Jack Tien-Dana Articles - Page 3

Cam Whitmore is an easy prospect to love. During his sole year at Villanova, his statistical profile was rare and beautiful, like an exotic bird—only six other freshmen in the last 15 years have equaled his combination of athleticism (28 dunks), three-point volume (108 attempted threes) and efficiency (57.1 percent true shooting). And of this […]

When the Lakers and Nuggets square off in the Western Conference Finals, the usual logic will be inverted. Somehow, the Nuggets are the high flying juggernaut led by a league-defining superstar at the peak of his powers. The Lakers are the plucky upstart who surged late in the season because of their chemistry and defense. […]

Just as rosters throughout the NBA have gotten younger, the coaches have too—two of the final four coaches left in the NBA playoffs are in their first year on the job. But this continuous chase for the Next Hot Thing comes at a cost—this year’s coaching carousel has been a bloodbath throughout the NBA. Dwane […]

As you might’ve guessed, Philadelphians aren’t exactly taking the 76ers‘ humiliating Game 7 no-show against the Celtics in stride. The sky is falling; these are the end times. The months-long chatter that James Harden wants to return to the Houston Rockets this summer feels more legitimate than ever; for the first time, there’s real doubt […]

Bobi Klintman, a Swedish power forward by way of Wake Forest, is perhaps the most intriguing sleeper in the 2023 NBA Draft. In a sense, he strains credulity on the court—at 6’10, he’s a way more fluid shooter, ball-handler and all around mover than he has any business being. Even as the NBA gets bigger […]

Even as Jayson Tatum pieced together a historic start to his career, there was still the urge to write him off as a creation of the Boston Media Mafia. Yes, he was great, but still a rung below the absolute best in the league. Sure, Tatum made the Finals last year and won the inaugural […]

Last season, the 49ers came within one game of making the Super Bowl, riding a phenomenally deep and talented roster to a 13-4 record and an NFC Championship Game. Even as they cycled through quarterbacks, going from Trey Lance to Jimmy Garoppalo to Brock Purdy, the 49ers stayed dominant; their roster was so good and […]

Mama, there goes that man again—the Milwaukee Bucks are interviewing former Warriors coach and current ESPN commentator Mark Jackson to be their new head coach to replace the recently fired Mike Budenholzer. A former NBA point guard, Jackson coached the Warriors from 2011-2014, going 121-109 and making the playoffs in his last two seasons, a […]

Former NBA player turned Grizzlies commentator Brevin Knight is no stranger to LeBron James‘ greatness. As a player, Knight went just 3-14 against James throughout his 12 year career in the league. Now the play-by-play man for the Grizzlies, Knight got a glimpse of how good James still can be during the first round of […]

Despite playing just six playoff games this year, Grizzlies wing (well, soon-to-be former Grizzlies wing) Dillon Brooks has been the most controversial player in this year’s NBA playoffs. During the Grizzlies’ first round series against the Lakers, Brooks took it upon himself to be LeBron James’ personal tormentor, antagonizing the Lakers legend and dismissing him […]

If nothing else, the NFL knows how to put on a show. In recent years, the NFL’s annual schedule release has evolved from a press release to an all-out media offensive complete with targeted leaks culminating in an hours-long reveal show on ESPN. As such, with the full NFL schedule now released, it’s time to […]

The Houston Astros aren’t bad, but they certainly don’t look like the Houston Astros. As the defining team of the last half decade, the Astros have made the ALCS the last six years and to the World Series three times, winning it all in 2017 and last year in 2022. Over this stretch, the Astros […]

When Rick Pitino took the St. John’s basketball job, he was adamant that he could overhaul the roster and win immediately. Now, it seems increasingly likely that he was right. On Friday, St. John’s landed star University of Pennsylvania transfer Jordan Dingle, the second-highest scorer in college basketball nation last year and one of the […]

