SR – NBA Christmas Day Preview: Brooklyn Nets vs. Boston Celtics

SR – NBA Christmas Day Preview: Brooklyn Nets vs. Boston Celtics

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by | Dec 25, 2020 | Featured, NBA

Merry Christmas everyone! From our extended SneakerReporter family to yours, we wish you happy, happy holidays! It’s been a long, rough year, but if you are able to just be with family and friends during this wondrous time, that’s a blessing in itself. And per tradition on Christmas day, we have more NBA Basketball just a little under an hour away! Five games, and a preview of each of them, are coming down the chimney for viewing and reading pleasure, so go and grab your favorite Yuletide beverage, kick back, and get ready for game one of our NBA quintuple-header choc’ full o’ holiday action!

The third game on the schedule: the 1-0 Brooklyn Nets, fresh off a home beatdown handed to the Golden State Warriors, start their first road trip of the season by visiting ol’ Beantown as Kyrie Irving makes his anticipated return to Boston’s TD Garden in a 5:00 p.m. ET showdown on ABC.

Boston is too coming off one of the most impressive outings of the Jayson Tatum – Jaylen Brown era: a 120-119 thriller that saw Boston avoid overtime, thanks to a bricked second free throw by reigning 2-time MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo with 0.4 seconds left. Jayson Tatum’s last-second heroics and 30 points off 12-of-28 shooting guaranteed them starting on the winning track against conference rival Milwaukee, but the gradual rise of Jaylen Brown, who scored 33 points off 13-of-24 shooting in the win against the Bucks, is proving a lot of his believers that spoke highly of him and how he should’ve been announced as an Eastern All-Star last year with such a strong opening day performance.

And on that topic, there’s been some change for the Celtics, more specifically on their bench. New veteran pickup Jeff Teague (19 points off 7-15 shooting and a perfect 4-for-4 from deep) was the tenured marksman that resembled his younger Atlanta self, but big man depth was the biggest question mark on their list of necessary improvements. That’ll be something to monitor today since they’ll lose some of it. Robert Williams has contracted an illness and won’t be active for this one, so Daniel Theis and Grant Williams will have to compensate and take his workload of guarding DeAndre Jordan and Jarrett Allen.

As for the wings, Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown face their hardest defensive matchup yet: the Durantula, Kevin Durant. But for KD, guarding the Boston duo isn’t as simple as thought. Whatever percentage Durant was at during their win against the Warriors, he looked spry and shifty as if his injury never happened. And for Kyrie, who was sidelined the rest of the year with shoulder issues last season, is looking to make a statement against the team that let him walk to Brooklyn after a disastrous divorce following the 2019 playoff series against the Bucks.

So for what is perhaps the most controversial and compelling game of the season so far, it should go well with your family’s Christmas dinner (y’know, if you like some drama with your mashed potatoes). Kick back and enjoy!

Dec 25, 2020 No Comments
SR – NBA Christmas Day Preview: Golden State Warriors vs. Milwaukee Bucks

SR – NBA Christmas Day Preview: Golden State Warriors vs. Milwaukee Bucks

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by | Dec 25, 2020 | Featured, NBA

Merry Christmas everyone! From our extended SneakerReporter family to yours, we wish you happy, happy holidays! It’s been a long, rough year, but if you are able to just be with family and friends during this wondrous time, that’s a blessing in itself. And per tradition on Christmas day, we have NBA Basketball just a little under an hour away! Five games, and a preview of each of them, are coming down the chimney for viewing and reading pleasure, so go and grab your favorite Yuletide beverage, kick back, and get ready for game one of our NBA quintuple-header choc’ full o’ holiday action!

The second game on the schedule: Stephen Curry and the Golden State Warriors travel to icy Milwaukee to take on reigning MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo and the Bucks in another Holiday classic, set to tip-off at 2:30 p.m. ET, or whenever Pelicans-Heat concludes on ABC.

Both teams are coming off losses, but one has lost more than the other. Draymond Green still has to wait to debut for his Warriors this season, as he’s handicapped with a foot injury sustained during training camp and preseason. So it’ll be the one-man show Stephen Curry runs that the Dubs have to place their trust in to get their first win in upsetting fashion against a Bucks team that was historically great last season on the defensive end.

