Category Archives: NBA

NBA Playoffs Update – Rethinking How We Recognize Coach of the Year

By now you’ve learned and read about Steve Kerr winning Coach of the Year award, despite only having coached for half the season due to a chronic back injury that required extensive recovery.

I’m not going to rant and rave about Kerr as the recipient because there’s part of me that believes he deserves it. Yes, he wasn’t around till the All-Star break, but it goes without saying that he instilled a system and culture that resonated wildly with his roster. There’s no denying his impact on this 73-win team.

Even saying that, there’s another part of me that’s all, “WTF?! He only coached for half the year!” It’s hard to give the award to anyone else when the Golden State Warriors broke a record nobody thought anyone could, so I can understand why the pollsters were in a tough position. But I think that there’s a better way to acknowledge other coaches.

There are arguments for others in the conversation, especially Gregg Popovich, who has reigned supreme as the best coach in the business.

NBA – What’s The Best Team To Bet On To Win The Western Conference?

Let’s just jump right in to it. Unlike an Eastern Conference that is ruled over by one team and just one potential upstart, the west is a mine field of explosive potential. The Warriors feel like the automatic bet to win the Western Conference, especially given their odds, but there’s an x-factor here that people don’t really want to talk about. Hell, I don’t even want to mention it.

Spoiler alert – it’s a really morbid talking point.

Golden State Warriors (-190 to win Western Conference)

The reasons to bet on Golden State are pretty simply. They have the best player in the league, they’re the defending champions and they just ripped off a 73-win season that will keep them in contention as one of the best teams of all time.

NBA – What’s The Best Team To Bet On To Win The Western Conference?

Let’s just jump right in to it. Unlike an Eastern Conference that is ruled over by one team and just one potential upstart, the west is a mine field of explosive potential. The Warriors feel like the automatic bet to win the Western Conference, especially given their odds, but there’s an x-factor here that people don’t really want to talk about. Hell, I don’t even want to mention it.

Spoiler alert – it’s a really morbid talking point.

Golden State Warriors (-190 to win Western Conference)

The reasons to bet on Golden State are pretty simply. They have the best player in the league, they’re the defending champions and they just ripped off a 73-win season that will keep them in contention as one of the best teams of all time.

Warriors beat the odds to reach landmark 73 wins

The Warriors have made history once again.

Stephen Curry and the rest of the Golden State Warriors strolled to a 125-104 victory over the Memphis Grizzlies on Wednesday night—the same night that Los Angeles Lakers legend Kobe Bryant played his last NBA game.

With their recent win, Warriors completed their regular season 73-9, breaking Chicago Bulls’ 20-year-old NBA record for most wins in a season. Warriors coach Steve Kerr, who played with Michael Jordan in the 95-96 Bulls’ team and has now taken the Golden State past that record, told reporters: “I never thought anyone would break it.”

In a statement, Jordan also congratulated the Warriors saying, “The game of basketball is always evolving and records are made to be broken. The Warriors have been a lot of fun to watch and I look forward to seeing what they do in the playoffs.”

Warriors beat the odds to reach landmark 73 wins

The Warriors have made history once again.

Stephen Curry and the rest of the Golden State Warriors strolled to a 125-104 victory over the Memphis Grizzlies on Wednesday night—the same night that Los Angeles Lakers legend Kobe Bryant played his last NBA game.

With their recent win, Warriors completed their regular season 73-9, breaking Chicago Bulls’ 20-year-old NBA record for most wins in a season. Warriors coach Steve Kerr, who played with Michael Jordan in the 95-96 Bulls’ team and has now taken the Golden State past that record, told reporters: “I never thought anyone would break it.”

In a statement, Jordan also congratulated the Warriors saying, “The game of basketball is always evolving and records are made to be broken. The Warriors have been a lot of fun to watch and I look forward to seeing what they do in the playoffs.”

Is Cleveland The Best Bet To Win The Eastern Conference?

The best way to make an Eastern Conference wager in the futures market is one of two ways. You can either just go in heavily on the Cleveland Cavaliers, or you can make a recovery play. This is simply a way of spreading some money around on two or three longshots (in this case, everyone else) and then leveraging enough money on the favorite (in this case Cleveland) to recover all of those other bets. It’s the smart way to take a chance on the market if you feel like Cleveland is as incomplete and infested with plagues as everyone else is trying to make them seem. This is a different tactic than what you’ll have to do in the Western Conference, which I’ll attack later this week.

