R.P. Salao Articles - Page 3

Hall of Famer Magic Johnson has had his fair share of battles with the Boston Celtics over the years. The Los Angeles Lakers great had never witnessed them throw in the towel like they did on Sunday night. The Celtics were obliterated in Game 3, 128-102. It’s not the series-clinching win just yet, but with […]

Jamal Murray is the leading scorer of the 2023 Western Conference Finals. He’s made big shot after big shot, putting the Denver Nuggets up 3-0 in the series. It’s hard to imagine that once upon a time he was being dangled as trade bait for a “bigger name”. Speaking to reporters following their Game 3 […]

Nikola Jokic is leading the Denver Nuggets to the promised land. The two-time Most Valuable Player is a handful of wins away from adding an NBA title to his resume. We’ve heard all about guys like LeBron James and other stars going on a social media blackout during the playoffs in order to lock in […]

There’s more than one reason the Los Angeles Lakers are down 0-3 in the Western Conference Finals. But even the most ardent D’Angelo Russell defenders would have to agree he’d be on the list. It isn’t just the eye test that tells the story either, as CP Lakers beat reporter Michael Corvo points out that […]

There are fewer players with a higher approval rating in Denver right now than Jamal Murray. The Nuggets guard has been on a tear thus far in the Western Conference Finals and is a pivotal piece that helped bring them a win away from the NBA Finals. Murray’s hit so many big shots during their […]

Grant Williams is catching a ton of, well, heat over supposedly poking the bear in Jimmy Butler. The Miami Heat star and the Boston Celtics forward got into it for a moment midway through the fourth quarter of Game 2. From there, the game and effectively the series tilted the way of Miami. The Heat […]

The Boston Celtics held a nine-point lead thanks to a Grant Williams three-pointer with just over six minutes left in Game 2. From that point on, Jimmy Butler and the Miami Heat took over. The Heat outscored the Celtics 24-9 the rest of the way as Butler seemingly flipped the switch and hit several big […]

Austin Reaves has been the third star the Los Angeles Lakers have needed in the Western Conference Finals thus far. But he looked like a different kind of star during the Game 2 postgame press conference. Austin Reaves was somewhat disheveled during the presser, with his messy hair and black shirt reminding fans of some […]

The Los Angeles Lakers are staring up at the Denver Nuggets from inside a pretty deep hole after their Game 2 loss. But LeBron James knows it’s a far from insurmountable climb to make. The Lakers star spoke out on the 0-2 deficit they’ll need to overcome in order to punch their ticket to the […]

The Blazers were ever so close to landing Victor Wembanyama in the 2023 NBA Draft. But alas, the generational prospect from France is headed to the San Antonio Spurs while Portland settles for the 3rd overall pick. There’s a reality wherein the Blazers once again cash in on their lottery pick for the second consecutive […]

There was no better landing spot for Victor Wembanyama than the San Antonio Spurs. A certain fellow Frenchman named Tony Parker is a big reason why. The prized prospect of the 2023 NBA Draft is all but officially set to don the silver and black next season, following the footsteps of Parker and Boris Diaw. […]

Michael Porter Jr. played all but two minutes of the fourth quarter in the Denver Nuggets’ Game 1 win over the Los Angeles Lakers on Tuesday night. Nuggets head coach Michael Malone trusted Porter Jr. to close out the game, which got much more interesting towards the end than they would’ve liked. But if Malone […]

For one brief shining moment in Washington Wizards history, they had the best lottery odds of landing Victory Wembanyama in the 2023 NBA Draft. But that moment didn’t last long, as the San Antonio Spurs swooped in and ended up with the franchise-altering talent. The NBA draft lottery gives teams ownership of 4-number combinations of […]

The Denver Nuggets have looked every bit the part of the Western Conference’s number-one seed. They’ve thoroughly dispatched the Minnesota Timberwolves and a depleted Phoenix Suns side with relative ease. Now, they face their biggest challenge yet in the Los Angeles Lakers, a rematch of the 2020 NBA Bubble Western Conference Finals. With Nuggets-Lakers set […]

The expectations surrounding the Oklahoma City Thunder are going to be higher than they’ve been in a long time next season. After making it one win away from both a .500 record and a playoff berth, the natural progression would be to make the postseason. Armed with a thousand first-round picks, budding youngsters on rookie […]

LeBron James, Anthony Davis, and the Los Angeles Lakers have punched their ticket to the Western Conference Finals and a date with the Denver Nuggets. That’s thanks in large part to the heralded contributions of an older white prospect. It’s 2020 all over again, folks. Austin Reaves owns the hearts of several Lakers fans for […]

The Golden State Warriors have some major decisions to make this offseason regarding key personnel. Longtime General Manager Bob Myers is a part of that list. The Washington Wizards, who parted ways with their GM Tommy Sheppard shortly after their season ended, are reportedly waiting on the conclusion of the Myers-Warriors negotiations, according to NBA […]

The Phoenix Suns saw their dreams dashed in unceremonious fashion, getting blown out on their own home floor in Game 6 against the Denver Nuggets. They cashed in all their chips to acquire Kevin Durant via trade midway through the season. That proved to not be enough as injuries and a weak supporting cast afflicted […]

Trey Lance saw his sophomore season cut short after suffering an ankle fracture in Week 2. The San Francisco 49ers quarterback missed the rest of the campaign which was a huge blow to his development in what’s inarguably the most demanding position in football. However, the lower leg injury wasn’t the only thing that held […]

The Philadelphia 76ers blew a golden opportunity to punch their ticket to the Eastern Conference Finals on Thursday night. Now, the Sixers will have to win a do-or-die Game 7 against the Celtics in Boston. That feat in itself won’t be easy. Taking Doc Rivers’ track record into consideration won’t make fans feel any better […]

