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 »

Trading for Tyrese Haliburton was the most extreme and important example of Indiana's team-building strategy - one that takes advantage of a market inefficiency and could become a model for teams going forward. Read more »

If Nikola Topic becomes an average shooter, his size, passing and finishing is special enough for a team to build an offense around. Read more »

It’s up to these teams who were each so close to reaching the Conference Finals to take a step back, revisit their respective plans and get back to doing what makes them special. 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 »

Previewing Wolves/Mavericks and Celtics/Pacers. Read more »

This has been an instant classic series without an instant classic game. It has seemingly been over twice and now we get to watch two superduperstars on supremely well-constructed teams in a Game 7. Read more »

The NBA superstar journey inevitably encounters a situation like Nikola Jokic has faced against the Wolves where their burgeoning legacies are perilously threatened. Read more »

Kel'el Ware has stretch center potential, while also possessing a floor as a playable rim-runner, which says a lot about him as a prospect. Read more »

Minnesota's defensive effort in Game 2 was a transformative sight. In what appeared to be an effort to become one with their team name, they swarmed, smashed, hounded, snarled, took, and destroyed for 24 straight minutes to start the game. Not an inch of the court was safe. Read more »

Devin Carter won't be a star, but he could certainly be a starter or high end rotation player with his ability on both ends of the floor and do all the little things. Read more »

Joel Embiid carries the weight of expectations differently than others. As his fanbase and national media have constructed stories that have him as the potential messiah in a decade-long process of experimental team-building, coupled with the unusual rabidity of Philadelphia sports fans, he has accepted this role sincerely. Read more »

Previewing Wolves/Nuggets, Knicks/Pacers, Thunder/Mavericks and Celtics/Magic. Read more »

For many, Kevin Durant's career has been less about his skills and more a cause for referendum on modern league politics, and on what happens when a player attempts to fully tell their own story. Read more »

Whatever mental hurdles the Celtics hope to overcome may not present themselves until the NBA Finals. Read more »