Jedd Pagaduan Articles - Page 45

Hyped up as one of the most improved teams of the offseason, the New York Knicks went out and produced an all-time stinker in their opening night loss to the Boston Celtics. From the get-go, the new-look Knicks, bolstered by Karl-Anthony Towns and Mikal Bridges, did not look right at all, allowing one three after […]

Julius Randle will be entering the 2024-25 season with the fourth team of his professional career following the blockbuster trade that sent him and Donte DiVincenzo to the Minnesota Timberwolves in exchange for Karl-Anthony Towns. Randle will be raring to go on opening night, especially when an unfortunate shoulder injury ended his 2023-24 campaign prematurely, […]

The Golden State Warriors were involved in plenty of trade rumors involving some of the biggest names in the sport, including Lauri Markkanen and Paul George. But the Warriors’ search for another star to potentially bring in alongside Stephen Curry didn’t end with those two, as they also reportedly set their sights on a potential […]

The New York Knicks front office certainly believe that the roster they had entering the 2024 offseason was knocking on the door of legitimate title contention. They decided to trade away plenty of draft capital to bring Mikal Bridges in and then they went all-in, dealing away both Julius Randle and Donte DiVincenzo in a […]

The 2024-25 NBA campaign is nearly upon us, with two games set to kick off what will surely be an action-packed season. One of the games on opening night will see the Los Angeles Lakers take on the Minnesota Timberwolves — with Bronny James perhaps set to make his debut in what would be a […]

Throughout the 2023-24 season, it looked as though the Boston Celtics were finally going to break through in the team’s Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown-led era. They had the perfect blend of defense, shooting, and leadership, and in the end, the Celtics won banner number 18 after dispatching of the Dallas Mavericks in five games […]

In what was a scrappy Game 5 that went all the way to overtime, it was the New York Liberty that came out on top against the Minnesota Lynx, 67-62, to win their first championship in franchise history. But for a second, it seemed as though another golden chance to win a title would escape […]

Khris Middleton has been beset by injury problems over the past two seasons, and the way he’ll be starting the 2024-25 season won’t do much to quell the fears of Milwaukee Bucks fans. Middleton, according to Shams Charania of ESPN, is set to miss the Bucks’ season opener against the Philadelphia 76ers as he continues […]

The fruits of the Houston Rockets’ rebuilding labors began to sprout during the 2023-24 season. After a few years of finishing in the basement of the NBA, the Rockets, buoyed by the veteran signings of Fred VanVleet and Dillon Brooks, finished with a 41-41 record — a major improvement that had them knocking on the […]

The 2024 offseason saw plenty of changes for an Atlanta Hawks team that has fallen short of its goals over the past two seasons. They admitted that their blockbuster trade for Dejounte Murray back in 2022 was a failure, cutting their losses and sending him to the New Orleans Pelicans for a package headlined by […]

Kevin Harlan is considered by many to be one of the best play-by-play commentators working the NBA. His energy on the microphone always seems to elevate the moment, and he’s quick-witted to boot, coming up with iconic lines on the fly as he allows himself to be fully immersed into the action in front of […]

Los Angeles Lakers star Anthony Davis is one of the most versatile offensive big men in the entire association. He can score with his back to the basket and he can create his own shot while facing up from the perimeter. However, over the past few seasons, Davis seems to have lost his touch from […]

There’s nothing more heartbreaking in sports when one gets their hopes up after overcoming a dire situation only for them to be dashed yet again. This was the story of the New York Yankees’ ALCS Game 3 loss to the Cleveland Guardians. The Yankees overcame one of the best relievers in baseball, Emmanuel Clase, to […]

There are plenty of subplots that have come to the forefront amid the Los Angeles Dodgers’ run in the 2024 MLB playoffs. Their playoff record-tying consecutive shutout innings streak. The disparity in Shohei Ohtani’s numbers with the bases empty and with runners on base. Kike Hernandez’s October heroics. All of those have garnered plenty of […]

The action is heating up in both the NLCS and the ALCS, and at present, two of the most famous franchises in the history of the MLB are in the driver’s seat of their respective playoff series. On Wednesday night, the Los Angeles Dodgers took a 2-1 NLCS lead over the New York Mets thanks […]

The 2024-25 season figures to be a huge one for the Los Angeles Lakers. There is always a sense of urgency when it comes to building a contending team under the bright lights of Hollywood, but the pressure is even greater with LeBron James’ days as an elite player being numbered, what with him being […]

Since 1985, the Chicago Bulls have been owned by Jerry Reinsdorf, a real estate magnate who purchased the franchise for $16 million. But Bulls fans feel as though a change in ownership is well overdue. Reinsdorf is a polarizing figure in the Windy City who has made his fair share of blunders as the chief […]

The Los Angeles Dodgers decided to push Walker Buehler’s NLCS start back, opting to go with a bullpen game in Game 2 against the New York Mets instead. This seemed to light a fire underneath Buehler. Even though it took him 90 pitches to get through four innings, Buehler still set the tone in what […]

The MVP race always emerges as one of the NBA’s most interesting subplots over the course of a season. During the 2022-23 season, the MVP discourse between Nikola Jokic and Joel Embiid became very toxic, and then last season, Jokic emerged as the head and shoulders favorite to bag home his third such award. But […]

The Chicago Bulls’ Wednesday night contest against the Minnesota Timberwolves was not your typical preseason game. After all, this game saw the much-anticipated return of Lonzo Ball to action after missing the past 33 months while rehabbing from multiple operations on his knee. Ball not only played 15 minutes, which is already a major positive, […]

