Jedd Pagaduan Articles - Page 79

The Philadelphia Phillies came back home to the City of Brotherly Love with two chances to make a return trip to the World Series. However, the Phillies ended up blowing both of those opportunities, seeing their season come to an end after suffering a 4-2 loss in Game 7 of the NLCS against the Arizona […]

The Denver Nuggets, despite winning the 2023 NBA championship, still face a ton of disrespect on a regular basis. But the Nuggets’ opening night showing against the Los Angeles Lakers should show that what they did last season was no mere fluke. In fact, even though other teams have made major additions in their quest […]

Back in the 2020-21 season, Michael Porter Jr. looked like a bonafide offensive star for the Denver Nuggets. He averaged career-bests across the board, and he appeared to be on the verge of a breakthrough into All-Star status. But then Porter suffered a long-term injury in 2021, and he had to figure out ways to […]

Devin Booker entered Tuesday morning on the Phoenix Suns’ injury report for their 2023-24 season opener against the Golden State Warriors due to a toe issue. But Booker fought hard to suit up for the Suns, and why shouldn’t he have? It was clear from the get-go that Booker wasn’t bothered in the slightest by […]

An NBA team usually takes after the identity of its best player. But that may not always be a positive, as the Los Angeles Lakers can attest to after losing their 2023-24 season opener against the Denver Nuggets, 119-107. Their best player, LeBron James, doesn’t exactly get off to strong starts anymore, as he tends […]

As the old adage goes, time, perhaps, really does heal all wounds. In the Golden State Warriors’ case, Kevin Durant didn’t exactly leave the franchise in 2019 on the best of terms. But four years later, in just Durant’s second-ever game at Chase Center, the two-time champion and Finals MVP with the Warriors received an […]

Nikola Jokic and the Denver Nuggets, despite coming off a season in which they steamrolled the opposition en route to winning the franchise’s first-ever championship, still face a ton of disrespect on the regular. One instance in particular stood out to many analysts and fans on Twitter. With the season set to open on Tuesday […]

The Los Angeles Clippers do not have the luxury of time, that much is clear. Despite acquiring two bonafide superstar small forwards in Kawhi Leonard and Paul George back in 2019, the Clippers have fallen short over and over again in the postseason, mostly due to the injury-prone nature of their two franchise cornerstones. And […]

Giannis Antetokounmpo made one thing clear to the Milwaukee Bucks brass if they wanted him to stay with the team for the long haul: show him that they’re invested in winning another championship. That’s exactly what the Bucks did when they made the difficult decision of trading away fan favorite Jrue Holiday, along with other […]

It seemed far-fetched entering the 2023 offseason that Chris Paul would become a member of the Golden State Warriors. But now, with the Warriors’ 2023-24 season opener against the Phoenix Suns being mere hours away from tipping off, the Point God has now teamed up with his former rivals via trade, giving the Warriors an […]

Given the uncertainty surrounding the Philadelphia 76ers’ title-contending future in the aftermath of the trade that sent James Harden to the Los Angeles Clippers, it’s no surprise to see that there may already be vultures circling around Joel Embiid if the 2023 league MVP requests a trade as well. And the frontrunner for Embiid’s services […]

The Philadelphia Phillies were unable to finish off the Arizona Diamondbacks in Game 6 of the NLCS, necessitating a winner-takes-all seventh game. This should be a game that gets fans’ pulses raising, especially when Kyle Schwarber hinted that both teams will be desperate and will be willing to do whatever it takes to come out […]

The Texas Rangers and Houston Astros’ year-long battle for AL West supremacy fittingly culminated in a Game 7 tilt in the ALCS. In the end, it was the Rangers that came out on top, thanks in large part to an offensive onslaught buoyed by an incredible night from Adolis Garcia. Garcia hit two home runs […]

Fans of the Houston Astros have gotten accustomed to witnessing excellence from the ballclub they support. After all, the Astros have missed the playoffs just once in the past nine seasons, making it to four World Series and winning a championship twice during that span. Thus, Astros fans expected that their team would have at […]

It was only fitting that Adolis Garcia, the Texas Rangers’ star outfielder, bagged the ALCS MVP honors after stepping up his game against the Houston Astros. Garcia was the subject of much fanfare in Game 5 when he was at the center of two momentum-swinging plays: a home run that he admired too brazenly for […]

The Houston Astros are such a lethal team that there’s no way anyone can count them out unless it’s mathematically impossible for them to mount a comeback. They have earned this reputation by virtue of being one of the most feared playoff teams for the past nine years. However, on Monday night, the Astros’ 2023 […]

The Texas Rangers have been one of the crowning jewels in what has been a mostly dispiriting 2023 for Texas sports fans. (The three NBA teams based in Texas all missed the playoffs, the Dallas Stars fell short in the Western Conference Finals, and the Dallas Wings also fell short in the postseason.) Contrary to […]

As one prominent sports media personality said in the past, there may be no better two words in sports than “Game 7.” In this pivotal winner-take-all clash, teams tend to give it their all and do whatever it takes just so they could get the upper hand on their opponent in what has been, to […]

The Texas Rangers and Houston Astros have brought all the emotional beats an in-state, in-division playoff matchup tends to bring. And it could not have been more apparent back in Game 5 of their ALCS matchup; that was when the benches cleared after Adolis Garcia was hit by a Bryan Abreu pitch not too long […]

There has been so much hype already for Victor Wembanyama before he even got the privilege of being selected first overall by the San Antonio Spurs in the 2023 NBA Draft. And Wembanyama’s jaw-dropping preseason only served to fuel the hype train even further. Wembanyama’s two-way brilliance was in full display during the exhibition contests; […]