Heading into this year, injuries were seemingly the only thing that could derail the Mets‘ league-best pitching staff. Turns out, they have! In particular, the Mets have gotten practically nothing from Justin Verlander and Max Scherzer, their pair of aces and arguably the best 1-2 tandem in the league. Through 38 games, the duo has […]

The Charlotte Hornets have two picks in next month’s 2023 NBA Draft. The first (i.e. the one with a 12.5 percent chance of landing mega-prospect Victor Wembanyama) is the one that everybody cares about; the second—the 27th overall pick, acquired from Denver by way of the Knicks—has flown under the radar. This is perfectly understandable–one […]

After losing in five humiliating games to the Miami Heat in the first round of the playoffs, the Bucks need a revamp. Everything about them is stale—their offense has grown predictable, their defense exploitable. With coach Mike Budenholzer kicked to the curb, now is the chance for the Bucks to reinvent and reimagine who they […]

With the Knicks season on the line, the Knicks coach Tom Thibodeau leaned on his backcourt duo of Jalen Brunson and Quentin Grimes, playing all 48 minutes of the Knicks’ thrilling 112-103 Game 5 win over the Miami Heat. Brunson was brilliant, just as he’s been all playoffs; his heroic 38 points, nine rebounds and […]

For years, the Toronto Blue Jays were MLB’s sleeping giant. Outside of wonky Canadian taxes, they have always had the ingredients of a should-be contender—a vibrant and attractive city; a massive, rabid fanbase; an ownership group with potentially the deepest pockets in sports (the Blue Jays are owned by Rogers Communications, the biggest media and […]

The Chicago White Sox are a mess. After winning 93 games and winning the AL Central in 2021, they entered last season as a trendy pick to win the World Series. Instead, they went 81-81, their preseason expectations torpedoed by injuries, bad chemistry and even worse managing. But now, even with Tony La Russa banished […]

JJ Redick—a former Duke legend turned 15-year NBA veteran turned podcaster turned First Take guest host—has worn many hats throughout his career. Since joining ESPN in 2021, Redick has garnered a reputation as one of the most thoughtful and considerate hot takesmen on TV. While he doesn’t have the folksy charm of Kendrick Perkins or […]

At this point, it’s essentially guaranteed that Shohei Ohtani, the most freakishly gifted baseball player in the history of baseball, won’t be a Los Angeles Angel next year. Nor should he! It’s a waste for Ohtani’s talents on mediocre teams, siloed away from the broader public by the Pacific Time Zone and the Angels’ general […]

Ever since nabbing Jaren Jackson Jr. with the fourth pick in 2018, the Grizzlies have seemingly mastered the NBA Draft. Of their top 10 scorers this year, nine of them were drafted by the Grizzlies or signed with them as an undrafted free agent. They’ve nabbed stars in Ja Morant, Desmond Bane and Jackson Jr. […]

For weeks, everybody knew Aaron Rodgers was going to leave the Green Bay Packers to join the New York Jets. In fact, Rodgers himself even broke the news on the Pat McAfee Show, announcing that he’d be a Jet 43 days before the Green Bay Packers and New York Jets actually hashed out a deal. […]

It’s unfair to ascribe the Celtics‘ gut wrenching 115-116 Game 4 loss to the Philadelphia 76ers to any single, particular thing that they did wrong; Jayson Tatum had a brutal shooting day for much of the game; Joe Mazzulla made some controversial coaching decisions down the stretch; self-proclaimed “elite” sniper Al Horford never settled into […]

Dallas Cowboys star Micah Parsons might torment Philadelphia fans on the football field, but he’s one of them at heart. A Harrisburg native, Parsons is a Pennsylvanian through and through, even staying in state to play college football and committing to Penn State over the likes of Ohio State and Alabama. Even as he’s become […]

It’s hard to get too excited about the Knicks right now, considering that they just pounded 105-86 in Game 3 by the Miami Heat and all. Down 2-1 to the Heat, the Knicks are bootless and toothless. Their offense stinks; their defense has no answers for Jimmy Butler, Bam Adebayo or even Kyle Lowry. Things […]

