Jedd Pagaduan Articles - Page 121

Given the talent involved in the 2022-23 NBA MVP race, the narrative will play a huge part in determining which player, among all deserving candidates, gets to hoist the newly-named Michael Jordan Trophy. Thus, there’s no better time for Philadelphia 76ers star Joel Embiid to bust out everything in his arsenal — including a dominant […]

Many expected that the blow-off Hell in A Cell match between Edge and Finn Balor in Wrestlemania 39, months after Balor helped Damian Priest and Rhea Ripley kick the Rated-R Superstar out of the Judgment Day stable, to be a heated bout. After all, beyond Balor’s betrayal, the Judgment Day were also responsible for inflicting […]

From 1998 to 2019, the San Antonio Spurs stood as one of the most successful franchises; even fans joked that there were three certainties in life to that point: death, taxes, and a Spurs playoff berth. And it seemed like the Spurs’ train of contention would just continue to chug along for all eternity, especially […]

Not too long ago, the Charlotte Hornets were buzzing towards an upward trajectory, making the play-in tournament two seasons in a row, with plenty of room to grow to spare. Sure, the Hornets flamed out in the very first game of those play-in appearances (their loss to the Indiana Pacers in 2021, specifically, was extremely […]

It’s not too often that the San Antonio Spurs find themselves playing in meaningless games during April, but here we are. After years of being in denial, trying to remain in the NBA’s dreaded middle ground, the Spurs finally decided to embrace the tank by trading away Dejounte Murray this past offseason, essentially handing over […]

For the first few months of the 2022-23 season, it looked like the Indiana Pacers were arriving in the league’s upper-echelon way ahead of schedule. Buoyed by inspired play from the likes of All-Star point guard Tyrese Haliburton, Myles Turner, and Buddy Hield, the Pacers went off to a solid 23-18 start that put them […]

For much of the 2010s, the Orlando Magic found themselves stuck in mediocrity, always ending up with late lottery picks or unimpactful first-rounders in the middle of the draft as a result of their stubbornness in remaining in the NBA’s dreaded middle ground. But the NBA has a system in place that rewards losing and […]

Paul George, before arriving with the Los Angeles Clippers in a blockbuster trade in July 2019, was linked to a move to the Los Angeles Lakers for quite some time. After all, it only made sense to many for George to play for the premier franchise in the city instead of the little brother franchise […]

It has been a disappointing season overall from the defending champion Golden State Warriors. They’ve been stuck in a Dr. Hyde and Mr. Jekyll impersonation all season long. They have looked like Victor Wembayama sweepstakes frontrunners away from the friendly confines of San Francisco despite being world-beaters at Chase Center. But with Steph Curry in […]

It’s the same story for the New Orleans Pelicans for the second straight season. They currently find themselves in the play-in tournament picture, shaking off a rough stretch of the season behind inspired basketball from Brandon Ingram and CJ McCollum, all the while the uncertainty of Zion Williamson’s injury status hangs over their heads. And […]

March Madness season has finally come and gone, but the most coveted prospect in the 2023 NBA Draft class remains 7’4 center Victor Wembanyama, who has shown flashes of incredible ball-handling and shot-creation skills for his size, to go along with the incredible rim protection that he provides given his physical stature. For months, the […]

The Washington Wizards appear to be stuck in mediocrity, as they currently have a 34-44 record at the moment. And there seems to be no easy fixes present for the team in the nation’s capital. Some fans may say that this is exactly what happens when you lock up Bradley Beal to a supermax contract […]

The San Antonio Spurs are in borderline-uncharted territory for the franchise; they have a 67 percent chance of landing a top five pick, setting themselves up nicely for the future after a mad dash towards the bottom of the NBA standings. Of course, this effort to bottom out included some blatant tanking shenanigans, including random […]

The rebuilding efforts of the Orlando Magic are beginning to bear fruit, their 34-44 record at the time of writing notwithstanding. Over the past two seasons, the Magic have accrued a plethora of high-potential youngsters who should only get better as time goes by. With Paolo Banchero and Franz Wagner, two players at the heart […]

While only a few fans and pundits (if any) expected the Detroit Pistons to make some sort of mini-leap during the 2022-23 campaign, especially after adding Bojan Bogdanovic in a surprise offseason move, they remain very much where they have been over the past two seasons — the bottom of the Eastern Conference. Of course, […]

During the 2020-21 and 2021-22 seasons, the Charlotte Hornets seemed to be on the ascent, as slow as their climb towards the NBA’s upper echelon might have been during those campaigns. After last making the postseason in 2016, the Hornets had an opportunity to make the playoffs in both 2021 and 2022, failing in the […]

The Dallas Mavericks are in the middle of the most frustrating part of their up and down 2022-23 season. Having been in at least a play-in spot for much of the year, Luka Doncic, Kyrie Irving, and the Mavs have lost seven of their past eight games, including a dispiriting 127-125 loss against the Golden […]

The Portland Trail Blazers, for the second consecutive season, have given up towards the end of the campaign, choosing instead to “develop” their young talents with a playoff push looking more and more unattainable with each passing day. As a result, the Blazers will be heading into the 2023 offseason with much to ponder, especially […]

Lionel Messi will always have a home with FC Barcelona, now led by talismanic striker Robert Lewandowski. After all, Messi spent the majority of his illustrious football career playing for one of the most successful football clubs in the world, only leaving for Paris Saint-Germain in 2021 due to the inexplicable financial struggles of the […]

It hasn’t particularly been the best past few days for the Los Angeles Clippers and its fans. Sure, Kawhi Leonard did play in his first back-to-back since April 2021, but the Clippers struck out swinging during that crucial stretch, losing two straight games to the Memphis Grizzlies and New Orleans Pelicans that puts them in […]

