A look around the league and the Web that covers it. It's also important to note that the rotation order and starting nods aren't always listed in order of importance. That's for you, dear reader, to figure out.
[DraftKings: FREE entry to huge cash Fantasy Basketball Contest with first deposit]
C: Talking Points. Tim Kawakami on how Wednesday night's party showcased the Golden State Warriors at their best, thanks in large part to Andre Iguodala — one of the reserves who, as I noted earlier Wednesday, needed to have a bigger game to balance Golden State's attack — looking his best.
PF: Hang Time. John Schuhmann details how the absence of Kyle Korver hamstrung the Atlanta Hawks' offense on Wednesday.
SF: Sports Illustrated. Rob Mahoney on how Draymond Green's quick release — which produced a 5-for-7 mark from 3-point land on Wednesday — sets him apart from many stretch-four types, and helps keep the Warriors' pristinely paced-and-spaced offense humming.
SG: Valley of the Suns. The Phoenix Suns have fallen off of late, and looked to be in deep trouble after losing trade-deadline acquisition Brandon Knight to a sprained ankle. If they want to stay in the hunt for the No. 8 seed out West, here's five games they absolutely can't drop — including Thursday night's matchup with the New Orleans Pelicans.
PG: The Oregonian. A great look by Mike Richman at how the Portland Trail Blazers have become one of the league's best defensive teams, a decidedly unsexy process two years in the making that has Terry Stotts' club entering Thursday's action ranked seventh in the NBA in points allowed per possession. (They were sixth before Dwyane Wade and company dropped a jewel on 'em on Wednesday.)
6th: Raptors Republic. William Lou takes an in-depth look at the arguments for and against Dwane Casey getting James Johnson involved in the rotation as the Toronto Raptors head toward the playoffs: "Johnson is best when he’s a power forward, but there are two better options ahead of him in the rotation. However, if he plays at small forward, there isn’t enough shooting on the floor."
7th: The Hook. Tom Ziller makes the case that Chris Paul — not Stephen Curry, not Russell Westbrook, not James Harden, not LeBron James and not Anthony Davis — most deserves the 2014-15 NBA Most Valuable Player Award. It's a pretty good case!
8th: VICE Sports. Neil daMause explains why the proposal included in President Barack Obama's budget to ban the use of federal-tax-exempt bonds to fund the construction of sports stadiums probably won't actually keep team owners from looking to states, cities and towns to foot the bill for their buildings.
9th: SB Nation. Paul Flannery talks to Boston Celtics general manager Danny Ainge about rebuilding for the future while also trying to compete for a playoff berth in the present — the latter element of which, frankly, is not something many of us thought the Celtics would have to worry about this season.
10th: RealGM. Speaking of the Celtics, Brett Koremenos takes a closer look at some of the creative yet uncomplicated ways that head coach Brad Stevens has dialed up plays to create great, clean looks late in games as Boston has made its postseason push.
- - - - - - -
Dan Devine is an editor for Ball Don't Lie on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at devine@yahoo-inc.com or follow him on Twitter!
Stay connected with Ball Don't Lie on Twitter @YahooBDL, "Like" BDL on Facebook and follow BDL's Tumblr for year-round NBA talk, jokes and more.
from Yahoo Sports http://ift.tt/1C27y9l
0 commentaires:
Enregistrer un commentaire