Mike Cruz Articles - Page 75

The Boston Celtics regular season struggles continued tonight after they fell to the Chicago Bulls 126-116. It seems like the Celtics have a long way to go in ironing out the rut they are currently in, and big man Al Horford believes that they should focus on addressing their woes right now, per A. Sherrod […]

Russell Westbrook never fails to let his opponents know when he embarrasses them. The Oklahoma City Thunder superstar swatted away Sacramento Kings guard Buddy Hield’s fastbreak layup attempt, and let him know about it with some added profanity. Watch the play below posted by the official Thunder Twitter account: .@russwest44 is not about to let […]

The Los Angeles Lakers are growing more frustrated by the day as they are struggling to find consistency in the final stretch of the regular season. Their frustration is evident on Lance Stephenson late in the game against the New Orleans Pelicans. The referees gave Stephenson a technical foul after pretending to throw the ball […]

Comedians Desus Nice and The Kid Mero both made their hard pitches for Golden State Warriors superstar Kevin Durant to join the New York Knicks. The TV personalities appeared on First We Feast for the Spicy Wings challenge, and took the opportunity to recruit the two-time Finals MVP to The Big Apple. Mero promised to brush KD’s […]

The Boston Celtics stood pat on their roster during the NBA trade deadline frenzy a couple of weeks ago. And it seems more than likely that team president Danny Ainge will keep his roster unchanged for the rest of the season. In fact, former player-turned-executive doesn’t believe that Boston needs to fill in any more […]

Utah Jazz head coach Quin Snyder believes that Oklahoma City Thunder superstar Paul George deserves to be in the MVP conversation, per ESPN. Snyder’s statements came on the heels of a another masterclass performance from PG13 in their double-overtime thriller against the Jazz. “Tip your hat to him for making that play,” Snyder said. “It’s […]

Paul George of the Oklahoma City Thunder put down a nasty windmill flush in the overtime period of their double-OT thriller against the Utah Jazz. After the game, PG13 told reporters that he meant to send a statement to the Jazz and that he wanted to let them know that his legs were feeling fresh […]

Former NBA guard MarShon Brooks will once again take his talents to China, according to Sportando. Brooks will be following in the footsteps of forward Michael Beasley on the Guangdong Southern Tigers of the Chinese Basketball Association. According to the report, he will replace former Atlanta Hawks guard Malcolm Delaney on the roster. This will be Brooks’ […]

Boston Celtics forward Gordon Hayward is an avid gamer, so it’s no surprise he’s enjoying his All-Star break by playing video games. The 28-year-old forward appeared on a live stream Monday and was caught getting denied one more game by his wife, Robyn. Hayward, like the good husband he is, followed his wife’s orders and […]

DeMarcus Cousins is known to have one of the shortest fuses in the NBA. The Golden State Warriors big man has always been a regular customer for technical fouls and fines from the league. However, Cousins has appeared to be in a good mood these days. According to Tim Kawakami of The Athletic, the four-time […]

James Harden will need to be at his absolute best if the Houston Rockets want a run at the NBA championship. For this to happen, the reigning MVP will have to be in tip-top condition. In an exclusive interview with ESPN’s Rachel Nichols, Harden shared that he is doing a lot more weightlifting this season […]

So the 2019 NBA Slam Dunk Contest has come to pass. And that’s what happened. It just passed. Another year, another forgettable contest. Sure, Hamidou Diallo’s insane Vince Carter-esque elbow dunk over a 7-foot-1 Hall of Famer in Shaquille O’Neal will go down as an instant classic. .@hamidoudiallo did THAT.#ATTSlamDunk pic.twitter.com/cfmCCDtclZ — NBA TV (@NBATV) February 17, […]

The NBA All-Star Weekend is always one of the most anticipated events in the NBA calendar year. The Celebrity game and the Rising Stars Challenge kick-off the weekend on Friday, while Saturday’s festivities include the Skills Challenge, the Three-Point Shootout, and the Slam Dunk Contest. Last but not least would be the main event of […]