Peyton Watson has played a grand total of seven minutes during the Denver Nuggets’ playoffs run, but it’s not for a lack of talent. A former five star recruit who went to UCLA for one year, Watson was the 30th pick in the 2022 NBA Draft and was traded from the Oklahoma City Thunder to […]

LeBron James might not be doing his famous Zero Dark Thirty social media blackout during the playoffs this year, but his influence has clearly rubbed off on Anthony Davis and his Lakers teammates. After a lackluster 11 point performance in Game 2 of the Lakers’ series against the Warriors, Anthony Davis silenced his critics with […]

For the first time since Dwight Howard left in 2012, the Orlando Magic are worth caring about. Such is the power of freshly minted Rookie of the Year Paolo Banchero, a budding superstar coming off one of the most impressive rookie years in recent memory. But beyond Banchero, the Magic have an alluring collection of […]

Through two games, just a single point separates the Miami Heat and New York Knicks. After the Heat took Game 1 108-101, the Knicks responded with a 111-105 win in Game 2. With the series heading back to Miami for Game 3 on Saturday, Vegas oddmakers give the Heat the small edge to advance to […]

The Memphis Grizzlies are so close to being so good. With a young core of Ja Morant, Jaren Jackson and Desmond Bane locked in place for the foreseeable future, the Grizzlies already have the bones of a potential contender in place. To graduate to that next level of eliteness, Memphis must find the right assembly […]

With Brock Purdy recovering from elbow surgery and Trey Lance probably being bad at football, the San Francisco 49ers are gearing up for another weird season. As such, it’s becoming more and more likely that the Niners will rely on Sam Darnold, infamous draft bust and known mononucleosis haver. While the 49ers are so talented […]

During the Lakers’ playoff run, Anthony Davis has often looked like the best basketball player in the world—oddly, he’s also often looked like a total non-entity. Over the Lakers eight playoff games, Davis has more or less alternated brilliant offensive performances and straight up bad ones. Sometimes, he’s unstoppable; others, he’s incredibly stoppable. In the […]

Against all odds and better logic, the Pittsburgh Pirates are good. And not just good relative to previous seasons—they’re legitimately good for anybody. At 20-12, the Pirates have the second best record in the National League, just one game behind the Atlanta Braves. Even better, it feels sustainable. The Pirates have the seventh best OPS+ […]

Coming off a disappointing 4-12-1 season in 2022, the Indianapolis Colts are firmly in rebuilding territory. As such, the Colts’ 2023 NFL Draft class marks a new era for the team. Here’s the run down of the 12 draft picks the Colts hope can form the backbone for the team’s bright future. Round 1: Anthony […]

This is the end of the beginning for the Sacramento Kings. Whereas this year was the surreal romp of an underdog miraculously realizing that they’re as good as just about any overdog, the Kings will feel the burden of expectations going forward. Losing to the Warriors in seven hotly contested games feels like a pyrrhic […]

As the Clippers have found out, Kawhi Leonard is a prison. Just as he locks up players on the court, his special kind of infrequent brilliance cripplingly limits the Los Angeles Clippers’ possibilities. When he plays, he’s the kind of player who can win a playoff series on his own, a one-man trump card who […]

Beyond being one of the NFL’s most dominant defenders, Cowboys linebacker Micah Parsons is one of the league’s best and most outspoken posters. Never shy to give his two cents on any given topic, on Wednesday, Parsons tackled the economics of rookie contracts in the NFL, weighing in on a video of his former college […]

If the Golden State Warriors‘ 112-117 Game 1 loss to the Los Angeles Lakers offered any major lesson, it’s that the Lakers are much bigger than the Warriors. This isn’t exactly next-level basketball analysis or even a novel situation for Steph Curry and the Warriors in the NBA playoffs, but it informs which lineups the […]