Fittingly, the year-long chase for AL West supremacy culminates in a win or go home ALCS Game 7 clash between the Texas Rangers and the Houston Astros. With the pennant in striking distance for both teams, the Rangers are turning to the battle-tested Max Scherzer, the veteran starter they acquired from the New York Mets […]

There is still no light at the end of the tunnel that is the James Harden trade saga for the Philadelphia 76ers. And it seems as though this drama will stretch into the start of the regular season, with the Sixers set to open their season against the Milwaukee Bucks on Thursday night. According to […]

During preseason, coaches tend to focus on assessing the players they have on the roster and evaluating which members of the current roster are deserving of minutes. But that doesn’t mean that teams can’t have fun during this time. In fact, during preseason’s more exhibition-style nature, it is the perfect time for NBA teams to […]

Washington Wizards combo guard Jordan Poole is the very definition of a hot-and-cold player. When a basketball fan browses a visual dictionary and stumbles upon the word streaky, Poole’s photo is what comes up. His explosive scoring nights have endeared him to fans, but it’s his ghastly, inefficient performances that tend to leave a sour […]

San Antonio Spurs rookie Victor Wembanyama’s mere existence must be seen to be believed. There aren’t too many human beings standing at 7’4 to begin with, so it makes it even more perplexing that a person with Wembanyama’s size is as skilled in basketball on both ends of the court as he is. And on […]

In the aftermath of the Las Vegas Aces’ 2023 WNBA championship win over the New York Liberty, a lot of emotions have come out from the Aces’ side of things. In particular, Kelsey Plum couldn’t fathom just how much adversity the Aces have overcome en route to winning their second straight title, and in expressing […]

Given how crucial a Game 5 tends to be in a best-of-seven series that’s currently tied, the tension between the Texas Rangers and Houston Astros in the 2023 ALCS was bound to reach its boiling point. And reach its boiling point, it has; after Rangers outfielder Adolis Garcia was hit by pitch, perhaps as retaliation […]

Many analysts have soured on Kyrie Irving in the aftermath of a tumultuous few years for the talented yet mercurial point guard. As one would recall, Irving brought plenty of controversy upon himself last season when he shared a film that spewed anti-Semitic views on his Twitter account, and then he didn’t exactly end the […]

From the moment a leap to the NBA was imminent for generational prospect Victor Wembanyama, the hype surrounding the young Frenchman was almost second to none. Talent evaluators raved about Wembanyama’s impressive skillset for the physical tools that he had. Standing at 7’4 with an 8’0 wingspan, Wembanyama’s shot-creating potential combined with his Defensive Player […]

Golden State Warriors forward Draymond Green has missed the entirety of the Dubs’ preseason run after suffering an ankle injury in a pickup game a week before training camp commenced. While the Warriors are merely erring on the side of caution due to how important of a player Green is for the team, there may […]

The Las Vegas Raiders haven’t exactly been putrid during the 2023 season thus far; entering their Week 7 clash against Joe Burrow and the Chicago Bears, the Raiders have posted a 3-3 record, which isn’t great, but that record doesn’t necessarily warrant the doom and gloom surrounding the franchise. But it’s clear that for some […]

Ever since the Houston Astros broke into the contending scene in 2015 after years of being basement-dwellers in their division, Jose Altuve has been a huge part of their roster. Altuve, the star second baseman, has been a driving force for the team for years; and throughout this period, he has endeared himself to fans, […]

Denver Nuggets star Nikola Jokic has leaned into his persona of apathy, content with giving the media the impression that he could not care less about basketball, he just so happened to be good at it. And for a second, many believed that even New Orleans Pelicans guard CJ McCollum was fooled by this mask […]

Preseason is usually a time for NBA teams to figure out what works for their team in terms of lineup combinations, plays, and overall strategies. It’s the best time for teams to put whatever they’re working on in training camp to practice. Thus, this is also the time for teams, such as the Los Angeles […]

Is there such a thing as a championship hangover in the NHL? If there is, then the Vegas Golden Knights are doing a wonderful job of avoiding it. Fresh off winning the 2023 Stanley Cup, the Golden Knights have continued to dominate the opposition, going off to a 5-0-0 start in the 2023-24 season following […]

A good start to a ballgame doesn’t necessarily mean that a team would win. But serious title contenders know just how crucial it is to begin games on the right foot. This is exactly what the Houston Astros did in Game 4 of the ALCS against the Texas Rangers. Jose Altuve wasted no time setting […]

The Arizona Diamondbacks appeared to be holding on for their playoff lives after the Philadelphia Phillies took them to the woodshed in a 10-0 demolition in Game 2 of the NLCS. But now, the Diamondbacks are right back in the series, thanks in large part to Ketel Marte’s heroics. With the game tied at 1-1 […]

For all of the Phoenix Suns’ strengths in the aftermath of putting together a lethal scoring trio of Devin Booker, Kevin Durant, and Bradley Beal, they still have a potential weakness on the interior, Jusuf Nurkic’s addition notwithstanding. And during a preseason clash on Thursday night, Anthony Davis and the Los Angeles Lakers exploited that […]

Following a Game 2 rout of the Arizona Diamondbacks in the NLCS, it seemed as though the Philadelphia Phillies were already booking a one-way ticket to the World Series. But the MLB playoffs rarely work that way; the Diamondbacks, fueled by their home crowd, ended up taking home a 2-1 walk-off win in Game 3, […]