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MIAMI, FL – DECEMBER 25: Anthony Davis #23 of the New Orleans Pelicans reacts during the game against the Miami Heat at American Airlines Arena on December 25, 2015 in Miami, Florida. 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 Rob Foldy/Getty Images)

The Pelicans Are Running Out Of Time

0 comments by on 1/8/2016

On Wednesday, the New Orleans Pelicans, then 11-22, played the Dallas Mavericks, a team they had beaten twice this season and played three times overall. Dallas elected not to play four starters — Deron Williams, Wes Matthews, Zaza Pachulia, and the wizard Dirk Nowitzki — as their old legs were still reeling from a comeback […]

December back-to-back splits: Western Conference

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With the season closer to its numerical (41-game) midpoint, let’s see how the West fared in back-to-backs over the course of December. * Reference Guide: B2B = back-to-back 45 = a “4 in 5” game sequence, referring to four games in five nights W = win L = loss Labels applied to each date in […]

December back-to-back splits: Eastern Conference

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We did this for November, and we’ll do it for every full month this season. Here are the back-to-back splits for the month of December in the NBA: * Reference Guide: B2B = back-to-back 45 = a “4 in 5” game sequence, referring to four games in five nights W = win L = loss […]

during the preseason NBA game at Talking Stick Resort Arena on October 7, 2015 in Phoenix, Arizona. 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.

The Phoenix Suns Are Not Close to Trading Markieff Morris

0 comments by on 1/7/2016

The Phoenix Suns saw a lot of drama happening with power forward Markieff Morris this past offseason, and trade rumors have surrounded him for quite some time. At this point, however, it doesn’t sound like the Suns are close to trading Morris. Ryan McDonough, the Suns’ general manager, talked about not being close to trading […]

Denver takes a ragged fourth… and Minnesota fans want to drink a fifth

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It was — and will likely remain — the worst fourth quarter of NBA basketball this season. In 12 minutes of professional hoops, two teams combined to produce 21 points. It’s one thing when such a retina-searing sequence emerges in the first quarter of a game, in a half-empty arena, between two teams playing the […]

Two nights, two Knicks, and several Eastern crosscurrents

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The past two nights in the NBA have shown a new side of the New York Knicks. They’ve shown a familiar side of the upper half of the Eastern Conference. If you wanted clarity and separation in the East, you have been sorely disappointed, but if you wanted to see the Knicks announce their presence […]

Eastern Conference check-in: still no compelling alternative to Cleveland

0 comments by on 1/6/2016

Let’s be candid here, everyone: We know that the Cleveland Cavaliers remain the overwhelming favorite to win the Eastern Conference this season. If a clear alternative, a compelling contender, should emerge in this half of the NBA, you’ll know about it. You’ll get a resounding moment laden with clarity and resonance. Obviously, we haven’t arrived […]

The Clippers create new possibilities, even as they wait to shed old labels

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It’s time for another check-in with the NBA’s most mysterious team, the Los Angeles Clippers. Where does Doc Rivers stand after the first weekend of the new year? It’s definitely a much better place than two weeks ago, when this team was barely over .500 and languishing in the mushy, broad middle section of the […]

One cannot escape the irony that on a day when Yahoo! Sports reporter and columnist Adrian Wojnarowski wrote about LeBron James’s desire to bring Mark Jackson to Cleveland, the Cavs and general manager David Griffin did something which eerily mirrored the Warriors’ dismissal of Jackson at the end of the 2014 season. Hiring a man without previous NBA head-coaching experience in the attempt to maximize a window of opportunity is exactly what Griffin is trying to do in Cleveland. It’s what the Warriors did a year and a half ago, with great results.

New Year’s Resolutions: Western Conference

0 comments by on 1/3/2016

The calendar has turned to 2016, and “resolution season” is in full swing. The theme is no different for multiple teams across the NBA, especially in the Western Conference, as teams look to finish the first half of the regular season in strong fashion. So, what resolutions should some of those teams make? We break […]

Warriors’ Validation is in the Eye of the Beholder

0 comments by on 12/27/2015

Reaction to the Golden State Warriors’ Christmas Day victory over Cleveland has affirmed a theory I’ve been developing as the NBA season hits the one-third pole. Perceptions of their greatness (or not) and validation of their 2015 championship (or not) depend largely on how much you’ve seen them play. I’m referring to actually SEEING them […]

Cavs-Warriors is a likely NBA Finals preview… but SHOULD it be?

0 comments by on 12/24/2015

When the Cleveland Cavaliers face the Golden State Warriors in a Christmas Day showdown, the headline label for the game is that it’s a likely NBA Finals preview. This is not an inaccurate analysis of Cavs-Dubs. The Warriors are the favorite in the West, and no team has yet shown that it is likely to […]

PHOENIX, AZ – JANUARY 30: Jimmy Butler #21 of the Chicago Bulls handles the ball during the NBA game against the Phoenix Suns at US Airways Center on January 30, 2015 in Phoenix, Arizona. The Suns defeated the Bulls 99-93. 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 Christian Petersen/Getty Images)

Jimmy Butler on Fred Hoiberg: good intentions, errant analysis, dubious decision

0 comments by on 12/20/2015

The intent behind Jimmy Butler’s remarks after Saturday’s Chicago Bulls-New York Knicks game was appreciably clear… at least on the surface. The Bulls are failing to capture hearts and imaginations in the first few months of Fred Hoiberg’s tenure in Chicago. Broadly viewed, this isn’t surprising. More to the point, it shouldn’t be seen as […]

<> during overtime quarter at TD Garden on December 11, 2015 in Boston, Massachusetts.

Warriors survive in crazy double-overtime game against Celtics, improve to 24-0

0 comments by on 12/11/2015

The Golden State Warriors headed into Friday’s game at Boston with a perfect 23-0 record, but the Celtics seemed like a challenging obstacle in their quest to stay unbeaten, with the likes of Jeff Van Gundy predicting the streak would end there. That obstacle got even higher with the news that star shooting guard Klay […]

INDIANAPOLIS, IN – FEBRUARY 07: Paul George#24 of the Indiana Pacers celebrates during overtime in the118-113 win over the Portland Trailblazers at Bankers Life Fieldhouse on February 7, 2014 in Indianapolis, Indiana. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and condition of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Andy Lyons/Getty Images)

How Paul George and the Pacers can beat the 22-0 Golden State Warriors

0 comments by on 12/8/2015

After losing its first trio of games, there hasn’t been a better team in the Eastern Conference than the Indiana Pacers. Larry Bird’s reengineered contender — once a behemoth bruiser trading blows with LeBron James in the conference finals, now a sleek, offensive powerhouse — has hit a groove. Indiana owns the league’s third-best net […]

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