Noam Bernstein Articles - Page 18

Coming on the heels of a disappointing Conference Finals exit, Milwaukee Bucks star Giannis Antetokounmpo had some encouraging words for his team. He assured fans that while the team might not have the same regular season success next year, they will be playoff contenders for years to come: “I don’t promise we’re gonna get 61 […]

Canadian rapper Drake has been all over NBA headlines recently because of his courtside antics. Now, as the Toronto Raptors take on the Golden State Warriors in the NBA Finals, Drake is sure to be courtside for Game 1 and antagonize the Dubs like he did against the Milwaukee Bucks. However, Warriors head coach Steve […]

Golden State Warriors guard Shaun Livingston has announced that this could be his final NBA season as he contemplates whether to return to the league next year: Livingston reiterated that he will make a final decision on whether he wants to keep playing or not once the season comes to an end. Worth noting that […]

In a surprising prediction, FiveThirtyEight has ranked the Golden State Warrior’s chances of winning the NBA Finals as lower than the Toronto Raptors. Currently, their CARMELO forecast gives the Warriors a 41 percent chance to win it all, while giving the Raptors a 47 percent chance. This is a shocking prediction for a few reasons. […]

Portland Trail Blazers center Jusuf Nurkic sustained a heartbreaking injury that prevented the big man from participating in the team’s playoff run. The tibia and fibula fractures were devastating, but it looks like Nurkic is already making good progress on the way to recovery. He sat down with Brooke Olzendam to talk about his recovery […]

After pulling off an upset of the Milwaukee Bucks in Game 5 of the Conference Finals, head coach Nick Nurse and the Toronto Raptors hope to close out the series in Game 6 in the friendly confines of Scotiabank Arena. Nurse assured fans that he will be coaching Game 6 like it is an elimination […]

As the Phoenix Suns remake their coaching staff, the top contenders to help new head coach Monty Williams have emerged. According to Marc Stein of The New York Times, Steve Blake, Mark Bryant and Randy Ayers are the Suns’ top choices to join Williams on the bench In Phoenix, meanwhile, Steve Blake (Blazers staff), Randy […]

Rumors have been swirling about Golden State Warriors star Kevin Durant for months now. Most NBA pundits believe that the ten-time All-Star is destined to leave Golden State in the offseason, and look to start a new dynasty elsewhere. These whispers were addressed by Durant when a reporter referred to the Warriors play as “their […]

Rapper and Toronto Raptors ambassador Drake has been in the headlines lately not for his music, but for his actions at NBA games. The popular Canadian native has been very animated in his support for the Raptors. His actions include massaging head coach Nick Nurse, running up and down the sideline and loudly mocking Giannis […]

Murray State guard Ja Morant already has plenty of fans who have watched him come up from an unheralded school to superstardom, as he is now projected to be the No. 2 overall pick in next month’s NBA Draft. Now, you can count Miami Heat legend Dwyane Wade as one of them. The three-time NBA […]

If you’ve been watching the Toronto Raptors and Milwaukee Bucks face off in the Eastern Conference Finals, you’ve definitely seen hip-hop superstar Drake in the front row. The Canadian rapper is a huge Raptors fan and has been a mainstay in the courtside seats during the playoff run. Drake has already accrued some camera worth […]

Throughout his career, Houston Rockets guard James Harden has been maligned for his defensive abilities. Entire YouTube videos have been put together showing some of Harden’s horrendous defensive showings. Granted, Harden has improved as a defender. The days of him simply giving up on defense are over. However, he is still nowhere near a lockdown […]

Even though an NBA champion has yet to be crowned this year, rumors have already begun swirling on where next year’s free agents will end up. One popular rumor is that Golden State Warriors forward Kevin Durant and Boston Celtics guard Kyrie Irving are on their way to the New York Knicks. This could spell […]

Los Angeles Clippers guard Patrick Beverly is renowned around the league for his stingy defense. He was on the NBA All-Defensive Team in 2017, and the Second Team in 2014. Surprisingly, he did not make the team this year. Boston Celtics guard Marcus Smart and Milwaukee Bucks guard Eric Bledsoe took first-team honors. Beverly had […]

The NBA has become an analytics-driven league. Midrange jump shots are disappearing, the three-pointer continues to be emphasized, and positionless basketball is the new trend.  However, the more analytics-driven the league becomes, the more we see pushback from NBA players. Los Angles Lakers guard Josh Hart was the latest to rant on why he thinks […]

On Wednesday morning, Chicago Bulls legend Scottie Pippen went ESPN’s The Jump to discuss the Golden State Warriors sweep of the Portland Trail Blazers. When asked what he was impressed with most in the series, Pippen pointed out Stephen Curry’s excellent play. He then posed a question that the NBA has been asking for years: […]

Getting swept in a playoff series is painful for any NBA player. A sweep shows complete dominance over a team and is certainly embarrassing to anyone with a competitive spirit. So while the Conference Finals sweep will linger around the Portland Trail Blazers for a while, it will stick with Rodney Hood even longer. The […]

Portland Trail Blazers star Damian Lillard has been receiving a lot of heat for his performance in the Western Conference Finals that saw them got swept by the Golden State Warriors. Dame struggled mightily against the Dubs, and the fact that he failed to score at least 30 points in any of the games is […]

The Golden State Warriors were in high spirits after clinching their fifth straight NBA Finals appearance. The team had just pulled off a nail-biting overtime victory against the Portland Trail Blazers, and the players seemed carefree and joyous. Forward Draymond Green was so pleased with the Finals appearance that he offered a reporter tickets to […]

While he was an all-time great basketball player, Charles Barkley is not exactly known for his NBA predictions. Over the years, he has made some questionable picks, to say the least. The trend continued when the Golden State Warriors swept the Portland Trailblazers in the Western Conference Finals. Here is a clip of Barkley insisting […]

