Category: NBA

Opinion: Team USA’s Olympic dominance is becoming a side note to basketball’s international growth in Paris

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Nothing quite captures basketball fans’ imagination like USA basketball each Olympic cycle.  From the first year that pro players were permitted to wear the red, white and blue to recent superstar pairings that have put the NBA’s super team era to shame, the sight of the NBA’s very best joining forces on the Olympic stage … Continue reading Opinion: Team USA’s Olympic dominance is becoming a side note to basketball’s international growth in Paris

Opinion: Orlando’s unusually active offseason positions young Magic core for continued contention

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KCP is a two-time NBA champion who is an asset at Orlando’s areas of weakness, shooting and experience, so his signing could both stabilize the Magic’s lineup and accelerate its contention timeline. Combine the Caldwell-Pope signing with the extensions of two of Orlando’s most important figures, forward Franz Wagner and head coach Jamahl Mosley, and a couple of promising draft selections, and the Magic have good reason to believe they can continue its ascent to the top of the Eastern Conference.

Opinion: Dan Hurley’s flirtation with the NBA made sense, but passing on the Lakers’ head coaching position was a brilliant move

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One of the fascinating developments in the sports world over the past 12 months has been changing of the guard for some of sports’ most iconic franchises and programs.  Nick Saban’s retirement at Alabama football coming off a College Football Playoff appearance was a shock, while Pete Carroll’s dismissal with the Seattle Seahawks and Bill … Continue reading Opinion: Dan Hurley’s flirtation with the NBA made sense, but passing on the Lakers’ head coaching position was a brilliant move

Opinion: In star-studded NBA Finals, the spotlight will shine the harshest on top-seeded Celtics

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The Boston Celtics will take the floor at TD Garden on Thursday with an NBA-record 18th NBA Finals championship in their sights, a resounding 64 regular season wins (seven more than the next closest team) and a dominant 12-2 record in this year’s postseason bracket. That momentum ensures the Celtics will have an abundance of … Continue reading Opinion: In star-studded NBA Finals, the spotlight will shine the harshest on top-seeded Celtics

NBA Playoff Preview: Five storylines I’m watching in the first round and beyond

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An NBA graphic from (of course) Sports Illustrated Kids that has stuck with me over the years depicted each of the NBA Finals contenders as pieces on a Risk board, each with their own strengths and weaknesses. That twist on the popular board game represents my favorite type of playoffs — fields with all sorts … Continue reading NBA Playoff Preview: Five storylines I’m watching in the first round and beyond

Yankee shortstops, Alabama running backs among most high-profile positions in sports

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I’ve been watching ESPN’s eight-part documentary on famed Yankee shortstop Derek Jeter. It’s an interesting watch for me, because I certainly remember Jeter’s Yankees in the back-half of his career and, as a fan of the Red Sox, how much I detested those teams.  So far, the documentary is well-paced, has interviews with just about … Continue reading Yankee shortstops, Alabama running backs among most high-profile positions in sports

Welcome to Atlanta: How my journalism residency at the Atlanta Journal-Constitution sports desk compared to expectations

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ATLANTA — This spring, school looked a lot different.  I can’t remember any other year when my day started at 2 p.m., when my homework was circulated to thousands of people I had never met or when watching sports was a welcome obligation, rather than a midday distraction. So I don’t think it’s hyperbole to … Continue reading Welcome to Atlanta: How my journalism residency at the Atlanta Journal-Constitution sports desk compared to expectations

Slam Dunk Sesame: Why rooting for the Magic, the East’s worst team, was a ton of fun in 2021-22

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Rooting for the Orlando Magic has its downsides. The irrelevance. The lack of household names and All-Stars. The losing. But as an impassioned Magic fan for the past 15 years or so, there’s a lot I’ve come to love about this team, even when they aren’t the best. And they certainly weren’t the best in … Continue reading Slam Dunk Sesame: Why rooting for the Magic, the East’s worst team, was a ton of fun in 2021-22

State of the Orlando Magic: Why Jalen Suggs could be Orlando’s next superstar

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I first conceptualized this post in early June, back when the Orlando Magic were coming off an absolutely abysmal 2020-21 season. Back then, the tenor was unabating gloom, and for good reason: a midseason trade deadline that saw the playoff core jettisoned across the NBA, injuries to the top two long-term prospects and a lowly … Continue reading State of the Orlando Magic: Why Jalen Suggs could be Orlando’s next superstar