nba finals
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'I Should Have More Than Four': LeBron James Offers His Two Cents on the MVP Debate
Sustained excellence has its perks, but it can also be a bit of a curse. Because when you routinely excel at something, the general populace tends to take it for granted. Enter LeBron James, who last I checked, is somehow averaging 25.8 points, eight dimes, and eight assists per game in his 18th season in…
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The Atlanta Hawks Didn't Deserve Lloyd Pierce Anyway
This year was supposed to be different. With shiny new toys like Clint Capela, Bogdan Bogdanovic, and Danilo Gallinari in tow to complement John Collins and could-be superstar Trae Young, the Atlanta Hawks were primed to finally escape the basement of the NBA. But after stumbling to a disappointing 14-20 record—which means if the playoffs…
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Kobe Bryant’s 2008 Finals Jersey Put on Display in the Smithsonian
In honor of the late Kobe Bryant, the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture has displayed the jersey he wore during the 2008 NBA Finals. According to CBS News, the jersey was displayed as part of its “Sports: Leveling the Playing Field,” gallery. Bryant was a founding donor of the museum, with…
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Ty Lue Is the Man for the Job, but He's Got a Lot of Work to Do to Fix the Clippers
After one of the biggest implosions in NBA history, in which the Los Angeles Temecula Clippers (the franchise has since relocated to Temecula after the team was ran out of town by rioters bearing torches and pitchforks) somehow blew a 3-1 series lead in the Western Conference Semifinals with one of the most loaded rosters…
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For Kobe: After Suffering One of Its Biggest Tragedies, Los Angeles Achieves Arguably Its Most Meaningful Triumph
Less than an hour before the Game 6 of the NBA Finals showdown between the Los Angeles Lakers and the Miami Heat, the Heat gave me a glimmer of hope: Goran Dragic Active for Game 6 Heat guard is listed active for tonight’s do-or-die game vs. Lakers after tearing his plantar fascia in Game 1.…
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Republicans Rejoice As NBA TV Ratings Swirl Around the Toilet Bowl, but All Is Not As It Seems
The NBA is a business. So after getting derailed by a global pandemic and pouring over $150 million into an NBA bubble to resume the season—all while hemorrhaging money from lost ticket sales, concessions and other lucrative sources of income—the absolute last thing NBA commissioner Adam Silver expected was shitty TV ratings. And calling the…
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LeBron James, Anthony Davis Destroy Miami Heat In Game 1 of NBA Finals
For all of his amazing feats on the basketball court, there’s an unsightly blemish on LeBron James’ resume: his NBA Finals appearances. In 16 seasons, he’s been to the Finals 10 times with the Cleveland Cavaliers, Miami Heat and the Los Angeles Lakers. And between 2011 and 2018, he went a jaw-dropping eight consecutive times.…
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The Miami Heat Know Exactly What Stands in the Way of Their Next NBA Championship: 'That Test Is LeBron James'
After the death of an icon, a global pandemic and months of uncertainty, the dust has finally settled and the NBA Finals will kick off with an unlikely pair of competitors: the Miami Heat and the Los Angeles Lakers. I spent the entire season singing the Temecula Clippers’ praises all while turning a blind eye…
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Men Lie, Women Lie, Cops Don't—Unless We're Talking About the Cop Who Lied on Raptors Exec Masai Ujiri
There are two groups of people that I don’t trust under any circumstances: cashiers when they say I can’t have extra napkins (y’all greedy with the oxtail gravy, too) and police officers when they insist that they’re acting in the best interest of Black and Brown folks. All of the above are full of shit.…
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J.R. Smith Beats the Brakes Off 'White Boy' for Allegedly Vandalizing His Truck During Protests
Former NBA star J.R. Smith was one of many NBA players who peacefully protested this weekend in the name of George Floyd, but he had some explaining to do after footage surfaced of him engaging in a violent confrontation with another protester. TMZ reports that after protesting in Los Angeles’ Fairfax district, Smith spotted a…