NBA Playoffs

As I watched the Cavaliers completely obliterate and embarrass the ever confusing and bi-polar Toronto Raptors in Cleveland in Game 5, it became pretty clear to me that this has potentially been the most lopsided postseason in NBA history. There have been eight games decided by 30 or more points in the 2016 NBA Playoffs [...]

Should the Oklahoma City Thunder pull off the unthinkable and squeak past the Golden State Warriors to reach the NBA Finals, their success, while incredibly impressive, might come with an asterisk. Because they’ll have beaten a humanized Stephen Curry. The two-time MVP is playing through this series despite, apparently, favoring the right knee he injured [...]

It’s been a rough couple days for elite point guards in the NBA’s postseason, Steph Curry sprained his right MCL and Chris Paul broke his right hand (beware Russell Westbrook and Damian Lillard). It appears the NBA postseason and the chase for the Larry O’Brien trophy will be greatly affected once again by not only [...]

Welcome to the NBA’s real season. The Association’s hectic playoff schedule is all set to tipoff on Saturday, so we at The Hoop Doctors bring you our all-purpose predictions. These are for everyone. Diehard fans. Casual fans. Loyal readers. People who accidentally stumbled upon this page. If there’s a sports bettor in you, well, you’re [...]

Grab those tissues. No, put the hand lotion down. Perverts. You need those for crying. The final installment of power rankings for the 2015-16 regular season is here. We will spend our final time together focusing on the playoff picture and first-round matchups. The Golden State Warriors are still the best team ever, the Chicago Bulls [...]

If the New York Knicks, winners of just 17 games last season, make the 2016 NBA playoffs, plenty of people will be shocked. ESPN NBA analysts Mark Jackson and Jeff Van Gundy will not be among those people. Nor, for the record, will I. The Knicks are going to have a much-improved defense, and Carmelo [...]

Danilo Gallinari is ever the optimist. Even though he’s spent the last two seasons battling injuries, missing the 2013-14 campaign entirely, Gallinari isn’t down. Not that he should be. He played well during FIBA Eurobasket, and the Denver Nuggets signed him to a two-year extension worth around $34 million over the offseason. Tack on his [...]

Remember before, when we decided Pat Riley was an optimist after he called the Miami Heat a championship team? Well, Los Angeles Lakers rookie D’Angelo Russell has his level glass half full-ness beat. During an interview with Alex Kennedy of Basketball Insiders, the dual guard essentially guaranteed that the Lakers would make the playoffs next [...]

The NBA has long since outgrown its divisions, and it’s starting to show. Though there are still divisions, the first step in marginalizing, if not eradicating, them will begin next year when the seeding of conference playoff teams is decided by record. Kurt Helin of ProBasketballTalk was the first to bring confirmation: It's official: NBA [...]

Anthony Davis values stability. And, apparently, lower-seeded playoff berths. But mostly the stability thing. The New Orleans Pelicans haven’t changed much this offseason, much to the delight of their franchise cornerstone. They re-signed Davis to what is, as of now, the richest contract in NBA history, and they canned head coach Monty Williams in favor [...]