Basketball Analysis
New Orleans Pelicans: 2019 NBA Offseason Preview

by Keith P Smith

This offseason is all about finding the right Anthony Davis (and possibly Jrue Holiday trade) to immediately begin building around Zion Williamson. Read more »
Zion Will Take It From Here

by Colin McGowan

The mechanism that brought Zion Williamson to the NBA isn't perfect, but it's what we have and it won't matter if he's as good as advertised. Read more »
The J.R. Smith/Dion Waiters Power Rankings The Next Generation: Conference Finals

by Jonny Auping and Alex Siquig

With J.R. Smith and Dion Waiters sitting at home, we celebrate the ones who might fill their shoes. A little brother named Seth Curry and a baseball player named Pat Connaughton are ripe for their J,R./Zion moment. Read more »
Memphis Grizzlies: 2019 NBA Offseason Preview

by Keith P Smith

The Grizzlies officially begun their rebuild by trading Marc Gasol. It is expected to get fully going this offseason with a Mike Conley deal. Read more »
The Lie Of Golden State's Inevitability That Describes The Truth

by Colin McGowan

The Warriors didn't exactly play like giants in Game 5 so much as they played like themselves- brilliantly, then sloppily, then plenty well enough to win. Kevin Durant wasn't there at the end, but then again neither was James Harden. Read more »
As It Turns Out, There Was No Switch For Boston To Flip

by Andrew Perna

The Celtics started the season making a lot of hard promises. It is on the cusp of ending in a way that seemed so obvious based on their 82-game sample. Read more »
Chicago Bulls: 2019 NBA Offseason Preview

by Keith P Smith

This offseason is about adding the right players to the mix and pushing the rebuild forward. If the Bulls do that, they might snap this mini-playoff drought quicker than most expect. Read more »
Cleveland Cavaliers: 2019 NBA Offseason Preview

by Keith P Smith

Beyond their high draft pick, this offseason for the Cavaliers is expected to be about course correction and trading the contract of J.R. Smith. Read more »
The NBA's Four Exceedingly Disparate Semifinals

by John Wilmes

The Bucks and Celtics finally playing serious basketball, the Kawhi Leonard avalanche, auditing Warriors-Rockets and the hardwood candy of Nuggets-Blazers. Read more »
Sports Will Always Have Imperfect Rules, Enforced Unevenly

by Colin McGowan

The Rockets are arguably just as good as the Warriors, and though they need the referees to do a decent job in order to win the series, they also need to do a bunch of other stuff that's not well beyond their control. Read more »
New York Knicks: 2019 NBA Offseason Preview

by Keith P Smith

With the best odds to land Zion Williamson and the most cap space in the NBA with Kevin Durant strongly linked, this is a historically fascinating offseason for the Knicks. Read more »
The JR Smith/Dion Waiters Power Rankings: The Next Generation

by Jonny Auping and Alex Siquig

Lou Williams is the natural successor to the progenitors of these sacred Power Rankings. He is what would happen if you injected a bit of peace and perspective into the hearts of JR Smith and Dion Waiters. Read more »
Kawhi Leonard Has Nothing To Prove

by Micah Wimmer

The Raptors need Kawhi Leonard more than he needs them, which makes his impenetrable nature all the more compelling. Read more »
Phoenix Suns: 2019 NBA Offseason Preview

by Keith P Smith

This will be another rebuilding offseason for the Suns. The best hope is to add a point guard of the future to pair with Devin Booker, and let the young core grow together. Read more »
Dame Is The Difference

by Colin McGowan

Dame's big moment, a smidgen under a half-decade after his last big moment, is extra sweet because of who he is and what he has come to represent. Read more »
The Placeholder Team With A Claim On Eternity

by Louis Keene

Assembled to be forgotten, they became unforgettable in a way championship teams can only aspire to. The Clipper franchise may very well be on the cusp of successes more broadly recognizable and lucrative, but could next year's victories ever be as vividly enjoyable-as precious-as this season's have been? Read more »
The Maximum Available 2019 Cap Space for All 30 NBA Teams, Version 2.0

by Keith P Smith

The Knicks, Clippers, Hawks, Kings and Lakers project to have the most cap space this offseason. Read more »
For Joel Embiid, It May Be Now Or Never

by Micah Wimmer

Joel Embiid is both a throwback and a renunciation of present trends in basketball strategy. He also could be running a race against his own body. Read more »
A Second-Tier Star With First-Tier Privileges

by Colin McGowan

At the absolute peak of his powers, Russell Westbrook is every bit as good as the very best players in the league. But he just can't do it often enough, and at some point, inefficiency loses out. Read more »
Ten-Year NBA Net Rating Rankings (Infographics For All 30 Teams)

by Christopher Reina

We look at the trajectory of every team in the NBA in terms of how they rank in the category. Read more »