NEW YORK — Kristaps Porzingis walked gingerly into the locker room, put a few tablets in his mouth, took a sip of water, tilted his head back slightly and ingested what was most likely a pain reliever. The cause of Porzingis’ pain was the result of the fall and subsequent collision with Carmelo Anthony with 3:02 left in the 4th quarter. Thankfully, there seemed to be no serious consequences and New York will see how the 7-foot-3 rookie responds in the next few days. But
Stephen Curry is at the forefront of the NBA’s statistical efficiency revolution. SC30’s ability to pull-up off the bounce (from anywhere on the court, at any time, with above-average efficiency) has transformed what it means to be a point guard in the modern NBA. When you combine his shooting and playmaking abilities with a Golden State Warriors team that is hellbent on efficiency at the offensive end, you are left with a player (and team) that might be entering their primes. [Read
In 2014-15, the Detroit Pistons’ season broke down into three key sample sizes: 1. Pre-Josh Smith buyout (Oct. 29-Dec. 22). Detroit went 5-23, was 28th in offensive rating (97.6) and 24th in defensive rating (105.8). 2. Post-Josh Smith buyout, pre-Brandon Jennings injury (Dec. 23-Feb. 19). Detroit did a virtual 180, going 16-10 with the sixth-ranked offensive rating (106.4) while improving their defensive rating to middle-of-the-pack status (15th, 101.9). 3. Post-Reggie Jackson acquisition (Feb. 20-April 15). The Pistons closed the season 11-17 and regressed to the mean
EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. — Retirement is not in Kevin Garnett’s immediate future. Of course, “immediate future” is a phrase open to interpretation when a guy is entering his 20th season in the NBA. Yes, his 20th. For all we know, Garnett could play three more years. Or three more months. KG is not the type of guy who is going to show his hand. This much we know: He never had a worse season than last season. This we also know: Garnett’s value
The ninth annual Under Armour Elite 24 game featured an array of talent from all over the country, and when you combine those players with the setting that was provided this past Saturday at Brooklyn Bridge Park, well, you get one badass photo to go along with some high quality basketball (especially at the offensive end): [Read more…]
Nearly a full month has passed since LeBron James made the decision to leave Miami and return home to Cleveland. Since we’re now aware that the Kevin Love trade will be finalized later this month, here are five ways Love will aide the Cavaliers in their quest to become the Eastern Conference’s elite team. Now if only he would take his strengths to Team USA to save them after Kevin Durant dropped out of the World Cup: [Read more…]
Thankfully, the dominoes of the summer of 2014 have begun to fall into place for next season (and beyond). And even though it’s the middle of July, it’s never too early to think about the possibilities that lie ahead on the hardwood. Here are three offensive certainties that will make waves during the 2014-15 NBA season. [Read more…]
MIAMI — We’re four games into the 2014 NBA Finals and the most consistent player on the floor hasn’t even broken double figures yet. His name is Boris Diaw, and the tremendous impact he has had on this series is still reverberating around South Beach and the rest of America as the San Antonio Spurs followed their 19-point Game 3 victory with an equally impressive 107-86 victory in Game 4 over the Miami Heat, who have been forced to the brink of elimination