Kriel Ibarrola Articles - Page 31

Denver Nuggets Guard Jamal Murray was locked-in early in his team’s Western Conference Finals series opener against the Los Angeles Lakers on Friday. The 6-foot-3 firecracker made sure the Nuggets had the lead after the first 12 minutes, as he drained a buzzer-beating triple to give Denver a 38-36 advantage. Jamal Murray at the BUZZER […]

Judging by statistics from their previous outings this season, the Boston Celtics should have won Game 2 of their best-of-seven series against the Miami Heat on Thursday. The boys from Beantown, after all, have gone 6-0 in games were their three-headed monster of Jayson Tatum, Jaylen Brown, and Kemba Walker each eclipsed 20 points in […]

The Los Angeles Clippers will have a Montrezl Harrell-conundrum in their hands this coming offseason. After a surprising second-round exit at the hands of the Denver Nuggets in the 2020 playoffs, the Clips must now tinker with their roster in a bid to live up to their championship aspirations next year. Harrell will no doubt […]

Boston Celtics star Kemba Walker refused to talk about his teammate Marcus Smart’s supposed expletive tirade in the aftermath of Game 2 of the Eastern Conference Finals against the Miami Heat on Thursday. The C’s dropped their second consecutive close encounter, 101-106, and are now just two defeats away from elimination. Asked post-game to elaborate […]

Dwyane Wade and LeBron James know that The Dragon has truly awakened from his slumber in the 2020 NBA playoffs. Miami Heat guard Goran Dragic torched the Boston Celtics for the second consecutive game, leading his team to a 106-101 win in Game 2 of the Eastern Conference Finals on Thursday. The 34-year-old Slovenian star […]

Boston Celtics guard Marcus Smart is the type of player that wears his heart on his sleeve, and he let all those emotions out following another disappointing defeat to the Miami Heat in Game 2 of the Eastern Conference Finals on Thursday.  Shortly after the Celtics’ 101-106 loss to the Heat, the 6-foot-3 defensive specialist […]

Denver Nuggets center Nikola Jokic was in a playful mood following his team’s convincing 104-89 upset victory over the Los Angeles Clippers in Game 7 of their Western Conference semifinals series on Tuesday. The Joker lived up to his moniker, after revealing his rather comical birthday present for head coach Michael Malone. The Nuggets head […]

Portland Trail Blazers guard CJ McCollum unloaded on Patrick Beverley and the rest of the Los Angeles Clippers following their humiliating 89-104 Game 7 defeat to the Denver Nuggets on Tuesday. Bev, of course, heavily taunted Blazers superstar Damian Lillard and the rest of the team during the seeding games. Following Lillard’s savage tweet directed […]

Los Angeles Lakers legend Earvin “Magic” Johnson had some parting shots for the Los Angeles Clippers after they were eliminated by the Denver Nuggets, 89-104, in Game 7 of their West semifinals series on Tuesday. Pegged as title favorites prior to the start of the season after the arrival of perennial All-Stars Kawhi Leonard and […]

The best young basketball recruits in the world will finally get a chance to join the big leagues on November 18, as the NBA finally set the date for the highly anticipated 2020 Draft. ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski broke the news on Twitter on Tuesday after initial reports stated that the draft would commence on the […]

Miami Heat All-Star Bam Adebayo will be the subject of several highlight reels in the coming days after completing that amazing game-saving block over Boston Celtics star Jayson Tatum on Tuesday. Shortly after the exhilarating contest, Adebayo acknowledged that the crucial defensive stop is the best play he’s ever done in his young basketball career. […]

The Miami Heat came out victorious in their Eastern Conference Finals series opener against the Boston Celtics on Tuesday, thanks to Bam Adebayo’s game-saving block over Jayson Tatum. The Heat was holding on to a two-point lead with under seven ticks remaining in overtime when the Celtics’ swingman took it strong to the cup. After […]

The Miami Heat drew first blood against the Boston Celtics with a dramatic 117-114 overtime victory in Game 1 of the NBA’s Eastern Conference Finals. The game was a nail-biting back-and-forth that needed an extra period to decide the winner. The Heat went down by one after a clutch Kemba Walker step-back on rookie Tyler […]

