NBA Playoffs Articles - Page 262

The Brooklyn Nets have officially ended their playoff drought after clinching a spot in the postseason with a hard-earned 108-96 win against the Indiana Pacers on Sunday at the Bankers Life Fieldhouse in Indianapolis. The win against the Pacers was their 41st victory this season against 40 defeats. It placed them in a good position […]

As the NBA’s regular season winds down and the calendar flips over to April, teams have a bit of a better understanding of where they’ll be seeded and who their first round matchup will be. That isn’t really the case for the 2018-19 season. Only four or five games remain for most teams and the […]

LOS ANGELES – If you ask L.A. Clippers center Ivica Zubac about his time with the Los Angeles Lakers, he’ll truly have nothing but good things to say about his teammates, the coaching staff, and the front office. Considering the struggles to put together wins as well as his involvement in trade talks over the […]

The NBA’s regular season has only three weeks left, and most teams are down to their final 10 games. As the regular season winds down, March Madness begins as teams compete for the National Championship. Zion Williamson and Duke are the favorites to win the title, but which team would be the best fit for […]

This year’s NBA Playoffs feature a number of fresh figures. The Philadelphia 76ers have sort of completed The Process just by making it to the postseason. The goal is always to win an NBA title, but a playoffs appearance must feel like bathing in liquid velvet for Philly. Donovan Mitchell, Jayson Tatum, Joel Embiid, Ben […]

As much as the NBA playoffs magnify the focus on the stars, the postseason also gives second-tier and unexpected players a chance to prove that they, too, matter in determining how deep their teams will go. Here we have five players who have been stepping up for their respective squads and surpassing expectations in the […]

We’ve learned a lot through the first week of the NBA Playoffs. Here are the 10 biggest takeaways so far: 10. Terry Stotts is on the hot seat Portland should feel embarrassed. They seemingly solidified their position as the third best team in the West after an impressive regular season and were clear favorites against […]

The 2018 NBA playoffs have kickstarted with its usual bevy of intriguing storylines. However, this year’s postseason features one notable characteristic. It goes without saying that the NBA has seen an influx of players come from outside the U.S. The playoffs have now become reminiscent of that diversity. According to NBA Redditor u/mindthenew, this postseason […]

The NBA is not a Black Mirror episode. Of the four major pro sports leagues in North America, it is the most predictable (including the NBA playoffs). Remember last year when we wasted our time watching each team play 82 games for an entire season knowing full well that in the end, it was going […]

The NBA playoffs are set to begin and the East once again looks like a cakewalk for the higher-seeded teams in the conference. However, it appears that this year’s seedings have paired some intriguing matchups based on the regular season. In fact, the top four teams have had some trouble dealing with their first-round matchups. […]

The Golden State Warriors aim to become the third team in the past decade to win consecutive NBA titles when they hit the floor on Saturday for the opening game of their first-round series with the San Antonio Spurs as short +135 favorites on the NBA championship odds at sportsbooks monitored by OddsShark.com. Golden State […]

It’s time to throw away all those copies of playoffs seeding scenarios. After 2,460 NBA regular season games and all the jostling and the jockeying of teams for the right to play beyond the regular season, the league has finally finalized the order and matchups in the first round of the 2018 NBA Playoffs. In […]

It’s hard to imagine that a NBA team with the best record in its conference is not considered the favorite to go to the Finals. Unfortunately, this is the reality for the Toronto Raptors. Even though they have secured the number one spot in the East for the first time in franchise history, their bid for […]

With the final day of the NBA season upon us, there are still a ton of scenarios to play out, and the most important one is the play-in game in the Western Conference. The winner of the game between the Minnesota Timberwolves and the Denver Nuggets is for the final playoff spot, and the loser […]

The San Antonio Spurs entered Tuesday’s contest against the Washington Wizards with an 88 percent chance of making the playoffs, per FiveThirtyEight. That’s not too surprising since the team earned 20-consecutive playoff berths headed into this season. However, it is impressive given the fact that this happened with their star player Kawhi Leonard only playing nine games […]

Okay, the Atlanta Hawks are dead last in the Eastern Conference. As of February 13, 2018, the Hawks have the 6th most turnovers per game and are ranked 26th in rebounds, 22nd in offensive efficiency, and 26th in defensive efficiency. Having lost every starter from their first-place eastern conference finish back in 2015, it’s no secret […]

The Boston Celtics may be the best team in the NBA this season, and their current record shows it. The team that got to the Eastern Conference Finals last year as the first seed saw an exit that many predicted, but what happened after is confusing and shocking. That Celtics team all but vanished over […]

There have been a ton of shakeups in the NBA so far this past offseason, as well as perceived values of how good or bad teams are at the moment. That being said, many expected and still may expect two of the top moves this offseason in Chris Paul and Gordon Hayward to cause the […]

The Milwaukee Bucks became one of the first up and coming teams to make the playoffs this year. While bounced in the first round, the 6th seed put up enough of a fight to take a 2-1 lead against the Toronto Raptors. With a rising star in Giannis Antetokounmpo, a ROTY winner, and other high […]

The NBA’s league office has taken a number of measures over the last couple decades to make the professional game safer. They’ve cracked down on flagrant fouls, they’ve instituted a no-tolerance policy for fighting, and general play on the court has less contact than ever before. So, why have there been so many injuries during […]