As for Milwaukee, they saw good things in new starting guard Jrue Holiday in their one-point loss to Boston via a Jayson Tatum last-second stepback jumper. As one of the more impressive signings of the offseason, the two-way guard and former All-Star will have the distinct task of stopping Curry from launching 40-foot three-balls off screens and off the dribble, and MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo will be matched up with 2020’s second-overall pick James Wiseman. It’s surely a measuring stick game for the rookie to see where he stacks up against the game’s very elite, and it should be pretty entertaining to watch the two go at it during the opener of the afternoon slot of games.

Golden State probably won’t be as poor as they were against Brooklyn, losing by 26 on the road. Still, scoring inside will be a difficult challenge to complete, so whatever adjustments Steve Kerr makes on the fly might decide who takes home the first win of their seasons.

Dec 25, 2020 No Comments
SR – NBA Christmas Day Preview: New Orleans Pelicans vs. Miami Heat

SR – NBA Christmas Day Preview: New Orleans Pelicans vs. Miami Heat

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by | Dec 25, 2020 | Featured, NBA

Merry Christmas everyone! From our extended SneakerReporter family to yours, we wish you happy, happy holidays! It’s been a long, rough year, but if you are able to just be with family and friends during this wondrous time, that’s a blessing in itself. And per tradition on Christmas day, we have NBA Basketball just a little under an hour away! Five games, and a preview of each of them, are coming down the chimney for viewing and reading pleasure, so go and grab your favorite Yuletide beverage, kick back, and get ready for game one of our NBA quintuple-header choc’ full o’ holiday action!

The first game on the schedule: the New Orleans Pelicans take a trip to sunny South Beach to battle the Miami Heat on ABC at 12:00 p.m. ET.

The Pelicans are fresh off a season-opening 113-99  road thrashing of the Toronto Raptors and really looked like the young, talented team that fueled those preseason expectations of this Stan Van Gundy-coached team making the postseason. Engineered by the unstoppable force named Zion Williamson, who finished with a rattling 18 points off 7-9 shooting as Toronto was struggling all night stopping him from getting to the rack with that tremendous strength and explosiveness he’s blessed with. For Williamson, this has to be the greatest gift of them all, since the 2nd year star out of Duke was sidelined through last January as a result of the injury to his left meniscus and wasn’t able to play in his first Christmas Day game.

Now that he has his chance, NBA fans can expect to see Zion slash his way through Miami’s defense and finish atop the rim with fervent, though it won’t be easy. Though Miami is coming off a tough loss to the Magic, the season is young and it’s only a matter of time until Jimmy Butler, Goran Dragic, Bam Adebayo, Duncan Robinson, and crew recalibrate and earn their first win.

This game is going to be a lot of fun and should feature a lot of all-star talent. It will be interesting to see how Brandon Ingram is guarded by Bam Adebayo or Jimmy Butler, and who wants to take initiative and stand in front of Zion to limit his ferocious drives and off-ball cuts inside the lane and on the baseline. Additionally, how does Miami’s offense continue to etch in Tyler Herro as their primary facilitator? And seeing as there isn’t a do-all No. 1 man in this offense, will Jimmy Butler, Herro, or Duncan Robinson be the biggest factor on offense against an effective defensive team that has long bodies around the perimeter?

Two solid rosters will collide, and those questions and more will be answered come tip-off.

Dec 25, 2020 No Comments
SR – NBA Primetime Preview: Los Angeles Clippers vs. Los Angeles Lakers

SR – NBA Primetime Preview: Los Angeles Clippers vs. Los Angeles Lakers

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by | Dec 23, 2020 | Featured, NBA

For the second game on our opening night TNT schedule, we have the world champion Los Angeles Lakers dueling against the cross-hallway rival Los Angeles Clippers at 10:00 p.m. ET.

It’s a celebration at the Staples Center on Tuesday night! The Lakers, 71 days removed from their 17th time hoisting the Larry O’Brien trophy atop their heads back in the bubble, have their ring ceremony tonight, and while they’ve decided not to have the unveiling of the 17th championship banner until fans pack ol’ Staples (and who knows when that’ll be), the joy of holding the title of “franchise tied with the most gold” will feel just as good to say, even if Lakers fans won’t be in person at their season opener to say it.

