Tag: NBA

Opinion: Opinion: Move over, California. The NBA’s balance of power has shifted to the Lone Star State.

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Almost six months later, the Dallas Mavericks’ jettisoning of superstar guard Luka Doncic to the Los Angeles Lakers still feels surreal.  The most shocking blockbuster trade of the NBA’s past decade didn’t affect the playoff bracket all that much — the Lakers’ duo of Doncic and LeBron James couldn’t advance past the Western Conference’s first … Continue reading Opinion: Opinion: Move over, California. The NBA’s balance of power has shifted to the Lone Star State.

Opinion: Thunder’s Finals win gives Oklahoma City, an afterthought in pro sports for decades, its well-deserved shining moment

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The Thunder took six NBA Finals games and an additional two and a half quarters to prove it, but Oklahoma City rounded into championship form just in time.  With thousands of Thunder supporters shaking the Paycom Center stands in approval, Oklahoma City responded to a slight halftime deficit in Game 7 by burying the underdog … Continue reading Opinion: Thunder’s Finals win gives Oklahoma City, an afterthought in pro sports for decades, its well-deserved shining moment

Opinion: Orlando’s blockbuster trade for Desmond Bane signals unofficial start of Magic’s championship contention

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The contestants in this year’s NBA Finals have the Orlando Magic to thank (in part) for their Finals runs. I doubt either will send the Magic a card in the mail — no debt of gratitude is in play when ripping off a team via trade (plus, the Thunder and Pacers actually played the winning … Continue reading Opinion: Orlando’s blockbuster trade for Desmond Bane signals unofficial start of Magic’s championship contention

Opinion: The Indiana Pacers are leading in the NBA Finals. Are they finally shedding the underdog label?

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The Indiana Pacers can't stop winning. They have to be the favorites at some point, right? Since the start of the calendar year 2025, the Pacers boast the most wins of any Eastern Conference team, yet they entered the playoffs well behind the reigning champion Celtics and Cavaliers in the conference’s pecking order. No problem … Continue reading Opinion: The Indiana Pacers are leading in the NBA Finals. Are they finally shedding the underdog label?

Assessing the Orlando Magic’s “new generation” of logos and uniforms

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Coming off consecutive playoff appearances, the Orlando Magic are launching into a new era of championship contention behind stars Paolo Banchero and Franz Wagner. And to usher this new era in, the Magic are embracing a new visual identity, replete with updated logos, uniforms and a court design. Uniform updates don’t win games themselves, but … Continue reading Assessing the Orlando Magic’s “new generation” of logos and uniforms

Opinion: The Denver Nuggets are winning the margins in the NBA playoffs and making serious noise

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Nuggets reserve guard Russell Westbrook tore down the Ball Arena court on Saturday evening, initiating a fast break off a steal with no one between him and the basket. He made sure to put an exclamation point on the coast-to-coast play, too, dunking so emphatically that he earned a technical foul for two prolonged swings … Continue reading Opinion: The Denver Nuggets are winning the margins in the NBA playoffs and making serious noise

Opinion: The 2025 NBA playoffs could usher in the league’s dynasty of the 2020s

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Repeating a championship victory is difficult for any pro sports team, but NBA teams in the past half-decade are finding the feat especially elusive. In the past six seasons, six different NBA teams have won the NBA Finals. I noted the upside of this trend in a column last year, but the league is now … Continue reading Opinion: The 2025 NBA playoffs could usher in the league’s dynasty of the 2020s

Opinion: Dwight Howard’s first-ballot induction gives Basketball Hall of Fame its first Magic superstar

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At last, a Hall of Fame player the Orlando Magic can claim as its own. Earlier this weekend, the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame announced its 2025 Hall of Fame class, enshrining two male players, three female players, one referee, one head coach, one team executive and one Olympic team. Longtime Magic center Dwight … Continue reading Opinion: Dwight Howard’s first-ballot induction gives Basketball Hall of Fame its first Magic superstar

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