NBA Playoffs Articles - Page 258

The Washington Wizards knocked off the Indiana Pacers on Thursday in the play-in tournament and locked in a first-round battle with the Philadelphia 76ers. It’s a matchup featuring the No. 1 seed (76ers) and the No. 8 seed (Wizards). Although the Wizards are heavy underdogs in this series as the No. 8 seed, Philly knows […]

The Washington Wizards started the 2020-2021 NBA season with much disappointment. The Wizards started off the season with a 6-17 mark before somehow turning it around. Then, after a disheartening loss to the Boston Celtics in the first play-in game, they responded with a 142-115 thrashing of the Indiana Pacers to snag the 8-seed in […]

The Dallas Mavericks take on the Los Angeles Clippers in the first round of the NBA Playoffs. The Mavericks finished as the fifth seed, while the Clippers ended in fourth. It should be a heated battle between these two organizations. This series is loaded with stars. Luka Doncic leads the way in Dallas and is […]

The loss of Jamal Murray has dampened the Denver Nuggets’ hopes of winning a championship this year. Nevertheless, the Nuggets will still enter the 2021 NBA Playoffs with high expectations, especially with the kind of campaign franchise superstar Nikola Jokic had in the 2020-21 regular season. Despite finishing with the No. 3 seed, it isn’t […]

Luka Doncic and the Dallas Mavericks were able to lock in the No. 5 seed in the Western Conference and in doing so, avoided the play-in tournament. The reward for Dallas? A date with Kawhi Leonard, Paul George and the rest of the Los Angeles Clippers. It will not be easy for the Mavericks in […]

The Philadelphia 76ers now know they will be taking on the Washington Wizards in the first round of the 2021 NBA Playoffs. The Wizards pounded the Indiana Pacers in the play-in tournament to secure the No. 8 seed in the playoffs. Washington is dangerous as an 8-seed with two superstars in Russell Westbrook and Bradley […]

The Washington Wizards have punched their ticket into the postseason. They now have the unenviable task of trying to stop Philadelphia 76ers stars Joel Embiid and Ben Simmons. The Wizards have a non-zero chance of winning this series against the Sixers. But obviously that figure is realistically a lot closer to zero than even die-hard […]

As the Utah Jazz get set to try and back up their No. 1 seeding in the Western Conference with a championship one, it appears it’s all good vibes for the team entering the postseason. This year has been unique in many ways starting with a shortened 72-game season down to having the first ever […]

The Los Angeles Lakers are aiming to become the first team to win a championship from a bottom-two seed. Or, as Jared Dudley described their tall order: “The hardest challenge any team has ever had in NBA history.” Los Angeles, of course, is not your average 7-seed. The Lakers are coming off a title, and […]

Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban raised some eyebrows with recent comments about “dust-ups” between Luka Doncic and Kristaps Porzingis. With all the speculation about an icy relationship between the two Mavs stars, it was only natural to wonder just what was really going on. Porzingis responded soon after by saying he had no idea what […]

The Washington Wizards hammered the Indiana Pacers in the play-in tournament to secure a first-round date with the mighty Philadelphia 76ers. The top-seeded Sixers are the heavy favorite, but don’t tell that to Wizards head coach Scott Brooks. After demolishing the Pacers, the Wizards head coach started babbling about socks and why his team can […]

The San Antonio Spurs have officially missed the NBA playoffs for the second year in a row. Dejounte Murray and Co. were outlasted by the Memphis Grizzlies in the play-in tournament, 100-96. After the loss, the Spurs’ fifth-year guard sent out a heartfelt message to fans after the tumultuous year for the Silver and Black: […]

Fans were expecting a potential encounter between Russell Westbrook and the Washington Wizards and Kevin Durant and the Brooklyn Nets in the first round of the playoffs. But Jayson Tatum and the Boston Celtics sawed that dream matchup in half after beating the Wizards, 118-100, on Tuesday in the Play-In Tournament to secure the seventh […]

Ironically, the immensely popular centerpiece of the Atlanta Hawks franchise who started the All-Star Game at 21 years old is directly connected to one of the more maligned draft decisions in recent NBA history. In fact, Trae Young was considered the weak end of the imbalanced deal between Atlanta and the Dallas Mavericks. At the […]

The Philadelphia 76ers have experienced the zenith of basketball three times throughout their history, with two of those championships coming in Philly after the move from Syracuse in 1963. The Sixers’ last title, however, came nearly four decades ago. As one of the original franchises in the NBA, the Sixers have a rich history of […]

There are certain free agent signings that can absolutely shift the entire perception of a franchise. 2019 Finals MVP Kawhi Leonard was the most coveted player in a talent-packed class two years ago, and the Clippers beat out everybody else — including their crosstown rivals — by acquiring the highly coveted signature of the two-time […]

One-eyed LeBron James has now entered NBA lore as one of the greatest superstar alter egos in league history. The Los Angeles Lakers star joins Hoodie Carmelo Anthony, Untucked Kyrie Irving, and Jersey-Biting Kobe Bryant as some of the more iconic figures. As much as fans sensationalized James’ handicap, hitting the dagger over Stephen Curry […]

Philadelphia 76ers point forward Ben Simmons is one of the best perimeter defenders in the entire NBA. The Sixers star has even been named a finalist for the 2020-21 season’s Defensive Player of the Year award. But TNT analyst Kenny Smith doesn’t think the Sixers star is up to the task of defending Washington Wizards […]

It’s no secret that LeBron James is pretty banged up right now. However, if you ask the Los Angeles Lakers star himself, it looks like he’s ready to go for what should be a grueling playoff run ahead. LeBron’s health has been a cause for concern for the defending champs heading into the postseason. Some […]

