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Los Angeles Clippers point guard Chris Paul


by Trevor Whenham - 6/14/2017

The least interesting playoffs in NBA history have mercifully ended. There were literally two games throughout the playoffs - Games 1 and 5 of the finals - that were interesting enough to get the pulse racing before they started. We didn't know if Cleveland could keep up in the opener, and we didn't know how Golden State would respond to getting punched in the mouth the first time in the fifth. Other than that the whole exercise was an exercise in inevitability.

Kevin Durant Golden State Warriors


by Trevor Whenham - 6/12/2017

As I write this the Golden State Warriors have not yet won the NBA Championship, but they are up 3-1, and it sure feels inevitable. Theoretically they could face some changes because both Kevin Durant and Steph Curry have contract flexibility, but we know that that isn't happening. Why would either guy go somewhere else when they have literally the perfect situation - a spectacular team, and no one who can match them. Which leads to the obvious question - who can beat them? The answer seems simple - the Cavs can if they play absolutely perfect basketball but probably not four times in seven games. And that's about it. Actually, that's totally it.

Klay Thompson Golden State Warriors


by Chris Vasile - 5/31/2017

After 2,460 regular-season games and 74 playoff games, the NBA Finals is set to (finally) tip off between the defending champion Cleveland Cavaliers and the Golden State Warriors. I fully understand why teams play 82 games per season and then have to win another 12 just to get to the Finals, but I think this would have been a great year to skip those meaningless 2,500+ games and just have the Cavs and Warriors play a best of 21 in order to determine this year's NBA Champion. Game 1 of this best-of-seven series is scheduled for Thursday, June 1, at 9 p.m. EST at Oracle Arena in Oakland, Calif.

Stephen Curry Golden State Warriors


by Trevor Whenham - 5/26/2017

To the surprise of literally not a single person on the entire planet - not even those who have never heard of basketball - we are heading to a third straight Golden State and Cleveland NBA Finals showdown. And a seventh straight finals featuring LeBron James representing the Eastern Conference. My son is about to finish first grade, and he has never been alive for an NBA Finals in which the King wasn't playing. Think about that.

Isaiah Thomas Boston Celtics


by Chris Vasile - 5/16/2017

Another season, another Eastern Conference Finals appearance for LeBron James. When the ECF tips off on Wednesday night at the TD Garden in Boston, it will mark the seventh consecutive ECF appearance for "King James". That record speaks volumes for a player who has been lucky enough to stay relatively healthy throughout the first 13 years of his career. What's more remarkable is that the King is just four wins away from appearing in his seventh straight NBA Finals.

Stephen Curry Golden State Warriors


by Trevor Whenham - 5/12/2017

I am unafraid to say it -- these NBA playoffs have sucked so far. There has been a major shortage of even watchable games, never mind good ones, and we seem to be headed towards a totally inevitable conclusion that no one can, or is willing to, do anything about. Neither conference seemed to have a lot of depth heading into the playoffs, and both have been exposed as having a whole lot less depth than we thought in the playoffs.

Lebron James Cleveland Cavaliers


by Trevor Whenham - 5/12/2017

I just finished writing about the Golden State Warriors. And now it's time to write about the Cleveland Cavaliers. And what is so striking is just how similar the stories are right now for the two teams. There are subtleties, but the broad strokes are the same in so many ways. So, it's only fitting that I ask the same questions about this team as I did about Golden State. Where are they at? How have they gotten here? What does it mean for bettors? And on a scale from 'obviously' to 'unquestionably', what are their chances of making it to the finals? Here are five factors to consider when pondering those questions:

Eric Gordon Houston Rockets


by Alan Matthews - 5/4/2017

Apparently Bulls general manager Gar Forman and VP of basketball operations John Paxson learned no lessons from their team's mediocrity this season. Bulls fans were hoping for big changes during the duo's exit interview with the media Wednesday but got nothing of the sort. Coach Fred Hoiberg will return even though Paxson acknowledged there was no consistency to Hoiberg's lineups or allotment of playing time. The Bulls want to see more of their young guys but, yes, they probably will bring Rajon Rondo back as well.

Derrick Favors Utah Jazz


by Alan Matthews - 5/3/2017

Should NBA writers around the country help determine how much a player can make in his new contract? Absolutely not. But one idiotic portion of the new collective bargaining agreement does just such a thing. To make a long story short, if a player is voted to one of the three All-NBA teams he can sign a super-max deal with his current team. That's relevant this year for Utah's Gordon Hayward, who is set for free agency, and Indiana's Paul George, who isn't a free agent until after next season but can sign a new deal now.

Houston Rockets shooting guard James Harden


by Alan Matthews - 5/2/2017

On my Tuesday Opening Line Report story, I wrote that I can all but guarantee you that the Golden State Warriors would have preferred playing the older, Blake Griffin-less Los Angeles Clippers in the Western Conference semifinals over the younger, healthier, more athletic Utah Jazz. I'm standing by that statement from an on-court perspective. Alas, I didn't consider the social aspect. If you have ever been to Salt Lake City - and I have - it's a really beautiful town, but there is nothing to do at night. Some of the Warriors said Monday that they wanted to play the Clippers just because of the nightlife differences in the two cities.

