When the NBA conference finals each wrap up, the league will award two new trophies: the Larry Bird Trophy for the Eastern Conference finals MVP and the Earvin “Magic” Johnson Trophy for the Western Conference finals MVP. Bird and Johnson are fitting namesakes for these awards given that their struggle for supremacy from opposite coasts […]
Last year at this time, Al Horford’s team was finishing up a dismal season, closed out by losing 23 of its final 25 games and securing a lottery spot. Through that entire ugly stretch for Oklahoma City, Horford sat on the bench. While the tanking Thunder didn’t want Horford’s leadership, the Boston Celtics — currently […]
The proliferation of 3-pointers and the (alleged) death of the midrange game often dominate the NBA conversation this time of year. But there’s a small part of the court that might be just as important yet doesn’t get much attention: inside the paint but outside the restricted area. That very specific battleground could very well […]
The Eastern Conference finals series between the Boston Celtics and Miami Heat is chock full of stars. There are first-time All-Stars like Jayson Tatum and Bam Adebayo. There are old standbys like Jimmy Butler and up-and-comers like Jaylen Brown. And there are pick and roll maestros like Kemba Walker and Goran Dragić. But these teams […]
LeBron James has racked up some pretty extraordinary accomplishments in his 15-year pro career, but few are as impressive as his effort in leading this particular Cleveland Cavaliers squad to the NBA Finals. Missing an All-Star teammate from an already underwhelming supporting cast, on the road against a Boston Celtics team that had been 10-0 […]