The Celtics contain more multitudes than any title contender in recent memory given how long they've been in this position and the quality and diversity of their top-6. And they possess enough dominant ways to play to withstand a vintage Kyrie Irving performance. Read more »
The dominant conversation entering the Finals was the Best Team vs. Best Player debate, but the way the Celtics are forcing the Mavericks to work excessively hard on both ends on the floor is answering those questions. Read more »
The Celtics have had a frustratingly extended prologue, but they are three wins away from finally vanquishing it. Game 1 showed the greatness they're capable of achieving. Read more »
It's time for some Gamer Theory: Luka Doncic plays Overwatch, and is in the 99th percentile of performance. He's in the 100th percentile of NBA players, but it's important to understand he's also elite pretending to be a futuristic gladiator and talking trash to teenagers. Read more »
The Mavericks and Celtics are a pair of throughly modern teams, but in distinctly contrasting ways, which should make for an entertaining series and also a referendum on two models of team construction. Read more »
In the 2024 NBA, regime change has arrived, and old templates won't tell us what's coming. Luka and Ant-Man aren't following old bibles about how to win, closely mimicking anyone who came before them, or sticking to their reputational patterns. Read more »
The Celtics finished in the top spot in Net Rating for the second straight season, while the Thunder jumped up from 28th to 14th to second. Read more »
Some names are bigger than others, but from Jaylen Brown and Luka Doncic to Donte DiVincenzo and Chet Holmgren, here are the 10 biggest playoff X-factors. Read more »
Luka Doncic is playing to the point that he's consumed Dallas' entire universe; at a certain point, he ceased being the Mavs' star and transformed into their entire solar system. Read more »
Watching the Mavericks, everything seems to come down to one question: Will their role players make enough 3's to make up for the fact that they are a top heavy team lacking in stylistic diversity or flexibility? Read more »
Dirk Nowitzki played 21 years. You could spend a lifetime dissecting a tenure that vast. It's spirit-salving, especially when everybody's down, to spend at least a few days on it. Read more »
It's hard to imagine Dallas going on a half-hot, half-lucky playoff run like the Suns did last spring. And so what are they accomplishing? What are they striving toward? Read more »
While the Mavericks appear to be the only playoff lock in the division, the Rockets, Spurs, Grizzlies and Pelicans should all at least be in the Play-In mix. Read more »
You see someone who can do a bit of everything at age 24 and figure he'll develop linearly and remarkably, until you've talked yourself into a player like Josh Richardson becoming Tony Allen crossed with Bradley Beal. It's fun to get carried away. Read more »
You can't call what Luka and Zion make basketball fans feel "nostalgia" because a lot of them aren't old enough to have felt anything like it before. They have a complete mastery of not knowing what's going to happen next. Read more »
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