How might the “Super Team” phenomenon change the NBA landscape, and what does this mean for our favorite teams? In a typical NBA season, five or six teams decide they have no chance to make a playoff run and deliberately tank their records in hopes of earning a better draft pick. This year, that number […]
Basketball
How to Fix the Tanking Problem
The NBA should relegate some teams to the G-league. Every fan knows the drill. Thirty-or-so games into the NBA season, fans have a solid idea of whether or not their team will be competitive for a playoff spot. It is around this time that the hopeless teams find the same recurring comments under their social […]
We Hate to Admit It, But the Golden State Warriors are Good for the NBA
The Golden State Warriors won their first NBA Championship in 2015. Back then, they were a fun-loving team whose play style and personas were easy to root for. This team was led by Stephen Curry, the kid out of Davidson College who exploded onto the scene, winning his first MVP Award. He became one half […]
The Real Reason for the NBA’s Offensive Explosion
In case you hadn’t noticed, the NBA is experiencing an offensive explosion. Teams are averaging over 112 points per game this season. By comparison, the league scored only 106 points per game last season and a mere 100 points per game five years ago. It is difficult to explain just how preposterous this increase is. […]
The NBA’s Schadenfreude Prospects
NBA players are soooo good. They are so very, very good. Absurdly good, even. We all know this! Youtube channels posting nightly highlight videos get a half-million subscribers. This one video of a Giannis Antetokounmpo dunk got 430,000 views in ten days! Yup, the NBA is chock full of phenomenal talents, and we love to […]
How to Destroy a Basketball Team Completely (And Still Keep Your Job)
In an NBA offseason that was surrounded by more shocking headlines than possibly any other in history, the most bizarre news of them all came an hour before the new season tipped off. NBA insider Shams Charania reported that two Chicago Bulls players, Bobby Portis and Nikola Mirotić, were involved in an altercation in practice […]
Conflicts of Interest and the NBA’s Collective Bargaining Agreement
Note: this article is a follow-up to an article I wrote about the Collective Bargaining Agreement negotiations between the NBA and the Players Association, which can be read here. This past January, the National Basketball Association (NBA) and the National Basketball Players Association (NBPA) peacefully ratified a new collective bargaining agreement, to the great relief […]
Roaring to the Finals: Why the Raptors Can Upset Cleveland
Friends, I come bearing good news: April has come. You had to spend the last three weeks watching bricked free throws and horrifying midrange jumpers. Worst of all, you had to pretend to enjoy it, using gambling to trick yourself into an emotional investment. The pain is over. The playoffs are here. This article is […]
Demarcus Cousins and the Power of Unintended Consequences
On February 19, Demarcus Cousins was traded from the Sacramento Kings to the New Orleans Pelicans. Cousins is, by consensus, a top player in the NBA. Indeed, he is one of the most talented scoring centers the game has seen in years. Yet, for a multitude of reasons, the Kings felt obligated to trade him. […]
Light Years Behind: The History Lesson Edition
Welcome to the third installment of Light Years Behind, a (hopefully) weekly look into the National Basketball Association. Editor’s Note: if you come here expecting the in-depth analysis offered elsewhere at the Bowdoin Globalist, then PROCEED NO FURTHER. What follows is an exercise in whimsical nonsense. Mo Williams Transactions: An Oral History After opting into […]