Josh Iversen Articles - Page 2

The Orlando Magic are a team on the rise. Predicted to finish near the bottom of the Eastern Conference standings before the 2018-19 season, they went 42-40 and snuck into the playoffs as the seventh seed. Despite an early playoff exit, the 2018-19 season was certainly a success for Orlando. The Magic had a number […]

Milwaukee Bucks forward Giannis Antetokounmpo has quickly become one of the league’s top players. But his development on the court is second only to his increased maturity. In his first postseason back in 2015, a young Antetokounmpo made his mistakes. In a piece by Eric Nehm of The Athletic, current Bucks teammate Pau Gasol recalled […]

On Tuesday night, Boston Celtics president of basketball operations Danny Ainge suffered a mild heart attack. Ainge is doing much better and is expected to make a full recovery, but it was still a huge scare for the Celtics organization. With all focus on Boston’s postseason run, this incident served as a reminder that life […]

The Philadelphia 76ers have always been a team full of personalities. Unfortunately, those loud personalities in the Sixers don’t always get along. But this season, everything seemed to click just fine. The team has had its usual bit of drama, but two of its biggest stars — center Joel Embiid and forward Jimmy Butler — […]

On Thursday night, the Toronto Raptors will take on the Philadelphia 76ers in Game 3 of their second round matchup. With the series tied at one win apiece, this game could be pivotal. The Raptors won’t be at full strength. They’ll be missing an important bench piece in guard Jeremy Lin. Via Blake Murphy of […]

One of this offseason’s biggest stories will be that of pending free agent Kevin Durant. The Golden State Warriors star will be arguably the best player available, and his decision could set the rest of the offseason in motion. For months, many have speculated about his eventual destination. Few think he will stay with the […]

After dominating the Oklahoma City Thunder in the first round of the playoffs, the Portland Trail Blazers failed to show up in the second round against the Denver Nuggets. Guard Rodney Hood, however, thinks he knows why. He cited the tensions and drama between Portland and Oklahoma City as part of what fueled the team’s […]

Philadelphia Sixers center Joel Embiid is easily one of the best big men in the game. The two-time All-Star is coming off the best season of his young career and is off to a strong start to the postseason. But could Embiid get even better? Kendrick Perkins thinks so. On Tuesday, the former NBA center […]

The Portland Trail Blazers came out flat in Monday’s Game 1 against the Denver Nuggets. After taking care of the Oklahoma City Thunder in the first round with ease, Portland couldn’t pull out the road victory against Denver. Their 121-113 defeat made the problem very easy to see. Their scoring was fine, as star point […]

Sunday night’s Game 1 between the Houston Rockets and the Golden State Warriors is surrounded by controversy. After the Warriors’ 104-100 victory, many Rockets players and fans voiced their complaints about the game’s officiating. Voices on both sides weighed in over the following days. But on Tuesday, the league released its 48 minute report on […]

The Boston Celtics are in a great position. After a dominant Game 1 victory over the Milwaukee Bucks on Sunday night, they have a chance to head back to Boston with a 2-0 series lead. Winning the first two games of the series in Milwaukee could be devastating for the Bucks, and Celtics guard Terry […]

The Houston Rockets lost a tough Game 1 to the Golden State Warriors on Sunday night. Their 104-100 defeat led to many complaints from both the players and team officials about the calls. Many on both sides shared their opinions on the situation, including Rockets star James Harden and Warriors head coach Steve Kerr. But […]

Last week, Toronto Raptors head coach Nick Nurse achieved Internet immortality. Clips of his reaction to a three-second call late in Game 4 against the Orlando Magic made the rounds immediately. The young coach will be forever known for the way his jaw dropped in that instance. On Monday night, Nurse was at it again. […]

The Portland Trail Blazers are set to face a tough second round opponent in the Denver Nuggets. After a lackluster first round showing, Portland will need Enes Kanter. Luckily, Kanter is returning just in time for Monday night’s Game 1. According to T.J. McBride of Mile High Sports on Twitter: Enes Kanter WILL PLAY vs […]

In Game 1 of their second round matchup against the Philadelphia 7ers, it’s clear Kawhi Leonard and the Toronto Raptors came out to play. Leonard was at his best in the game, and that was highlighted even more when he pulled off one of the best defensive plays of the evening. The Klaw rejected Sixers […]

If there’s one thing Denver Nuggets coach Michael Malone proved in their first round playoff series against the San Antonio Spurs, it’s the fact that Nikola Jokic has what it takes to be a Hall of Famer one day. The Nuggets are in a do-or-die situation as they head to the must-win Game 7 against […]

The second round match-up between the Toronto Raptors and the Philadelphia 76ers is going to be a slugfest. Both rosters are star-studded, and this series will be full of highlight reel plays. Raptors forward Kawhi Leonard might be the best player on the court in this series, and he tried to prove it on Saturday […]

Philadelphia 76ers center Joel Embiid is no stranger to the highlight reels. The two-time All-Star has compiled more than his fair share of awesome plays over his three seasons in the NBA. But his most recent highlight may be one of his best, especially considering the stakes. It came late in the first quarter of […]

For the first time in the past three seasons, the Utah Jazz failed to advance past the first round of the playoffs. They barely put up a fight against the Houston Rockets, who won the series four games to one. Utah’s offseason has begun earlier than they would have hoped. But that gives the team […]

After another disappointing season, the Los Angeles Lakers fired head coach Luke Walton and are now looking for a replacement. Many names have been suggested, but news broke on Tuesday that former Milwaukee Bucks head coach Jason Kidd interviewed for the position. Previous reports listed Kidd as a potential favorite. However, according to latest speculations, […]

