Jeff Olalo Articles - Page 2

The Dallas Mavericks were battling the Denver Nuggets at home when news broke out that the NBA is suspending games indefinitely because of a confirmed case of coronavirus, prompting Mavs owner Mark Cuban to jump out of his seat after seeing it on his phone. https://twitter.com/ClutchPointsApp/status/1237917082030768129 The Utah Jazz and Oklahoma City Thunder matchup were […]

Dallas Mavericks head coach Rick Carlisle had a recent pep talk with the team about the importance of standings as they prepare for the third act of the regular season — that’s before claiming that prior to the said discussion, the Mavs long-time coach wasn’t even paying attention to it. Porzingis discusses the Standings Talk […]

Luka Doncic and Trae Young have quite a friendly rivalry going on as a result of the 2018 draft-day trade between the Dallas Mavericks and Atlanta Hawks in which some critics poke fun at the decision of ‘trading away’ the transcendental Slovenian. In addition, the pair have been constantly pitted against each other in a […]

The Los Angeles Clippers lost on a double-overtime thriller against the Boston Celtics 141-133 sending them reeling before the All-Star break. One major catalyst for the loss is a play that could have won it for the visiting Clippers as early as the first extra period in which Lou Williams managed to drill a three-pointer […]

The Golden State Warriors’ 2019-20 season has been constantly hounded by speculation that their acquisition of D’Angelo Russell was purely a move to stockpile an asset for a future move. The franchise was adamant that this wasn’t the case at all but obviously wasn’t closing their doors when the right offer comes — and that […]

The All-Star Game ballots are always an annual source of spirited discussions. Whether who deserves to start, bench warmers managing to wriggle their way into the middle of the pack simply because of their big market team affiliation — it never fails to generate debate that ever so often turns heated. Brooklyn Nets superstar forward […]

Luka Doncic is having such a phenomenal sophomore campaign for the Dallas Mavericks, rave reviews and compliments about his game seem almost pedestrian barely halfway to the season. But on Friday night, the Mavs point guard received not only a token positive quote but an entire article’s worth of praise from none other than an […]

Carmelo Anthony has made a few trips back to Madison Square Garden since being traded by the New York Knicks in 2017, but their New Year’s Day tussle as a member of the Portland Trail Blazers is treated as a special occasion that trumps even his first game back ever. After the game, the 35-year-old […]

Just when you thought Anthony Davis had the “dunk of the night” citation cornered with his poster lob over the Phoenix Suns’ Aron Baynes, his teammate Kelly Oubre had payback in mind. Kelly Oubre wasn’t taking the dunk over their center sitting down as he quickly turned on the jets into the teeth of the […]

Anthony Davis got the Los Angeles Lakers’ 2020 off to a great start with what could be the highlight of the game against the visiting Phoenix Suns. The superstar big man slipped the pick he set for guard Danny Green and rolled off to the rim, finishing the emphatic lob over Suns center Aron Baynes […]

Davis Bertans is having the best season of his young career, helping the Washington Wizards remain competitive despite a long-term injury from franchise superstar John Wall. The sweet-shooting big man, however, has a personal goal in mind — making it to Chicago for the 2020 All-Star Weekend as part of the contingent of 3-point shooters […]

Enes Kanter’s immigration troubles didn’t end when he signed with the Boston Celtics as the center remains reluctant traveling to Canada in fear of being deported — which is bad news for the C’s as they are set to collide with the defending champions, the Toronto Raptors, soon. The Turkish big man is not giving […]

For the first time this season, the Boston Celtics recalled their fan-favorite rookie big man Tacko Fall from the G-League just in time for their road matchup against the Dallas Mavericks, a team that also features an immensely popular giant as in Boban Marjanovic. Many were expecting a showdown between the two behemoths only for […]

For retired NBA player and Bay Area legend Gary Payton, the season of the Golden State Warriors is already lost even if it’s just early in December. At 5-22, the Dubs have the worst record in the NBA although not by much. Still, with their star backcourt of Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson out for […]

The Milwaukee Bucks got Giannis Antetokounmpo back for their roadie on Friday night against the Memphis Grizzlies, and the superstar wasted no time throwing down dunks and pirouetting at the FedExForum floor. It was a surprisingly close game with the Eastern Conference finalists pulling away late punctuated by the Greek Freak posterizing another victim in […]

Retired NBA point guard and basketball analyst Gary Payton grew up in the days of the pass-first point guard that looked to serve the table first and foremost before looking for their own shots. This is why it’s no surprise that the former Seattle Supersonics star thought much less of the current breed of superstar […]

There was a Plan B involving Dwight Howard landing with the Dallas Mavericks as a free agent back in 2013 — this time involving Chris Paul. But plans fell through after the center changed his mind in suiting up for the Mavs, according to Marc J. Spears of The Undefeated, I really think that they, […]

It’s always a great idea to tune out negativity and think of positive thoughts. Most players do this by avoiding specific writers or analysts known to deliver hot takes or overtly-critical comments intended to stir the pot. But for Portland Trail Blazers swingman Carmelo Anthony, he started ignoring the press as early as his trade […]

The Dallas Mavericks ended the Los Angeles Lakers’ 10-game winning streak in a blowout that was virtually decided as early as the third quarter — thanks largely to the monster quarter by Mavs point guard Luka Doncic who scored 16 of his 27 points and half his 10 assists in that period. The 20-year-old then […]

The Chicago Bulls’ 2019-20 struggles continue as they lost their third straight and their second clash with the Portland Trail Blazers, upping their loss total to 14, after a nailbiting 107-103 defeat. After the game, head coach Jim Boylen remained defiant that the team will eventually get it going if they stay the course since […]

