The last time Team USA played in an international tournament was an embarrassment. The inaugural FIBA World Cup took place in China this past summer and, after taking home the gold in the previous five events, the Americans finished seventh. They lost back-to-back games against France and Serbia to close out the tournament. It was…
Though every NBA campaign is rife with injuries to notable players, every minute lost for one ostensibly opens up playing time for someone else. These opportunities often can be leveraged into bigger roles. Sometimes, even a career can be drastically altered simply by maximizing such a moment. (See: Draymond Green filling in for David Lee…
In this episode of The NBA Podcast, Morten Jensen (@msjnba) and Bryan Toporek (@btoporek) discuss who’s to blame for the New York Knicks’ miserable start and the impact of injuries to Gordon Hayward, Khris Middleton and De’Aaron Fox. Is head coach David Fizdale the primary culprit for the Knicks’ 2-8 start? How much blame do…
In many ways, the 2019-2020 NBA season marks a new chapter for the Boston Celtics. Thanks to some high-profile free-agent departures and arrivals, coach Brad Stevens will have a noticeably different starting lineup and rotation. They’re past the point of “arriving” as contenders after their 2013-2016 rebuild, but they’re also no longer the young darlings…
When the Boston Celtics and Kyrie Irving divorce became inevitable, the franchise saw an opportunity. With a few shrewd moves, including a draft night trade and the renouncing of some key free agent cap holds, the Celtics could once again clear enough room to offer a max contract on the open market. The target of…
These have not been a great eight months for the Boston Celtics. There was genuine excitement about this team back in October. Do you remember it? (It was soooo long ago, it seems.) A core of Kyrie Irving, Jayson Tatum, Al Horford, Jaylen Brown and Gordon Hayward was projected to run the Eastern Conference. Add…
The Boston Celtics entered the 2018-19 NBA season as clear favorites to emerge from the LeBron James-less Eastern Conference and challenge the Golden State Warriors in the NBA Finals. Then they ended said season by losing four straight to the Milwaukee Bucks after stealing Game 1 of their second-round series. The Celtics are now staring…
We (collectively) have talked a ton about this summer’s free agency class, and for good reason. Not only is this summer’s class filled with studs, their decisions may be swayed heavily by what happens in this round. Kevin Durant could be changing teams. Kawhi Leonard might not be long for Toronto. Kyrie Irving and Jimmy…
A Game 1 loss isn’t fatal by any means, but the Milwaukee Bucks have some things to think about. The Boston Celtics didn’t just steal home court on Sunday, they did so in convincing fashion. They slowed the Bucks down to a crawl and bludgeoned them in a half-court fest. High-level shotmaking from Kyrie Irving…
The NBA Playoffs are sans LeBron James but flush with storylines amid a seemingly wide-open Eastern Conference and a West wondering whether the Warriors will ever wane. Alliteration aside, we asked our crack team of staff writers, contributors and editors about the myriad angles this postseason presents. the west What’s the Golden State Warriors’ weak link…
