Russell Westbrook’s immersion into the Houston Rockets hasn’t been seamless, but it’s beginning to take hold as the season progresses. His early-season inefficiency is getting better, and wins are coming as a result. Come postseason, that could mean all the difference. Westbrook isn’t the first great point guard that James Harden has played with. His…
Before the first game of the season, I threw out 50 fairly bold predictions for the NBA season, all of which were rooted in optimism and belief. As always, one subtle action can change how the dominos fall, whether it’s an injury (here’s looking at you, Stephen Curry) or the unforeseen ascension of talent. We’re…
James Harden was lighting it up again. November 30 was to the tune of 60 points in a shade over 30 minutes. Then he watched the entire fourth quarter. He was surreal, going 8-of-10 from 2, 8-of-14 from 3 and 20-of-23 from the charity stripe. His 87.9 true shooting percentage was the highest in NBA…
The second-most valuable player on an NBA contender holds a vital and often tricky role. They must be comfortable living in the shadow of the top dog while typically catering to his preferred playing style. When called upon, they must carry the team when the premier star is having an off night. Who are the…
In this episode of The NBA Podcast, Morten Jensen (@msjnba), Bryan Toporek (@btoporek) and special guest Chris Herring (@Herring_NBA) of FiveThirtyEight discuss their biggest takeaways from the first few days of the 2019-20 NBA season. Can anyone stop the Los Angeles Clippers? How did James Harden and Russell Westbrook look in their first game together?…
When we discuss players’ legacies, we consider the totality of their careers. That includes things like All-Star appearances, championships and All-NBA nominations. It also includes the sum of their statistical achievements. And as the NBA has carved out its history, there are certain milestones that garner admittance into the Hall of Fame and/or help people…
If you’ve played youth basketball, you know how frequently coaches at any level bemoan getting beat with a basket cut. Hell, even if you’ve watched enough basketball, you probably notice a clear distaste for letting players go wherever they want. Defenders have the primary responsibility of preventing their opponent from getting open to a point…
In this episode of The NBA Podcast, Morten Jensen (@msjnba), Bryan Toporek (@btoporek) and Bobby Karalla (@bobbykaralla) of Mavs.com preview the Southwest Division ahead of the 2019-20 NBA season. What should we expect from Kristaps Porzingis this year? How will Russell Westbrook and James Harden fit together? How will the Memphis Grizzlies move on from…
The 2019-20 NBA season is just around the corner. After an offseason chock-full of player movement, the title race appears as wide-open as it has been in years. Over the past few weeks, we have examined one big question hanging over each team heading into the season. We’ll finish with the Northwest Division, where all…
The 2019-20 NBA season is just around the corner. After an offseason full of player movement, the title race appears as wide-open as it has been in years. Over the coming weeks, we will examine one big question hanging over each team heading into the season. We’ll continue today with the Southwest Division, where a…