The Dallas Mavericks have been tinkering with their starting lineup constantly that only the one-two punch of Kristaps Porzingis and second-year point man Luka Doncic are the main fixtures. But Mavs head coach Rick Carlisle is also toying with another idea: having the Latvian forward play the center spot more. Per Brad Townsend of the […]

Los Angeles Lakers superstar LeBron James capped off a historic night in which he surpassed 33,000 career points by pulling off a heartwarming gesture to a young fan of the purple and gold: presenting him with his game-worn sneakers. The child, one of the noticeable few Lakers fans in the predominantly New Orleans Pelicans crowd, […]

The Boston Celtics, their faithful fans, and the rest of the concerned NBA awaiting some good news on Kemba Walker’s status could breathe a collective sigh of relief for now. The All-Star point guard’s tests were earlier reported to be on the positive side but not only that, he has been cleared for release by […]

Any conversation involving the Dallas Mavericks’ Kristaps Porzingis will almost always be about his “Unicorn” skill set, and for understandable reasons. A close second will be about his gruesome ACL injury that occurred almost two years ago and his comeback. But Mavs head coach Rick Carlisle thinks it’s about time a piece is made about […]

Russell Westbrook badly missed a wide-open and potentially go-ahead three-pointer that would have put the Houston Rockets up by two in the dying seconds of the fourth quarter. The Los Angeles Clippers not only appreciated the brick but it also brought immense joy to point guard Patrick Beverley who quickly taunted the former Most Valuable […]

Dirk Nowitzki is no longer playing for the Dallas Mavericks, a bittersweet realization after a career that stretched longer than the average NBA player. And while the patented one-leg fadeaways will no longer be seen by Mavs fans in the American Airlines Center — aside from its silhouette in the arena floor and the occasional […]

Blake Griffin returned from an injury recently and while the Detroit Pistons’ top scorer is still trying to get back into game shape and churn out the monster performances that typified his 2018-19 season, he still possesses some of the best handles of a big man in the NBA. The Pistons’ starting power forward showcased […]

Kemba Walker’s fantastic season with the red-hot Boston Celtics will have to be cut short indefinitely as he suffered a nasty neck injury before halftime in their matchup against the Western Conference Denver Nuggets. The All-Star point guard had to be stretchered out and early indications are already filtering out that he is dealing with […]

Dallas Mavericks legend Dirk Nowitzki has been keeping busy since retiring from the NBA last season after 21 fruitful years. From having a street officially named after him to buying a billionaire-owned estate, the list keeps on growing. But one thing the Mavs great has yet to do in the 2019-20 regular season is attending […]

The Dallas Mavericks’ Luka Doncic may have lost the epic matchup last weekend with LeBron James and his Los Angeles Lakers — punctuated by monster triple-doubles by each star no less — but the Mavs sophomore made up for it by beating a James record instead. The 20-year-old finished the game against the visiting New […]

Veteran swingman J.R. Smith has yet to find an NBA team since being waived by the Cleveland Cavaliers last July. But if his cryptic tweet is any indication of his next destination, the 34-year-old may be on the hunt for a ring again – in Los Angeles. The city is home to two of the […]

Luka Doncic picked up where he left off from the stellar second half of the Dallas Mavericks’ savant’s award-winning rookie campaign, registering his first triple-double in just the second game of the 2019-20 season. The Mavs shooting guard notched 25 points, 10 rebounds, and 10 assists against the New Orleans Pelicans punctuated by his patented […]

Lou Williams is the recipient of the last two Sixth Man of the Year awards and after the Los Angeles Clippers’ recent blockbuster moves that virtually cemented his bench role, he appears to be headed for his third straight. With that, however, come accusations that the 32-year-old is playing off the bench just to hoard […]

Kristaps Porzingis made his Dallas Mavericks debut a few pre-season games back but while we await his official return when the regular season starts, the Mavs forward is showing off what made him the “Unicorn” little by little as he shakes off the rust. One such move that made the Latvian an overnight sensation his […]

Lonzo Ball is about to embark on his third NBA season and the first under the New Orleans Pelicans, but during Friday night’s preseason game against the Utah Jazz, the 21-year-old pulled off a feat that may seem pedestrian to most players but a notable achievement by his standards. Lonzo Ball was 5-of-5 from the […]

The New Orleans Pelicans’ last two opponents — the Atlanta Hawks and Chicago Bulls — are not exactly known for their defense so the reception to rookie Zion Williamson’s explosive performances was met with a combination of tempered awe. But next up on their calendar was perennial Western Conference playoff contender the Utah Jazz bannered […]

In another twist to the controversial firestorm generated by Houston Rockets general manager Daryl Morey’s infamous deleted tweet supporting Hong Kong protesters, it appears that the NBA statement in Chinese is significantly different from what was released in English. On the NBA’s Chinese social media account, the language used was harsher than the more tempered […]

The Golden State Warriors opened Chase Center with a bang during the weekend. Not only were they up against the new-look Los Angeles Lakers but Stephen Curry attempted a crazy shot attempt from 45-feet just 22 seconds into their first possession. https://twitter.com/TheWarriorsTalk/status/1180637326990381056 The shot barely even grazed the rim and hit nothing but air, evoking […]

The Philadelphia 76ers are on the lookout for a proven veteran that could knock down shots, preferably someone who can come off the bench. While the Sixers already has Furkan Korkmaz as an able shooter, team general manager Elton Brand is closely monitoring the market (be it through free agency or trade) should a more […]