The writing was on the wall for Mike D’Antoni the moment the Houston Rockets were eliminated from the playoffs by The Los Angeles Lakers, 4-1, in their best-of-seven Western Conference semifinals tiff. The now-former Rockets head coach made it official on Sunday, informing the Houston ownership that he won’t be returning to the team next […]

Boston Celtics swingman Gordon Hayward is expected to return at some point against the Miami Heat in the Eastern Conference Finals, but it won’t be in Game 1 on Tuesday. The Celtics officially ruled out the one-time All-Star in the series opener, who is still recovering from the grade III ankle sprain he sustained in […]

A lot of people rejoiced when the NBA managed to resume its 2019-20 campaign, but it seems Kanye West is not impressed. In a tweet on Monday, the Grammy award-winning rapper posted a series of interesting verses. The most controversial of it all, however, is a line where he called the league and the music […]

The Los Angeles Lakers earned a well-deserved respite after they took care of business and finished off their second-round opponents Houston Rockets in just five games. However, as far as Frank Vogel is concerned, the long break also comes with its share of pros and cons for the championship-seeking squad. “It’s definitely a challenge, there’s […]

The Boston Celtics finally put the finishing touches on the pesky Toronto Raptors with a resounding Game 7 victory in their Eastern Conference semifinals series. While they are still licking their wounds from the hard-fought war, the boys from Beantown will be up for their stiffest challenge yet. Waiting at the top of the East […]

Prior to the beginning of the 2019-20 campaign, not a lot of pundits envisioned the Miami Heat to be the first squad to advance to the Eastern Conference Finals. Yet, the Erik Spoelstra-mentored club defied all expectations and have only lost once in nine playoff games so far. By now, Miami already proved why they […]

Orlando Magic All-Star Nikola Vucevic doesn’t like bandwagoner fans. Looks like even his teammates are not spared from this. Terrence Ross found that out the hard way on Sunday, as he got trolled by the 29-year-old Montenegrin on Twitter after pledging his allegiance to the NFL’s most hyped team this year, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. […]

Boston Celtics head coach Brad Stevens is grateful to the entire Toronto Raptors organization for bringing out the best in his team throughout their grueling seven-game East semis series. The Celtics emerged victorious in the winner-take-all Game 7 on Friday, outlasting the defending champs, 92-87, to advance to the next round. Following the hard-fought series […]

At just 22 years of age, Boston Celtics young star Jayson Tatum has already figured in three playoff Game 7 matches. The Duke product also has a winning track record so far, going 2-1 in those pressure-packed, do-or-die scenarios. Following the Celtics’ 92-87 Game 7 triumph over the defending champs Toronto Raptors on Friday, Tatum […]

Toronto Raptors guard Kyle Lowry still has Pascal Siakam’s back despite Spicy P’s struggles in the 2020 playoffs, particularly in their second-round series against the Boston Celtics. The 2018-19 champions were officially dethroned on Friday, as they dropped the winner-take-all Game 7 on Friday, 87-92, inside the AdventHealth Arena. Asked postgame what he has to […]

Marcus Smart completed the biggest defensive stop of his life to propel the Boston Celtics into the Eastern Conference Finals. In Game 7 of their East semis bout against the defending champions Toronto Raptors on Friday, Smart channeled his inner LeBron James and pulled off an incredible chase down block against Norman Powell. With the […]

Add former NBA player Jeremy Lin to those impressed by Denver Nuggets rookie Michael Porter Jr.’s statement game in Game 5 against the Los Angeles Clippers. The 6-foot-10 forward was the subject of headlines entering Friday’s match following his unsavory comments about not getting enough touches in their last game. A lot of people felt […]

Denver Nuggets head coach Michael Malone loved what he saw out of Michael Porter Jr. in the closing moments of Game 5.  In the aftermath of the rookie’s controversial comments in Game 4 of their Western Conference semifinals series against the Los Angeles Clippers, the young forward stepped up big. The 6-foot-10 forward let his […]