After nearly two months of build-up, the “American Nightmare” Cody Rhodes finally took on the Tribal Chief Roman Reigns for the Undisputed WWE Universal Championship in the main event of Wrestlemania 39 Night 2. Many expected a bout between one of the hottest babyfaces in the WWE and one of the most menacingly successful champions […]

After 16 seasons, LaMarcus Aldridge, the second overall pick of the 2006 NBA Draft, has called it quits — this time for good. A longtime master of the midrange and of the high post faceup game, Aldridge has been the fulcrum of many winning iterations of the Portland Trail Blazers and San Antonio Spurs over […]

Phoenix Suns forward Kevin Durant has been on the receiving end of such cacophonously negative discourse from relentless pundits ever since he decided to move to the Golden State Warriors in free agency seven years ago. As a result of that move, many pundits believe that Durant’s accolades (two championships and two finals MVPs) are […]

The Philadelphia Phillies, despite losing their Opening Day tilt against the Texas Rangers, enter the 2023 campaign with high hopes. After all, they are coming off such an impressive Cinderella run in the 2022 playoffs where they came oh so close to winning the World Series over the heavily-favored Houston Astros. However, that does not […]

The Philadelphia Eagles came ever so close to winning the biggest trophy in the NFL, only falling short in the end during the 57th iteration of the Super Bowl due to Patrick Mahomes’ heroics for the Kansas City Chiefs. A big reason behind the Eagles’ strong 2022-23 season was the MVP-caliber play of their star […]

The New York Knicks have had a wildly successful 2022-23 campaign. After missing the playoffs last season despite a strong Bing Bong fueled start, the Knicks have managed to surpass the expectations of many fans and pundits alike, as they need only one more win to clinch a playoff berth. However, an inopportune injury to […]

For a worrying stretch of time, the New Orleans Pelicans looked dead in the water without the services of their best player, Zion Williamson, who has missed their last 39 games, including their Thursday night tilt against the Denver Nuggets. In fact, they even lost 10 straight games at one point, almost knocking them off […]

There may have been plenty of concerns regarding their level of play in recent weeks, but Jayson Tatum and the Boston Celtics put those worries to rest, at least for one night, with such a resounding performance against the team with the best record in the Eastern Conference, the Milwaukee Bucks. They ended up destroying […]

There’s no arguing that the New York Yankees franchise stands as the most storied one in MLB history. Founded in 1903, the Yankees have consistently been one of the best teams in baseball, with legends such as Babe Ruth, Mickey Mantle, Joe DiMaggio, and Derek Jeter leading the way for the iconic team in pinstripes. […]

Phoenix Suns forward Kevin Durant hasn’t quite shaken away his reputation as one of the league’s villains ever since he spurned the Oklahoma City Thunder, the team he spent the first nine years of his career with, for the team that beat them in the 2016 playoffs, the Golden State Warriors, in free agency. Durant’s […]

After much suspense, the Sacramento Kings are finally officially playoff-bound following a 120-80 victory over the Portland Trail Blazers on Wednesday night. This is no small feat, as the last time the Kings played in the postseason (2006), their All-Star duo of Domantas Sabonis and De’Aaron Fox were just nine and eight years old, respectively. […]

Patrick Beverley certainly leaves a lasting impression on every NBA team he plays for. But on Wednesday night, his previous antics appeared to have backfired on him. After Beverley hit former teammate LeBron James with the “too small” taunt during the Chicago Bulls’ win over the Los Angeles Lakers on Sunday night, it was Austin […]

The Los Angeles Lakers are getting healthy just in time for the final stretch of the regular season. LeBron James has finally made his much-awaited return from a foot injury after consulting with the “LeBron James of feet”, and Anthony Davis has managed to stave off the injury bug. And to make things better for […]

Rarely does a rookie fit in so seamlessly into a playoff-caliber team, but that’s exactly what Keegan Murray, the fourth overall pick of the 2022 NBA Draft, has done for the Sacramento Kings. In a league that can never have enough shooting, Murray has stepped in and become one of the most dangerous floor-spacers in […]

In what surely would be a heated battle for playoff positioning, there’s no better time for Kevin Durant to return to action for the Phoenix Suns. However, the Minnesota Timberwolves, particularly Jaden McDaniels, don’t seem to be fazed at all despite going up against one of the greatest scorers the league has ever seen at […]

The NBA Slam Dunk Contest has been in a slow, steady decline since its Zach LaVine-Aaron Gordon peak in 2016, but Mac McClung, an unheralded savior all the way from the Philadelphia 76ers’ G-League affiliate Delaware Blue Coats, has breathed new life into one of the most-awaited competitions during the All-Star weekend. And it doesn’t […]

It hasn’t been the easiest season for Golden State Warriors forward Andrew Wiggins to say the least. The breakout star of the 2022 playoffs for his stifling perimeter defense and timely shot-making, many expected Wiggins to continue making the jump, especially after earning a four-year, $109 million contract extension from the Dubs. However, a plethora […]

The Washington Wizards may currently have more pressing matters to attend to at the moment, given that they’re on the outside looking in at the play-in tournament at the moment, but it’s never too early to start planning for the future. With Bradley Beal locked up to a supermax deal until at least the end […]

The Miami Heat already had a uphill climb ahead of them entering their Tuesday night contest against the Toronto Raptors. After all, the Raptors are no longer the struggling outfit they were earlier in the season, as the addition of Jakob Poeltl has helped them immensely. To make matters worse, Jimmy Butler went from probable, […]