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The Mavs Always Do Well When They Have Rim Protection

Could just be me but the Dallas Mavericks always go far when they have this covered. I have a crazy observation I want to share. I came across this clip of Tyson Chandler telling All the Smoke hosts Matt Barnes and Stephen Jackson about his mentorship of Dereck Lively Jr. and it got me analyzing. In the clip, Chandler said that Lively (or a player with his skill set) “has always been the missing…

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Winning Back-To-Back Titles Is Hard

And other things. The Long Weekend was full of series finales and all of them were upsetting to me. First, the Dallas Mavericks beat the Oklahoma City Thunder in Game 6. I was cheering for OKC. Second, the Indiana Pacers beat the New York Knicks in Game 7. Again, I was cheering for the losing team. Third -and this was the most surprising and painful- the Minnesota Timberwolves came back from a…

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Here’s How Dwight Howard Is Stopping Wemby

The 3-time DPOY shares his strategy for guarding Wemby. Dwight Howard was one of the most menacing defenders in the NBA. He was a big, muscular, explosive center who led the league in blocks two seasons in a row, led the NBA in rebounds five times, and won the Defensive Player of the Year award three times consecutively. He was a beast. But while on The OGs Podcast, he admitted that he would have…

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The Clippers Gotta Chill Out With the Iso Ball

Paul George believes the Clippers would’ve done better if they moved the ball more. I love watching Kawhi Leonard play. His game is so basic yet so effective. Every time he gets into the mid-range, all he does is a couple of basic crossovers to create space and then goes up for a jump shot. Or he’ll post up and back down his defender before spinning into a fadeaway. And when he’s running the…

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Phoenix Suns Legend Wants LeBron James To Retire Soon

As fans, none of us wants to see our idols struggle at the craft they have mastered. For instance, “The Dream” fans were hurt to see Hakeem Olajuwon play in his final three seasons because he wasn’t himself and wasn’t able to perform at a level of greatness. This goes the same for Patrick Ewing fans. And for Michael Jordan fans as well. That’s why Charles Barkley wants the Los Angeles Lakers’…

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Clippers Legend Is Done Playing

Arguably the funniest -and most exciting- player has retired. Blake Griffin, who recently announced his retirement, was a problem in the 2010s. This guy came into the NBA as a big, athletic forward who played at 160.9 km per hour (or 100 miles per hour for all of you who didn’t learn the metric system) and dunked on everyone. But after a few seasons in the league, he learned how to be a versatile…

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Bob Myers Details What It’s Actually Like Being a GM

It’s not as fun as Fantasy NBA or 2K (or fun at all). I’ve been playing a lot of 2K and Fantasy NBA and have been getting pretty good at them. I recently completed a 4-peat in 2K (mainly through simulation) and won my first Fantasy NBA season this past weekend. “I’m pretty darn good at managing NBA teams,” I think to myself after seeing all of the congratulations posts. “How hard can managing a…

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The “LeBron Retirement” Prediction

Here is how LeBron James is going to retire. LeBron James recently announced that he doesn’t plan on playing in the NBA much longer. Via The Score: “I’m not gonna play another 21 years, that’s for damn sure. But not very long,” James told The Athletic’s Jovan Buha after the Lakers’ 116-104 win against the Brooklyn Nets on Sunday. “I don’t know when that door will close as far as when I’ll retire.…

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How Should the NBA All-Star Game be Revamped?

Adam Silver is looking into making the game a world competition. But some think this idea is terrible. Look, the NBA All-Star game has not been great over the past few years. All-Stars don’t compete in it anymore and they view the game more like a friendly scrimmage. The NBA commissioner, Adam Silver, has tried out a bunch of things to improve the game, such as implementing a goal score in the…

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Is Kyrie a Better Scorer Than KD?

Draymond says the Mavs guard can score better than his former teammate. Kyrie Irving is one of the most talented offensive players ever. He’s super creative with the ball and he hits shots that you’d never think would go in, like the one he recently did against Nikola Jokic (you know which one I’m talking about… it’s this one). And because of this feat, Draymond Green believes Kyrie is a better…

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JJ Redick Believes Bucks Are Good Enough to Win Title

Redick says Milwaukee’s defense will take them to the Finals. JJ Redick wasn’t very high on Doc Rivers and the Milwaukee Bucks when news came out that Rivers was to be their next head coach. But it’s been a few weeks since Redick’s assessment and it seems he has changed his tone. On an episode of The Old Man and the Three, he said the Bucks are the likeliest Eastern Conference team to make it to…

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The Best Forgotten NBA Tag Team Duos of the 2000s

Here are the greatest NBA duos that aren’t talked about much. In the history of the NBA, there have been many great tag team duos that brought glory and jewels to their organizations. Magic and Kareem. Jordan and Pippen. Kobe and Shaq.  But this story isn’t about them; it isn’t about the legendary tag teams that ran the league for seasons upon seasons.  They’re celebrated enough. Rather, this…

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Derrick Rose is the NBA’s Godfather of Chess

Rose loves chess as much as basketball. Back in the olden days, like the 80s and 90s, chess was synonymous with nerds. You would never catch an athlete with a chess board or near the chess club because athletes were supposed to be these cool, athletic guys who only cared about their muscles and how fast they ran. But the times have changed. Chess is now an acceptable activity that many top…

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Shai Gilgeous-Alexander on the Importance of Defense

Shai explains why his cardinal rule is to get stops. I’ve always preached that players should prioritize defense. The reason why is that if you can prevent the other team (or player) from scoring, there’s no way they can outscore you (unless you’re just absolutely horrendous at scoring, in which case you wouldn’t have won anyway). I often use the San Antonio Spurs and Phoenix Suns as examples of…

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The Greatest Week in NBA History

The story of the greatest week in NBA History includes rivals, upsets and unicorns.  There have been many phenomenal events in the NBA. For instance, Wilt Chamberlain’s 100-point game in 1962. Or Kobe Bryant’s 81-point game in 2006. Or Michael Jordan’s second 3-peat in the late 90s. But there has never been anything (or maybe there was) like this one week in early 2024. Continue reading The…

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Udonis Haslem: The Miami Legend

U.D.’s No. 40 is retired and will never be worn again in Miami. Udonis Haslem is the greatest Miami Heat ever and was the definition of Heat Culture. He spent his entire 20-year career in Miami, the city he was born and raised in. In his two decades with the Heat, Haslem experienced a lot. He was part of the franchise’s first championship run with Shaquille O’Neal and Dwyane Wade, the Heatles’…

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The Black vs. White NBA All-Stars

If there were a Black vs. White NBA game, here’s who would make the teams. I recently came across this clip from The Pat Bev Podcast with Rone, and Patrick Beverley and his co-host were commentating on how Rashard Mendenhall, a former NFL player, was suggesting that there should be a Black vs. White football game. And then the two hosts started listing off names of current NBA players that would…