The Clippers won 17 of 22, Cavs cranked out victories in 15 of 22 contests. They play each other on Wednesday, in Los Angeles. Hey. Who wants to screw up, both teams. James Harden for Darius Garland. Sounds like a bad-but-legal trade Kelly Dwyer would make up (yearly subscription is
To make good for his new team, Giannis Antetokounmpo does not need to rush back from his most recent debilitating calf strain and risk a greater injury we don't want to mention. The Bucks, the franchise Giannis Antetokounmpo seeks rewarding while attempting to sustain his well-earned Great Dude-status
ICYMI: Warriors fumble, whiff, clang (fake Jonathan Kuminga and Chris Bosh trades), Philly pulling it off (Embiid is not C-Webb), Things I Need Eric Collins For (Charlotte and LaMelo Ball and the NBA's most excitable announcer). The ongoing irrelevance of the Chicago Bulls is to the benefit of
Love to listen to games broadcast by Eric Collins, Charlotte Hornets play-by-play voice. Collins was a Bulls sideline reporter during Michael Jordan's final championship season, noticeably ebullient and why wouldn't he be? The word "bull" is in the middle. Collins began calling Charlotte contests
The Sixers topped Indiana on Monday and good, the Sixers needed a win. An opportunity to show us that they saw that we saw what they conducted – that wee spat – during the club's loss to Cleveland last week. Philly's most recent loss to Cleveland. There were
The two quickest dismissals in the NBA, now that they don't let Joey Crawford in the building, reference the 82-game season, and enhanced draft picks as reward for winning NBA games. Non-starters, each. NBA players and owners will not abandon an 82-game season. Recently, they've added
Memphis saw what Atlanta has – Corey Kispert, C.J. McCollum – wants some of that, has to have it. Memphis sees what New Orleans did, Jordan Poole, needs it. Waterbugs are out. After a brief back-in-love with small guards, NBA teams instead seek a five-man lineup of 6-9 five-toolers. Players are
There are only nine players from the 2013 NBA draft still performing, which makes sense, that draft was over a dozen years ago. Also, some of these guys aren't awfully active: Mason Plumlee has a groin injury and may not work much this season, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope retired for
Trae Young didn't turn 27 until this season's training camp. That the Washington Wizards were able to acquire Trae Young in exchange for expiring contracts should tell us something. What should teach us more? That Atlanta was willing to take so little in return for Young,
In 1971-72, the NBA and ABA combined for 26 professional basketball teams and that is way too many pro basketball teams for 1972, even with all the Boomers finishing college. Way too many considering the scope of the sport's range: 48 American states. One guy from Hawaii, "
The heating pad was on 26-year old Luka Dončić's shoulders on New Year's Eve's eve, not the birthday man, 41-year old LeBron James. What were you doing when LeBron James was born? If you were doing anything, even snoozing in a bassinet, you are
This is Nikola Jokic's first significant injury, he's out for a month, and it really isn't even an injury, more like a wrenched leg. Sprained left knee, "hyperextended," everything pushed to its max but nothing broken. We are no longer a monoculture
Worry after Christmas – what will I wear on Boxing Day?!? – not after. Worry the NFL is taking over the NBA's Christmas turf? Nah. You can call it "Christmas turf," it reminds of the green outdoor porch mat at your Aunt's house that she only
Cleveland doles out the highest payroll in the NBA and it isn't particularly close. Only six teams will pay over $200 million this season, three of them over $210 million (New York, Golden State). Only one team over $220 million, and it is the only team over $230
Earlier this year I bought myself a $499 electric guitar from a pawn shop via layaway, an utterly pointless acquisition, a gift to myself. Earlier this month I swapped out my shaving blade for a new one. I didn't buy a new one, this is a replacement razor
A few years ago I traded my dream-since-a-kid amplifier – a Vox AC30 – for a smaller amplifier and crucial upgrades on my Gibson guitar. It was a happy swap, my dream amp was made redundant by the smaller Vox I'd already owned for a over a decade. The Gibson
We did good. LAKERS San Antonio's twirling dismantling of the Lakers on Thursday night was further proof of Los Angeles' age, even its 20somethings (Ayton, Luka, Reaves) play much older. Throw a single spin move at gramps and he's had it. One would presume the
The NBA wants to introduce December's fake tournament as a restart, a way for the eliminated clubs to rest and reset ahead of a reliably clear set of expectations. The idea scans, it is hard to look at the current NBA standings and not picture a similar set
Everyone's streaming list wrapped up this week and, yeah, mine was Steely Dan again. I try not to listen to Steely Dan on random, or in streaming format. I don't want to burn myself out, and also I have a much-better sounding miniplayer filled with high-quality
Not your fault, Milwaukee. Fans, media, superstar, secondary stars, general manager, ownership group. Not to blame. Ya had some slips. Kyle Kuzma, OK, woof. Coupla blown draft picks, I get it, but, still, not your fault. I will not write columns in 30 years detailing the Milwaukee Bucks biff of
L.A., infamously, cannot bottom out. The Clippers, too, the team owes its unprotected 2026 first-round pick to Oklahoma City, L.A. cannot profit from its harrowing 2025-26 descent. A Billy King-sized abyss surrounding a miserable so-far season, well on pace for maybe 20 wins. Anyone who caught what Miami
Cannot remember the first time I saw Chris Paul photoshopped into a Los Angeles Lakers uniform. But I can remember the most recent sighting, the night Chris Paul's retirement announcement spread, spotting two separate instances on social media. Lakers fans never got over Chris Paul's Dec.
We did the East, but now we do the good teams: NOT SURPRISED At the bodacious NBA ball so far, performed in spite of the Thunder on the horizon. Oh, they say you can't see thunder, but if that ain't thunder, then what is it I&
Nobody's shocked that Detroit won 14 of 16 to start the season. Surprised, surely, but not put off by the Piston ascent. This team was good last season, won some close games in the regular season before losing some closer ones in the playoffs. But everyone improved, and