1. NBA Power Rankings: Where Every Team Stands Heading into Week 5

    The NBA is seven-deep right now. What I mean is, by the arbitrary standards vested in me, there are seven teams that could feasibly win a title...

    Ethan Sherwood Strauss Written by Ethan Sherwood Strauss about 7 months ago 353,546 reads 266 comments

  2. Video Breakdown of How the Pick-and-Roll Is Re-Energizing Kobe Bryant's Career

    The Los Angeles Lakers hit a snag against the Sacramento Kings , but Kobe Bryant played well nonetheless, pouring in 38 points on 11-for-20 shooting from the field...

    Ethan Sherwood Strauss Written by Ethan Sherwood Strauss about 7 months ago 14,779 reads 26 comments

  3. How Scott Brooks Can Make Thunder Even Better

    Though many (including myself) lamented James Harden's departure, the Oklahoma City Thunder don't seem worse for wear right now...

    Ethan Sherwood Strauss Written by Ethan Sherwood Strauss about 7 months ago 5,074 reads 16 comments

  4. 5 Best NBA Teams of the 2012-13 Season That Nobody Is Talking About

    This is what your League Pass is for, people. It's not enough to skim SportsCenter and jump to conclusions. This is a vast league with so many players and so many teams...

    Ethan Sherwood Strauss Written by Ethan Sherwood Strauss about 7 months ago 14,156 reads 54 comments

  5. How NBA Rebounding Technique Is so Much More Than Athleticism

    The world is not fair to rebounders . If a player cleans the glass, the skill is often attributed to his "athleticism" and nothing more. For whatever reason, shooting is considered a skill, while rebounding is considered a trait...

    Ethan Sherwood Strauss Written by Ethan Sherwood Strauss about 7 months ago 5,246 reads 28 comments

  6. A Dummy's Guide to Mike D'Antoni's Offense

    The basketball world anxiously awaits Mike D'Antoni 's imprint on the L.A. Lakers offense. In theory, his style isn't compatible with L.A.'s plodding talent...

    Ethan Sherwood Strauss Written by Ethan Sherwood Strauss about 7 months ago 5,287 reads 6 comments

  7. A Stat Geek's Guide to the Perfect NBA Offense

    The Basketball Analytics blog came out with a fascinating take on how to run an offense. I'd recommend that everybody read it in its entirety...

    Ethan Sherwood Strauss Written by Ethan Sherwood Strauss about 7 months ago 1,582 reads 0 comments

  8. Does Miami Heat Success Without Dwyane Wade Prove He's Expendable?

    Let me be clear: The Heat are not better off without Dwyane Wade as we know him. The fear is that some day, possibly soon, the Heat will be better off without Dwyane Wade as we HAVE known him...

    Ethan Sherwood Strauss Written by Ethan Sherwood Strauss about 7 months ago 6 reads 159 comments

  9. Breaking Down the NBA Age Curve and Where Kobe Falls in the Matrix

    What has gotten into Kobe Bryant ? He's been uncommonly incredible at an uncommon age. With each passing game, it appears less a fluke than a sea change. Last year, Kobe Bryant experienced his worst season of the millennium...

    Ethan Sherwood Strauss Written by Ethan Sherwood Strauss about 7 months ago 19,364 reads 158 comments

  10. What's Ailing the Aging Boston Celtics?

    So, the Celtics got worked by Detroit . Fear not, though, Boston fans: Rajon Rondo's streak of double-digit regular-season assists is still alive...

    Ethan Sherwood Strauss Written by Ethan Sherwood Strauss about 7 months ago 4,199 reads 25 comments

  11. NBA Power Rankings: Separating Contenders from Pretenders

    Dear reader, I remind you: These Power Rankings reflect which teams are probably best positioned to finish with great regular-season records. Well, that and some other subjective criteria I've thrown in there...

    Ethan Sherwood Strauss Written by Ethan Sherwood Strauss about 7 months ago 322,108 reads 377 comments

  12. Making Sense of the Up-for-Grabs Eastern Conference

    The NBA feels wide open this year, which probably means that we'll just see a repeat of OKC Thunder versus the Miami Heat in the Finals. But no matter, let us marvel at the current state of things...

    Ethan Sherwood Strauss Written by Ethan Sherwood Strauss about 7 months ago 3,155 reads 14 comments

  13. Wolves Must Find Taker for Disappointing Former No. 2 Pick Derrick Williams

    The Timberwolves have been one of the NBA 's early-season delights. Without Ricky Rubio , without Kevin Love and most recently, without Nikola Pekovic , they have managed to be one of basketball's better teams...

