Jedd Pagaduan Articles - Page 74

The 2024 offseason is shaping up to be a crucial one for the Los Angeles Lakers. The pressure to maximize the twilight of LeBron James’ career is greater than ever, necessitating wholesale changes for one of the league’s most historically successful franchises. But before the Lakers look towards making the necessary moves to build a […]

It was in December 2022 when Tyrese Haliburton, who was in the middle of a breakout campaign for the Indiana Pacers, drew the ire of Wally Szczerbiak, a retired professional basketball player who now works as an analyst for the New York Knicks’ MSG Network. Szczerbiak called Haliburton a “wannabe All-Star”, which seemed rather harsh, […]

One of the main stories leading up to Game 2 of the Minnesota Timberwolves and Denver Nuggets’ second-round clash in the 2024 NBA playoffs was whether or not Rudy Gobert, who played a starring role in the former’s Game 1 victory, would be able to suit up. Gobert is not injured; rather, he was back […]

The Denver Nuggets looked like they were ripe for a bounce-back game after the Minnesota Timberwolves defeated them at home, 106-99, to start off what should be a very competitive second-round matchup between division rivals. After all, the Timberwolves were without Rudy Gobert, and Gobert was instrumental in slowing down the Nuggets’ high-powered offense. Instead, […]

The reigning champions are on the ropes. The Minnesota Timberwolves did not have Rudy Gobert for Game 2 of their first-round matchup against the Denver Nuggets, but it did not matter; the Timberwolves came out of the gates motivated to choke the life out of the Nuggets, and that’s exactly what they did with a […]

On Monday night, it became official: San Antonio Spurs big man Victor Wembanyama won the 2024 NBA Rookie of the Year Award after an outstanding debut season. Wembanyama won the award in unanimous fashion, which speaks volumes to how well he finished his rookie campaign that the debate as to who was more deserving of […]

If ever there was a game for the Denver Nuggets to strike back in what’s shaping up to be an epic clash against the Minnesota Timberwolves in the second round of the 2024 NBA playoffs, it’s in Game 2. Rudy Gobert was not able to suit up after the birth of his first child, and […]

The Madison Square Garden has been home to some of the most exhilarating games of the 2024 NBA playoffs to this point, and on Monday night, the Indiana Pacers gave the New York Knicks one hell of a fight to open up their second-round matchup and rekindle the two franchise’s old rivalry. In the end, […]

The Los Angeles Lakers wasted no time relieving Darvin Ham of his head coaching duties in the aftermath of their first-round exit in the 2024 playoffs against the Denver Nuggets. Now, the Lakers will be conducting a thorough search for the next voice that would lead the team, and a few names have already come […]

There may not be a bigger tragedy in sports than when injury problems derail a superstar’s career. Mike Trout appears to be headed for that fate. Trout, who has gone through a plethora of injury woes over the past three seasons, recently underwent surgery to repair a torn meniscus, forcing him out of action for […]

The 2024 offseason is shaping up to be a big one for the Los Angeles Clippers. On the heels of a second consecutive first-round exit, there seems to be greater disappointment surrounding the 213 iteration of the team than ever. In the NBA, with disappointment potentially comes major changes. Amid all the uncertainty, there is […]

It’s now two years in a row that the Los Angeles Clippers saw their championship hopes come to an end in the first round of the playoffs. In 2023, they came crashing and burning against a Phoenix Suns team as they were unable to weather their injury problems. And now, in 2024, they went down […]

On Sunday afternoon, it seemed as though the Los Angeles Clippers had turned the momentum in their favor. They pulled off an epic Game 4 victory as they staved off a 31-point comeback from the Dallas Mavericks, and with homecourt advantage back on their side, they had a legitimate chance to advance to the second […]

The Baltimore Orioles are on a roll; following their 7-2 win over the New York Yankees on Thursday, they are coming off a huge 3-1 series victory over their closest rival in the AL East standings. And the Orioles, surprisingly, turned to their pitching to lead them to victory. Now, this is not to say […]

Any team with Joel Embiid and Tyrese Maxey on it has a legitimate shot at mounting a deep playoff run. But the 2023-24 season always seemed like it was meant to be a transitional campaign for the Philadelphia 76ers. After James Harden requested for a trade, the 76ers prioritized bringing back expiring contracts in return […]

Nikola Jokic is continuing to climb the NBA’s all-time totem pole. Jokic is the league’s preeminent unsolvable puzzle, as there seems to be no defensive coverage in existence that has a chance in the world to slow down the Denver Nuggets star other than to hope that he misses. In fact, Jokic’s greatness has gotten […]

Joel Embiid’s quest to make the Eastern Conference Finals will have to be put on hold after the Philadelphia 76ers’ 2023-24 season came to an end in such a heartbreaking fashion on Thursday night. The 76ers suffered a 118-115 loss to the New York Knicks in Game 6 of their first-round series, and a lot […]

The Milwaukee Bucks created huge expectations of themselves when they swung for the fences and pulled off a blockbuster trade for Damian Lillard. However, the Bucks’ 2023-24 season is over in May. On Thursday night, the Bucks saw their season come to an end after suffering a 120-98 defeat in Game 6 of their first-round […]

The Philadelphia 76ers’ 2023-24 season is officially over. They have lost their heated first-round matchup against the New York Knicks in six games following a heartbreaking 118-115 loss on Thursday night. Their series loss boils down to multiple factors, namely, their inconsistency from game-to-game, and a glaring lack of a third scorer behind Joel Embiid […]

