Jedd Pagaduan Articles - Page 72

Winning the NBA Finals MVP is simply gravy for anyone’s career. After all, doing so has usually meant that one’s team has emerged victorious, achieving the pinnacle of team success. And for members of the Dallas Mavericks and Boston Celtics organizations, it’s hard to envision anyone caring too much about who lifts the Finals MVP […]

Since 1947, the NBA Finals has been in existence to determine which team stands on top of the professional basketball mountain. Of course, 77 years ago, there were only 11 teams in the league, with three of the best teams per division (now known as conferences) duking it out in the postseason. At the conclusion […]

It was only a matter of time before Kylian Mbappe’s move to Real Madrid became official. Over the weekend, following Madrid’s triumph in the UEFA Champions League Final over Borussia Dortmund, 2-0, Mbappe completed his blockbuster move. This epitomized the old adage of the rich getting richer, as the Los Blancos, winners of six of […]

Many pegged the New York Yankees to have a major bounce-back season in 2024 after missing the playoffs entirely last year. However, the Yankees have surpassed expectations of them and then some, at least through their first 61 games of the season. Fresh off a three-game series sweep of the San Francisco Giants that extended […]

Shaquille O’Neal, undoubtedly, is one of the greatest centers to ever play the game of basketball. Listed at 7’1 and 325 lbs., O’Neal was too overwhelming for the majority of the opposition to deal with. He took advantage of an era that put a premium on big man play on the interior, and he ended […]

The last 10 years were a roller coaster for one of the most highly touted prospects in the history of NBA, combo forward Jabari Parker. Parker was widely regarded as a franchise-altering talent, and the Milwaukee Bucks certainly thought as much when they drafted him with the second-overall pick of the 2014 NBA Draft. However, […]

The Minnesota Timberwolves may have exited the playoffs in disappointing fashion after losing to the Dallas Mavericks in five games in the 2024 Western Conference Finals, but it’s clear that they are here to stay as one of the league’s best teams. However, contending for a championship comes with a price. The Timberwolves will be […]

The New York Knicks are here to stay as one of the league’s most competitive teams; this is quite a turnaround after the Knicks endured mismanagement over the greater course of the past 20 years. The Knicks came within one win away of making it to the Eastern Conference Finals, and that was with all […]

The Sacramento Kings will be keeping the head coach that has ushered in a promising era of playoff contention for the next few years. The Kings have reportedly agreed to a $30 million contract extension with head coach Mike Brown, according to Shams Charania of The Athletic This new contract presents the Kings head coach […]

The Golden State Warriors’ contending days with Stephen Curry taking the lead may be gone as we know it. The Dubs missed the playoffs entirely in 2024 after falling short in the 9/10 play-in tournament game, and many lingering questions remain regarding what’s next for an accomplished veteran team that’s on the downturn. With Klay […]

Entering the third decade of the 21st century, it looked like the Toronto Blue Jays were going to emerge sooner than later as one of the MLB’s best ballclubs — a legitimate AL East powerhouse. Alas, they simply have not been as good as many had envisioned. In 2024, the Blue Jays have struggled out […]

The Golden State Warriors may have failed to qualify for the 2024 NBA playoffs, but the presence of Draymond Green has loomed large nonetheless due to his appearances on TNT’s Inside the NBA. Green has fully embraced his inner hater, as he has been rather unforgiving in his criticism of Minnesota Timberwolves center Rudy Gobert. […]

The Minnesota Timberwolves entered the 2024 Western Conference Finals as the favorite to make it to the NBA Finals, and for justifiable reason. After all, the Timberwolves just defeated the reigning champion Denver Nuggets in a grueling seven-game series that showed that Minnesota, indeed, is the real deal. Alas, the good times didn’t last very […]

On February 8, 2024, the Dallas Mavericks pulled off a trade that sent Grant Williams, Seth Curry, and a 2027 first-round pick to the Charlotte Hornets for PJ Washington and two second-round picks. Little did everyone know at the time that it would eventually bear fruit for both Washington and the Mavericks in the form […]

There has been plenty of talk throughout the 2024 NBA playoffs as to whether the Dallas Mavericks have the best backcourt in NBA history in Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving. In Game 5 of their Western Conference Finals matchup against the Minnesota Timberwolves, Doncic and Irving certainly solidified their case to be classified as such […]

Fernando Tatis Jr. did nothing but rake since bursting onto the scene with the San Diego Padres in 2019. At age 20, Tatis hit 22 home runs in just a little over a half a season’s worth of games (84) with a stellar OPS of .969. Tatis was on the verge of becoming the face […]

The St. Louis Cardinals are slowly but surely climbing towards relevancy in the NL Central. On Wednesday, the Cardinals took care of business against the struggling Cincinnati Reds, 5-3, to reach .500 (27-27) on the season. However, that win did not come without cost. One of their most productive players, right fielder Lars Nootbaar, had […]

The Chicago Cubs, entering their Wednesday night contest against division rival Milwaukee Brewers haven’t been playing their best ball as of late. They have lost seven out of their past 10 games, and it’s not like their slate is getting any easier, as they would be up against the current leader of the NL Central. […]

The Los Angeles Lakers have a few huge decisions to make this offseason; making sure that LeBron James remains with the team is their first order of business, while hiring the right head coach who would push the correct buttons to aid in the Lakers’ quest in competing for a championship is another pressing priority. […]