Gordon Hayward of the Utah Jazz


by Alan Matthews - 5/1/2017

With the Los Angeles Clippers being eliminated in Game 7 at home by the Utah Jazz on Sunday, it marks the end of the career of lock first-ballot Hall of Famer Paul Pierce. The long-time Celtic wasn't much of a factor in the series at age 39 and had six points in his finale. Pierce finishes with career averages of 19.7 points, 5.6 rebounds and 3.5 assists. He was the NBA Finals MVP during the Celtics' championship season in 2008 and made the All-Star team 10 times. Somehow Pierce lasted until the 10th pick of the 1998 NBA Draft.

Gordon Hayward Utah Jazz


by Alan Matthews - 4/27/2017

How important is an NBA coach really? I'm talking about in-game decisions, not installing systems at practice or dealing with egos. Do you really think that Phil Jackson, he of the 11 titles, was calling plays from the bench? No, Phil was more Zen Master than NBA coach. And he lucked into coaching Michael Jordan and Kobe Bryant. I mention this because the Warriors could be without Coach Steve Kerr the rest of these playoffs as he deals with some debilitating neck pain and headaches from his back surgeries (and resulting cerebrospinal fluid leak) before the 2015-16 season.

Zach Randolph Memphis Grizzlies


by Alan Matthews - 4/26/2017

James Harden and the Houston Rockets eliminated Russell Westbrook and the Oklahoma City Thunder in Game 5 on Tuesday night. Are you like me and still daydream about Harden, Westbrook and Kevin Durant all on the same team and potentially in their primes together? I still can't believe the Thunder gave up Harden for how little they did back in 2012. If OKC management had any foresight to see how much the NBA salary cap would jump, the team could have kept those three and formed a "super team."

Avery Bradley Boston Celtics


by Alan Matthews - 4/25/2017

Barring a major injury to Kevin Durant or Steph Curry, the Golden State Warriors are going to be the Western Conference favorites for the foreseeable future. However, I believe the Portland Trail Blazers could take a really big step forward next year. Yes, they were swept out of the playoffs on Monday in a big way by the Warriors but have a bright future. At least 25 other teams would take Portland's starting backcourt of Damian Lillard and CJ McCollum over their own. Center Jusuf Nurkic looks like he was a steal from Denver in that midseason trade.

Chris Paul Los Angeles Clippers


by Alan Matthews - 4/24/2017

Has Paul George played his final game in an Indiana Pacers uniform? It's quite possible after they were swept out of the playoffs by Cleveland on Sunday, a series that was a lot closer than a sweep might indicate. George is set to hit free agency after next season. If he gives team president Larry Bird indications that he's not going to re-sign, then Bird has to deal him now. It benefits Indiana if George is named to an All-NBA team, which is probably a 50/50 proposition. If he does, the Pacers are eligible to offer him a deal that would be about $70 million more lucrative than any other open-market offer.

Kyle Lowry Toronto Raptors


by Alan Matthews - 4/21/2017

There's obviously no question that Carmelo Anthony won't be back with the Knicks next season after what Phil Jackson said in his exit interview to the media, and Melo seems resigned to that fact. Plus, part of the reason he wanted to stay in New York was for his wife's career, but now they are splitsville. I do believe Anthony's next team is one still playing: Cleveland, Boston or the L.A. Clippers. The Cavs might opt to trade Kevin Love for Anthony if they are somehow upset before the NBA Finals. That trade would work straight up.

J.J. Redick Los Angeles Clippers


by Alan Matthews - 4/20/2017

A one spot difference in the NBA Draft obviously can mean everything, and I don't necessarily even mean, say, in the Top 3 - although that's clearly true. For example, Bucks rising superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo was the 15th pick of the 2013 draft. The guy taken before him was Shabazz Muhammad by Minnesota (via trade from Utah) and one spot after was Lucas Nogueira by Boston (traded too). I mention this because some draft tiebreakers were resolved this week in a mini-lottery process.

Marc Gasol Memphis Grizzlies


by Alan Matthews - 4/19/2017

For the first time in these playoffs, we have venue changes on Thursday night as Indiana, Milwaukee and Memphis host their first postseason games, with the Pacers and Grizz probably looking at being swept if they don't win Thursday. One advantage of being a marquee team like the Cavaliers or Spurs is that you tend to get more days off in between playoff games because the major TV network partners want to position those teams on the best nights possible.

Paul Millsap Atlanta Hawks


by Alan Matthews - 4/18/2017

It's a darn shame that Portland might not have center Jusuf Nurkic available at all for its first-round series against Golden State. I'm not saying the Blazers would have a shot to win the series with Nurkic, but I do think they could win a couple of games. He had been fantastic since coming over in a completely lopsided trade with Denver. Portland head coach Terry Stotts said that he hopes Nurkic, who has missed eight straight games with a slight fracture in his right leg, will "be back at some point." The Blazers were 14-5 in games he started with them and he averaged 15.2 points and 10.4 rebounds. Here's a look at Wednesday's three Game 2s.

Los Angeles Clippers point guard Chris Paul


by Alan Matthews - 4/17/2017

Maybe Russell Westbrook should win the MVP Award. I was among those who was hoping that the NBA would make an exception this year and hold the voting until after Westbrook's Thunder and James Harden's Houston Rockets completed their first-round series. It's only the fourth time in NBA history that the top two points scorers in the league played against each other in the opening round of the playoffs. It also happened in 1951 between the Minneapolis Lakers (George Mikan) and Indianapolis Olympians (Alex Groza), in 1980 between the Rockets (Moses Malone) and Spurs (George Gervin), and in 2016 between the Warriors (Stephen Curry) and Rockets (Harden).

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