    Ethan Sherwood Strauss Written by Ethan Sherwood Strauss about 7 months ago 3,391 reads 16 comments

  14. The Los Angeles Lakers' Guide to Spinning Bad Publicity

    It's impossible to know what really happened in the Phil Jackson- Lakers affair (or the Mike Brown hubbub, or the D'Antoni imbroglio , or whatever you want to call it). There are so many anonymous sources, so many competing agendas...

    Ethan Sherwood Strauss Written by Ethan Sherwood Strauss about 7 months ago 4,881 reads 18 comments

  15. Miami Heat Are Vulnerable, but Against Who?

    The Heat got thoroughly run by the Los Angeles Clippers Wednesday night, 107-100, not long after getting smacked by the Grizzlies . This is fueling a new narrative, out in NBA media land: The Heat are vulnerable to teams with size...

    Ethan Sherwood Strauss Written by Ethan Sherwood Strauss about 7 months ago 25,157 reads 217 comments

  16. Are the Boston Celtics Contenders or Pretenders?

    We're on year three of "This is now Rondo's team," but the question at hand seems to be: Does this roster have enough talent overall? Kevin Garnett and Paul Pierce remain steadfastly good, but their play has to drop off at some point...

    Ethan Sherwood Strauss Written by Ethan Sherwood Strauss about 7 months ago 673 reads 16 comments

  17. Are the Brooklyn Nets Contenders or Pretenders?

    New city, new borough, new expectations? The Brooklyn rollout has many Nets fans primed for a big year. While Brooklyn didn't get Dwight Howard , they did add talent in the form of Joe Johnson and the re-insertion of a healthy Brook Lopez...

    Ethan Sherwood Strauss Written by Ethan Sherwood Strauss about 7 months ago 897 reads 6 comments

  18. Why Process Will Always Beat Improvisation in the NBA

    First, let us marvel at how San Antonio constructed their game-winner against Los Angeles on Tuesday night. The sequence went ball screen, pass, cross screen, down screen, pass—ending with a Danny Green three-point attempt...

    Ethan Sherwood Strauss Written by Ethan Sherwood Strauss about 7 months ago 2,158 reads 4 comments

  19. 5 Ways NBA Pundits Mess with Fans' Perceptions of Basketball

    As a fan and pundit, I make mistakes. Much as we try to analyze the league fairly and sanely, sports traffic in stirring emotion. It is difficult to take in a thrilling game and come away with a sane analysis...

    Ethan Sherwood Strauss Written by Ethan Sherwood Strauss about 7 months ago 11,067 reads 54 comments

  20. Why the MVP Race Still Goes Through LeBron

    Much as we try to make the MVP races interesting, there's a fundamental truth that's been haunting these past few years: LeBron James is the best player in basketball...

    Ethan Sherwood Strauss Written by Ethan Sherwood Strauss about 7 months ago 12,138 reads 147 comments

  21. Best- and Worst-Case Scenarios for Mike D'Antoni's Los Angeles Lakers Debut

    Always the capital of NBA drama and intrigue, the Los Angeles Lakers are drawing interest in a very unique method in the 2012-13 season. They are doing it by ratcheting up expectations, largely disappointing and then wildly correcting course...

    Ethan Sherwood Strauss Written by Ethan Sherwood Strauss about 7 months ago 9,674 reads 26 comments

  22. Are Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson the Smoothest Shooting Backcourt in the NBA?

    The "If healthy" Warriors can really shoot it. In theory, this is the best shooting backcourt in all of sports. The assault on this theory, though, is coming from Stephen Curry ...

    Ethan Sherwood Strauss Written by Ethan Sherwood Strauss about 7 months ago 6,588 reads 16 comments

  23. NBA Power Rankings: How Does Lakers Drama Shake Things Up?

    What an incredible start to the NBA season. Over the summer, Dwight Howard goes to the Lakers . Next, we have the monster James Harden trade...

    Ethan Sherwood Strauss Written by Ethan Sherwood Strauss about 7 months ago 97,482 reads 238 comments

  24. Winners and Losers from Mike D'Antoni to Lakers Hiring

    Mike D'Antoni as the new Los Angeles Lakers head coach? The basketball world received that shocking news at 3 a.m. ET ( via the Los Angeles Times )...

    Ethan Sherwood Strauss Written by Ethan Sherwood Strauss about 7 months ago 88,212 reads 289 comments

  25. Breaking Down the New Wrinkles in Erik Spoelstra's Offensive Scheme

    It is often said that you learn more from failure than from success. When you win, you don't question how to get better, how to improve. When you lose, you're forced to analyze your process, and really think about how to fix what ails you...

    Ethan Sherwood Strauss Written by Ethan Sherwood Strauss about 7 months ago 6,268 reads 6 comments