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Showstopper: Bill Russell created the best ending to an NBA playing career

On the night Kobe Bryant plays his last NBA game, keep in mind that Bill Russell engineered the best farewell of any especially great NBA player. It is an art, orchestrating the perfect NBA walk-off. Being able to create the perfect exit from an all-time career requires an exquisite sense of timing, but the attempt […]

The NBA’s best All-Star showcase was hosted by the city without a team

It is eternally true that human beings are biased. Yes, bias can be dealt with and restrained, but reining in that impulse is a lifelong process. It is normally the case that we will be biased in favor of events, people, organizations, and other entities which enhance the reputation of our own communities. As a […]

The 5 Best NBA Finals Performances

Individual games are one thing, full series quite another. Matthew Dellavedova discovered this truth in the 2015 NBA Finals. He had a moment in Game 2. He enjoyed a magnificent Game 3. The full series, however, caught up with him and the rest of a shorthanded Cleveland Cavalier crew. Andre Iguodala, on the other hand, […]

The 5 Greatest NBA Players of All-Time

We’ve been busy taking a look at the greatest championship and non-title teams, the best players at every position, and the greatest never to win a title — among other rankings — this summer. Today, I tackle the holy grail of basketball questions: Who are the greatest players to ever play the game? There’s no […]

The Utah Jazz almost toppled Michael Jordan… which offers no comfort

Almost. The word often speaks to excellence, but it ultimately weighs down the heart and the soul of any competitor. Spill your guts in a four-hour tennis match, gain match point, and almost win. Play the heavy favorite into overtime in an NFL playoff game… and almost pull off the upset. Take Michael Jordan to […]

The 5 Greatest NBA Trios Of All Time

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 […]

Great Trios Stick Together — Right, Kevin Durant?

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 — […]

Jordan’s Bulls vs. Russell’s Celtics: Dueling Dynasties

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 […]

The 5 Best Single-Season NBA Teams of All Time

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 […]

The 5 Greatest NBA Shooting Guards Of All Time

Our surveys of the greatest centers, power forwards, and small forwards in NBA history unavoidably left at least one player off the list who deserved better. An overcrowding of excellence rendered a top-5 list insufficient to some degree. Does the same dynamic remain in place for shooting guards? The answer — in this latest installment […]

Game 5 of a 2-2 Finals: The NBA’s Greatest Hits Through The Years

Best-of-seven becomes best-of-three for the NBA championship this Sunday evening in Oakland. The preliminaries are over: The Golden State Warriors and Cleveland Cavaliers have probed, prodded and tested each other in four games and two cities. They’ve absorbed each other’s punches, though the Cavs have clearly thrown and landed many more of them. Now comes […]

Charles Barkley explains why he isn’t friends with Michael Jordan anymore

They were Olympic teammates for the 1992 “Dream Team” and fought on the court for an NBA title. Michael Jordan and Charles Barkley were joined at the hip and were often seen joking around off the court, but things have changed since. Barkley, who isn’t afraid to speak his mind, called out MJ about how […]

Kobe’s Hunt

As it slithers, slopes and slides, the black mamba locates and locks onto its prey with precision. Every move — carefully calculated — is in direct conjunction with the fleeting surroundings because the target is the only objective. But what happens after the fact? Once the black mamba catches up to its prey and devours […]

Anyone want to bid on Jordan’s 1997-98 Bulls’ contract?

Now you can own a piece of Michael Jordan history as his 1997-98 contract is up for bidding. Jordan inked a 1-year, $33 million deal with the Bulls for the 1997-98 season. Historically, it was the last contract he would sign in the NBA. The contract is up for auction by Heritage Auctions and here is […]

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