Matt Araiza, a former sixth-round pick of the Buffalo Bills in the 2022 NFL Draft, has been embroiled in controversy before his professional career even began. The SDSU Aztecs star punter was named as one of the defendants in an alleged gang rape of a 17-year-old minor that was said to have occurred at a […]

Denver Nuggets big man Nikola Jokic and Phoenix Suns owner Mat Ishbia seemed to have buried the hatchet. Before Game 5, the Serbian center came up to Ishbia and offered him a peace offering in the form of a basketball. The two shared a side hug before Jokic went back to warming up on the […]

The Golden State Warriors failed to execute down the stretch against the Los Angeles Lakers. The home side – led by Lonnie Walker of all people – hit the big shots and got the right stops to seal the deal in Game 4. The Warriors gave Walker and the Lakers praise for outplaying them down […]

The Golden State Warriors and Los Angeles Lakers came down to the wire in Game 4. Three points ended up being the difference, which made Jordan Poole’s goose egg on the box score even more glaring. It wasn’t easy for Warriors fans to stomach Lonnie Walker’s 15-point fourth quarter ultimately being the final boost LA […]

The Denver Nuggets-Phoenix Suns Game 4 came down to the wire on Sunday. The game stayed close even until the final minute, which meant every point counted in Phoenix’s 129-124 win over Denver. That’s why Devin Booker gave new Suns team owner Mat Ishbia a shoutout for netting them an extra point. Ishbia got entangled […]

LeBron James hasn’t been quiet about wanting nothing more than to play with his son, Bronny James, in the NBA. The Los Angeles Lakers superstar has that vision as one of his motivating factors as he continues to wrestle with Father Time. Bronny recently made his commitment to the USC Trojans which keeps him not […]

Just 48 hours after the Golden State Warriors pummeled the Los Angeles Lakers in Game 2, the roles were reversed for Game 3. The Warriors, coming off two massive road wins in their first-round series against the Sacramento Kings, were taken for a ride in Crypto.com Arena in what ended up as a 30-point defeat. […]

The Memphis Grizzlies have made it clear that Dillon Brooks is not a part of their future. Recent reports have swirled about their intentions to cut ties with the six-year veteran. Desmond Bane, who shared a locker room with Brooks for three years, was asked about his sentiments on Memphis moving on from the polarizing […]

Will history repeat itself in Green Bay? That’s what the Packers are hoping as they move on from their longtime quarterback Aaron Rodgers and enter a new era led by new signal-caller Jordan Love. Three years after similarly moving on from Brett Favre, the Packers won with his heir apparent waiting in the wings in […]

Seven-time Formula 1 World Champion Lewis Hamilton has never been bashful to speak out on issues beyond the race track. The F1 global icon exhibited the same as the grid heads to Florida for the Miami Grand Prix this coming weekend. Hamilton spoke out against the state’s controversial “Don’t Say Gay” Law signed in by […]

Jordan Poole had a shot at glory during the dying seconds of Game 1. With the Golden State Warriors down three points, he took it upon himself to go for the tie with the game on the line. The Warriors guard pulled up from nearly 30 feet and clanked his shot off the side of […]

The Golden State Warriors couldn’t complete the comeback against the Los Angeles Lakers in Game 1. Despite the disheartening loss, it’s far from a panicked environment inside the locker room. Klay Thompson spoke candidly on the mental shift going from Game 7 against the Sacramento Kings to suddenly facing off in a news series against […]

UPDATE: After initially announcing “I’m back”, Joel Embiid states that a return for Sixers-Celtics Game 2 remains “a possibility” but not yet a foregone conclusion. Joel Embiid on status for Game 2: “It's a possibility, just like it was a possibility the first game…Obviously, I wanna play.” Said he'll be listening to the doctors and […]

Draymond Green didn’t let Domantas Sabonis off the hook for not exchanging pleasantries after the Golden State Warriors eliminated the Sacramento Kings in seven games. Green claims he “lost respect” for the big man for darting towards the locker room following the 120-100 defeat. “Lost a lot of respect for Sabonis,” Green said. “You don’t shake […]

Jonathan Kuminga played a grand total of 36 minutes in the Golden State Warriors’ first-round series win over the Sacramento Kings. Could he be in store for a bigger role against LeBron James and the Los Angeles Lakers? Warriors head coach Steve Kerr was asked about the possibility of Kuminga getting extended run against the […]

Game 1 between the Philadelphia 76ers and Boston Celtics came down to the wire. James Harden‘s masterful performance – and go-ahead three-pointer with less than 10 seconds left in the game – ultimately became the difference as the Sixers struck first in the East Semis series. The Celtics will undoubtedly come out with a sense […]

The NBA world has been blessed with one of the most compelling second-round series in a very long time as the Golden State Warriors take on the Los Angeles Lakers. What’s not to love about a Stephen Curry-LeBron James grudge match with legacy points on the line? Before the punches begin to fly, the question […]

The Golden State Warriors will have millions of fans cheering for them when they take on the Los Angeles Lakers in the Western Conference semifinals. The list unfortunately doesn’t include Klay Thompson‘s dad. Asked about where former Lakers big man Mychal Thompson’s allegiances lie, Klay doesn’t think that blood will run thicker than his ties […]

Kyrie Irving was in full support of his former teammate LeBron James as the Los Angeles Lakers eliminated the Memphis Grizzlies on Friday night. The Dallas Mavericks free agent’s appearance could have been nothing more than one superstar athlete supporting another, but that won’t stop NBA Twitter from speculating about another team-up between the two […]