Being a parent of a professional athlete must be stressful. At least that seems to be the case for Mychal Thompson, the father of Warriors‘ shooting guard Klay Thompson. According to Diamond Leung of the Bay Area News Group, the elder Thompson was too nervous to watch Game 7 of the Western Conference Finals against […]

If you thought that Game 7 of the Western Conference Finals would be physical, you’d be correct. If you thought it would involve attractions between Draymond Green and Steven Adams, you’d also be correct. After Green’s infamous kick to Adams in Game 4, plus his multiple other kicks to Thunder payers in this series, the […]

Klay Thompson set a playoff record by making 11 three-point shots in Game 6 of the Western Conference Finals, fueling the Warriors‘ comeback over the Thunder to force a Game 7 back in Oakland. His 41 points led Golden State, and Steve Kerr couldn’t praise his shooting guard enough after the game. But what was […]

It’s been a rough going for NBA referees in the 2016 playoffs. With the institution of Two Minute Reports this year, every missed call in crunch time is exposed by the league after each game, and when it counts that much more in the playoffs, you better believe people get upset. Despite all the missed […]

It didn’t look good for the Golden State Warriors on Saturday night in Oklahoma City. The couldn’t seem to put together enough consistent strings of scoring and defense to overcome being down to the Thunder almost the entire game, until the last few minutes of the fourth quarter. Once The Warriors mustered up a few […]

The Oklahoma City Thunder will walk into Game 7 at Oracle Arena with all of the pressure on their backs. Before Thursday night, the Thunder looked well on their way to the 2016 NBA Finals. They held a 3-1 lead over the Golden State Warriors and would have three more opportunities to put away the […]

It’s no secret that the majority of NBA fans tuned in on Saturday night to see the Golden State Warriors get eliminated. The 73-9 Warriors were on the brink of elimination versus the Oklahoma City Thunder in Game 6. However, they were able to prevail and overcome a 13-point deficit to force a Game 7 […]

While we know that the Cleveland Cavaliers are in the NBA Finals, we still don’t know who their opponent will be. That would be because the Golden State Warriors and the Oklahoma City Thunder are still playing out their Western Conference Finals series. After the Warriors prevailed over the Thunder in Game 6 on Saturday […]

Thanks in part to an amazing performance from Klay Thompson, there will be a Game 7 in the Western Conference Finals. Thompson broke the NBA record for most three-pointers made in an NBA playoff game (11), which was previously held at 9. Coach Steve Kerr credited Thompson’s great shooting, when reporters asked about winning a hard fought […]

Stephen Curry has established himself as arguably the greatest shooter the NBA has ever seen. He makes shots from far beyond the 3-point line, even with defenders in his face, at an incredible rate. When his peers had an off night, some were found watching the Golden State Warriors play against another one of their […]

Facing elimination and returning home, the Golden State Warriors were able to stay alive with a Game 5 victory over the Oklahoma City Thunder in the Western Conference Finals. One of the main reasons the defending champs have struggled his series has been the play of Draymond Green. After multiple questionable contact plays, Green seems […]

The Golden State Warriors staved off elimination with a 120-111 Game 5 victory over the Oklahoma City Thunder in the Western Conference Finals. After winning the previous two games, OKC coach Billy Donovan wasn’t too happy with the result. His biggest concern, however, may have been the officiating. After the game, Donovan told reporters: Billy […]

Draymond Green has been in a funk during the Western Conference Finals against the Oklahoma City Thunder, but he seemed to find some of his game on Thursday night. Green put up 11 points, 13 rebounds, four assists, and four blocks to help the Warriors win 120-111 and keep the series alive. When things aren’t going […]

Per usual, Stephen Curry refused to take the bait from the media. Following the Golden State Warriors‘ Game 6 victory to keep their Western Conference Finals series with the Oklahoma City Thunder alive, Kevin Durant was asked if Curry’s defense is underrated. Russell Westbrook, who was in the press conference as well, began laughing as […]

In what is quickly becoming a running gag, Draymond Green delivered yet another kick—to somebody’s chin in Game 5. While the Golden State Warriors were able to prevail on Thursday night to force a Game 6, Green managed to kick Oklahoma City Thunder guard Andre Roberson in the chin while driving to the hoop: https://vine.co/v/i9TjvelIruH […]

The Golden State Warriors had to win Game 5 on Thursday night in order to stay alive in the playoffs against the Oklahoma City Thunder. After losing two straight games to the Thunder, the Warriors answered back big by winning at home to put the series at 3-2. Stephen Curry came up big in Game […]

Draymond Green received a lot of criticism for kicking Steven Adams in the groin in Game 3. Many argued that Draymond did it on purpose whereas some believe that it was purely on accident. Draymond was able to avoid suspension but it appears that he is not playing as cautiously as he should in Game […]

Draymond Green and the Golden State Warriors find themselves against the ropes down 3-1 to the Oklahoma City Thunder in the Western Conference Finals and on the brink of ending their historic season in defeat. The Thunder are now the heavy favorites to win the series after an impressive Game 1 win on the road […]

During Tuesday night’s Game 4 Western Conference Finals matchup between the Warriors and Thunder, Draymond Green kicked Enes Kanter as he was falling to the court, tripping the Turkish big man. At the time of the play, the NBA on TNT crew said they though the play was more intentional than the one on Steven […]