Jedd Pagaduan Articles - Page 118

Has there been a more unlucky franchise in NBA history than the Los Angeles Clippers? It definitely seems like every time circumstances begin to break right for them, one major development threatens to derail everything they had built to that point, perhaps even for good. And in the 2023 NBA playoffs, it certainly seems like […]

Joel Embiid could not pass up the opportunity to suit up for Game 2 of the Philadelphia 76ers’ second-round battle against noted rivals Boston Celtics. After all, he recently just won the 2022-23 NBA Most Valuable Player honors, and he was eager to prove that he, indeed, was deserving of such a prestigious acclaim. However, […]

The Golden State Warriors, despite entering their second-round series against the Los Angeles Lakers as slight favorites, know better than to underestimate a LeBron James-led squad. Even with James struggling, this Lakers squad, which has emerged as one of the best teams in the NBA since the trade deadline, is more than capable of going […]

The Golden State Warriors appeared to be dead in the water late in Game 1 of their second-round series against the Los Angeles Lakers. They were down by as many as 14 points with less than six minutes left, but Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson, and Jordan Poole came roaring back with one timely shot after […]

One of the distinct advantages the Golden State Warriors had over the Los Angeles Lakers entering their exciting second-round playoff matchup is their ability to stretch the floor. Led by Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson, the Warriors have revolutionized the game by weaponizing the 3-point shot unlike any other, which has led to plenty of […]

For stretches of the 2022-23 regular season, the Milwaukee Bucks seemed almost disinterested, struggling for a bit in late 2022 as their best players missed time consistently due to injuries. But as the calendar flipped to 2023, Giannis Antetokounmpo and the Bucks turned things around. Starting in mid-January, the Bucks went on to win 16 […]

Nikola Jokic has continued to play at an MVP-level for the Denver Nuggets throughout the entirety of the 2022-23 season. Jokic seemed to drop one insane stat line after another on a nightly basis, breaking records belonging to the greatest stat-sheet stuffer of all time in Wilt Chamberlain. Thus, for a while, it seemed like […]

The second-round battle between the Golden State Warriors and Los Angeles Lakers is one defined by the sheer star power helming both teams. Watching Stephen Curry duke it out against LeBron James once more will pique the interest of even the most casual fan, while Klay Thompson, Anthony Davis, and Draymond Green are always capable […]

In mid-February, plenty of pundits grew concerned over the Los Angeles Clippers’ interest in Russell Westbrook after such a disappointing tenure with the Los Angeles Lakers. Even then, Paul George, Westbrook’s teammate back with the Oklahoma City Thunder, went to bat for his friend, lobbying for the Clippers front office to add the former MVP […]

There was considerable, justifiable doubt surrounding the Denver Nuggets entering the 2023 NBA playoffs. They did not end the 2022-23 regular season on the best foot, with the MVP discourse surrounding Nikola Jokic turning toxic, and as a result, some pundits believed that the Nuggets may end up being the casualty of a first-round upset. […]

Nobody outside of the most loyal fans of the Los Angeles Lakers could have thought that the Purple and Gold will be playing at least until the middle of May following their dreadful start to the 2022-23 season, but here we are. The Lakers have emerged as one of the best teams in the association […]

In 2021, it seemed like the Atlanta Hawks were shaping up to be one of the more consistent Eastern Conference playoff teams for years to come. Led by nascent point guard Trae Young, the Hawks had its foundational star, and with their core being as young as it is, it definitely looked like better things […]

One of the most defining narratives of the 2022-23 NBA season has been the heated MVP debate between Denver Nuggets star Nikola Jokic and Philadelphia 76ers big man Joel Embiid. Jokic, who has won the past two MVP awards, has remained an elite, steadying force for the best team in the Western Conference. However, voter […]

To end the 2022-23 season, the discussion revolving Denver Nuggets star big man Nikola Jokic has turned sour. Jokic received plenty of criticisms regarding his defensive impact (or lack thereof), and the Nuggets proceeded to limp into the playoffs as a result. However, Jokic and the Nuggets appeared to have put all this toxicity behind […]

Devin Booker and the Phoenix Suns entered Game 2 with a strong mindset, especially as they try to bounce back from their blowout Game 1 loss to the Denver Nuggets. And for much of Game 2, it seemed like the hard-fought battle between two Western Conference titans could go either way. However, the Suns seemed […]

The Minnesota Timberwolves had a successful 2021-22 season, winning 46 games and almost making it to the second round of the playoffs if not for their collective inability to protect leads. But this success is proving to be both a blessing and a curse for the Timberwolves, as they felt like they were in a […]

There was considerable jubilation among fans of the Los Angeles Clippers on July 5, 2019. On that day, reports came out that the Clippers have signed Kawhi Leonard — a man who recently led the Toronto Raptors to an NBA championship win — after trading away a boatload of assets for Paul George. Leonard’s arrival […]

It may have become repetitive for a while, but there’s nothing quite like the power of nostalgia. After five years, LeBron James and Stephen Curry will soon butt heads in the playoffs once more after the Golden State Warriors booked a slot in the NBA’s elite eight with a 120-100 victory over the Sacramento Kings […]

The discourse revolving around the NBA usually centers on the notion of “what have you done for me lately”. Pundits usually fall prey to the dreaded recency bias, rarely finding themselves free being prisoners of the moment. But when that moment is a 50-point performance in a Game 7, like Stephen Curry pulled off in […]