Cleveland Cavaliers (-325 to win the Eastern Conference)

I’m not going to spend a lot of time here. We can all safely assume that Cleveland is both talented and driven enough to get to the Eastern Conference Finals. This isn’t to say that teams aren’t prone to monumental collapses at any given time, but there’s no point in going on and on about the Cavaliers.

They have dysfunctional problems, but they’re also fully healthy with three of the best players in the entire conference. That talent is enough to overcome a lot of their in-house adversity. Cleveland remains the best option in the Eastern Conference and is a great recovery play if you’d prefer to swing large on some of the other contenders.

Is Cleveland The Best Bet To Win The Eastern Conference?

The best way to make an Eastern Conference wager in the futures market is one of two ways. You can either just go in heavily on the Cleveland Cavaliers, or you can make a recovery play. This is simply a way of spreading some money around on two or three longshots (in this case, everyone else) and then leveraging enough money on the favorite (in this case Cleveland) to recover all of those other bets. It’s the smart way to take a chance on the market if you feel like Cleveland is as incomplete and infested with plagues as everyone else is trying to make them seem. This is a different tactic than what you’ll have to do in the Western Conference, which I’ll attack later this week.

Cleveland Cavaliers (-325 to win the Eastern Conference)

I’m not going to spend a lot of time here. We can all safely assume that Cleveland is both talented and driven enough to get to the Eastern Conference Finals. This isn’t to say that teams aren’t prone to monumental collapses at any given time, but there’s no point in going on and on about the Cavaliers.

They have dysfunctional problems, but they’re also fully healthy with three of the best players in the entire conference. That talent is enough to overcome a lot of their in-house adversity. Cleveland remains the best option in the Eastern Conference and is a great recovery play if you’d prefer to swing large on some of the other contenders.

NBA – Have Golden State and Cleveland Endured Too Much Stress?

This is the point in the season where everyone is supposed to be ramping up for the playoffs. The top seeds are usually locked in, and the teams in the middle of the conference are vying for homecourt advantage in the first round while one or two teams on the outside of the bubble are trying to burst through. That’s the usual story during this time of year in the NBA.

The narrative for this year’s stretch run is about something else entirely.

Preparing for the post-season is all about psychology, and avoiding stress and distraction is a massive part of that. Coaches need their players to launch at full throttle in order to get to the highest stratosphere possible. Physical preparation is part of that, and avoiding injuries is a must, but even regular people like you and me understand the value of entering a serious challenge with a rested, clear mindset. It can be the difference between success and failure. It’s why you don’t go out boozing the night before an exam in college (or why you’re not supposed to anyways).

The two best teams in each conference hold almost miraculous records. Golden State has been involved in The Chase for 73 since October, while Cleveland feels like a Lamborghini being held together by duct tape and crazy glue. Both have endured mountains of mental strain and distraction, and all of those outside factors detract from the ultimate goal of any NBA team’s season.

The Best NBA Prospects in March Madness

The top overall pick in the upcoming NBA draft will make over $14.9 million during the first three years of their professional career. The last pick of the first round will take home a little less than $2 million in that same span. Second round picks will make considerably less. So it’s safe to assume that there’s a lot on the line for the NBA prospects in March Madness this year.

Ironically, the player pegged as the best player in the country is Ben Simmons of LSU. The problem was that Simmons has proven to have character issues due to poor grades, and never got anything significant rolling with the Tigers. His team was so bad despite his presence that he won’t even be a fixture of the tournament.

That’s the case for a lot of players who hope to have their names called at the draft in June. So without further ado, here’s a list of the best prospects to keep an eye during the Dance To End All Dances. Apologies if I omitted your favorite, future player. It’s a lot of guys to cover and I only have so much space.

Brandon Ingram (Duke) – Everyone’s favorite pick to go first overall now that Simmons proved to be too stupid to attend classes and too incapable to get his team in to the 68-team tournament, Ingram needs a bonkers effort to become the best NBA prospect in March Madness. He has the numbers (44.3 percent from field, 41.3 percent from range) but needs to make up for his overall lack of size. At 6-foot-9, you’d probably like your NBA players to weigh more than 190 pounds. To give you an idea of how light that is, Jose Calderon is listed at 210 pounds and he’s only 6-foot-4.

The Best NBA Prospects in March Madness

The top overall pick in the upcoming NBA draft will make over $14.9 million during the first three years of their professional career. The last pick of the first round will take home a little less than $2 million in that same span. Second round picks will make considerably less. So it’s safe to assume that there’s a lot on the line for the NBA prospects in March Madness this year.

