The Cleveland Cavaliers had an impressive first round, swiftly closing out the Detroit Pistons in four games. Nearly every Cavs player had an efficient series as LeBron James did not carry the burden of dragging the team along. In fact, LeBron had his lowest playoff scoring output (22.8 points) since the 2010-11 NBA Finals vs.…
The Detroit Pistons have lost three straight games to open up their first playoff berth in seven years. Given that no NBA team has ever come back from a 3-0 deficit, it is safe to say that the Pistons will not knock LeBron James out of the playoffs this April. However, this series has proven…
Last season, the Washington Wizards were two wins from reaching the Eastern Conference Finals. Despite the loss, Washington entered the 2015 offseason with a high morale; they had a bright core of John Wall, Bradley Beal, and Otto Porter, who were 24, 21, and 21 years old. They had a locker room leader in…
In the 2015 postseason, the Cleveland Cavaliers lived and died by LeBron James’ performances. Even in the games that Kyrie Irving and/or Kevin Love played in, LeBron consistently took nearly 25 shots per game, and had usage rates that were off the charts. The team did not have chemistry yet, so they fed LeBron endless…
At 30 years old, in his tenth NBA season, Kyle Lowry is having a career year. He is averaging career highs in points, steals, blocks, rebounds, and three-point shooting percentage. Lowry is the reason the Raptors set a franchise record in wins this year, and are poised to make a run at the Finals. But…
Throughout Kyrie Irving’s brief career, he has flashed brilliance. He has also experienced a long list of severe injuries, lost many more games than he has won, and struggled to define his role since LeBron James came back to Cleveland. Now in his second season paired up with James, Irving is the starting point guard…
In this era of self-promotion, Kawhi Leonard is the rare superstar that has no desire to steal the spotlight. He lets other athletes make headlines through their media conversations, tweets, and flashy outfits, while he simply steps onto the court each night and produces. This fascination with the glamorous is the reason the whole basketball…
Not to rain on the Steph Curry parade but the best point guard in the NBA is Russell Westbrook. Through seventy-two games, Westbrook has been extraordinary: 23.6 points, 10.4 assists, 7.7 rebounds, and 2.1 steals. He is shooting 45.4%, a career high. He is making 50% of his 2-point shots, a career high. He is…
Karl-Anthony Towns’ explosion into the NBA has been quick. He already is one of the league’s most productive centers. He has not produced like this since he was towering over his peers at St. Joseph High School. At Kentucky, Towns averaged 10 points and 7 rebounds per game. At the 2015 NBA Summer League, he…
Should Kevin Durant leave Oklahoma City for Golden State, it would align Durant with three other All-Stars, and would add one of the NBA’s top-five ballers to an already historic team. Most team executives would immediately jump on this opportunity, but there are definite financial complications involved. The Warriors would have the cap space to sign…