A bit of hope was on the way for the Milwaukee Bucks as they headed to Indianapolis to face the Indiana Pacers in Game 6 of their 2024 first-round playoff matchup. The Bucks took care of business in Game 5 despite not having Giannis Antetokounmpo and Damian Lillard, but in Game 6, the latter made […]

James Harden, through the first four games of the Los Angeles Clippers’ first-round matchup against the Dallas Mavericks, was his team’s best and most consistent player — a stabilizing force for a team that is weathering Kawhi Leonard’s injury and the eye-popping variance in Paul George’s performances. Game 5, however, was a different yet familiar […]

During the 2023 NBA playoffs, Russell Westbrook proved plenty of people wrong as he led the Los Angeles Clippers to a semi-competitive first-round exit against the Phoenix Suns. Westbrook averaged 23.6 points, 7.6 rebounds and 7.4 assists last year, which led many to believe that he could have plenty of gas left in the tank. […]

The Los Angeles Clippers will quickly want to forget about the sorry performance they put up in Game 5 of their heated first-round matchup against the Dallas Mavericks. After trading blows for the first 12 minutes, the Clippers completely lost the plot. The Clippers offense couldn’t get going thanks to the struggles of their stars, […]

The Miami Heat couldn’t catch lightning in a bottle twice. Looking to make another deep playoff run all the way from the eight-seed, the Heat saw their 2023-24 season come to an end with a whimper, as they suffered a 118-84 defeat in Game 5 of their first-round series against the Boston Celtics. It has […]

The Los Angeles Clippers came into Game 5 of their 2024 first-round matchup against the Dallas Mavericks with a golden opportunity to ride the momentum of their epic Game 4 victory. With the series tied at 2-2, one couldn’t ask for a more favorable setting for a crucial fifth game, as they played in front […]

Supporters of the Miami Heat made a bit of a fuss when their team entered the 2024 NBA playoffs as the eight-seed, slated to face the Boston Celtics in the process. After all, the Heat’s recent playoff history against the Celtics isn’t too favorable for Boston. But on Wednesday night, the Heat’s Cinderella hopes came […]

What makes discussing the NBA such a riveting topic is that people never run out of things to talk about. Some talking points are merely regurgitated among the most prominent members of the media, while some go out of their way to spew out some hot takes in the hopes of going viral. Some takes, […]

The Los Angeles Clippers are currently locked in the middle of a heated battle against the Dallas Mavericks in the first round of the 2024 NBA playoffs. There is a lot at stake for both teams; for the Clippers, making a deep playoff run is crucial, especially when there is much uncertainty surrounding the futures […]

The Milwaukee Bucks looked like they were at the end of their playoff rope when they entered Game 5 of their first-round series down 3-1 against the Indiana Pacers. They looked dead to rights in Game 4 as they struggled to muster much of a fight in the second half against the Pacers, but in […]

The Milwaukee Bucks simply looked toast as they entered Game 5 of their first-round matchup against the Indiana Pacers. Down 3-1, the Bucks needed to stave off elimination without the services of their two best players in Giannis Antetokounmpo and Damian Lillard, both of whom are nursing leg injuries. But the Bucks made the most […]

The Philadelphia 76ers looked like they were headed for yet another early playoff exit; with 28 seconds left in the game, the New York Knicks, up by 3-1 in the series, went up by six in Game 5 courtesy of a Miles McBride jumpshot. This looked like the proverbial nail in the coffin of the […]

The Los Angeles Lakers will take no comfort in the fact that they competed hard against the Denver Nuggets, as the end result remains the same; they lost their first-round series against the reigning champion in five games, and two of those defeats came in such excruciating fashion with Jamal Murray hammering the nail in […]

Fans may question LeBron James and his occasional poor body language when circumstances don’t go his way. But with the Los Angeles Lakers’ backs against the wall in Game 5 of their first-round series against the Denver Nuggets, James is as defiant as ever, refusing to go gently into the good night. Late in the […]

The Los Angeles Clippers were met with not-so-good news entering Game 4 of their heated first-round series against the Dallas Mavericks. Long a franchise that’s been plagued by poor injury luck, the Clippers would, once again, proceed into a must-win situation without their best player in Kawhi Leonard, whose knee continues to bother him. But […]

The Milwaukee Bucks expected nothing than a dogfight from the Indiana Pacers in Game 3. The Pacers fanbase loves basketball, and they were sure to do everything in their power to lift the home team to a victory that would give them a 2-1 lead in the series. But for much of the night, the […]

The Dallas Mavericks and Los Angeles Clippers’ first-round matchup has been physical, and things got heated in the fourth quarter of what ended up being a 101-90 win for the Mavs in Game 3. With the Clippers attempting to mount a comeback in the fourth, Russell Westbrook was trying to get chippy and impose his […]

Every possession is crucial in the playoffs. With every team vying for a spot deeper in the postseason, teams are more willing to put everything on the line. But apparently, the Milwaukee Bucks did not get the memo. In a slugfest of a Game 3 against the Indiana Pacers, it all boiled down to which […]

The Cleveland Cavaliers looked like the convincingly more dominant team than the Orlando Magic through the first two games of their first-round matchup in the 2024 NBA playoffs. The Cavs have masterfully exposed the Magic’s greatest weakness — lack of floor-spacing — and promptly took the first two games of the series at home. However, […]

It is rather difficult for a team to maintain its poise when it blows its opportunity to claim a very winnable game, and on a gut-wrenching buzzer-beater loss, no less. On Thursday night, the Los Angeles Lakers’ resilience was put to the test, as they faced a must-win scenario in Game 3 of their 2024 […]