Ironically, the player pegged as the best player in the country is Ben Simmons of LSU. The problem was that Simmons has proven to have character issues due to poor grades, and never got anything significant rolling with the Tigers. His team was so bad despite his presence that he won’t even be a fixture of the tournament.

That’s the case for a lot of players who hope to have their names called at the draft in June. So without further ado, here’s a list of the best prospects to keep an eye during the Dance To End All Dances. Apologies if I omitted your favorite, future player. It’s a lot of guys to cover and I only have so much space.

Brandon Ingram (Duke) – Everyone’s favorite pick to go first overall now that Simmons proved to be too stupid to attend classes and too incapable to get his team in to the 68-team tournament, Ingram needs a bonkers effort to become the best NBA prospect in March Madness. He has the numbers (44.3 percent from field, 41.3 percent from range) but needs to make up for his overall lack of size. At 6-foot-9, you’d probably like your NBA players to weigh more than 190 pounds. To give you an idea of how light that is, Jose Calderon is listed at 210 pounds and he’s only 6-foot-4.

Please Stop Making Up Kevin Durant Rumors

According to the Internet, Kevin Durant has been thinking about playing with just about every other team in the NBA. This comes despite his instance that he hasn’t. So who do you believe?

You believe the player, of course. Everyone seems so transfixed on where Durant is going to play in 2016-17, they’re overlooking where he’s playing right now. So let’s discuss all things Kevin Durant and cut out as much crap as we can.

A BRIEF HISTORY OF PEOPLE FABRICATING LIES ABOUT KD

He’s been linked from nearly every team in the NBA from New York to Toronto to Washington to [fill in the blank]. It’s impossible to escape it. All a writer needs to do these days is allege that his “sources” told him something up and then off we go. Here’s a look back at the four biggest milestones in this shit show.

Please Stop Making Up Kevin Durant Rumors

According to the Internet, Kevin Durant has been thinking about playing with just about every other team in the NBA. This comes despite his instance that he hasn’t. So who do you believe?

You believe the player, of course. Everyone seems so transfixed on where Durant is going to play in 2016-17, they’re overlooking where he’s playing right now. So let’s discuss all things Kevin Durant and cut out as much crap as we can.

A BRIEF HISTORY OF PEOPLE FABRICATING LIES ABOUT KD

He’s been linked from nearly every team in the NBA from New York to Toronto to Washington to [fill in the blank]. It’s impossible to escape it. All a writer needs to do these days is allege that his “sources” told him something up and then off we go. Here’s a look back at the four biggest milestones in this shit show.

NBA 2K16: Road to the Finals an eSports Game Changer?

The decision by the NBA and video game developer 2K to create the NBA 2K16: Road to the Finals eSports competition is another huge stride towards a video game utopia that only existed in dreams a mere few years ago.

What was your favourite video game?

Mine was always Pro Evolution Soccer (PES) on Sony’s PlayStation. PES was more realistic than FIFA, but the downside was a lack of license, meaning Ryan Gils was running down the wing and not Ryan Giggs.

What PES did to get around that loophole was revolutionary. They allowed PES players to create their kits, emblems, logo’s, team names and player names. It seems a bind. It wasn’t. It was one of the most fun aspects of the game.

NBA 2K16: Road to the Finals an eSports Game Changer?

The decision by the NBA and video game developer 2K to create the NBA 2K16: Road to the Finals eSports competition is another huge stride towards a video game utopia that only existed in dreams a mere few years ago.

What was your favourite video game?

Mine was always Pro Evolution Soccer (PES) on Sony’s PlayStation. PES was more realistic than FIFA, but the downside was a lack of license, meaning Ryan Gils was running down the wing and not Ryan Giggs.

What PES did to get around that loophole was revolutionary. They allowed PES players to create their kits, emblems, logo’s, team names and player names. It seems a bind. It wasn’t. It was one of the most fun aspects of the game.

NBA Trade Deadline Rumors Are Spinning Out Of Control

The NBA trade deadline rumors for 2016 have been swirling and twirling in a hyperbolic toilet for weeks, and there’s good reason. A few contenders and pretenders are loaded with tradable assets, and a lot of big names are on the chopping block. Will anything happen?

For once, I believe something major will actually transpire. For the past few years, the deadline has passed in the night like a wet fart. But this season has some seriously intriguing developments. A lot of smaller trades might surface, but there’s a seismic shift out there somewhere. It just depends if teams are willing to do something drastic.

