The Celtics and 76ers represent the future of the East, but LeBorn James is its past, present and very possibly its future as well. Read more »

In the aftermath of the Western Conference Finals, all you can hope for the principals is that it wasn't also their last, best shot. Read more »

You'd have to go back to the 2004 Pistons to find a potential Finals participant with this balanced of a roster. You can still advance deep into the playoffs without a high-usage player. Read more »

These Conference Finals have been, while not wholly uncompetitive in a macro sense, dull on a game-by-game basis. It would be nice if they stopped, one at a time, trading impressive efforts, and played well simultaneously. Read more »

After redshirting his first year, the six-foot-seven wing improved year-over-year the next three seasons, graduated and now leaves Villanova as a two-time National Champion. Read more »

The Celts are astonishingly good at making you forget their predicament and instead focus your attention on what they do well, which is to say they're persistent and don't make many mistakes. Read more »

As we have come to expect, LeBron James was better in Game 2 than in Game 1 but it still wasn't enough to level the series. Read more »

Hamidou Diallo's time at Kentucky was strange but uneventful as he never got the chance to run the offense and wasn't much of a priority in the halfcourt. Read more »

Becky Hammon being asked to interview for a head coaching job can be considered meaningful progress while we also acknowledge the explicit need for more head coaches of color in the NBA. Read more »

What would have been a major step forward for The Process just a few months ago now leaves them feeling empty. Read more »

Evaluating potential NBA players is a challenging, imperfect process, so a good place to start is with a coherent and consistent approach. Read more »

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is the rare one-and-done prospect out of Kentucky who was not a five-star recruit, but he's a natural running an offense with great length. Read more »

It certainly feels like the end of an aspirational era the city of Toronto has been enjoying and suffering, dreaming and cringing through. After everything that's happened, after emptying the tank down 0-2 in a Game 3 and losing on an instantly iconic shot from your perennial tormentor, all optimism disintegrates. Read more »

Rondo is a floor general relic of a bygone era, while Draymond is a singular tweener monster not likely to ever be duplicated, but the cosmic similarities between these two seem obvious. Read more »

While the Raptors are trying to finally get past LeBron, the other side of the East features a pair of teams expected to dominate it for the next decade. Read more »

There are many places on this earth you can visit if you're interested in seeing guys posture and yap. There are exceedingly few human beings who can do what Draymond Green does on a basketball court, or what Charles Barkley used to be able to do. Read more »

The Warriors have become the thing they had to fight against, but they have morphed into it in such spectacularly earth-burning fashion that their arc creates a sentiment that transcends the usual jadedness that all upstarts-become-destroyers inspire. Read more »

So much of the intrigue over Marvin Bagley III isn't due to his production but the way he projects physically. Read more »

The Bucks will be focused on building around Giannis Antetokounmpo this offseason, but individually the Game 7 might have more impact going forward than you might think. Read more »

This is the time of year when LeBron and Russ are at their most put-upon, and beneath that strain, they retreat into their minds and emerge with an old friend. They find themselves. Read more »