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Articles by Matt Strout
NBA Playoff First Round Series Preview: East
Cavaliers win series 4-1 The Cleveland Cavaliers are coming off a historic season. Their regular-season success was daunting. They propelled themselves to 64 wins and a league-best 121.0 offensive rating while having multiple 10+ win streaks. To me, that shows consistent dominance. So, how will this all translate to the playoffs? I think pretty seamlessly. Cleveland has a fantastic starting five that has found balance in its approach to attacking opposing defenses.
Ranking The Top 10 NBA Players To Start The 2024 Season
Why is there so much attention paid to being a top 10 player in the NBA? When you think about it, the honor means nothing. There is no official award for being one of the ten best. It’s mostly about clout, respect, and bragging rights. It’s also a helpful tactic in arguments. “Oh, he’s not just top 10, he’s top 5!” In reality, those arguments are silly. Who can really tell the difference between the 10th-best player and the 11th-best player?
What's The Plan For Life With or Without Paul George?
As the official NBA calendar turns the page on the 2023-2024 season, the Finals hangover has passed as teams scramble to start constructing their teams. Usually, this time is exciting. With the draft, free agency, and trades, generally, every GM is eager to dive straight into the fray. However, this offseason is forcing front offices’ to barely dip their toes in, as there is a level of uncertainty with not only the draft process but also an offseason full of new rules and structures to navigate.
Chronicling The Celtics Run To The Finals
Writing these sorts of playoff articles about the Boston Celtics all begin the same way. The team in green has been around the top of the Eastern Conference for nearly a decade. Obviously, before that, the 17 banners thing is a glaring reminder to everyone that winning in Boston is expected. In recent seasons, the Celtics have returned as a perennial title favorite. Having reached the Finals in 2022. In part, their regular-season results have a lot to do with those lofty title expectations.
BSP NBA Finals Predictions
This year, the NBA Finals take place between the Eastern Conference champions, the Boston Celtics, and the Western Conference champions, the Dallas Mavericks. The Celtics have dominated their way to the NBA Finals with a combined regular and postseason record of 76-20. Boston has showcased its playoff pedigree with consistent performances from their stalwarts Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown. Even through a downtrodden East, the Celtics have executed in critical situations to advance.
BSP NBA Awards Ballot 2024
The NBA regular season has concluded officially, with the play-in games finishing off last night. With the playoff bracket set, the attention of NBA fans turns to match-ups and analyzing the path to a championship. Hopefully, before people forget about what occurred during the regular season, they will remember all the great performances of the 82-game season. Players generally face a lot of scrutiny during the playoffs, even if their regular season was historic.
Playoff X-Factors That Can Elevate Their Teams
Now that it is NBA playoff time, predictions are flying around about who will make it out of the play-in games, reach the conference finals, and finally win the title. After looking at or listening to all the forecasts, everything is clouded in a general consensus. More time is needed to identify how a team could make it far. As we all know, the postseason is a different animal to tame. Just last year, plenty of surprises happened in the first round.
The Sports Movie Oscars
In the sports calendar, the month of March means a lot of things. It’s jam-packed with the NCAA tournament, golf matches, Formula One races, spring training baseball, and regular-season hoops. Hockey, too. On top of that, combat sports like the UFC and WWE are preparing for their signature pay-per-view events. But with the NFL Combine over and still a week or two before the NCAA tournament starts, there may be a void in the programming schedule this weekend.
A Quick and Lackluster All-Star Weekend
The NBA All-Star weekend is a victim of expectations. All-Star weekend is a show for a large part of the basketball community. A week of activities jam-packed the schedule with forums, interviews, TV specials, star appearances, and some basketball. That’s where the detractors come in. To them, the weekend, particularly the game, has lost its identity and impact. There is a need for an All-Star game. So the quick-firing takes that say we should disband the All-Star game are ludicrous.
2023-24 NBA Mid-Season Reports: Southwest Division
To begin the NBA season, our staff writers took a stab at previewing each team and their division. While some predictions and prognostications have panned out, there is plenty that has been surprising. This week, our writers will again break down the league, team by team, in order to get ready for the rest of the NBA season. We hope to give insight into where teams are at this point in the year, and with the trade deadline right around the corner, we will try to forecast what move lies ahead.
Where Were The Trades? A Breakdown From A Quiet Deadline
Last year, the NBA trade deadline was downright chaotic. Whether it be the day itself or the days leading up to it, last year was memorable for the landscape alerting deals that went down. Because fans have become accustomed to deadline deals being more frequent (and substantial in the last decade), the day brings a lot of entertainment value. This year, much like a movie being anticipated before its premiere, speculation was running about what deal might steal the show.
The Celtics Are Dominating, Will It Last?