Brooklyn Nets sharpshooter Joe Harris edged out all-time great shooter Stephen Curry of the Golden State Warriors in the final round of the Mountain Dew Three-Point Shootout. However, Harris downplayed his impressive feat and said that Curry is still the greatest shooter of all time, per Mark Medina of The Mercury News. “Steph is the […]

Stephen Curry of the Golden State Warriors and Seth Curry of the Portland Trailblazers placed a major bet prior to All-Star Saturday night’s Mountain Dew Three-point Contest. The brothers agreed on the terms that the loser of the shootout will have to pay for all the family’s tickets any time they play each other for the […]

Brooklyn Nets guard D’Angelo Russell has had a spectacular breakout campaign in his fourth season in the NBA. Before this season, however, many had doubted Russell’s ability to be a lead point guard of a franchise after falling out with the Los Angeles Lakers. Surely, he has proven that this year, as his stellar play […]

Luka Doncic of the Dallas Mavericks is enjoying his first taste of the annual NBA All-Star extravaganza in mid-February during the Rising Stars challenge. Just before the game, the Slovenian sensation can’t help but be amazed with the All-Star festivities and added that the Euroleague should have something like this, too. "There are no all-star […]

According to Michael Wallace of Grizzlies.com, the Memphis Grizzlies are signing forward Bruno Caboclo to a multi-year deal going through next season: The @memgrizz are signing forward Bruno Caboclo to a multiyear deal that includes the rest of this season and next season, I'm told. Deal comes after Bruno concluded his second 10-day contract in […]

Atlanta Hawks rookie Trae Young made waves in college basketball last year with his insane long-distance shots. Most people view Young as a three-point specialist, and many compared his game to two-time MVP Stephen Curry. However, head coach Lloyd Pierce believes that Young’s best skill is his passing and noted that this often gets overlooked, per […]

Denver Nuggets guard Monte Morris is having a breakout sophomore campaign and is one of the most pleasant surprises of the 2018-19 season. However, despite this, Morris did not make the 20-man cut for Friday night’s Rising Stars Challenge to tip off All-Star Weekend. After another huge contribution from Morris in their 103-87 victory over the […]

Los Angeles Clippers super sub Lou Williams was in his bag on Monday night, scoring a season-high 45 points. In fact, Williams’ 45 points were the most by a reserve since 2009: Lou Williams' 45 points off the bench are the most by any reserve since J.R. Smith on April 13, 2009. #Clippers — Tomer […]

On Monday night, James Harden got his 30-for-30. The Houston Rockets superstar guard notched his 30th straight 30-point game in their 120-104 victory over the Dallas Mavericks. It wasn’t an easy stroll for the reigning MVP. In fact, Harden came close to missing the contest against the Mavericks, as he was apparently dealing with a shoulder […]

Saturday night marked the first time that Marc Gasol donned a different jersey aside from the usual dark blue of the Memphis Grizzlies. The Spanish big man made his debut for the Toronto Raptors after they traded for him just hours before the NBA’s trade deadline last February 7. Gasol opened up about his first […]

It only took the New York Knicks a few hours to grant their disgruntled star Kristaps Porzingis his wish of getting traded from the franchise. Shortly after the Latvian big man expressed his desire to be traded, the Knicks dealt him to the Dallas Mavericks in what many perceived to be a salary dump move […]

Dallas Mavericks super rookie Luka Doncic fired back at a since-deleted tweet by Bleacher Report and explained his comparison between scoring in the NBA and in Europe. In the post, Doncic reiterated that it’s easier to score in the NBA because the court is much smaller in Europe and there is no defensive three-second rule […]

The Sacramento Kings have come a long way from being the NBA’s laughingstock. Now that they’re no longer the jokes of the Association and one of the more exciting teams, the Kings have become more confident. So confident, in fact, that their official Twitter account felt comfortable enough to throw some major shade at one of the […]

