The United States senior men’s national team enters the 2023 FIBA Basketball World Cup with the weight of the world on its shoulder. Being the hunted is a familiar position for Team USA after being so dominant for nearly 20 years. But the rest of the world is catching up, and winning a gold medal … [Read more…]
The NBA summer league is the best teaser to what to expect from the incoming rookie class. As expected, the top lottery picks didn’t disappoint, while others have obvious weaknesses that need to be corrected. The Las Vegas summer league was the main event of the NBA offseason. All 30 teams, armed with their first-round … [Read more…]
They don’t call him Nikola Jokic “The Joker” for nothing. When a reporter covering the 2023 NBA Finals asked Jokic if he considers himself the best player in the world, he responded in classic Joker fashion. “I’m confused,” the Denver Nuggets superstar center replied. “It’s hard to say. Sometimes I am, sometimes I’m not. And … [Read more…]
The small ball era had a good run. The Denver Nuggets — led by 6-foot-11, 285-pound center Nikola Jokic — officially expired the small ball era with a brand of old-school basketball principles that rely mostly on size and strength over pace and space. The Nuggets plowed through the 2023 NBA playoffs, winning 16 of … [Read more…]
Jamal Murray had an opportunity to tie the score as time expired in Game 2 of the 2023 NBA Finals, but his step-back 3-pointer against Jimmy Butler bounced off the rim. It was a shot Murray has made on multiple occasions. When he missed, he was more surprised than than disappointed. It shows the level … [Read more…]
Eventually, some team is going to break the streak. In the history of the NBA, when teams take a 3-0 lead in a best-of-seven playoff series, the likelihood of having a shot at winning the series is about as improbable as correctly choosing all six numbers in the lottery. It’s a 1 in 13,983,816 chance … [Read more…]
After making a crucial mid-range shot in the fourth quarter of his first NBA playoff game, an energized Austin Reaves jogged back on defense and screamed toward the L.A. Lakers bench saying, “I’m him! I’m him!” The meme-mable moment was one of the defining images of the 2023 NBA playoffs. It was extra special for … [Read more…]
Victor Wembanyama doesn’t like being called “The Unicorn.” It’s the nickname mostly associated with Latvian standout Kristaps Porzingis. About the only thing Wembanyama and Porzingis have in common is their height. Both are extremely tall men raised on European soil. But the comparisons end there. Wembanyama is a far, far better prospect at this stage … [Read more…]
For the past eight seasons, no one has been able to solve the Golden State Warriors’ perplexing puzzle. Until now. The four-time NBA champions were finally dethroned as the Los Angeles Lakers eliminated the Warriors in six games in the 2023 Western Conference semifinals. The Lakers became the first Western Conference team to beat the … [Read more…]
Giannis Antetokounmpo and the Milwaukee Bucks were shocked. The betting favorites to win the 2023 NBA title went home in the first round of the 2023 NBA playoffs, suffering through a painful 4-1 series loss to the eighth-seeded Miami Heat. Antetokounmpo, the two-time NBA MVP and 2021 NBA champion, was forced to answer difficult questions … [Read more…]