Lift-off is near for the Houston Rockets after spending three years in the basement of the NBA. The 2023-24 campaign can be classified as a successful one for the Rockets even though they failed to qualify for the playoffs, as they improved their win total by 19 games while overseeing the rapid development of youngsters […]

Caitlin Clark is a head-turning talent who brings eyes to women’s basketball, revolutionizing it with each passing game. Now, Clark might be enduring a few rookie rough patches in her first few games with the Indiana Fever. But the 22-year old guard, like superstars of her caliber, tend to figure it out rather quickly. Despite […]

The Dallas Mavericks stood ever so closely to a return trip to the NBA Finals, their first in 13 years, as they entered their Tuesday night contest against the Minnesota Timberwolves in need of just one more win to finish off the Western Conference Finals. Alas, it was not meant to be, as the Mavericks […]

The Dallas Mavericks are on the precipice of making the 2024 NBA Finals, as they only need to win one more game in their Western Conference Finals tussle against the Minnesota Timberwolves. Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving have been on a tear as of late, and they’re flanked by hard-nosed defenders who aren’t afraid of […]

Stacked as the odds may be against them, the San Francisco Giants are hanging tight in the NL West standings. In fact, the Giants are fresh off an 8-4 victory over the Philadelphia Phillies, the owner of the best record in the MLB at the moment. However, the Giants continue to endure some misfortune on […]

The past two seasons haven’t been too kind to the Chicago Bulls. After making the playoffs in 2022, the Bulls have decided to maintain a middling product on the court, holding on to their most established players despite having a few opportunities to sell and trade them for a few draft assets. The Bulls have […]

After going down 3-0 in the series, it seemed like it was only a matter of time before the Indiana Pacers’ 2023-24 season came to an end. Making matters worse was the fact that Tyrese Haliburton, the Pacers’ best player and franchise cornerstone, appeared to be out for the rest of the series after sustaining […]

The importance of this offseason for the Philadelphia 76ers cannot be overstated. Fresh off a first-round exit at the hands of the New York Knicks in the 2024 NBA playoffs, there is no better time for the 76ers to improve their team than in the months that will follow. In addition to having the 16th […]

It has nearly been a month since the Los Angeles Lakers have exited the playoffs, and yet here they remain, being one of the teams remaining in plenty of conversation in league circles amidst their search for a new head coach in the aftermath of their decision to relieve Darvin Ham of his duties after […]

The Minnesota Timberwolves, coming off a huge series win to dethrone the reigning champion Denver Nuggets, were favored to advance to the NBA Finals. Alas, their matchup in the Western Conference Finals, the Dallas Mavericks, isn’t a slouch by any means. With Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving around to lead the way, the Mavericks were […]

LeBron James and the Los Angeles Lakers have been out of the playoffs for nearly a month now. But James, due to his love for basketball, has kept close tabs on the postseason proceedings nonetheless. James was outspoken about what he would have done had he been in the Indiana Pacers’ position in Game 1 […]

The Indiana Pacers basically had the game won when they secured a defensive rebound with around 12 seconds left in Game 1 of their Eastern Conference Finals matchup against the Boston Celtics. The Pacers were up by three, 117-114, and had possession with less than 10 seconds remaining in regulation. Alas, the Pacers threw it […]

The Indiana Pacers were in the driver’s seat in the final seconds of Game 1 of their Eastern Conference Finals clash against the Boston Celtics. It seemed like it was a foregone conclusion that they’ll be taking a 1-0 lead in the series, as they led the game 117-114 with eight seconds remaining in the […]

Not too many expected the 2023-24 Indiana Pacers to make it this deep into the playoffs, but here they are, four wins away of a first trip to the NBA Finals since 2000. But what stands in their way in the Eastern Conference Finals is the Boston Celtics, the team that finished with the best […]

Unlike at the end of the 2022-23 season, LeBron James appears to be at ease about playing another year after the Los Angeles Lakers exited the 2024 NBA playoffs at the hands of the Denver Nuggets. There was plenty of retirement talk last year, but this season, it appears to be a foregone conclusion that […]

Much of the hype surrounding the New York Yankees in 2024 has revolved around the production of their bats; in particular, the Juan Soto addition has worked out even better than even the Yankees anticipated. But the Yankees would not have gotten off to a blazing start to the 2024 season if only their bats […]

The Minnesota Timberwolves became just the first team in the illustrious history of the NBA playoffs to come back from a 15-point deficit or greater at halftime of Game 7; they dug deep and came roaring back from a lead that grew to as much as 20 as they dethroned the Denver Nuggets with a […]

The Cleveland Cavaliers are expected to be one of the teams that helps dictate the flow of the 2024 NBA offseason. After all, wholesale changes may be coming to the Cavs after an inescapable sense of disappointment appears to be plaguing the franchise at the moment. And the New Orleans Pelicans are among the teams […]

The New York Knicks were on the cusp of making it to the Eastern Conference Finals for just the second time in the 21st century after they took a dominant Game 5 win in front of an ever-raucous Madison Square Garden crowd. They have kept on fighting, with Jalen Brunson playing a starring role, even […]

The Phoenix Suns are feeling the heat of the pressure to contend for a championship. After all, they have gone all-in over the past two seasons, mortgaging their future after trading away a ton of future draft picks and pick swaps to bring in Kevin Durant and Bradley Beal. All they have to show for […]