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May 26, 2016; Oakland, CA, USA; A general view of Oracle Arena after the Golden State Warriors win game five of the Western conference finals of the NBA Playoffs against the Oklahoma City Thunder. The Warriors won 120-111. Mandatory Credit: Kelley L Cox-USA TODAY Sports

The 2016 NBA Playoffs illustrate the value of a short memory

0 comments by on 5/31/2016

The NBA playoffs almost always reward resilience. Only in a few rare cases does a champion not have to deal with some degree of turbulence in the postseason. One example is the 1983 Philadelphia 76ers, who swept two series and won a third in five games after leading 3-0. The ’83 Sixers, however, represent the […]

The Warriors won with the 3, but they also won with other numbers

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“Strength In Numbers.” Like “ALL IN” or “WE BELIEVE,” the words can so easily represent a cheap slogan which can be appropriated by other teams. Strength In Numbers. Of course every team is a family, a group, a unit which is more than the sum of its parts. At least, a team better be more […]

Warriors win: “You are watching what greatness is all about”

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Greatness. You know it when you see it. Yet, counterintuitively, greatness transcends its most obvious manifestations. It is in the nature of greatness to transcend. Such is the reality of the Golden State Warriors on Tuesday morning after their Game 7 survival act against the Oklahoma City Thunder in a memorable Western Conference Finals. It’s […]

PHOENIX – MAY 20: Charles Barkley #34 of the Phoenix Suns walks with his head down during Game Seven of the 1995 NBA Western Conference semifinals against the Houston Rockets on May 20, 1995 at the American West Arena in Phoenix, Arizona. Houston defeated Phoenix 115-114 and won the series 4-3. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges 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 1995 NBAE (Photo by Andrew D. Bernstein/NBAE via Getty Images)

Game 7 at home is hardly a lock: a cautionary tale

0 comments by on 5/30/2016

I have been saying for a week that being down 3-1 in a seven-game series, while not a position to be desired, is not fatal to a very good basketball team. If that team is the defending NBA champion, there’s even less cause for panic. To support that position, I merely had to recount my […]

OKLAHOMA CITY, OK – MAY 22: Stephen Curry #30 of the Golden State Warriors covers his face in the fourth quarter against the Oklahoma City Thunder in game three of the Western Conference Finals during the 2016 NBA Playoffs at Chesapeake Energy Arena on May 22, 2016 in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. (Photo by Ronald Martinez/Getty Images)

Game 7 by the numbers

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It’s gameday — Game 7 day. The Oklahoma City Thunder and Golden State Warriors have captivated us for two whole weeks. The journey ends where it began, on a Monday inside Oracle Arena. Either way, the resolution of the Western Conference Finals will reverberate through the NBA. Either the Thunder arrest their slide and win […]

Game 7: History hangs in the balance

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Any Game 7 in a conference final carries its down dramatic and personal weight for the competitors involved, but Game 7 of the 2016 Western Conference Finals contains the added weight of history. So many historical twists and turns end Monday night in Oakland. The NBA will witness a rare occurrence in its 70th season […]

GSW-OKC Game 6: The NBA must reform its replay rules for 2016

0 comments by on 5/29/2016

One specific moment stood out in the final minutes of Game 6 of the Western Conference Finals… for the worst reasons. In the cover photo for this story, you can plainly see Draymond Green whacking Russell Westbrook’s arm, causing the ball to go out of bounds off Westbrook. No foul was called live, so when […]

Oklahoma City’s Kevin Durant (35) reacts during Game 6 of the Western Conference finals in the NBA playoffs between the Oklahoma City Thunder and the Golden State Warriors at Chesapeake Energy Arena in Oklahoma City, Saturday, May 28, 2016. Photo by Sarah Phipps, The Oklahoman

OKC is getting the best out of Kevin Durant on defense, but not offense

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Kevin Durant experienced the best of times over the past three and a half weeks. He experienced the worst of times Saturday night in Game 6 of the Western Conference Finals. Durant’s defense, not his offense, has been one of the revelations of these playoffs. Billy Donovan has squeezed more and better defense out of […]

The Warriors meet their greatest challenge in Game 6

0 comments by on 5/28/2016

So what’s the problem? Why do I feel that the Warriors are fighting an uphill battle tonight in Oklahoma City? Home court. I’ve seen a lot of teams lose on their home floor, so I don’t look at home-court advantage as the determining factor when analyzing a matchup. Usually. This year is strange, folks. Look […]

LeBron the leader: We’re not in 2010 anymore

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LeBron James is a terrible leader. You might be surprised to think this opinion can possess such a shelf life, given that LeBron has reached a sixth straight NBA Finals, the best display of uninterrupted annual consistency in this league since Bill Russell. However, the constant media circus surrounding No. 23, fed by national carnival […]

The Cavs, the worst-covered team in the NBA, make history for Cleveland

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Cleveland is starving for a world championship in professional sports, but on Friday night in Toronto, its Cavaliers once again found a place at the table in the NBA Finals. In an unprecedented basketball moment, a turn of events not seen in northeastern Ohio in over 50 years, a team from “Believeland” earned the right […]

The Raptors defied easy categorization, but they won respect

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The Toronto Raptors became, in the end, the NBA’s most inconvenient team of 2016. Dwane Casey’s ballclub embodied numerous contradictions and tension points. The Raptors carried sharp contrasts into the playoffs. They developed more contrasts during the playoffs. They leave the postseason as a team whose future can easily be spun in a positive or […]

Game 5 was a treat, and the Warriors hope they can build on it

0 comments by on 5/27/2016

The Golden State Warriors can’t dwell on Game 5 of the Western Conference Finals. Their attention must turn to Game 6 on Saturday against the Oklahoma City Thunder. If they don’t win Game 6, the value of Game 5 will vanish. The memory of Thursday night’s win will recede into the mists of history. I’m […]

Five Restricted Free Agents Worth Pursuing (for various reasons)

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Restricted free agency in the NBA is a chess game. It’s not all about signing a player you really want and crossing your fingers. If could be, “signing a player you want but can live without, understanding that at worst, a rival is going to hemorrhage their finances to keep him.” See: Roy Hibbert, Eric […]

The Warriors need emotional and tactical solutions

0 comments by on 5/26/2016

The Golden State Warriors have a challenge in their Game 5 showdown with the Oklahoma City Thunder that is unique in scope. They have two huge problems that need to be solved independently of each other, meaning that solving just one won’t be enough. The Warriors, as it turns out, had an Achilles Heel. For […]

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