For the first time since the 2012-13 season, the New York Knicks are in the NBA Playoffs. Beyond that, the underdog squad led by a resurgent and presumptive Most Improved Player winner Julius Randle and helmed by scrappy coach Tom Thibodeau is actually the fourth seed in the Eastern Conference after an eight-year layoff from […]

It’s go time for the Brooklyn Nets’ journey to an NBA championship. The team has been championship favorites throughout the season, and now it’s time to put the Nets’ status to the test in the NBA Playoffs against the Boston Celtics. As coach Steve Nash is having his first taste of the postseason on the […]

As a die-hard Washington Wizards fan myself, our first year with the Russell Westbrook experience has been one wild ride. The interesting stories you hear about him and his behind-the-scenes effect on the Wizards locker room have been eye-opening to say the least. But one thing’s for sure – you can’t question Russell Westbrook’s passion […]

The Miami Heat are set to take on the Milwaukee Bucks in the NBA playoffs for the second season in a row. Last year, they were able to dispatch of Giannis Antetokounmpo and the Bucks in just five games, but the Bucks have improved a lot this year. If the Heat want to come out […]

One of the most controversial moments from last season’s first-round series between the Los Angeles Clippers and the Dallas Mavericks was when Marcus Morris stepped on Luka Doncic’s foot. One year on and Morris himself claims that this is now all water under the bridge. Before anything else, here’s a refresher on the incident that […]

The last time Nikola Jokic faced the Portland Trail Blazers in the NBA Playoffs, the Denver Nuggets got bounced out in seven grueling games. A lot has changed since 2019, especially for the Nuggets. Nikola Jokic is now an MVP favorite. Jamal Murray is unavailable due to a season-ending injury. Michael Porter Jr. is looking […]

The Atlanta Hawks were one of the biggest surprises during the 2020-21 NBA season and finished the year with a 41-31 record and in the No. 5 seed in the Eastern Conference. It was a special year and the team feels very good, both on their chances against the New York Knicks in the playoffs […]

The Washington Wizards and Indiana Pacers are fighting for their lives in the final game of the Eastern Conference side of the play-in tournament. The winner goes on to face the Philadelphia 76ers and the loser goes home and prepares for the long offseason.  The Wizards don’t seem to be wanting to go anywhere, as […]

With the Milwaukee Bucks heading into what should be a grueling postseason ahead, reigning league MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo has come out with a rather pessimistic statement pertaining to his team’s chances in the playoffs. When asked if he thinks the Bucks will fare better this year than they have in previous seasons, Giannis was surprisingly […]

The NBA has officially released the list of award finalists for the 2020-2021 season, including Most Valuable Player, Defensive Player of the Year, Sixth Man of the Year, among others. After the reveal, Miami Heat center Bam Adebayo didn’t appear to be too please with one of the ballots that were released. Bam immediately took […]

The Phoenix Suns aren’t always good, but when they are, the Los Angeles Lakers are regularly in their NBA playoff path. Such is the case this year, as Chris Paul saddles up for one more ride in the attempt to reach his first NBA Finals. Standing in the way are LeBron James and the Lake […]

The Golden State Warriors came ever-so-close to defeating LeBron James and the Los Angeles Lakers in the play-in game on Wednesday night. It took an improbably LeBron three-pointer to lift the Lakers over the Warriors. However, one bright spot was the impressive play of Andrew Wiggins, who was given the tough task of guarding LeBron […]

Get ready for the 2021 NBA playoffs and a rematch of last year’s playoff matchup between the Miami Heat and the Milwaukee Bucks. The Bucks will be trying to get revenge. The Heat shocked them by eliminating them in five games last season. The Heat had a recipe for stopping Bucks star Giannis Antetokounmpo: They […]

The Phoenix Suns capped an incredible regular season by clinching the No. 2 seed in the Western Conference. They were able to kick their feet up and watch the Los Angeles Lakers and Golden State Warriors do battle on Wednesday in the play-in tournament, knowing they would play the winner. With the Suns now knowing […]

Wednesday night produced quite a classic as the Los Angeles Lakers took down the Golden State Warriors in their play-in matchup to secure the seventh seed in the Western Conference. Dubs head coach Steve Kerr delivered a stirring mid-game speech for his team at the end of the first quarter and once Lakers superstar Anthony […]

Following an exciting play-in victory over the Golden State Warriors, the Los Angeles Lakers are set to meet the Phoenix Suns. The Lakers are favorites to win the series despite being the 7 seed going against the 2 seeded Suns. While the Lakers are the 7 seed they have a great shot at winning the […]

The Los Angeles Lakers and Golden State Warriors played a nail-biting, thrilling game in the play-in tournament as LeBron James and company walked away with a hard-fought win to snag the 7-seed in the Western Conference. As it turns out, the game between Stephen Curry and LeBron James reached new heights that ESPN hadn’t seen […]

Luka Doncic and the Dallas Mavericks are set to face a stingy first-round matchup in the NBA Playoffs when they take on Kawhi Leonard, Paul George and the rest of the Los Angeles Clippers. For awhile, the Mavericks had hovered around the play-in tournament seed line but were able to work their way up to […]

The Denver Nuggets are preparing for a first-round matchup with their Northwest Division rivals, the Portland Trail Blazers. While Nikola Jokic and the Nuggets will certainly feel the absence of star guard Jamal Murray, they’ll be looking to another player to step up and complement the Joker on both ends of the floor. Head coach […]

Los Angeles Lakers star LeBron James was the hero in the thrilling play-in victory over the Golden State Warriors on Wednesday night. James hit a dagger 3-pointer in Stephen Curry’s eye in the final minute after coming alive earlier in the second half, and he finished the 103-100 victory with a triple-double. However, LeBron looked […]