basketball
The world of Basketball detailed by the voices of the unathletic. Discussing play, culture, and, of course, who's the best. Trust the Process.
Breaking Down the Beauty That Is the Eastern Conference Playoff Matchups
April is officially upon us, arguably starting one of the best runs of the sports calendar year. Between the Masters, the college basketball finale, baseball returning, and the NFL Draft being just around the corner, it’s the most underrated tease in life. The entire sports world picks up just in time for Mother Nature to dish out some weather that actually makes you want to leave your couch. Yet somehow, nothing listed even comes close to being the best part of the month.
Dan O'SheaPublished 5 years ago in Unbalanced
Chris Paul Is Done With Your Hate
Once the playoffs begin, a switch flips for almost everyone. Some players kick it into high gear, while others consistently fall short of their regular season heroics. For his entire career, Chris Paul has been grouped in with the latter.
Dan O'SheaPublished 5 years ago in Unbalanced
Why it’s Time to Consider the Celtics Amongst the League’s Elite
The last two seasons, nobody’s respected the Boston Celtics. That’s okay. Even though they’ve had a remarkable turnaround from when they traded away Paul Pierce and Kevin Garnett and planned to be amongst the league’s bottom feeders for the long haul till their playoff bout against Cleveland two years ago, it was okay not to take them seriously.
Dan O'SheaPublished 5 years ago in Unbalanced
The “Legend” Lost as Indiana Struggles to Keep Pace
Once upon a time, professional basketball in the “Hoosier” state flourished, and it seemed to be headed back to prominence. In fact, it was not that long ago, and as recent as the year 2014, when the Indiana Pacers were not only among the league's elite, but a step away from competing for a title. Those days seem like such a long time ago, as many of those pieces have since moved on, and the aura that once surrounded them has now dimmed to something akin to a flickering spark, if that.
Kenneth WilsonPublished 5 years ago in Unbalanced
Creating the Boston Celtics’ Super Team
Now that the “Trust The Process” celebratory riots have died down and Boston fans have crawled out from under their desks to take a break from weeping, it’s time to digest what just happened. The Celtics have officially passed on the chance of picking Markelle Fultz — who is widely considered to be a potential superstar — for more draft picks.
Dan O'SheaPublished 5 years ago in Unbalanced
Trusting “the Process”: Will Joel Embiid Ever Be What We Thought He Was?
For the third time in as many years, Joel Embiid has been sidelined by an injury to his lower extremities, and it was recently announced that he would indeed require another procedure. Although after a lengthy wait, but with such flourish this season (which was considered his “rookie” season) his health and subsequent time “under the knife” begs the question, will “The Process”, ever complete the process?
Kenneth WilsonPublished 5 years ago in Unbalanced
What the Last Few NBA MVP Award Recipients Have Taught Us About the MVP Award
Monday night marked the 1st annual NBA Awards Show, and I must say — I was rather impressed. Like most live productions, this was not without its flaws. However, considering that this year’s ceremony was the first go around and taking into account the crowd that the show was catered to, I would have to say it was successful.
Kenneth WilsonPublished 5 years ago in Unbalanced
How Kyle Lowry’s Injury Shapes the Rest of the Eastern Conference
Amidst the deadline hangover and the ‘slight high’ contending teams get by hunting for recently bought out players comes a story that will reshape how the Eastern Conference unfolds this season.
Dan O'SheaPublished 5 years ago in Unbalanced
The Hero That Golden State Needed: The Three Sides To Every Story
There are plenty of phrases Warriors’ fans could have chanted after the re-signing of NBA Finals MVP Kevin Durant: the boys are back in town, the whole gang’s here, we are putting the band back together, etc. The point being, the reigning NBA champions are set for another run at a title. After a flurry of free agent movement, the dust has already seemed to settle in the Bay Area. The Champs have brought back every free agent piece of their own that they deemed important, and even some that were not their own (see Swaggy P).
Kenneth WilsonPublished 5 years ago in Unbalanced
A California Case Study: Mining for Gems in the Golden State
Back in the 1800’s, California was all the rage as news of a “gold rush” spread like wildfire. Almost two centuries later, they are still “mining” in the “Golden State” but the gems aren’t actually made of rock, as opposed to venture, technological, and human capital. Although prevalent in multiple regions of the state, the area most known for these particular phenomena are The Bay Area and/or Silicon Valley. The millionaires and billionaires of “the valley” found and continue to find their treasures every day. The Golden State Warriors got their man when they plucked Steve Kerr from the booth, only to have him lead them to a title. While staffed with possibly the worst assembly of talent in the league, can the San Francisco 49er’s do the same?
Kenneth WilsonPublished 5 years ago in Unbalanced
Three Surefire Ways Minnesota Can Get Better as the Season Winds Down
The Minnesota Timberwolves came into this season with high hopes, a new coach, and a roster full of young talent that was sure to blossom. That hasn’t quite been the case. Although there has been progress made as a team, there is not nearly enough evidence to say that the Timberwolves are competing with the “Dubs” for Western Conference supremacy. The “Big KAT,” Karl Anthony-Towns continues to impress, along with Andrew Wiggins and a now injured Zach Levine. However some of their other pieces just haven’t quite been there as consistently — such as fellow big man Gorgui Dieng, who regressed after signing a lucrative deal earlier in the season. Much more notable is point man Ricky Rubio, even though his issues aren’t so much play related as they are well, everything else. In any event, there are 3 surefire things that need to be done in order for this young pack of wolves to take the next step.
Kenneth WilsonPublished 5 years ago in Unbalanced
The Veto That Changed the NBA: How the League Would Look with Chris Paul as a Laker — Part II
In this different dimension where David Stern doesn’t play puppet master and lets this trade go through, the Lakers are far from the bottom-feeding laughing stock they currently are. They are able to dump the contracts of Gasol and Odom, leaving them room for Howard. Kobe and Howard would still have the issue of needing touches on a consistent basis, but they finally have the man for the job. If CP3 can make DeAndre Jordan into an 80 million dollar man, then imagine what he could’ve done with Howard. With a team like this, Mike Brown may have been able to last more than 10% of the season. Paul has the record and the statistics to give himself the push he needs to be a legitimate MVP candidate. With the proper facilitator in place, Howard doesn’t bump heads with Kobe, and ends up enjoying the bright lights of LA, ending his short stint as a coach killer with just one body count.
Dan O'SheaPublished 5 years ago in Unbalanced
