Paolo Mariano Articles - Page 5

Nothing excites the NBA more than the incessant drama surrounding LeBron James and the Los Angeles Lakers. Or so it seems like it. With how the season unfolded for the Purple & Gold, it feels like everyone who’s not part of the team is thoroughly enjoying the trainwreck. Russell Westbrook already called out LeBron James […]

The Golden State Warriors are back in the NBA Playoffs after a two-year absence. But it won’t be easy cherry-picking for them in the first round, as they face reigning MVP Nikola Jokic and the Denver Nuggets. But for what it’s worth, according to a story by NBC Sports Bay Area, the Warriors avoided a […]

Marvin Bagley III had a strong finish to the season after being shipped by the Sacramento Kings to the Detroit Pistons at the trade deadline. One could argue that it was the best stretch of his injury-plagued NBA career since his rookie campaign. While Bagley remains a solid player with versatility and athleticism, his largely […]

Things could’ve gone better for Jamahl Mosley in his first season as coach of the Orlando Magic. They finished with a measly 22-60 record, second-worst in the NBA behind the Houston Rockets. Still, Mosley should be proud. He has truly come a long way since being an unknown journeyman player, suiting up for obscure teams […]

The shocking death of Dwayne Haskins was truly heartbreaking. The entire NFL community is still picking up the pieces following the terribly sad news. Many will remember the 24-year-old quarterback as a good soul with a clear vision. In a touching story, The Undefeated’s William Rhoden recalled a memorable moment he had with Haskins in […]

When the superstars are away, the, um, not-so superstars will play. That has been the familiar case in the NBA when the regular season winds down, as teams choose to err on the side of caution and sit their top guns to avoid tempting fate. This season was no different. On Sunday, as many of […]

The Utah Jazz and the Sacramento Kings are on opposite sides of the NBA spectrum. While the Jazz continue to be a solid contender, the Kings have become the laughingstock of the league. It is where careers go to waste, as the squad has missed the NBA Playoffs for 16 straight seasons—the record for longest […]

When NBA legends Shaquille O’Neal and Charles Barkley make a bet, you know it’s gonna be good. On Sunday, the two frenemies made a hilarious wager on NBA on TNT if the Miami Heat and the Brooklyn Nets face off in the NBA Playoffs. The Big Diesel, who helped the Heat win a championship in […]

When Minnesota Timberwolves star Anthony Edwards said his goal is to be the GOAT, he was not kidding. On Thursday night, he once again showed why he’s one of the brightest young stars in the NBA, scoring a career-high 49 points to lead the Timberwolves to a 127-121 win over the San Antonio Spurs. He […]

At this point, it feels like New Orleans Pelicans star Zion Williamson hasn’t played in the NBA since the Creation of Man. Even before the season started, several reports hinted that the burly big man would suit up, but clearly, his recovery from his foot injury has taken longer than expected for the Pelicans. He, […]

Two things that are impossible: 1. Licking own elbow and 2. Talking about golf history without mentioning Tiger Woods. Woods is back at it in the Masters, looking to claim his sixth crown and tie fellow legend Jack Nicklaus for the most wins in tournament history. Woods’ return was surprising to some, especially after his […]

The NFL lost another pillar on Thursday with the passing of legendary tackle Rayfield Wright. He was 76 years old. The cause of Wright’s death remains unclear but it was reported that he was hospitalized after suffering a severe seizure. His passing was announced by the Pro Football Hall of Fame, with president Jim Porter […]

Ah, the Los Angeles Lakers. Many things have been said about the team over the last few hours for missing the NBA Playoffs. But it doesn’t hurt to add more, right? Not unless you’re the Lakers, who are actually hurting. On Wednesday, Golden State Warriors coach Steve Kerr was asked on 95.7 The Game about […]

There’s no other way to put it, but the Chicago Bulls are in a funk. They have now lost three straight games after getting blown out by the Boston Celtics on Wednesday night, 117-94. The slump couldn’t come at a worse time for the Bulls, who have lost their chance to gain homecourt advantage in […]

Nothing like a crosstown rivalry to fire up opposing teams. The New York Knicks hosted the Brooklyn Nets on Wednesday and Madison Square Garden got rocking again. The Knicks set the tempo early on, taking a commanding 17-point lead after the first half. But the Nets hung tough, with Kevin Durant catching fire in the […]

Trae Young continues to torch the hoop after leading the Atlanta Hawks to another critical win. They beat the Washington Wizards on Wednesday night, 118-103, building more momentum as they go through the play-in tournament. Young caught fire in the third period, scattering 16 of his game-high 30 points to allow the Hawks to break […]

Just in case you haven’t heard, the Los Angeles Lakers are out of the NBA Playoffs. For the die-hard fans of the Purple & Gold, saying it out loud helps: THE LOS ANGELES LAKERS ARE OUT OF THE NBA PLAYOFFS! One of the biggest questions, obviously—aside from HOW ARE THE LOS ANGELES LAKERS OUT OF […]

Even before the start of the season, Jordan Poole was expected to take on a bigger role for the Golden State Warriors, as Klay Thompson continues to recuperate from his two-year absence. Clearly, Poole did that and more. The Warriors guard is one of the contenders for the Most Improved Player of the Year trophy, […]

Justin Fields was touted as the new face of the Chicago Bears when he was selected as the 11th overall pick last year. While he didn’t have a great rookie stint, he was pretty solid. But clearly, the learning curve is still high, and the young quarterback knows it. That’s why he’s been putting in […]

The Los Angeles Rams will look to add more weapons via the upcoming NFL Draft to shore up their roster and defend the Super Bowl title. While there are plenty of options, one guy already feels he would be the perfect fit for the team. Defensive lineman Ali Fayad of Western Michigan saw his stock […]

