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.
NBA Shows Where Its Target Market Is, and It’s Not You
I’d been suspecting for a while that I’m now in the older demographic of NBA fans, despite not exactly being old. This week, the League confirmed my suspicions, announcing they had made big changes to the All-Star Game format. For the first time in 67 years—the first time ever, actually—the Eastern Conference will not be playing the Western Conference.
By Myles Stedman8 years ago in Unbalanced
Same Thing, New Big 3
Okay, so we are here now. Super teams, while not new, are the new trend and everyone is looking to hook up with another Olympian and pursue a title. Teams are now attempting to jump the line in pursuit of Larry O'Brien. The Oklahoma City Thunder are the newest edition after winning this off-season and acquiring two top 30 players to join Russell Westbrook via trade. The Thunder locked up their MVP for another five years at 233 million dollars and acquired Carmelo Anthony to accompany Paul George rounding out the starting five. On paper, this is a team that should challenge the Warriors and contend for a Western Conference title. The last time the Thunder had a big 3 like this, they made it to the NBA Finals. An interesting fact, since Lebron left Cleveland for Miami in 2010, “super teams” are 3-4 in NBA Finals. What does that say about this phenomenon? Nothing is guaranteed. Injuries happen, players do not gel, etc. You still must play the games.
By Kyle Jordan Ferguson8 years ago in Unbalanced
2018 NBA MVP Prediction
Last year we witnessed one of the closest MVP races in the league's 71-year history. Russell Westbrook and James Harden took turns posting historically great numbers night in and night out. In the end, Westbrook took home the hardware after averaging a triple-double over the course of the entire season. With the way the offseason has shaken things around the league, the award is once again up for grabs with many newcomers expected to be in the hunt. Here is how I see the race playing out this season with my top five candidates to win the award.
By Jason Dandy8 years ago in Unbalanced
NBA Rookies that Will Struggle in 2017-18
A week ago I outlined three rookies that are poised to have successful rookie seasons. Jayson Tatum (BOS), De'Aaron Fox (SAC), and Dennis Smith (DAL) were all players with translatable NBA skills and are in situations with their teams that will help their development throughout the 2017-18 season.
By Michael DePrisco8 years ago in Unbalanced
Tweets and Ink
A little over a week ago, Kevin Durant made a mistake. Which mistake he made is still debated. Did he A) Forget to log out of a burner Twitter account before commenting on a fan's question, or B) Answer said question in third person which made him sound like a ancient egomaniacal ruler? My guess is KD is in full "couldn't offer fewer shits" mode and doesn't care what the world thinks (though he apologized for suggesting he and Russell Westbrook were the only redeemable members of the Thunder during his tenure in Oklahoma City). In the maelstrom that has become the NBA offseason of late (CARMELO to OKC! DWADE to CLEVELAND!), it's important to remember just how interesting and odd the KD's Twittergate was. To remind us is an oral history of the event, through the prescient eyes of Durant's body art.
By Jared Wheeler8 years ago in Unbalanced
Ball in the Family: The Making of a Leader
In episode five, "The Making of a Leader," of Ball in the Family, we get to see how LaMelo is still just a high school kid that loves to play NBA 2K. LiAngelo has been at UCLA for a period of time now and doesn't get to spend as much time with his family, and has no idea how to hold a conversation with his girlfriend. Lonzo doesn't have any air time this week, while LaVar and Tina get just the right amount of screenplay.
By Stone Strankman8 years ago in Unbalanced
2018 NBA Rookie of the Year Prediction
Unlike last year's Rookie of the Year race, this year's class of rookies are set to make the voters struggle mightily over who they vote for. With Joel Embiid only playing 31 games, his dominant campaign went unrewarded, and from there it became a coin flip between Malcolm Brogdon and Dario Saric. Brogdon took home the hardware in what was one of the least compelling Rookie of the Year seasons of all time. This season's race is destined to be the exact opposite of last year's, so with that let's dive into my top five candidates for the award.
By Jason Dandy8 years ago in Unbalanced
Hoodie Melo Gets His Wish and Moves to OKC
Today the Oklahoma City Thunder and Sam Presti steal away another superstar to add to the Triple-Double King's team. This summer, Presti was able to snag Paul George away from the for sure Boston Celtics trade for Victor Oladipo and Domantas Sabonis. 30 cents on the dollar, sure, but he was also able to add Carmelo Anthony for Enes Kanter, Doug McDermott, and the Bulls 2018 second-round pick.
By Stone Strankman8 years ago in Unbalanced