On Wednesday night, Lonzo Ball made his much-anticipated return to NBA action as the Chicago Bulls took on the Minnesota Timberwolves in preseason. This is nothing short of a cause for celebration, as Ball has endured a rough past two years while recovering from the knee injuries that, at some point, put his future playing […]

The Los Angeles Dodgers’ trust level in starting pitcher Walker Buehler seemed to have waned, with the team deciding to roll with a bullpen game in Game 2 of their NLCS clash against the New York Mets. The 2024 season has been a topsy-turvy one for Buehler in his return from injury after all, but […]

Aaron Judge hasn’t been at his best for the New York Yankees during the 2024 playoffs to this point. In a similar vein to 2022, Judge has struggled to make much of an impact from the plate, hitting well below the Mendoza line with his only saving grace being his incredible ability to get on […]

On Tuesday night, the Golden State Warriors faced off against the Los Angeles Lakers in a preseason clash that had more buzz to it than usual. The stars of both teams (Stephen Curry, LeBron James, and Anthony Davis) were all active for the night, which should provide some major entertainment for fans regardless of rooting […]

The NBA introduced the In-Season Tournament (since renamed to the NBA Cup) last season with the intention of drumming up excitement early on in the season. Most teams sleepwalk to begin the year and err on the side of caution, since they know that the season is won in a three-month stretch from April to […]

For a stretch during the regular season, Aaron Judge had entered flow state and looked poised to, once again, break the single-season AL home run record. Alas, Judge has cooled off significantly during that stretch; in fact, entering Game 2 of the New York Yankees‘ ALCS clash against the Cleveland Guardians, the 6’7″ slugger hasn’t […]

The Dallas Mavericks brought Klay Thompson in via free agency with the specific goal of putting him alongside Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving. Thompson is no longer the player he once was during his heyday, but he still remains one of the most high-volume three-point marksmen in the entire association. Thus, replacing Derrick Jones Jr. […]

The Cleveland Guardians have had to thread many needles on their way to their ALCS clash against the New York Yankees. They had to overcome Tarik Skubal in a decisive Game 5, and came away on top thanks in large part to Lane Thomas’ incredible grand slam. But now, the American League’s best team in […]

Carlos Rodon ran through some bumps on the road in the middle of the 2024 campaign, but to end the regular season, he started to get into a roll for the New York Yankees. However, his first start in the 2024 playoffs did not go according to plan. He lasted just 3.2 innings in Game […]

The 2024-25 season figures to bring a year of development for a Brooklyn Nets team that, all things considered, may be the worst in the entire association. The Nets front office knew that running it back would be pointless, so they decided to trade Mikal Bridges away for a haul of draft picks. Doing so, […]

The New York Yankees could not have asked for a much better start to life in the ALCS following their 5-2 win in Game 1 over the Cleveland Guardians. It was the Yankees’ big guns that drove in their five runs; Aaron Judge drove in a run with a sacrifice fly while Juan Soto and […]

Overall, the 2023-24 season was a disappointment for the Phoenix Suns. They most certainly did not envision getting swept in the first round of the playoffs in Kevin Durant’s first full season in the Valley, especially after remaking the team with the additions of Bradley Beal, Jusuf Nurkic, and Grayson Allen. Time is not on […]

Game 1 of the NLCS got away from the New York Mets in a hurry. It became apparent rather quickly that Kodai Senga did not have the stuff to get through the Los Angeles Dodgers lineup, as he was very much unable to throw strikes. He lasted for just 1.1 innings, allowing three earned runs […]

Heading into Game 2 of the NLCS, Los Angeles Dodgers pitchers were in the middle of a postseason record-tying 33 consecutive scoreless innings — with their pitching turning the narrative of their playoff reputation around. With a chance to go up 2-0 against the New York Mets, the Dodgers opted to go with another bullpen […]

Little did everyone know at the time, but on April 8, 2022, future Hall of Famer Dwight Howard played in his final NBA game — a 120-101 win for the Los Angeles Lakers over the Oklahoma City Thunder. Now, the door isn’t fully shut yet on a potential return to the NBA for Howard. But […]

It’s official: after being excluded from the New York Yankees’ roster in their ALDS clash against the Kansas City Royals, Anthony Rizzo will be included in the 26-man roster that the team will be bringing to their ALCS battle against the Cleveland Guardians. There was plenty of concern surrounding Rizzo after suffering a fracture to […]

Ever since the third inning of the Los Angeles Dodgers’ Game 3 NLDS win over the San Diego Padres, it’s as if a switch was flipped, unleashing the best the Dodgers’ pitching corps has to offer. In Game 1 of their NLCS clash against the New York Mets, the Dodgers’ pitching continued to dominate, with […]

The NBA season has plenty of scheduling quirks that the first encounter between Karl-Anthony Towns and Anthony Edwards as members of opposing teams occurred in preseason, with the Minnesota Timberwolves visiting the New York Knicks at Madison Square Garden. This matchup between the Timberwolves and Knicks did not have the feel of a typical preseason […]

In an NLDS clash where both teams have given it their all, it was the Los Angeles Dodgers that came out on top against the San Diego Padres, advancing to the NLCS with a 2-0 victory in the decisive Game 5. In a game where runs were scarce, it was utilityman Kike Hernandez who broke […]