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CLEVELAND, OH – MAY 24: Tristan Thompson #13 of the Cleveland Cavaliers vies for position with Paul Millsap #4 of the Atlanta Hawks and DeMarre Carroll #5 of the Atlanta Hawks in the first half during Game Three of the Eastern Conference Finals of the 2015 NBA Playoffs at Quicken Loans Arena on May 24, 2015 in Cleveland, Ohio. 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. (Photo by Gregory Shamus/Getty Images)

Broken Glass: Tristan Thompson Tipped Over The Hawks One Rebound At A Time

0 comments by on 5/27/2015

The offensive rebound fell out of vogue in the NBA years ago. The Spurs made a dynasty out of stressing transition defense over hammering the offensive glass — among other things. It’s a copycat league: coaching staffs around the NBA emulate “the Spurs way,” with many teams — including Atlanta and coach Mike Budenholzer — hiring former assistants in […]

LeBron James Needs to revert to an old style, not an old form

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Much has been made about LeBron James being not as great a player as he has been in previous years. That type of thinking might be a bit too hyperbolic for my taste — I think it has as much to do with the players around him as it does with his actual abilities. Nevertheless, […]

Officiating In Focus: What Happens Before A Flagrant Foul?

0 comments by on 5/26/2015

Credit for this column goes to Crossover Chronicles reader Robert Barnard, who made the following point during Game 4 of the Western Conference finals between the Houston Rockets and the Golden State Warriors: Mr. Barnard is not wrong. Let’s look at the J.R. Smith arm-smack delivered to Jae Crowder of the Boston Celtics, one month […]

Jeff Van Gundy Is Absolutely Right On Flagrant Foul Reviews

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Our team at Crossover Chronicles is covering various aspects of the Western Conference finals. John Cannon offered a Golden State perspective on Game 4, and other members of our staff have written about the West finals from the Houston Rockets’ point of view. Want to read more about these two teams? We’re on it. Yet, […]

Photo by Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports

Everyone is a Doctor When It Comes to Steph Curry

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During Game 4 of the Western Conference finals, the basketball world collectively held its breath, as one of the game’s most exciting stars took a bump reminiscent of a WWE superstar. The NBA’s MVP, Steph Curry, was attempting to block a shot in transition. One pump-fake later, he landed violently enough that an arena full […]

Rockets remain alive, as Irresistible Force Meets Moveable Object

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When Peyton Manning was on the free agent market a few years ago, several teams were interested. After all, he represented an upgrade at the most important position for just about any team in the league. One of those teams, however, needed Peyton Manning more than any other team. Broncos general manager John Elway had […]

Mike Scott’s Misery and the 2015 NBA Playoffs: They’re Related

0 comments by on 5/25/2015

The 2015 NBA Playoffs have been a bust. That short, blunt, inelegant sentence matches the cadence of these playoffs as well as the level of quality they’ve (not) attained. The Cleveland Cavaliers will notch a successful season when they officially seal their Eastern Conference championship in the coming days, but unless Kyrie Irving and LeBron […]

Will Phil Jackson Give Himself a Chance To Succeed with the Knicks?

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There is more than one specific way to win in the NBA. The Houston Rockets, Memphis Grizzlies, Cleveland Cavaliers, and Golden State Warriors all have distinctive, unique styles. Despite those differences they all have something in common – they base the way they play around their talent. Houston puts James Harden in position to maximize […]

LeBron lifts Cleveland to the brink of the Finals, but are the Cavs ready?

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In a game that epitomized everything that has gone wrong with the Eastern Conference playoffs, the best player in the world provided the type of unforgettable performance we’ve been hankering for all spring. LeBron James’ otherworldly 37-point, 18-rebound, 13-assist line in Game 3 of the Eastern Conference finals didn’t come easily; quite the opposite in […]

HOUSTON, TX – MAY 23: James Harden #13 of the Houston Rockets and Josh Smith #5 have words with referee Scott Foster during Game Three of the Western Conference Finals at Toyota Center on May 23, 2015 in Houston, Texas. 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. (Photo by Bob Levey/Getty Images)

The Annihilation of the Houston Rockets by the Superior Golden State Warriors

0 comments by on 5/24/2015

In an act of absolute ambivalence or premeditated gamesmanship, Houston sent Nick Johnson to shake Stephen Curry’s hand at the captains’ ceremonial meeting before tip-off of Game 1 of the Western Conference finals. https://vine.co/v/eAIO6A3edXK Curry was rightfully pissed. Johnson doesn’t see the court for the Rockets, and even if Houston sent Corey Brewer or Josh Smith, it […]

Warriors Adjust, Shift Gears, Smoke Rockets

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There’s going to be a common theme in coverage of Game 3 of the Western Conference finals between the Golden State Warriors and the Houston Rockets: Steph Curry is __________. A thesaurus full of words will fill that blank, and every single one will be true. But that’s not what happened Saturday night. Steph Curry wasn’t better […]

LeBron The Leader: King James Still Owns The East

0 comments by on 5/23/2015

You can make all the Eastern Conference and David Blatt jokes you want, but if you stop laughing for a second, you can appreciate just how much LeBron James has grown as a leader. This growth — as a person and as a player — is responsible for bringing the Cleveland Cavaliers to the doorstep […]

Hawks Fans, Don’t Allow This Series To Drag You Down

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As Dan Aykroyd’s Bob Dole character said on Saturday Night Live decades ago, “You know it, I know it, and the American people know it.” The Cleveland Cavaliers are going to sweep the Atlanta Hawks out of the Eastern Conference finals, barring a piano falling on LeBron James before Game 3. After a Game 2 […]

Harden Not Your Hearts: Sometimes, Sports Just Happens

0 comments by on 5/22/2015

It is easy to be merciless toward millionaire athletes and coaches who preside over a train wreck in a decisive moment of a late-stage playoff game. “THESE GUYS GET PAID SO MUCH! THEY ARE SUPPOSED TO BE HIGHLY-TRAINED! THEY’VE SPENT THEIR LIVES DREAMING ABOUT PLAYING FOR A SPOT IN THE NBA FINALS! HOW COULD THEY […]

Warriors a shaky 2-0 vs. the Rockets

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The Golden State Warriors did something over the last three days that I didn’t think was possible: They won the first two games of their Western Conference Final series against Houston without giving their fans any confidence whatsoever that they will win the series. Okay, maybe that’s a little strong, but if the 19,000 maniacs […]

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