According to Milwaukee Bucks star Giannis Antetokounmpo, there are no failures, only steps to success. This is certainly an admirable mindset to have in the aftermath of one of the most embarrassing first-round playoff defeats in NBA history, one that’s indicative of Antetokounmpo’s priorities that lie way beyond basketball. However, the NBA is a business, […]

The Dallas Mavericks took a big, risky swing when they traded for Kyrie Irving to give Luka Doncic an All-Star-caliber co-star. However, it didn’t end up working as well as the Mavs had hoped. Instead of crashing the upper-echelon in the Western Conference, they instead fell off a cliff, even missing the play-in tournament. As […]

The Golden State Warriors are no strangers to the bright lights of the playoffs that some have even admitted to be too blindingly bright for their own good. With an opportunity to snatch their first-round series against the Sacramento Kings this past Friday at home however, Stephen Curry and the Warriors proceeded to crap the […]

The Memphis Grizzlies roster is comprised of confident young men who believe that they can go toe-to-toe with the best of them. For much of the season, the Grizzlies talked trash towards their opponents, with noted instigator Dillon Brooks even calling LeBron James “old” in the middle of their first-round matchup. Thus, it’s no surprise […]

The Milwaukee Bucks flamed out of the 2023 NBA playoffs in spectacular fashion, squandering double-digit leads in the fourth quarter in two consecutive games en route to a five-game series loss to the Miami Heat. While there is definitely plenty of blame to go around the entire Bucks’ organization for this colossal collapse, no one […]

Even with Joel Embiid dealing with a knee injury that may hamper his 2023 postseason performance, the Philadelphia 76ers have a golden opportunity to at least win the Eastern Conference crown if they manage to vanquish the Boston Celtics in their second-round tussle. What the Sixers will be needing to overcome the Celtics, however, is […]

This season definitely isn’t a championship or bust one for Giannis Antetokounmpo and the Milwaukee Bucks, especially when it hasn’t even been two years since they won a title. But certain expectations come with finishing with the best record in the NBA like the Bucks did during the 2022-23 season. And among those expectations is […]

It was July 5, 2019 when the Los Angeles Clippers made arguably their biggest moves in franchise history by trading for Paul George to convince Kawhi Leonard to sign in free agency. Leonard was coming off an impressive 2019 playoff run with the Toronto Raptors which culminated in a championship win. Thus, it definitely made […]

Al Horford and the Boston Celtics have been through considerable playoff adversity in the past. As one would recall, the Celtics experienced playoff heartbreak at its worst when they lost in the 2022 NBA Finals against the Golden State Warriors. Thus, it’s no surprise that the Celtics are prepared for the worst opposing crowds can […]

Jimmy Butler’s playoff legend continues to grow with the Miami Heat. He recently added to his exceptional playoff lore with a thorough decimation of the Milwaukee Bucks despite entering the NBA playoffs as the eight seed. Even then, before he became one of the most feared postseason performers in the league, he was already staking […]

The fact that Jimmy Butler and the eighth-seeded Miami Heat have beaten the team that finished with the best record in the entire NBA in the Milwaukee Bucks in the first round of the 2023 NBA playoffs still seems surreal. After all, the Heat lost one of their best players in Tyler Herro to injury. […]

Most one-seeds in NBA history can be forgiven for not paying too much attention to their first-round matchup. After all, the eight-seed in the conference is usually the worst among all teams that qualified for the playoffs. But the institution of the play-in tournament has brought forth some changes that have proven to be devastating […]

Ja Morant and the Memphis Grizzlies may have stared at a 3-1 series deficit heading into Game 5 of their first-round matchup against the Los Angeles Lakers, but that hasn’t sapped the confidence of this young group, even by just a tiny bit. Desmond Bane remained confident in his team’s chances of forcing a Game […]

Draymond Green does a lot of things well on the basketball court. There’s a reason why he has been a huge part of four championship-winning iterations of the Golden State Warriors over the past eight years. His defensive knowhow and instincts are top-notch, and his playmaking is almost always pinpoint. But his scoring game is […]

Love him or hate him, Golden State Warriors forward Draymond Green always makes it a point to play winning basketball. He has anchored the Warriors’ defense over the past eight years or so, and he has blossomed into one of the best playmakers of all time — the ultimate complement to Stephen Curry and Klay […]

For a while, it seemed like winning a road game was an impossible task for Stephen Curry and the 2022-23 Golden State Warriors. But Curry has made a career out of making the impossible inexplicably come to fruition. And now, the Warriors are one win away from making it to the second round of the […]

Beating the 1-seed as the 8-seed is an extremely difficult task to pull off, and that is by design. And the statistics show it: only five 8-seeds in NBA history have managed to advance to the second round. But Jimmy Butler and the 2022-23 Miami Heat showed that seeding is just a number as they […]

Miami Heat star Jimmy Butler continues to add to his playoff lore. With the Milwaukee Bucks needing just one last defensive stop to force a Game 6, Butler, once again, proved that he is one of the best playoff performers of his generation by making yet another insane shot with the game on the line. […]

Giannis Antetokounmpo and the Milwaukee Bucks entered the 2023 NBA playoffs as one of the favorites to win the coveted championship, and for good reason. After all, the Bucks finished the season on a strong note, earning homecourt advantage through the entirety of the postseason. But in Game 1 of their first-round matchup against the […]

Kawhi Leonard and the Los Angeles Clippers started off the 2023 NBA playoffs on the right foot. They won Game 1 of their first-round series against the Phoenix Suns in enthralling fashion, punctuated by a ferocious Russell Westbrook rejection on Devin Booker. Even after a Game 2 loss, the Clippers felt confident as they headed […]