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CHICAGO, IL – FEBRUARY 27: Damian Lillard #0 of the Portland Trail Blazers drives against Tony Snell #20 of the Chicago Bulls at the United Center on February 27, 2016 in Chicago, Illinois. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using the photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images)

While we were in awe of Steph Curry, the Trail Blazers quietly regrouped

0 comments by on 2/29/2016

Saturday night, the NBA witnessed one of its most memorable and remarkable regular season games. In the long and interesting shadow of Golden State-Oklahoma City stood several other contests. One of them will certainly become a top-five moment of the Portland Trail Blazers’ season if the team makes a playoff spot. Yes, when the rest […]

BOSTON – NOVEMBER 28: Center court logo of the Boston Celtics at the TD Banknorth Garden before a game against the Philadelphia 76ers on November 28, 2008 in Boston, Massachusetts. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2008 NBAE (Photo by Brian Babineau/NBAE via Getty Images)

Home is where the revival is: The Celtics became a new team in the new year

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When the year 2015 gave way to 2016, the NBA was a much more uncertain place than it is now. On the morning of December 31, 2015, chaos had not yet ceded its place in much of the Eastern Conference. The hierarchical structure that’s emerging in this half of the league had not yet begun […]

Feb 26, 2016; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; Toronto Raptors guard Kyle Lowry (7) shoots the ball as Cleveland Cavaliers center Tristan Thompson (13) defends in front of Cleveland Cavaliers guard Matthew Dellavedova (8) at the Air Canada Centre. The Raptors won 99-97. Mandatory Credit: John E. Sokolowski-USA TODAY Sports ORG XMIT: USATSI-233022 ORIG FILE ID: 20160226_ads_ss9_121.JPG

The biggest wait-and-see win in Toronto Raptor history

0 comments by on 2/27/2016

Yes, it’s a contradiction in terms, but life is complicated: Friday night, the Toronto Raptors won the biggest wait-and-see game in their comparatively brief existence. The Raptors are only 20 years old. The NBA itself is 49 years older than Canada’s one active NBA organization. One shouldn’t have expected the Raptors to win an NBA […]

The difference between the Spurs and Thunder was made clear on Thursday

0 comments by on 2/26/2016

The San Antonio Spurs enter Friday, February 26 with an eight-game lead over the Oklahoma City Thunder for the second seed in the Western Conference playoffs. Want to know the essential difference between these teams, albeit one which might not matter much in a potential West semifinal series that should light up the NBA? It […]

CHARLOTTE, NC – OCTOBER 19: Jeremy Lin #7 of the Charlotte Hornets handles the ball against Nikola Mirotic #44 of the Chicago Bulls during a preseason game at the Time Warner Cable Arena on October 19, 2015 in Charlotte, North Carolina. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2015 NBAE (Photo by Kent Smith/NBAE via Getty Images)

Bulls, Hornets, Pistons, Wizards: What you need to know about the East playoff race

0 comments by on 2/24/2016

A primer on the chase for the final two Western Conference playoff spots exists. Let’s offer the same for the final two spots in the East, with less fanfare and no real preamble. * Start with road trips. The Bulls don’t have one single road trip of extreme length. They face a four-out-of-five road sequence […]

Houston Rockets center Josh Smith goes to the basket as Utah Jazz forward Trey Lyles (41) defends during the second quarter of an NBA basketball game Tuesday, Feb. 23, 2016, in Salt Lake City. (AP Photo/Rick Bowmer)

Blazers, Jazz, Rockets: What you need to know about the West playoff race

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The Utah Jazz defeated the Houston Rockets in overtime Tuesday night, while the Portland Trail Blazers won yet again, this time over the Brooklyn Nets. As these three teams brace themselves for the final seven weeks of the regular season, here’s what you need to know about each team’s previous journeys and upcoming challenges: * […]

Fool’s gold: Don’t think the past 100 hours are sustainable

0 comments by on 2/23/2016

It’s almost March, so why shouldn’t an NBA story begin with a little taste of Bill Raftery? Late in Duke’s win over Illinois in the 2004 Atlanta Regional final (yes, the regionals were referred to by their cities, then, a practice which mercifully didn’t last long), Luol Deng made the key plays which carried the […]

The Pelicans have a generational talent… and nothing else

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The New Orleans Pelicans have won their first two games after the All-Star break. It’s been a terrible series of days for the organization. * Are you laughing? There’s nothing wrong with having a little chuckle in a world where teams’ best interests — near the bottom of the NBA food chain — are better […]

Why the Warriors’ loss in Portland could matter more than you think

0 comments by on 2/22/2016

On Monday, the NBA is talking about Anthony Davis’s majestic 59-and-20 masterpiece against the Detroit Pistons. Rightly so. However, one episode from the past weekend in the NBA is worth revisiting — it contains a relatively small point of intrigue, but one which could turn into something big this spring. Yes, we’ve turned the corner […]

Dark clouds gather in Atlanta, as the Hawks’ hopes dim considerably

0 comments by on 2/21/2016

To win in baseball, a team needs pitchers who can get outs with several pitches, a splitter being one of them. Without Tiago Splitter, the Atlanta Hawks have less depth and rim protection. The first two games after the All-Star break have painted the worst possible picture for a team whose postseason prospects are getting […]

DALLAS, TX – NOVEMBER 03: DeMar DeRozan #10 of the Toronto Raptors at American Airlines Center on November 3, 2015 in Dallas, Texas. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Ronald Martinez/Getty Images)

The Raptors reveal an aspirational identity through inertia

0 comments by on 2/19/2016

It was one of the most strikingly counterintuitive moments of the 2016 NBA trade deadline: The Toronto Raptors revealed a large aspirational appetite not by making a big move, but by doing nothing. It goes against the instincts of fans, commentators, everyone who follows sports either for a living or for fun: When a trade […]

Catch and match the Warriors? The Cavs want to try with Frye

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No, the Cleveland Cavaliers didn’t unload Kevin Love. They didn’t seek an overhaul before the 2016 NBA trade deadline. They didn’t need to. Any substantial moves would have sent the message that the current roster wasn’t really trusted. What might have made a layered Love deal even worse for the Cavs: It could have created […]

First-half high wire: every NBA team’s record in 2-point games and OT

0 comments by on 2/17/2016

Forget about games decided by five points or fewer — let’s offer an even more specific examination of NBA teams and their results in the first half of the season. Below, you’ll find records in overtime games and games decided by no more than two points. Why two, you might (reasonably) ask, instead of three? […]

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