0 comments by Matt Zemek on 8/20/2015
Even today, it seems that a 9:05 or 9:10 p.m. Eastern time start to an NBA Finals game is a little too late. Yes, people live on the West Coast — I’m one of them, here in Seattle — but is it really asking too much to have an NBA Finals game (and an NCAA […]
LOS ANGELES – 1987: Teammates help Magic Johnson #32 of the Los Angeles Lakers off the floor during an NBA game at the Great Western Forum in Los Angeles, California in 1987. (Photo by: Mike Powell/Getty Images)
0 comments by Joe Mags on 8/17/2015
What makes a great NBA Finals: Seven games? Game-winning shots? Career-defining performances? Outlandish narratives? It all matters. Matt Zemek and I look back on some of the greatest NBA Finals in history. * JOE MANGANIELLO (@thatjoemags) 5 – 1969 FINALS: CELTICS 4, LAKERS 3 Jerry West waited 12 long years before finally winning a championship — on one of the […]
AUBURN HILLS, MI – JUNE 15: (L-R) Head Coach Larry Brown, Richard Hamilton #32, Ben Wallace #3, Chauncey Billups #1 and Rasheed Wallace #30 of the Detroit Pistons pose with the championship trophy after Game Five of the 2004 NBA Finals on June 15, 2004 at The Palace of Auburn Hills in Auburn Hills, Michigan. 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 2004 NBAE. (Photo by Andrew D. Bernstein/NBAE via Getty Images)
0 comments by Matt Zemek on 8/15/2015
The NBA has almost always been a heavyweight league in a way the NHL has not been able to follow. It’s not as though the NHL hasn’t cultivated its share of dynastic teams, but in hockey, being the top seed (or even the number two seed) in the conference playoffs is hardly a guarantee of […]
OAKLAND, CA – MAY 03: Baron Davis #5 of the Golden State Warriors celebrates against the Dallas Mavericks in Game 6 of the Western Conference Quarterfinals during the 2007 NBA Playoffs on May 3, 2007 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. (Photo by Jed Jacobsohn/Getty Images)
0 comments by Joe Mags on 8/14/2015
There are far less upsets in the NBA playoffs compared to other professional sports like football, baseball and hockey. As I mentioned Wednesday while ranking the greatest NBA trios of all time, having the best player on the floor — let alone multiple great players — is a seismic advantage when only 10 guys can […]
LOS ANGELES, CA – OCTOBER 27: (L-R) Assistant coach Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (L) of the Los Angeles Lakers is congratulated by former Laker champions James Worthy and Magic Johnson after receiving his 2009 NBA Championship ring before the season opening game against the Los Angeles Clippers at Staples Center on October 27, 2009 in Los Angeles, 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 2009 NBAE (Photo by Kevork Djansezian/Getty Images)
0 comments by Joe Mags on 8/12/2015
Having one elite player on the floor is a seismic advantage when each team can only play five at one time. However, if a pair of superstars share the floor — Shaq and Kobe; Michael and Scottie; Kareem and Oscar — that team’s likelihood of winning the NBA championship skyrockets. And in the instances where teams have had […]
0 comments by Matt Zemek
In our discussion of the best same-team player trios of all time, you’ll notice that only one of the five trios reached its zenith within a relatively short time frame. Michael Jordan, Scottie Pippen, and Dennis Rodman were around long enough to win three titles, but not to build anything beyond that. The Bulls — […]
0 comments by Matt Zemek on 8/11/2015
What is a sports dynasty? As the saying goes, “You know it when you see it.” Some dynasties rise to the very top of a sport’s power structure. Others might remain clearly marked as dynasties, but it’s evident that they can’t claim to exist on the most exalted of planes. They’re near the mountaintop, but […]
0 comments by Matt Zemek
Our “Best of the NBA Summer Tour” at Crossover Chronicles takes a brief detour from dueling top-5 lists. We narrow today’s discussion to A or B: Which NBA dynasty was — and is — better: The 1990s Chicago Bulls of Michael Jordan and Phil Jackson, or the 1960s Boston Celtics of Bill Russell and Red […]
0 comments by Matt Zemek on 8/10/2015
Crossover Chronicles writer Joe Manganiello has joined me in examining and ranking the five best single-season teams in NBA history. The New York Knicks certainly enjoyed their best run as a franchise from 1970 through 1973, and the Boston Celtics won two titles in 1974 and 1976, but from the decade, only two seasons — […]
0 comments by Joe Mags
The 2014-’15 Golden State Warriors completed a historically relevant season in June — 67 wins, a 10.1 point differential (8th all time), and the second greatest home court advantage in NBA history. MVP Steph Curry completed a signature season, one that has unofficially confirmed he’s the greatest shooter ever. The Warriors were the best offensive and […]
0 comments by Matt Zemek on 8/7/2015
Magic Johnson and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, by any account among the 10 to 12 best basketball players who have ever lived, and very likely one of the two best players at their respective positions, will always be remembered most for what they did together. The point guard in a forward’s body, united with the author of […]
Photo by Mark D. Smith-USA TODAY Sports
0 comments by Joseph Nardone
Will or won’t Kobe Bryant decide to retire at the end of the 2015-2016 NBA season? That seems to be the question on a lot of people’s minds. Whether they are lovers of Jelly Bean Jr., people who prefer him to disappear like a fart in the wind, or general salary-cap heathens, I understand what […]
Photo by Steve Mitchell-USA TODAY Sports
0 comments by Matt Zemek on 8/6/2015
As we discuss the best shooting guards of all time today at Crossover Chronicles, we are left to ponder why there aren’t as many best-of-the-best shooting guards as you might think. Quick: Who was the shooting guard on the 1960s Boston Celtics? The 1960s Los Angeles Lakers? The 1980s Philadelphia 76ers? The 1980s Boston Celtics? […]
MILWAUKEE – 1970: Elgin Baylor #22 of the Los Angeles Lakers moves the ball up court against the Milwaukee Bucks during the 1970 season at the MECCA Arena in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. 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 1970 NBAE (Photo by Vernon Biever/NBAE via Getty Images)
0 comments by Matt Zemek on 8/5/2015
In our discussion of the five best small forwards of all time here at Crossover Chronicles, the names that didn’t make the list stand out as much as the ones that did. Kevin Durant will almost surely move up the list, but he’s not there yet, and his injury last season confirmed that reality for […]
0 comments by Matt Zemek on 8/3/2015
EDITOR’S NOTE: At Crossover Chronicles, we’re spending August and September tackling something other than football. We’re revisiting various “all-time” NBA conversations in a roundtable format. CC writers