Stefon Diggs is reportedly hinting at a restructured contract with the Buffalo Bills. With fellow star wide receivers Davante Adams and Tyreek Hill getting lucrative deals with the Las Vegas Raiders and Miami Dolphins, respectively, it’s hard to blame Diggs to angle for the same. In recent weeks, the Bills WR has been hinting at […]

The Brooklyn Nets will take any victory at this point to improve their position in the play-in tournament. On Tuesday night, they bucked a relatively slow start, punctuated by a silly scramble, to score a 118-105 win over the Houston Rockets. The Nets almost saw their 21-point lead evaporate in the fourth quarter after the […]

The Philadelphia 76ers have been all sorts of dangerous since acquiring James Harden from the Brooklyn Nets in a trade centered around Ben Simmons. Harden has been a perfect fit alongside Joel Embiid, as the Sixers continue their ascent heading into the NBA Playoffs. The Sixers beat the Indiana Pacers on Tuesday night, 131-122 to […]

Here’s a suggestion: Just give the Sixth Man of the Year trophy to Tyler Herro already. The high-scoring guard had another stellar performance off the bench on Tuesday night, leading the Miami Heat to a 144-115 drubbing of the Charlotte Hornets. Herro scored a career-high 35 points in 34 minutes. He shot an efficient 11-of-18 […]

Looking for beautiful basketball with such purity that would make you love the game even more? This ain’t it. Even the Brooklyn Nets and the Houston Rockets would agree. The two teams faced off at Barclays Center on Tuesday night and in the dying moments of the second quarter, it looked like they were just […]

The Chicago Bulls are facing the grim prospect of not having Lonzo Ball in the NBA Playoffs. He is reportedly done for the season after suffering another setback with his left knee injury. Just a few weeks ago, there was optimism that Lonzo might return and help the Bulls make a deep run, especially with […]

North Carolina put up an all-out stand against Kansas in the NCAA title game on Monday night. Perhaps no other moment clearly personified that than Puff Johnson’s vomit incident in the second half. With just a little over four minutes left, and Kansas leading by two points, Johnson got hit in the stomach and fell […]

Kansas finally ended its NCAA title drought and captured its first trophy since 2008 after completing a come-from-behind win over North Carolina on Monday night, 72-69. Kansas made a fiery rally in the second half to erase a 15-point deficit, making it the biggest comeback victory in NCAA championship game history, surpassing Kentucky’s 10-point rally […]

Have you seen the movie Any Given Sunday? The one wherein a star football player, played by Jamie Foxx, vomited before every game. Well, life imitated art on Monday night in the NCAA title game after North Carolina guard Puff Johnson puked on the floor. With just a little over four minutes left in a […]

While receiving less fanfare compared to other draft classes, this season’s crop of rookies might go down as one of the most talented bunches. The race for the Rookie of the Year should be a tight one among Cleveland Cavaliers forward Evan Mobley, Detroit Pistons guard Cade Cunningham, and Toronto Raptors forward Scottie Barnes. Barnes […]

NBA legend Dirk Nowitzki will forever be beloved by the Dallas Mavericks. But while he’s always happy when he’s at the American Airlines Center, there’s one place he enjoys going to more. Ready? The Perot Museum of Nature and Science. In a story by the Dallas Morning News, the Mavericks icon admitted that he and […]

There’s no denying that Miami Heat guard Duncan Robinson is widely regarded as one of the best shooters in the NBA. His rise from being an undrafted player into one of the most dangerous three-point specialists in the league is uncanny. He has inspired many others to follow suit. While he didn’t exactly go the […]

Miami Heat guard Kyle Lowry has played in many big games during his stellar career. But emotionally, perhaps none was bigger than their game against the Toronto Raptors at Scotiabank Arena on Sunday night. It was Lowry’s first return to Toronto since 2020, and as expected, it was a sellout crowd, with close to 20,000 […]

The San Antonio Spurs cannot afford to lose any of their remaining games in the regular season if they want to squeeze into the play-in tournament. On Sunday night, they scored a critical win over the Portland Trail Blazers to erect a two-win lead over the Los Angeles Lakers, who lost to the Denver Nuggets, […]

South Carolina is back atop the zenith of NCAA women’s basketball after beating the University of Connecticut for the national title, 64-49 on Sunday night. The top-seeded Gamecocks started the game on fire, outscoring the second-seeded Huskies, 22-8 in the opening frame. They then held Paige Bueckers and company to just 12 points in the […]

The Los Angeles Lakers are on the brink of having an early vacation after suffering another critical loss on Sunday night. Without LeBron James, who sat out to rest his sprained ankle, the Lakers couldn’t overcome the Denver Nuggets, 129-118 to fall to 31-47. With their sixth straight defeat, the Lakers are now two wins […]

Safe to say, the Denver Nuggets were happy with their win over the Los Angeles Lakers on Sunday night. Star player Nikola Jokic and coach Mike Malone, in particular, were quite pleased with their performance. To quote the eminent philosopher Larry David, they felt pretty, pretty, pretty good. The Nuggets blasted the Lakers, 129-118 to […]

At this point, it seems the Los Angeles Lakers are left with no other choice but to remain stubborn about their chances to squeeze into the Play-In tournament. They are desperately trying to salvage a campaign that was filled with high hopes after the formation of the trio of LeBron James, Anthony Davis, and Russell […]

Tensions flared during the game between the Denver Nuggets and Indiana Pacers on Wednesday night, with Austin Rivers and Lance Stephenson as the main protagonists. With eight minutes left in the fourth quarter, Rivers shoved Stephenson after he felt he got hit. The Nuggets guard then faked an elbow toward the Pacers veteran, earning him […]