Bruce jenkins

About a week into the schedule, NBA insiders were ridiculing what they labeled a pipe dream, all about Klay Thompson returning to lead a dramatic resurrection of power. Now that we’ve seen a bit more evidence, it seems entirely plausible. An NBA title, polished off by a four-game sweep in the Finals? That’s a bit excessive. But the Warriors have confounded the notion that major, widespread changes would be necessary. They are delightfully on course as they stand today. … [Read more...] about On a murky night, Warriors’ big picture has clarity

You’d like to think Irving settles primarily into the role of distributor, with his peerless ballhandling skills. Then you remember that he couldn’t stand playing second fiddle to LeBron James’ Stradivarius. You picture Harden moving without the ball, Curry-like, and ditching the idea of dribbling out the shot clock before unloading. But that would take some class. This is a man who partied his way through the start of the Houston Rockets’ training camp, showed up overweight, blatantly lost interest in games and ripped his teammates (“not good enough”) just before Wednesday’s trade. After all those top-of-the-chart seasons, Harden became a despised figure in the locker room — those players are delighted he’s gone — and someone destined to be booed the next time he shows up in Houston. … [Read more...] about Nets’ Big Three of Harden, Durant, Irving no match for Warriors’ glory years

Picture a bunch of World War II veterans taking the court at storied Madison Square Garden and winning the 1949 NIT championship under head coach Pete Newell. That was considered more prestigious than the NCAA Tournament at the time, and if anything was more surprising than the Dons’ great triumph — changing the way East Coast fans viewed the game — it was the sight of Newell, making all of $3,600 a year, conducting practices in a run-down gymnasium. (The USF campus was in such a dismantled state after the war, it was commonly called “The Rockpile.”) … [Read more...] about USF basketball revival stirs storied Hilltop memories

It was common knowledge that Wells had a drinking problem, leading to several run-ins with the law, but there was much more to the story. Griggs was working for the now-defunct Golden Gaters Productions in the Bay Area when he attended the 1986 Super Bowl and spoke with former Raiders coach John Madden in the locker room of the victorious Chicago Bears. … [Read more...] about Whatever happened to Raiders great Warren Wells? A documentary tells the tale

King, known for his “Holy Toledo!” call and trademark beard, broadcasted Warriors games from 1962, when they moved to San Francisco, until 1983. He became the Raiders’ play-by-play announcer in 1966 and was behind the mic for such indelible moments as the “Sea of Hands,” the “Immaculate Reception” in Pittsburgh and the “Heidi Game.” … [Read more...] about Bill King named to National Sports Media Association Hall of Fame