Another game, another triple-double for Russell Westbrook. In fact, the Oklahoma City Thunder star guard actually notched a rare quadruple-double in their showdown against the Houston Rockets on Saturday night, though the fourth stat isn’t necessarily a glamour one. Westbrook finished his night with 21 points, 12 rebounds, 11 assists, and (yep, you guessed it) 10 […]

Milwaukee Bucks general manager Jon Horst thinks Giannis Antetokounmpo is already a lock to win MVP this season. In addition, he believes the Greek Freak deserves more consideration to win the Defensive Player of the Year award. Below is his full pitch for Antetokounmpo’s cases for the two awards, per Ben Golliver of The Washington […]

Houston Rockets point guard Chris Paul has moved up to 11th on the all-time steals ladder, per the official Twitter account of the NBA. With his second steal on the night, Paul captured his 2,076th career steal, surpassing long-time NBA veteran guard Mookie Blaylock, who finished his career with 2,075 steals.   Congrats to @CP3 […]

Detroit Pistons forward Blake Griffin got another quarter off given the way the Pistons were hammering the New York Knicks in the fourth quarter. Griffin, per ESPN, appreciates the rests he’s been getting recently in the fourth quarter of games because of how the Pistons have been performing throughout their mini winning streak. “Beyond the […]

Luka Doncic of the Dallas Mavericks has seen the best of two worlds, both as a star in Europe and as a rookie sensation in the NBA. With his experiences at two of the best basketball leagues in the world, Doncic said that it’s easier to score in the NBA compared to the Euroleague, per […]

Phoenix Suns rookie Deandre Ayton was happy with how his team performed despite the loss at the hands of the defending champion Golden State Warriors. Per the Phoenix Suns official Twitter page, Ayton added that the Suns are maturing despite their youth and that their game tonight showed that they can compete and challenge any […]

Dallas Mavericks rookie sensation Luka Doncic will surely miss his now former teammate Salah Mejri. In fact, Doncic gives the 32-year old veteran a ton of credit for helping him transition into the NBA, according to Brice Paterik of Mavs Money Ball. “I wouldn’t be the player I am today without @50Mejri helping me get […]

Jayson Tatum of the Boston Celtics is looking to improve on other aspects of his offensive game. According to Adam Himmelsbach of The Boston Globe, the sophomore star is working on increasing his trips to the charity stripe. Tatum on getting to the line: "The type of player I want to be, all the guys […]

The Philadelphia 76ers’ newly-acquired swingman in Tobias Harris is quietly having a season for the record books, and it seems like this part about the Sixers scorer has gone overlooked, according to Keith Smith of Yahoo Sports. Feels like it has gone overlooked that Tobias Harris is pushing the heck out of a 50/40/90 season. […]

The Boston Celtics arguably have the best package to offer in the league-wide sweepstakes for New Orleans Pelicans big man Anthony Davis. President Danny Ainge has a stockpile of intriguing young players and first-round draft picks that he can present to the Pelicans in exchange for their disgruntled superstar. The most intriguing of those assets […]

Giannis Antetokounmpo may very well be on his way to winning his first MVP in the NBA. Moreover, he has propelled Milwaukee to the top of the Eastern Conference and will look to lead them to a deep playoff run this year. Despite carrying a lot on his broad shoulders this season, Antetokounmpo also has […]

ESPN’s Brian Windhorst mentioned on the latest edition of The Hoop Collective podcast that the Milwaukee Bucks are looking for takers on Tony Snell. Snell is currently on Milwaukee’s books for $10.6 million this season, this being the second year of his four-year $44 million deal. He is set to make $11.4 million next season […]

Houston Rockets superstar James Harden almost accomplished a rare gem of a feat in their 125-98 romping of the Utah Jazz on Saturday night. The Beard came close to notching his first career five-by-five game, but was one block shy of getting it. Still, he ended his night with an astonishing line of 43 points, […]