February 9
New York Post
columnist Jonathan Lehman
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It sounds like the setup of a bad joke: Have you heard the one about the Harvard kid who can't catch a break in the job market, keeps getting passed over in favor of other applicants with more impressive resumes and pink-slipped by bosses who don't believe he can hack it? It's funny, Knicks point-guard sensation Jeremy Lin is far from the first Harvard graduate to make it big in New York City. But he's the only one wearing baggy shorts to work in a Midtown office that seats about 19,000. Now, with each shutter-quick drive and acrobatic finish at the rim, Lin is shattering the image of methodical Ivy League hoops that seems plucked from the era when Bill Bradley took his game from Princeton"
February 8
Denver Post
columnist Benjamin Hochman
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George Karl brought up an interesting point on your question topic, Shawn. Indeed, Afflalo is not back to his level from last year. In the past five games, he's averaged 7.0 points. Karl said that he felt Afflalo, who missed most of camp because of contract negotiations, was "taking little steps" until he pulled a hamstring at Washington in late January. But Karl then pointed out Afflalo's workout regimen. Now, Afflalo is famous for working hard and Karl agreed that his shooting guard indeed does. But, as Karl explained, "He was getting better and more comfortable (before the injury) with how we were using him, where we were using him. People think it's easy to fit in and get a comfort"
February 8
Atlanta Journal-Constitution
columnist Jeff Schultz
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t would be unfair to assume that the Hawks are crumbling after three consecutive home debacles, just as it would've been presumptuous to believe that a team without Al Horford (and his backup) could maintain a 16-6 pace for the rest of the NBA season. But at the very least, this basketball team has slipped into that uncomfortable zone between concern and panic. I call it: trouble. They look fatigued. They look disinterested or lost or, worst of all, hopeless. They certainly look short. A team loses the 6-foot-10 Horford and the 7-0 Jason Collins, and suddenly you half-expect 6-8 "center" Ivan Johnson and two members of the Lollipop Guild to run on to the court wearing colored shorts and"
February 7
Cleveland Plain Dealer
columnist Bill Livingston
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When the Cavaliers drew the Golden Ping Pong Ball in the NBA lottery, 18-year-old LeBron James promised to turn the city into Las Vegas by the Lake. It didn't happen. Neither did the long basketball Dark Ages his desertion seemed to portend. This time, no one is calling Kyrie Irving, 19, also delivered via a draft lottery ping pong ball, a savior. Few are checking off "youngest to this or that" milestones for him. The Cavs this season are not on ESPN, TNT or ABC, an alphabet of network disinterest. Mostly, Irving has been nationally noticed only when he has been spectacular. He made a last-gasp, weaving, left-handed layup that finished the recent comeback at Boston and then a jack-knifing"
February 5
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
columnist Michael Hunt
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"Thankfully, we're not on the road," Bucks coach Scott Skiles was saying about an hour before the game Saturday night. To have taken in the scene around the Bradley Center would've ran counter to Skiles' comfort-zone notion. There was so much red in the streets that it seemed as if a Badgers hockey game had broken out. But this was the red of the Chicago Bulls, and their fans were wearing it inside and out of every gin joint and eatery between the arena and the river. It was almost like the Bulls' dynasty days, when Phil Jackson would roll 'em up just before the game with just enough time for MJ and the guys to pile off the bus and beat the Bucks, many to few. But there were so many Bulls"
February 5
Cleveland Plain Dealer
columnist Bill Livingston
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Saturday's guest of honor came off the practice floor, the very large object of even larger civic affection. Suddenly, Dirk Nowitzki -- 7 feet tall, of German heritage, the 2011 NBA Finals Most Valuable Player, a man in the employ of the opposing Dallas Mavericks for 14 years now -- was besieged for autographs. Fans at the Cavaliers-Dallas game thrust programs and photos and Dallas jerseys at Nowitzki, who signed a couple dozen in all, each with a scrawled "Dirk." "Dirk! Dirk!" they cried. Fans want autographs everywhere, but the dynamic was different here. More fans, more warmth. "When you're caught up in the Finals, you really don't know about these things," said Nowitzki afterward. The"
February 5
Houston Chronicle
columnist Jonathan Feigen
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Despite their best efforts, Kevin Love and the Timberwolves should have no chance of convincing the NBA it was just a Love tap. Love went Savion Glover on Luis Scola's face. Love might be one of the league's best young players, but the league presumably still frowns on players treating other players' faces as starting blocks. Knowing he is in jeopardy of getting hit with a suspension – and this should be a no-brainer one-game suspension — Love did his best to spin the answer. In fact, he danced around it so well, he could have tap-danced on the head of a pin, which makes it difficult to buy his argument that he has feet so large, he just could not miss Scola's face. He did, however,"