Sunday afternoon, the Houston Rockets held their first full practice ahead of the 2020-21 NBA season. In addition to getting prepared for the grueling 72-game season, it marked the first time the Rockets held their practice inside the comfort of the Toyota Center since March 10. Much like the world …
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Chris Paul has been traded to the Phoenix Suns in a blockbuster deal with the Oklahoma City Thunder, according to multiple reports. The veteran point guard, a 10-time All-Star, was dealt from the Houston Rockets to the Thunder last offseason but is now on the move again to a Suns …
Read More »The Lakers beat Kawhi Leonard and Paul George by avoiding them
Paul George and Kawhi Leonard are two of the best wing defenders in NBA history. Their dual ball hawking mimics Michael Jordan and Scottie Pippen at their peak. Their growing chemistry has enabled them to switch, deny, and help each other in increasingly devastating ways for Clippers’ opponents. They are …
Read More »Robert Covington and P.J. Tucker are redefining rim protection
It’s midway through the fourth quarter of a tie game in Boston, and Jayson Tatum is smelling blood. As he accelerates down the right wing, he spots a dream scenario for any elite wing scorer in 2020: a scrambled Houston Rockets defense running to match up, leaving nobody on the …
Read More »How the Raptors’ defense is making other teams see ghosts
Picture yourself on a haunted house ride at your favorite amusement park. You’ll be spooked by pop-out faces, fluorescent lights, and ominous sounds, but you don’t know exactly how, where, or when they will hit you. Intellectually, you know there’s nothing to really fear and you’ll eventually finish the exhibit …
Read More »Damian Lillard’s technical brilliance sets up his cold-blooded moments
Damian Lillard’s best stretches all look and feel the same. Picture the 37-foot dagger from last year’s playoffs, a shot impossible for most, but one he practices. Fixate on the aggressive poker face he flashed to the camera, an instant meme that will never be forgotten. One stone-faced man floating …
Read More »The reason behind Brandon Ingram’s emergence and how Zion Williamson’s return complicates it
On Oct. 21, 2019, a 48-word New Orleans Pelicans press release put a mammoth damper on the beginning of the new NBA season. Zion Williamson, the rookie sensation that looked even more exciting than advertised in preseason, would miss 6-8 weeks after knee surgery. Nobody with a pulse was happy …
Read More »The 76ers need to embrace their weirdness
The Philadelphia 76ers are a strange basketball team. Their star is a giant low-post player in an era rendering them extinct. Their co-star is a 6’9 point guard who refuses to shoot jumpers. Their other starters are a modern center starting out of position, a max-salaried combo forward on his …
Read More »The one thing that makes the Bucks’ defense elite
When the Golden State Warriors leapt into the future on their way to a dynasty, they ushered in a growing basketball revolution. They built an offense around dizzying ball movement that created and leveraged the grave threat of 28-foot shots. Then, their defense neutralized effective ball movement with switches across …
Read More »Why the Bucks don’t miss Malcolm Brogdon, at least not yet
The 2018-19 Milwaukee Bucks won 73 percent of their games while outscoring opponents by a league-leading 8.6 points per 100 possessions. You know what happened next. The Bucks lost four straight to the Raptors after winning the first two games of the Eastern Conference Finals, then refused to go deep …
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