Mike Cruz Articles - Page 24

It needs to be said: Gregg Popovich has been an absolute disaster as the head coach of Team USA. In the NBA history books, the San Antonio Spurs mentor is one of the best to ever do it. On the international stage, however, it’s a bit of a different story. Quite the opposite, in fact. […]

The NBA offseason is really about to heat up, with trade talks already happening around the league. Teams are already engaging with each other for potential deals and this includes the Philadelphia 76ers, who had a disappointing finish to their 2020-21 season. All-Star Ben Simmons has been the main headline surrounding Sixers trade chatter as […]

The Houston Rockets hold the no. 2 overall pick in the 2021 NBA draft. However, the Rockets are reportedly looking to move up the ladder by trading for the no. 1 overall pick of the Detroit Pistons. By getting the top pick, Houston will presumably take Cade Cunningham, the consensus no. 1 selection in the […]

Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson, and Draymond Green have reportedly made it clear that they want the Golden State Warriors front office to go all in on their pursuit of another championship run. According to Marcus Thompson of The Athletic, the Warriors Big Three hinted Bob Myers and company to “consider using their two lottery picks […]

The dust has finally settled on what was one of the more exciting NBA Finals in recent memory. After the smoke cleared, the Milwaukee Bucks emerged as the champions of the 2020-21 NBA season. The coronation on Tuesday night at Fiserv Forum would likely not have happened if not for an all-in trade that landed […]

With Stephen Curry coming off an MVP-caliber 2020-21 campaign, Klay Thompson hopefully coming back healthy, and Draymond Green anchoring the defense, the Golden State Warriors eye a return to championship contention in the 2021-22 NBA season. The Warriors are in the midst of a critical offseason as they look to build a championship-ready cast around […]

The Golden State Warriors own the No. 7 and No. 14 picks in the 2021 NBA Draft. There’s still no knowing what the Dubs will do with their two lottery picks. They can select two quality rookies in this deep 2021 class or try to package those picks to land a more NBA-ready star who […]

Two years after winning their first NBA championship, the Toronto Raptors found themselves hoping for the ping pong balls to bounce their way in the NBA draft lottery. Luckily, the draft gods smiled Toronto’s way and gifted them the no. 4 overall pick in the 2021 NBA Draft. This brings us to Evan Mobley. Well, […]

The Toronto Raptors are at a bit of a crossroads right now, having been just two years removed from winning their first NBA championship. After staying near the top of the East in the 2019-20 season, Toronto fell off the playoff picture entirely in 2020-21. Nonetheless, their dismal campaign this past year rewarded them with […]

Atlanta Hawks forward John Collins figures to be one of the most sought-after free agents in this upcoming offseason. After having an impressive 2020-21 campaign, which saw him become a vital piece in Atlanta’s stellar playoff run to the Eastern Conference Finals, several teams have reportedly expressed interest in snagging the athletic big man from […]

The Philadelphia 76ers are at a crossroads this offseason after yet another bitter end to their season. After finishing atop the Eastern Conference standings in the regular season, the Sixers bowed out of the second round of the 2021 NBA Playoffs to the Atlanta Hawks, losing a Game 7 on their home floor. The majority […]

Nigeria sent shockwaves across the basketball world with a monumental upset win over Team USA, 90-87. Coming into the contest as 30-point underdogs, the Nigerians looked unbothered against a USA squad that featured some of the NBA’s greatest stars in Kevin Durant, Damian Lillard, and Bradley Beal, among others. Nigeria definitely deserves credit for bringing […]

After finishing with the best record in the Eastern Conference, the Philadelphia 76ers failed to make it to the Eastern Conference Finals. They lost in Game 7 to the Atlanta Hawks despite holding home court advantage. Many pundits credited Philly’s downfall to All-Star guard Ben Simmons. With yet another disappointing playoff run under Simmons’ belt, the […]

The Milwaukee Bucks are in the midst of their first NBA Finals appearance in 37 years and are gunning for their first NBA championship in four decades. As it stands, this is already a tremendous playoff run for the Bucks. However, seeing it end without lifting the Larry O’Brien will definitely be disappointing. In case […]

The NBA Finals are finally upon us to culminate what has been one of the more compelling playoffs in recent memory. The 2021 edition may not feature the staple stars like LeBron James, Stephen Curry, Kevin Durant, or Kawhi Leonard that hoops fans are accustomed to seeing on this stage at this point of the […]

The Atlanta Hawks saw their magnificent 2021 postseason run come to an end on Saturday after losing Game 6 to the NBA Finals-bound Milwaukee Bucks. Atlanta is certainly disappointed for not reaching its goal of winning a championship this year. Nonetheless, the Hawks shouldn’t hang their heads too much and look back on this season […]

The Damian Lillard sweepstakes aren’t going full throttle just yet, but rumblings of dissatisfaction from the Portland Trail Blazers superstar have begun to surface. Lillard has not formally requested a trade or expressed his intent to part ways with Portland. Should that time come, though, nearly every team in the league would dial the Blazers’ […]

Screw it. Give them everything. Throw the kitchen sink. Trade everyone not named Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson, and Draymond Green on the Golden State Warriors. This is Damian Lillard we’re talking about. The fit isn’t great? Who cares? Again, this is Damian Lillard we’re talking about. The sweepstakes for the Portland Trail Blazers superstar is […]

After 16 long years, Chris Paul finally made it to the NBA Finals. Four wins separate Paul and the Phoenix Suns from winning their first NBA championship. Phoenix awaits the winner of the Milwaukee Bucks versus Atlanta Hawks series on the other side of the bracket to determine their Finals foes, where the former has […]

