0 comments by Matt Zemek on 4/19/2016
The OKC Thunder are anything but OK at the moment. The Thunder live under a black cloud, but as you’ll note in the title of this piece, their problem is particular to this season. At least, that’s the best and fairest way to view the matter in the present tense. The face of Steven Adams […]
Apr 18, 2016; Oklahoma City, OK, USA; Oklahoma City Thunder forward Kevin Durant (35) drives to the basket in front of Dallas Mavericks forward Dirk Nowitzki (41) during the third quarter in game two of the first round of the NBA Playoffs at Chesapeake Energy Arena. Mandatory Credit: Mark D. Smith-USA TODAY Sports
0 comments by Matt Zemek
The NBA playoffs are a basketball seminar, in that they so dramatically and powerfully reveal what works and what doesn’t. There’s no hiding in — or from — the playoffs. Every possession is fiercely contested. Back-bench players no longer steal second-quarter minutes. The energy level easily eclipses anything fans witnessed during the regular season. Every […]
0 comments by Jovan Alford
Saturday night, the Atlanta Hawks prevailed over the Boston Celtics in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference first round, 102-101. The Hawks stormed the Celtics in the first half, but the game became a nail-biter thanks to a valiant effort by Boston’s Isaiah Thomas, Evan Turner and Avery Bradley. The trio of guards helped the […]
LOS ANGELES, CA – NOVEMBER 10: Kawhi Leonard #2 of the San Antonio Spurs steals the ball from Chris Paul #3 of the Los Angeles Clippers and dives to control it from Paul and Blake Griffin #32 with 51 seconds left in the game at Staples Center on November 10, 2014 in Los Angeles, California. The Spurs won 89-85. 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 Stephen Dunn/Getty Images)
0 comments by Zac Voynow on 4/18/2016
The San Antonio Spurs’ small forward Kawhi Leonard has won the 2015-2016 Defensive Player of the Year Award. He was the leader of the league’s best overall defensive team. Leonard has now won the award in back-to-back seasons, which is a big milestone. He’s the first non-center to be named the DPOY in consecutive seasons […]
OAKLAND, CA – MAY 27: The shoes of Stephen Curry #30 of the Golden State Warriors are seen in Game Five of the Western Conference Finals against the Houston Rockets during the 2015 NBA Playoffs on May 27, 2015 at ORACLE Arena in Oakland, California. 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 Andrew D. Bernstein/NBAE via Getty Images)
0 comments by John Cannon
The first weekend of the first round of the NBA playoffs was so awful that a mildly tweaked ankle is one of the biggest stories out there. Of course, the fact that the ankle is connected to the rest of Steph Curry by surgically repaired tissue does raise the stakes a little bit. I was asked […]
0 comments by Matt Zemek
An integrated playoff structure has become a conversation topic in recent years, and it’s worth revisiting after the NBA’s eight first-round playoff series all began over the weekend. The entry point of this discussion is that the Eastern Conference displayed more — and better — depth than in past years. The East’s 8 seed had […]
0 comments by Matt Zemek
The first round of the NBA playoffs is only one game old, and yet you can rest assured you’ll need to go to the broom closet at least once, probably twice, and maybe three or four times. The blowouts in the Western Conference — not unexpected, but still a bit deflating — have reminded us […]
0 comments by Matt Zemek on 4/17/2016
The Detroit Pistons — unlike the Utah Jazz — made the NBA playoffs and gained the chance to learn about postseason basketball at the hands of the No. 1 seed in their conference. Teams in need of a rebuild — whether old or poorly constructed, or somewhere in between those two flavors of inadequacy — […]
0 comments by Bart D
Folks don’t remember it much, because folks tend to forget quickly in this microwave world, but before Paul George snapped his leg in a Team USA exhibition, he was arguably one of the top five players in the NBA. The combination George had — length, athleticism, defense, and just a tinge of overconfidence — made […]
0 comments by Matt Zemek on 4/16/2016
Saturday night in Georgia, the Atlanta Hawks defeated the Boston Celtics in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference first round. That’s what the official historical record will indicate. Unofficially, the Cleveland Cavaliers won. They will play one of these teams in the Eastern Conference semifinals, barring an all-time sports upset at the hands of the Detroit […]
0 comments by Matt Zemek
The Toronto Raptors would not agree with George Santayana. The Spanish-born, Harvard-educated philosopher famously said, “Those who cannot remember the past are condemened to repeat it.” The Raptors’ problem is that they’re all too aware of their previous playoff failures. Their coach and their star players keep repeating the patterns that lead to losses… at […]
Feb 23, 2015; Phoenix, AZ, USA; Boston Celtics guard Isaiah Thomas (4) talks with head coach Brad Stevens in the second half against the Phoenix Suns at US Airways Center. The Celtics defeats the Suns 115-110. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports
0 comments by Matt Zemek on 4/15/2016
When the Boston Celtics and Atlanta Hawks begin their best-of-seven playoff series, the NBA will probably witness its most compelling first-round showdown. That’s a fat dollop of praise to heap on a series which hasn’t even begun… and yet, that’s just one reason why this clash is so thoroughly attractive. Let’s not downplay that notion, […]
0 comments by Matt Zemek
A word about expectations is merited before the playoffs begin. A word within a word: Let’s divide expectations into two parts… at least in some instances. Fans and pundits will have their own expectations, while teams will internally carry their separate sets of standards. Naturally, everyone wants to win it all, but only one team […]
0 comments by Matt Zemek
Inconvenient truths abound in sports for so many reasons. In the 2015-2016 NBA season — which is about to reach its crescendo — we have witnessed the emergence of several highly complicated realities which demand a recalibrated assessment of the postseason. The way we saw the NBA in late October is not the way we […]
Photo by Steve Dykes-USA TODAY Sports
0 comments by Matt Zemek
The Utah Jazz were stung near the end of the season by established veterans who used to play for them. The Jazz will feel the pain of their loss to Dallas — and their inability to make the playoffs — over the next several months. Yet, if the Jazz lost the battle in 2016, they’re […]
