Bill Russell’s Dynasty Review

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With all this talk of Michael Jordan’s Bulls and their amazing dynasty, I started thinking about the NBA’s original and most prolific dynasty, the Bill Russell Celtics.   Russell’s teams won 11 titles in 13 years, which is basically an unmatchable run today.  The primary reason that the record won’t be touched is because the playoffs were much shorter than gauntlet that modern teams have had to run.  For example, the 1956-57 Celtics only had to win one three-game series to … [Read more...] about Bill Russell’s Dynasty Review

Revisiting MJ v. Isiah and The Walk-Off

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As our global purgatory continues, Michael Jordan’s “Last Dance” documentary has masterfully dredged up old stories that we can reconsider.  As we previously noted, much of what has been covered is already well-known by older fans but is new to the younger generation.  One of the new stories is Jordan’s 30+ year rivalry with Isiah Thomas and the Pistons.  Let’s talk about the apex of their lingering resentments, the Pistons’ walk-off without shaking hands with the Bulls in the … [Read more...] about Revisiting MJ v. Isiah and The Walk-Off

MJ and the Pre-Pippen Bulls

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With no new basketball to watch, the new ESPN documentary “The Last Dance” has brought a lot of attention, again, on the Michael Jordan Bulls.  The documentary is ostensibly about the 1997-98 Bulls and Michael Jordan’s final title run that ended with an amazing shot over Bryon Russell and a clutch strip of Karl Malone to cinch the game.  (It will probably focus less on that one playoff game where B.J. Armstrong and Dell Curry lit the Bulls up).  So far, the documentary is not … [Read more...] about MJ and the Pre-Pippen Bulls

Magic’s First Game: A Snap Shot of the NBA Circa 1979

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In order to make the best of life without NBA games, NBA TV and other networks have been showing a ton of older games.  Most of them are well-remembered (i.e., Isiah Thomas’ scoring rampage on a sprained ankle in 1988, a bunch of Laker-Celtics Finals games from the 1980s, or Michael Jordan games).  Those games are great and significant but I actually saw most of those games live and find them less interesting than stuff I’ve never really seen.  One game that caught my eye in the reruns was Magic … [Read more...] about Magic’s First Game: A Snap Shot of the NBA Circa 1979

Jordan v. Stackhouse in DC: Who Was Better?

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Without regular basketball to watch, the rest of the NBA world gets to the backwards looking that is usually reserved for sites like this one.  A fascinating issue was dredged up recently by Jerry Stackhouse, who told Adrian Wojnarowski’s Woj Pod, that Stack resented his time playing with Michael Jordan on the 2002-03 Wizards.  The money quote from Stackhouse, transcribed via Bleacher Report: "[h]onestly, I wish I never played in Washington and for a number of reasons. ... Things were still … [Read more...] about Jordan v. Stackhouse in DC: Who Was Better?

2019-20 NBA Award Picks

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The wind of excitement for the 2019-20 season is clearly waning.   It’s fair to assume that the regular season is over and we are left to guess if there ever will be playoffs in some form.  Let’s take a pause now go over our award picks.  Without further ado, here we are: MVP:  This one is not particularly close.  James Harden, LeBron James, Anthony Davis, and Kawhi Leonard all have various arguments for second but Giannis Antetokounmpo has clear, if not totally dominant, lead over field.  … [Read more...] about 2019-20 NBA Award Picks

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