The Atlanta Hawks head back home on Saturday as they look to save their season in Game 6 against the Milwaukee Bucks in the Eastern Conference Finals. Atlanta is on the brink of elimination after Milwaukee dominated Game 5 with a wire-to-wire 123-112 victory to take a 3-2 series lead. It’s still unknown whether Trae […]

The Milwaukee Bucks are still holding their breath for the official diagnosis of superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo after he suffered a scary left knee injury in the third quarter of their Game 4 loss to the Atlanta Hawks. Antetokounmpo will get further evaluation on his knee on Wednesday to determine the severity of his injury and […]

The Utah Jazz saw their promising 2020-21 season come to a disappointing end in the second round of the NBA playoffs thanks to the Los Angeles Clippers. Utah certainly had title aspirations after they finished the regular season with the best record in the league. Unfortunately, they blew a massive opportunity to advance to the […]

Led by 2020-21 NBA Rookie of the Year LaMelo Ball, the Charlotte Hornets turned into one of the most must-watch teams in the league this past season. The Hornets were in the thick of the playoff race for much of the year, but just came up short in the end after they lost in the […]

Following reports of turmoil within the front office, the Dallas Mavericks saw a lot of changes to their organization this offseason. Rick Carlisle shockingly departed as head coach and has now moved on to the Indiana Pacers. The Mavs have reportedly found their replacement in Jason Kidd to be their lead man on the sidelines. […]

The Atlanta Hawks continued to shock the 2021 NBA Playoffs system after they took Game 1 over the Milwaukee Bucks to take a 1-0 series lead in the Eastern Conference Finals. Hawks superstar Trae Young put on an absolute show, torching the Bucks for 48 points on 17-of-34 shooting, to go along with 11 assists. […]

Deandre Ayton experienced perhaps the greatest moment of his young career after he put down the wild game-winning alley-oop dunk to propel the Phoenix Suns to a 2-0 series lead over the Los Angeles Clippers in the Western Conference Finals. The 2018 no. 1 overall pick is undoubtedly in the midst of a gigantic leap […]

Another year, another disappointing finish for Ben Simmons and the Philadelphia 76ers. After finishing the regular season with the top record in the East, the Sixers undoubtedly had championship aspirations heading into the 2021 postseason. Unfortunately, for the fourth straight season, Philadelphia failed to get past the second round and blew a monumental opportunity by […]

The Milwaukee Bucks broke through a massive hurdle and took down arguably the favorites for this year’s NBA championship, the Brooklyn Nets, in the second round of the NBA playoffs. This comes after Giannis Antetokounmpo and Kevin Durant put on battle for the ages in Game 7 that saw the Bucks edge out the Nets […]

The Utah Jazz had high expectations heading into the 2021 NBA playoffs, especially after they finished the regular season with the best record in the league. Unfortunately, they came up short in the Western Conference semifinals after they lost to the Los Angeles Clippers in six games. What made Utah’s exit more disappointing is the […]

The Utah Jazz missed a massive opportunity to advance to the Western Conference Finals after Los Angeles Clippers forward Kawhi Leonard went down with a knee injury after Game 4. Even without their franchise superstar, the Clippers managed to take down the no. 1 team in the NBA and made history by going to their […]

The San Antonio Spurs are the winningest NBA franchise over the last two decades, having made the postseason 22 consecutive times since the 1997-98 season. Over this stretch, San Antonio won four championships in the span of nine years and gutted out another one in 2014 with their renowned legendary Big Three of Tim Duncan, […]

Giannis Antetokounmpo and the Milwaukee Bucks fought to live another day after defeating Kevin Durant and the Brooklyn Nets in a must-win Game 6 on Thursday. This only means that arguably the most anticipated Eastern Conference series is now headed to a deciding contest. On a blockbuster Saturday night, basketball fans will hear the two […]

Kevin Durant deserves all the praise in the world after he put up arguably the greatest performance of his career to lift the Brooklyn Nets to a come-from-behind Game 5 win over the Milwaukee Bucks. In the same way, the Bucks deserve all kinds of slander for their colossal second half meltdown that now puts […]

It was hard to envision any team stopping the Brooklyn Nets led by their trio of Kevin Durant, James Harden, and Kyrie Irving on their way to the 2021 NBA championship. However, due to unfortunate luck with injuries, the prized Big Three is now down to a Big One, at least for Brooklyn’s Game 5 […]

The 2021 NBA playoffs are heating up with the race to the Larry O’Brien trophy getting tighter and it’s still anybody’s ball game at this point. This season figures to be a historical one for the remaining protagonists. Five of the remaining franchises — the L.A. Clippers, Brooklyn Nets, Utah Jazz, Phoenix Suns, and Denver […]

Joel Embiid and the Philadelphia 76ers stole back home-court advantage from the Atlanta Hawks in convincing fashion by winning Game 3 to the tune of a 127-111 blowout on Friday night. Philadelphia dominated from the get-go and while Atlanta managed to close the gap to end the first half, the Sixers put their foot on […]

The Milwaukee Bucks blew a massive first quarter lead and nearly faltered in the end, but came up clutch down the stretch to prevent themselves from falling to an impossible 3-0 hole in their second round series against the Brooklyn Nets. It certainly looked like another one of those playoff meltdowns from Milwaukee after Kevin […]

The Denver Nuggets found no answers for the second half barrage the Phoenix Suns put together in Game 1. Phoenix’s defense turned it up a notch as they also found their rhythm offensively to take the 122-105 win in front of a raucous home crowd. Denver will need to make some adjustments as they look […]

Blake Griffin on the Brooklyn Nets looks like a completely different player from the one that looked like an embarrassment with the Detroit Pistons this season. The 32-year old played uninspired basketball to begin his 11th NBA campaign with a Pistons team that was clearly headed for another bottom of the standings finish this 2020-21 […]