The Los Angeles Clippers are backed into a corner. They are down three games to one in their first round match-up against the Golden State Warriors. The series is even returning to Oakland, making a comeback even less likely. But not all hope is lost. The Warriors have blown a 3-1 series lead before. However, […]

The Detroit Pistons’ 2018-19 season came to an early end on Monday. Their 127-104 loss to the Milwaukee Bucks completed the sweep and officially ended their postseason run. Not much was expected from the eighth-seed Pistons. But with just their second postseason appearance in the past ten seasons, their season as a whole can only […]

The Golden State Warriors are no strangers to closeout games. The team is in the midst of its seventh consecutive postseason run. They have even made it to the NBA Finals in each of the last four years. After their infamous collapse against the Cleveland Cavaliers in 2016, the Warriors know that the fourth win […]

After a rough start to the 2019 playoffs, Golden State Warriors guard Klay Thompson needed to clear his head. His solution was to spend a day at the beach and get into the ocean before Game 4. Many joked about Thompson’s odd choice, but on Tuesday he took it a step further. He connected his […]

Golden State Warriors guard Klay Thompson has always been different. Surrounded on the court by flashy superstars like Stephen Curry and Kevin Durant, Thompson is more on the quiet side. He goes to work and gets the job done, usually without making much noise. So it comes as no surprise that he handles the stress […]

Tempers flared late in the Philadelphia 76ers’ Game 4 win over the Brooklyn Nets. And the consequences of the incident could haunt the Sixers deep into the playoffs. Sixers center Joel Embiid was called for a flagrant foul on a drive to the hoop by Nets big man Jarrett Allen. It was Embiid’s second flagrant […]

The Houston Rockets are one of the league’s top organizations. They are perennial contenders because head coach Mike D’Antoni holds players to a very high standard. That high standard starts with the top of the front office and Daryl Morey, but it flows to the court and to the coaching staff. D’Antoni told reporters on […]

The Portland Trail Blazers have their sights set on the second round of the playoffs and beyond. But to get there, they have to beat a tough opponent in the Oklahoma City Thunder. The Thunder are a controversial team, and they’ve been playing the Blazers hard. However, head coach Terry Stotts isn’t fazed by anything […]

The Detroit Pistons are playing with a chip on their shoulder. By record, they are the worst team in the 2019 playoffs, and virtually nobody expects them to win their first round match-up against the top-seeded Milwaukee Bucks. But early in Game 3, with Detroit already down 0-2 in the series, tensions between the two […]

NBA referees can be inconsistent, but one rule is almost always enforced – don’t throw the ball at an official. But late in the San Antonio Spurs’ Game 4 loss to the Denver Nuggets on Saturday, Spurs guard DeMar DeRozan broke that rule. DeMar DeRozan got ejected after throwing the ball at referee Scott Foster […]

The Oklahoma City Thunder have always been a team that will play hard. Now, the Portland Trail Blazers are learning that firsthand. Enes Kanter, who spent two and half seasons with the Thunder from 2014 to 2017, says that OKC is a team that likes to “get under people’s skin.” However, he said that the […]

Already down two games to one in the series, Saturday’s Game 4 was a must-win for the Denver Nuggets. The team was heavily favored going into their first round showdown with the seventh-seeded San Antonio Spurs, but a loss would push Denver into a corner. However, the Nuggets weren’t about to let that happen. Center […]

The Utah Jazz is in trouble. Already the underdogs in their first round match-up against the Houston Rockets, they find themselves quickly down two games to none. Utah will need a strong showing at home just to tie the series. Both teams are very talented. But center Rudy Gobert thinks Houston’s success goes far beyond […]

Early in Tuesday night’s Game 3, Brooklyn Nets center Jarrett Allen threw down a slam for the ages. The series against the Philadelphia 76ers is tied at a game apiece, so emotions are running high in Brooklyn. One of Allen’s teammates, Shabazz Napier, was particularly fired up about the dunk. Unfortunately, he accidentally took it […]

On March 31, the rap world lost one of its best. Ermias Joseph Asghedom, better known as Nipsey Hussle, was shot and killed outside his clothing store in Los Angeles. In the weeks since, many NBA players have shown their respect for the late rapper with jerseys, shoes, pre-game tributes and more. The most recent […]

The San Antonio Spurs entered the 2019 playoffs as an underdog. The Western Conference’s seventh seed is matched up with the second-seed Denver Nuggets in the first round, a very tough opponent. Very few picked San Antonio to move on. But so far, the Spurs have held their own. The series is currently tied at […]

The Philadelphia 76ers are already one of the NBA’s top teams. But if their young talent continues to develop, they could become downright scary. Point guard Ben Simmons came into his own this season, making the first All-Star appearance of his career. And Sixers head coach Brett Brown thinks Simmons is only getting better. When […]

The Utah Jazz have some work to do. They fell flat in Game 1 against the Houston Rockets, making a Game 2 victory crucial to their postseason success. Unfortunately, Utah are still nursing injuries to two key bench players ahead of their matchup with Houston. Thabo Sefolosha is questionable for tomorrow’s Game 2 due to […]

Milwaukee Bucks star Giannis Antetokounmpo is one of the league’s top talents. The forward is in the midst of a career year and has a good chance of winning the Most Valuable Player award. Antetokounmpo is an excellent shooter and guarding him is no easy task. In fact, he thinks defenders are afraid of him […]