No matter the stage, little brothers will always be little brothers. Portland Trail Blazers guard Seth Curry proved this during the final game of the Western Conference Finals when he excitedly pointed out a clear travelling violation committed his brother, Stephen Curry of the Golden State Warriors. Seth calling Steph out for a travel is […]

The Golden State Warriors have dominated the NBA for the back end of the decade. It seems like the last time we haven’t seen the team play in the Finals was ages ago. Unsurprisingly, the team just tied a 60-year-old record for most consecutive NBA Finals appearances. The Dubs are the first team since the […]

Toronto Raptors forward Kawhi Leonard is known for having massive hands. They were measured to be 11.25 inches in width, meaning that you can almost stretch an entire ruler across his massive mitts. The aptly nicknamed “Klaw” wowed NBA fans in Game 3 of the Eastern Conference Finals by making a basketball look like a […]

The Minnesota Timberwolves landed the 11th selection in the 2019 NBA Draft. Though this isn’t the deepest draft class, the T’Wolves could still acquire a player that makes an immediate impact next season. Apparently, they have already made their decision: Gonzaga forward Rui Hachimura, according to Steve Kyler of Basketball Insiders. Heard Rui got a […]

Earlier this season, the NBA world went nuts when Golden State Warriors forwards Kevin Durant and Draymond Green got into a very public altercation during a game against the Los Angeles Clippers. Durant was annoyed Green did not get him the ball in the closing seconds of regulation and gave Green an earful. The fight […]

Toronto Raptors head coach Nick nurse announced to the media that he would tweak his lineup in Game 3 of the Eastern Conference Finals after falling behind 0-2 to the Milwaukee Bucks. Bucks head coach Mike Budenholzer was unintimidated by his counterpart’s move, telling the media that the lineup change will have little to no […]

The Golden State Warriors have been struck with the injury bug this offseason. Superstars Kevin Durant and DeMarcus Cousins have both missed several playoff games, while Andre Iguodala was recently declared as questionable due to calf tightness. So when Stephen Curry was asked if anyone in the league is 100 percent healthy, he had a […]

It seems like Denver Nuggets president Tim Connelly might lead a new franchise soon. According to Fred Katz of The Athletic, the Washington Wizards offered Connelly their president of basketball operations post. Connelly also met with team owner Ted Leonsis in Washington to discuss the opportunity. Sources with @ShamsCharania and @davidaldridgedc: The Wizards have offered […]

Marvin Bagley is a Duke product who once endured runaway draft hype. He gave advice to Duke’s most-hype draft prospect of all time: Zion Williamson. The Duke phenom known as Zion Williamson is a one-of-a-kind basketball specimen. Zion is perhaps the most hyped NBA Draft prospect since LeBron James came out of high school. Throughout […]

When the Portland Trail Blazers and Golden State Warriors meet on Tuesday for Game 1 of the Western Conference Finals, it will be the first time in history that two brothers face each other in the third round of the playoffs. Blazers guard Seth Curry and Warriors guard Stephen Curry might have grown up together, […]

After being a non-factor for five out of six games in the Eastern Conference semifinals, Toronto Raptors forward Serge Ibaka stepped up in Game 7. The Congolese national scored 17 points on 6-of-10 shooting and went 3 of 5 from distance.  He ended up playing nearly as many minutes as starter Danny Green and took […]

When the national spotlight turns to the Toronto Raptors, it usually focuses on star forward Kawhi Leonard. Guard Kyle Lowry has played second fiddle to the dominant forward all season, due to Leonard’s brilliance. However, Lowry isn’t too shabby himself. Teammate Marc Gasol praised his point guard in an interview with The Athletic’s Blake Murphy, […]

The Milwaukee Bucks are getting back a key player for the Eastern Conference Finals. Guard Malcolm Brogdon has announced that he is not only ready to go but feels 100-percent healthy. In an interview with Undefeated writer Marc Spears, Brogdon claimed that he is ready to help the Bucks face the Toronto Raptors after sitting […]

The Phoenix Suns are coming off a disappointing season in which they finished 19-63, bad enough that they finished last in the Western Conference. There were few bright spots throughout the season, and now the team will look to upgrade their roster once more this offseason. According to Hoop Central, one way the team will […]

The prevalent music taste in the NBA leans towards Hip Hop, RnB and Rap. However, Golden State Warriors sharpshooter Klay Thompson is bucking the trend. When asked what music he listens to when he meditates, he had an answer that might sound surprising to his fans and fellow NBA players. Klay reveals he listens to […]

DeMarcus Cousins remains hopeful that he’ll be able to return from injury these playoffs. However, Golden State Warriors head coach Steve Kerr says it’s unlikely the All-Star big man will play in the Western Conference Finals. During a media scrum on Monday, Kerr said that Cousins is continuing his rehab work. Nonetheless, there hasn’t been […]

Now that the Philadelphia 76ers have been knocked out of contention, all eyes have turned to where their pending free agents will end up next season. Jimmy Butler, J.J. Reddick and Tobias Harris could all potentially leave the City of Brotherly Love. Already, Vegas has released the odds of where the best defender of the […]

Before the Philadelphia 76ers’ 2018-19 season began, the team had set a firm goal. At a minimum, the team wanted to reach the Eastern Conference Finals. With the departure of LeBron James to the West Coast, the East seemed wide open. Unfortunately, the Sixers fell a hair short in the playoffs, losing on a buzzer-beater […]

The Los Angeles Lakers had one of their most disappointing seasons in years this 2018-19. Even after acquiring arguably the best player in the game, the team failed to reach the playoffs for a sixth straight year. The drama has unfortunately followed the team into the offseason. After nearly signing Tyronn Lue as head coach, […]