Shaun Livingston has quietly become one of the most efficient guards and possibly the best backup point guard in the league. The first thing that sticks out with Livingston is the obvious – his height. At 6-foot-7, Livingston is the tallest point guard in the NBA. He also has a 6-foot-11 wingspan. [Read more…]
Steve Nash is celebrating his 42nd birthday today. He is considered one of the best point guards of all time. **Drafted 15th overall in the 1996 NBA Draft, Nash is the lowest draft pick in history to win an MVP. Kobe Bryant (1996) and Karl Malone (1985) are the second-lowest at 13th overall. Both Bryant and Nash were part of the 1996 NBA Draft class, which has produced the most MVPs of any draft class in NBA history (Allen Iverson, Bryant, Nash). **Nash
The Suns lost Eric Bledsoe with a knee injury on Dec. 26 vs the 76ers. Phoenix lost that game, their 4th straight. Just 2 days later, the team decided to shake up its coaching staff. Assistants Mike Longabardi and Jerry Sichting were fired, as Earl Watson and Nate Bjorkgren were promoted. [Read more…]
The Magic are 1-11 in the New Year, the worst mark in the NBA. They’ve lost 7 straight games, 3 in overtime. This is after a 10-5 December, the best record in the Eastern Conference. Entering the 2016 calendar year, the Magic were 19-13. Orlando was in the 5th spot in the Eastern Conference. Now, they are 12th. [Read more…]
This season, everything for Toronto has started with defense. The Raptors are 24-3 when holding their opponent under 100 points. The Raptors have won 8 straight games, the team’s longest win streak since 2002. Toronto is one win shy of tying the team’s longest win streak in franchise history. The Raptors have been 5% better defensively, compared to their first 36 games. More specifically, these main points have served as pillars over their last 8 games. **Toronto is defensive rebounding at a 4%
In choosing the All-Star reserves, the Eastern Conference is much less complicated than the West. But it appears that a backcourt position could be a point of contention. Kyle Lowry and Dwyane Wade are locked in as starters. Jimmy Butler and DeMar DeRozan have the strongest cases among non-starters. [Read more…]
Every year, All-Star debate centers around a team or player. Player X was snubbed. Team Y needs more All-Stars because of their record. We could see a convergence of debate in the Western Conference frontcourt this season. Players that deserve consideration for these spots include Draymond Green, DeMarcus Cousins, Blake Griffin, Dirk Nowitzki, LaMarcus Aldridge and Anthony Davis. [Read more…]
A year ago today, Klay Thompson scored 37 points in the third quarter against the Kings. He set a new NBA record for points in a quarter. **Thompson was perfect from the field in that quarter. He was 4-4 inside the arc and 9-9 outside the arc. He was also 2-2 from the free throw line. [Read more…]