The Los Angeles Lakers are one win away from returning to the Western Conference Finals, but it appears that their superstar LeBron James remains unhappy inside the NBA bubble at Walt Disney World in Orlando, Florida. The Purple and Gold had a day off on Friday following their 110-100 win over the Houston Rockets in […]

Houston Rockets guard Danuel House Jr.’s personal life has definitely taken a hit following his exit from the NBA bubble at Walt Disney World in Orlando, Florida on Friday. The 27-year-old swingman became the first player banished from the bubble after violating the league’s strict COVID-19 health protocols. House reportedly entertained an unauthorized female guest […]

Following the Denver Nuggets’ mighty 111-105 comeback victory over the Los Angeles Clippers in Game 5 on Friday, a humbled Michael Porter Jr. addressed the backlash from his earlier comments. The 22-year-old rookie irked both fans and fellow players alike, following his post-game rant in the aftermath of the Nuggets’ Game 4 defeat. The 6-foot-10 […]

Jamal Murray and the Denver Nuggets narrowly avoided elimination in Game 4 on Friday, coming away with a spirited 11-105 comeback win against the Los Angeles Clippers at the HP Field House. Down by as much as 16 points at one point in the game, Denver rode Murray’s hot hand and outscored the Clippers 35-28 in […]

The Minnesota Timberwolves proved the old adage that persistence does pay off in the end. Per Jon Krawczynski of The Athletic, the Timberwolves practically pestered the Golden State Warriors all season to trade All-Star guard D’Angelo Russell. Following a breakout season for the Brooklyn Nets in 2018-19, Russell — who was a free agent in […]

Denver Nuggets superstar Nikola Jokic continues to look like an NFL quarterback during their Western Conference semifinals match versus the Los Angeles Clippers. Jokic once again displayed his impressive court vision in Game 4 on Friday, throwing another outlet full-court pass to a wide-open Paul Millsap on the other end. The 7-foot Serbian collected a […]

Uncertain days are ahead for the Milwaukee Bucks and Eric Bledsoe following yet another disappointing and rather early playoff exit in the 2020 NBA playoffs. While superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo’s status with the team remains the talk of the headlines, it seems like the fate of another Bucks starter is also in limbo. Bucks point guard […]

Los Angeles Lakers superstar LeBron James had high praises for Alex Caruso, following the reserve guard’s instrumental performance in Game 4 against the Houston Rockets on Thursday. The 26-year-old had his best game of the series so far, dropping 16 points on 5-of-9 shooting from the field and 2-of-5 from downtown, along with three boards […]

After dropping Game 1 of their West semifinal series against the Houston Rockets, the Los Angeles Lakers racked up three straight wins after matching the Rockets’ “small ball” line-up with a situational starting unit of their own. But as far as Lakers superstar LeBron James is concerned, his team didn’t really lose size and just […]

Houston Rockets superstar James Harden vaguely suggested that a bothersome knee greatly hampered his performance in the Rockets’ 100-110 Game 4 defeat at the hands of the Los Angeles Lakers on Thursday. This marks Houston’s third consecutive loss to the Lakers after winning the series opener, as they are now one defeat away from playoff elimination. […]

Los Angeles Lakers superstar Anthony Davis still can’t help but marvel at what his teammate LeBron James can do on the basketball court at 35 years old. Although The Brow has had a front row seat in witnessing James’ brilliance in their first year together with the Lakers, Davis bared what impresses him the most […]

Jimmy Butler’s signing with the Miami Heat last offseason flew under the radar compared to the other big-name free-agent signings. With that, it’s safe to say not a lot pundits envisioned the South Beach franchise reaching the Eastern Conference Finals in the 2020 campaign — let alone eliminating the title favorites, Milwaukee Bucks, in the […]

Los Angeles Lakers head coach Frank Vogel doubled down on his claim that LeBron James should win the MVP this season after he set a new record for the most playoff wins in NBA history. James officially eclipsed former Lakers guard Derek Fisher for the most postseason victories with 162. It came after Los Angeles’ […]