeded to text Charles seeing if he would be interested in the opening, and Charles confirmed that he is interested in becoming the 76ers’ next president and general manager. Although the team has not expressed any interest in Barkley, they will likely look into the possibility.

This possibility poses the debate of whether Charles is capable of being a successful president of basketball operations. Charles has no real experience working in the front office of a professional basketball team, but his playing career would definitely help him with a possible front office role.

However, I think  Charles should gain some front office experience before jumping right into becoming president of basketball operations. 

Charles will also have to show that he is willing to work long hours, which will be a big change from his once-a-week job at TNT. If Charles shows that he is capable of evaluating talent, putting in long hours, and dealing with the day-to-day duties that go along with being a front office executive, I believe he can be a good executive.

However, I think that there are better options out there for Philadelphia, such as Oklahoma City’s assistant GM Troy Weaver, or even the favorite to get the position, Danny Ferry. 

Charles will be in the running for multiple front office positions in the coming years, but I do not feel like the 76ers are the best fit for him. 

Read more Philadelphia 76ers news on BleacherReport.com

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3 Reasons Why NBA Fans Will Never Completely Trust NBA Officials

 Rumors  No Responses »
Jun 122012
 

NBA officials may not seem good for much these days, but they’ve always made for a reliable scapegoat. If former referee Steve Javie has his way, though, that might begin to change.

According to Sports Illustrated’s Richard Deitsch, Javie is doing his part to explain questionable calls as a “rules analyst” during coverage of the NBA Finals. After Mike Pereira took on a similar role with Fox Sports’ NFL coverage, Javie hopes to do the same for the world of hoops:

“Mike and I are friends and I think what he’s done has been fantastic,” Javie said. “He’s been the trailblazer here and he told me he thought the NBA, ESPN or TNT would be interested in something like this. I think Mike has really gained credibility for officials in the NFL, but fans of the NBA have never heard from or been given the perspective from the officials’ point of view. I’m hoping for positive feedback because I believe it’s something that’s been missing. I hope people come away and say, ‘Boy, I didn’t even look at it that way, and I never knew that.’”

Sure, a few fans may walk away thinking exactly that. 

But let’s be honest: Right or wrong, most fans have some creative ideas for things an official can do with his “point of view.” Those fans are as interested in hearing bad calls rationalized as they are in watching their teams get booted from the playoffs on account of those bad calls.

Javie’s endeavor is admirable, and it will make for some quality entertainment.

Just don’t expect a radical change of heart from the average fan, and here’s why.

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