So who has the balls to pull the trigger? The most likely earthquake involves Al Horford and a team you might not anticipate.

THE TORONTO RAPTORS HAVE TO TAKE A CHANCE

NBA Trade Deadline Rumors Are Spinning Out Of Control

The NBA trade deadline rumors for 2016 have been swirling and twirling in a hyperbolic toilet for weeks, and there’s good reason. A few contenders and pretenders are loaded with tradable assets, and a lot of big names are on the chopping block. Will anything happen?

For once, I believe something major will actually transpire. For the past few years, the deadline has passed in the night like a wet fart. But this season has some seriously intriguing developments. A lot of smaller trades might surface, but there’s a seismic shift out there somewhere. It just depends if teams are willing to do something drastic.

So who has the balls to pull the trigger? The most likely earthquake involves Al Horford and a team you might not anticipate.

THE TORONTO RAPTORS HAVE TO TAKE A CHANCE

West beats East in Kobe Bryant’s final NBA All-Star Game

Contrary to the typical flashy, all-for-show, fan-focused event, the 2016 NBA All Star Game paid tribute to the man who has celebrated his 18th and final All-Star game.

The NBA’s annual mid-season classic, which pits the league’s best against each other in a fierce battle to see who can make the most highlight plays, packed the Air Canada Centre in Toronto on Sunday, the first time the All-star game was played outside the U.S. But that’s not how All-Star weekend had played itself out at first.

Prior to the game’s opening tip, NBA great Magic Johnson lauded the 37-year-old Kobe Bryant a pair of tribute videos featuring some career highlights interspersed with messages of thanks from a handful of fellow NBA players. Fireworks burst behind him as he entered his final All-Star game.

“It was really special,” Bryant told The Associated Press. “Those are the things you don’t get a chance to hear when you’re competing against each other. To hear those stories now, you have such a deep sense of appreciation and such a brotherhood from all the years of competing against each other. It just felt good.”

West beats East in Kobe Bryant’s final NBA All-Star Game

Contrary to the typical flashy, all-for-show, fan-focused event, the 2016 NBA All Star Game paid tribute to the man who has celebrated his 18th and final All-Star game.

The NBA’s annual mid-season classic, which pits the league’s best against each other in a fierce battle to see who can make the most highlight plays, packed the Air Canada Centre in Toronto on Sunday, the first time the All-star game was played outside the U.S. But that’s not how All-Star weekend had played itself out at first.

Prior to the game’s opening tip, NBA great Magic Johnson lauded the 37-year-old Kobe Bryant a pair of tribute videos featuring some career highlights interspersed with messages of thanks from a handful of fellow NBA players. Fireworks burst behind him as he entered his final All-Star game.

“It was really special,” Bryant told The Associated Press. “Those are the things you don’t get a chance to hear when you’re competing against each other. To hear those stories now, you have such a deep sense of appreciation and such a brotherhood from all the years of competing against each other. It just felt good.”

Gordon Hayward: eSports is not ‘fringe culture’

An NBA star is coming out with guns blazing—no pun intended—in defense of competitive gaming.

Utah Jazz star Gordon Hayward recently penned an essay for The Players’ Tribune, in which he told traditional sports fans who are confused why watching people play video games has become popular to stop worrying so much. Instead, Hayward said viewers should recognize that the competitions share the same qualities.

“In the past few years in particular, professional gaming has become a thing, and it’s becoming more and more of a thing. This isn’t even a fringe culture. It’s a movement, really. And as a non-gamer, you can either acknowledge this fact, or you can be wrong,” Hayward wrote.

The basketball player said the essay was not written to defend gaming, but to open the eyes of non-gamers to “this incredible thing that’s happening right now.” And really, isn’t every single one of us a gamer?

Gordon Hayward: eSports is not ‘fringe culture’

An NBA star is coming out with guns blazing—no pun intended—in defense of competitive gaming.

Utah Jazz star Gordon Hayward recently penned an essay for The Players’ Tribune, in which he told traditional sports fans who are confused why watching people play video games has become popular to stop worrying so much. Instead, Hayward said viewers should recognize that the competitions share the same qualities.

“In the past few years in particular, professional gaming has become a thing, and it’s becoming more and more of a thing. This isn’t even a fringe culture. It’s a movement, really. And as a non-gamer, you can either acknowledge this fact, or you can be wrong,” Hayward wrote.

The basketball player said the essay was not written to defend gaming, but to open the eyes of non-gamers to “this incredible thing that’s happening right now.” And really, isn’t every single one of us a gamer?