Tag: Gregg Popovich

Southwest Division Season Preview: The [Redacted] might be the Title Favorite

by RJ Garcia, posted in Basketball, NBA Basketball

Welcome to the second of the Corner Three 2019-2020 NBA division-by-division season previews. In each of these previews, we use RJ Garcia’s player-by-player ratings (based on on/off metrics and career trajectory) and per-game minutes projections (taking into account potential minutes lost to injury) to project overall team quality for the upcoming season. RJ and Derek Reifer also provide their own analyses and commentary to provide any context and additional insights.

Continue reading “Southwest Division Season Preview: The [Redacted] might be the Title Favorite” →

Who, Why, and In How Long: Round 2 of the NBA Playoffs (West)

by Derek Reifer, posted in Basketball, NBA Basketball

With some help from my co-host RJ Garcia, we already broke down round 1 and round 2 in the East. Now, the bracket is finally complete, as the Warriors finished off the Clippers and the Nuggets survived the Spurs. How do we see things shaking out?

Continue reading “Who, Why, and In How Long: Round 2 of the NBA Playoffs (West)” →

Who, Why, and In How Long: Round 1 of the NBA Playoffs

by Derek Reifer, posted in Basketball, NBA Basketball

After a long wait, it’s finally here, and we had to do a quick breakdown of each of the 1st round matchups. Arya vs. Daenerys could be a doozy, and Bran vs. Jaime has all kinds of history…

Oh yeah, the NBA Playoffs are here too. I guess I’ll break those down too, with some help from my co-host RJ Garcia.

Continue reading “Who, Why, and In How Long: Round 1 of the NBA Playoffs” →

What the Pelicans are Waiting For

by Derek Reifer, posted in Basketball, NBA Basketball

To the dismay of many, but mostly Magic Johnson and LeBron James, Anthony Davis is still a New Orleans Pelican.

Continue reading “What the Pelicans are Waiting For” →

Kawow: The Kawhi Leonard Trade Saga Begins

by Derek Reifer, posted in Basketball, NBA Basketball

It’s official. After months of drama and speculation, Kawhi Leonard reportedly wants out of San Antonio.

Continue reading “Kawow: The Kawhi Leonard Trade Saga Begins” →

The Spurs: Not So Far Behind

by Derek Reifer, posted in Basketball, NBA Basketball

Though it’s finally over, the Golden State Warriors’ winning streak was the talk of the NBA during its run, and why not? The dominance of the Warriors has been more than apparent this season. Their already-defending-MVP Stephen Curry has been by far the best player in the Association this season, contributing over 1.5 wins more than the next best player in our WAR rankings. Golden State is 24-1 with an average point differential of +13.1, and there’s no doubting the already-defending-champions have been the NBA’s best team, but by how much?

Continue reading “The Spurs: Not So Far Behind” →

The West Gets Deeper: How the Addition of Two Enigmatic Veterans Will Affect the Bestern Conference

by Derek Reifer, posted in Basketball, NBA Basketball

The Western Conference has been dominant this season. With at least ten playoff-caliber teams and eight legitimate championship contenders – yes, eight (compared to probably two or three in the East) – the disparity between the two conferences may be as large as ever. Three of the most reliable analytics-based power rankings, Hollinger’s, NumberFire’s, and TeamRankings‘, all rank ten Western teams in the NBA’s top fifteen.

It seems the rich are getting richer: in the past week, two of the East’s most talented players in Rajon Rondo and Josh Smith left the Northeast for Texas. Nothing’s for certain, though, as both players have been centers of controversy over the past couple seasons, especially in analytical circles. While both are very skilled, they have the potential to be poor fits for any team, including their new respective squads. Let’s take a look at the possible pros and cons in each situation.

Continue reading “The West Gets Deeper: How the Addition of Two Enigmatic Veterans Will Affect the Bestern Conference” →

The Comprehensive 2014-2015 NBA Preview: Western Conference

by Derek Reifer, posted in Basketball, NBA Basketball

After an amazing 2013-2014 season, the unbearably long offseason is finally coming to a close. There’s a lot to look forward to this year in the NBA, with superstars on new teams, contenders adding pieces, and more squads than ever with a chance to make noise. Let’s continue with my projected standings for the Western Conference, and analysis for the teams in it:

Continue reading “The Comprehensive 2014-2015 NBA Preview: Western Conference” →

Guide to The Rematch

by Derek Reifer, posted in Basketball, NBA Basketball

Parker’s ridiculous game 1 buzzer beater. LeBron’s block on Splitter. Danny Green’s unbelievable shooting run. Ray Allen’s immortal corner three in game 6. The series lasted seven games, but fans were hungry for seven more. A year later, that wish may come to fruition. Through their all-playoff-long dominance, the Heat and Spurs seemed destined to meet again in this year’s Finals. With teams this great, a lot of information is needed to make a well-educated prediction on the series’ winner. Let’s take a look:

Continue reading “Guide to The Rematch” →

All You Need to Know About the Conference Finals

by Derek Reifer, posted in Basketball, NBA Basketball

Well, we’re here. After a very exciting first couple rounds of the playoffs, the Conference Finals have arrived. This season, the NBA again showed that there is little parity in its ranks, and multiple seven-game series usually weed out potential upsets. Accordingly, in both conferences, the only teams remaining are seeds 1 and 2. Both of these matchups, though, are sure to be classics. Let’s take a closer look:

Continue reading “All You Need to Know About the Conference Finals” →