Just like any other ring ceremony game, the visiting Clippers are looking to play spoiler. What started out as the joining of a roster that had immediate championship aspirations, turned into a vile collapse during the Western Conference semifinal as they blew a 3-1 lead to the Denver Nuggets. Kawhi Leonard and Paul George begin a season of redemption, and proving they can still hang with a team they beat twice last year with what’s now considered an “upset” win against the Lakers tonight.

This next iteration of the Battle of Los Angeles will feature some new faces in new places. A first: reigning Sixth man of the Year Montrezl Harrell will be on an LA sideline, just not the one you’ve come to expect. After contract talks between him, Jerry West, Steve Ballmer broke down, the Louisville product will be donning Laker purple and gold. Another thing of note, 6MOTY runner-up Dennis Schroder is going to be a Laker as well, as Rob Pelinka made sure to add some outside shooting and crafty ballhandling in the offseason. Wesley Matthews (picked up off the bi-annual exception) adds perimeter defense and accurate shooting from deep.

The Clips may have lost a few pieces in Harrell and Landry Shamet (sent to Brooklyn) and lost their head coach (Doc Rivers was hired by Daryl Morey in Philadelphia) but they’re just as dangerous with the tandem of PG13 and the Klaw. LeBron James and Anthony Davis are the big favorites to repeat as champs, but that doesn’t mean their trip back to the NBA Finals will be a cakewalk. Not in the slightest.

Dec 23, 2020 No Comments
SR – NBA Primetime Preview: Golden State Warriors vs Brooklyn Nets

SR – NBA Primetime Preview: Golden State Warriors vs Brooklyn Nets

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by | Dec 22, 2020 | Featured, NBA

It’s almost time for tip-off, and that can only mean one time…For the first time in over 71 days, professional basketball that actually counts toward something will be on television screens in households around the world. And for this site, it’ll be the first time since March 11, 2020, that a primetime preview article is being published. It’s been a year shrouded with uncertainty, pain, and despair, but there are always lights at the end of those dark tunnels and for a lot of people, sports have been that necessary escape, that joyous distraction, a soothing reminder that things get better and the fact that there’s always a solution to the most pertinent issue.

This season is unlike any other. And the fans not being in stands isn’t the biggest adjustment players have to make. A widespread pandemic has ravaged the sports world, but this league has the initiative to continue playing safely until told to not do so. A 72-game season is the plan B for the NBA and the season, usually ending in early April, will continue into May and an abridged version of the playoffs will take place mid-spring, finally concluding weeks short of the Tokyo Olympics. It’s certainly a work-on-the-fly kind of plan with no concrete schedule, but it’s something they’ll have to get acclimated to.

So, to tonight’s game – Brooklyn and Golden State kick off the most different season in NBA history. All that will be there to accompany the 30 participants on the court will be artificial crowd sounds to fill the fan-less void, but basketball is to be played in its 48-minute entirety. The Golden State Warriors begin a rebounding season that’s sure to be filled to the brim with headlines as one of the West’s most integral teams, and with them now at the bottom of the pecking order, best believe Stephen Curry and crew have something to say about who’s being appointed as early favorites to come out of the conference.

It’ll be the Dubs’ first game in nearly 300 days since their 15-win season was cut short by the pandemic. And for the first time ever, they’ll be participating in competitive basketball in an empty gym. Curry looks to square off against former teammate Kevin Durant, the Nets’ new acquisition who fled to Brooklyn after the debacle in Game 5 of the 2019 NBA Finals, where the four-time scoring champ ruptured his Achilles. He hasn’t played a regular-season game since then, so tonight is a personal milestone in itself for him.

Alongside Durant will be former NBA champ Kyrie Irving who is quite arguably the most skilled player at the position today (though Curry won’t quite vouch for that sentiment!) It’s yet to be determined if the pairing of Irving and Durant will work out, but tonight’s the first glimpse at a team that could very well be representing the East in July’s NBA Finals.

A fun fact – this game was supposed to be played between these two teams back on March 12, so it’s good that commissioner Adam Silver kept this game going as the first one of the new year. And other storylines like Kelly Oubre’s debut with Golden State, No. 2 overall pick James Wiseman’s NBA Debut, and the overall sight of pandemic basketball in home stadiums will all play out on screens at 7:00 p.m. ET on TNT.

Dec 22, 2020 No Comments