For NBA fans, following the regular season has been a grueling exercise in patience, belief, and frustration. Like with any team, if we follow too closely, expectations can cloud our judgment. For Boston Celtics fans, the emotional battle goes deeper. Celtics fans have been tending their garden of “Tatum and Brown can lead us to the title” takes for almost a half-decade. The anxiousness and desire for another championship are powerful in Boston.
The Losing Has Become Toxic For The Pistons
Do the Detroit Pistons, losers of 26 straight regular season games, need more time or saving? That might be too simple of a reduction for Pistons fans to live with. After all, the Pistons are 4-46 in their last 50 regular season games. Save yourself time, and don’t look up what that record is in the previous 100 games (for those sadistic NBA watchers, it is 16-84). Similarly, more time could feel like a life sentence for a team that hasn’t appeared in the playoffs since the 2018-2019 season.
Boston's Success Hinges On Jaylen Brown
The path to stardom was an unusual one for Jaylen Brown. Playing in his eighth NBA season, Brown has seen himself go from an untrusted young bench contributor, scraping to get minutes in the playoffs, to an All-NBA level player on a team looking to make it back to the NBA Finals. The Boston Celtics gave Brown a staggering $300 million contract extension in early July. The sum (structured and necessitated by Brown’s previously mentioned All-NBA selection) stuck out to many.
Should The Celtics Worry About Their Bench?
Nine games into the 2023-2024 season, and it is already clear that the Boston Celtics are a good team, but as the rest of the league has started to settle in, the teams’ 5-0 start didn’t wash away all of their flaws. In the last week, the Celtics have gone 2-2 after a Saturday night victory against the Toronto Raptors at home to salvage a spilt after what revealed itself as their first hard stretch of the season. When the Celtics have played well, they have looked really, really good.
The Celtics And Tatum Show Signs Of Growth
It is early (just barely a week), but the NBA season has already hit warp speed. With the news breaking well before dawn on Tuesday that James Harden had been traded from the Philadelphia 76ers to the Los Angeles Clippers, the NBA can officially say it is back! Only some teams are retooling just four games into the season. However, some are grinding their way through the early part of the season, experimenting with lineups, establishing culture, and incorporating new pieces.
The 2023-2024 Nine NBA Coaching Tiers: Part Five
As a fresh NBA campaign rapidly approaches, it is predictions, tiers, and rankings season across basketball media. Back Sports Page has already dipped our toes in the preview game so far, as we have already published our previews for all of the divisions. Additionally, last month, our team collaborated on picking the best games to watch during the first half of the year. With all rosters decidedly set, a complete and clear examination of teams can begin.
The 2023-2024 Nine NBA Coaching Tiers: Part Four
As a fresh NBA campaign rapidly approaches, it is predictions, tiers, and rankings season across basketball media. Back Sports Page has already dipped our toes in the preview game so far, as we have already published our previews for all of the divisions. Additionally, last month, our team collaborated on picking the best games to watch during the first half of the year. With all rosters decidedly set, a complete and clear examination of teams can begin.
The 2023-2024 Nine NBA Coaching Tiers: Part 3
As a fresh NBA campaign rapidly approaches, it is predictions, tiers, and rankings season across basketball media. Back Sports Page has already dipped our toes in the preview game so far, as we have already published our previews for all of the divisions. Additionally, last month, our team collaborated on picking the best games to watch during the first half of the year. With all rosters decidedly set, a complete and clear examination of teams can begin.
The 2023-2024 Nine NBA Coaching Tiers: Part Two
As a fresh NBA campaign rapidly approaches, it is predictions, tiers, and rankings season across basketball media. Back Sports Page has already dipped our toes in the preview game so far, as we have already published our previews for all of the divisions. Additionally, last month, our team collaborated on picking the best games to watch during the first half of the year. With all rosters decidedly set, a complete and clear examination of teams can begin.
The 2023-24 Nine NBA Coaching Tiers: Part One
As a fresh NBA campaign rapidly approaches, it is predictions, tiers, and rankings season across basketball media. Back Sports Page has already dipped our toes in the preview game so far, as we have already published our previews for all of the divisions. Additionally, last month, our team collaborated on picking the best games to watch during the first half of the year. With all rosters decidedly set, a full and clear examination of teams can begin.
Boston Celtics Execute A Trade Of Trade-Offs
AsWin-now mode doesn’t do enough justice in describing the move made by Brad Stevens and the Boston Celtics on Sunday. The Celtics agreed to acquire recently moved All-Star guard Jrue Holiday from the Portland Trail Blazers for Malcolm Brogdon, Robert Williams, and two unprotected first-round picks in 2024 (from the Golden State Warriors) and 2029. The Celtics’ desire to stay close to the Milwaukee Bucks and eliminate another Eastern Conference contender by adding Holiday made the trade possible.
BSP NBA Season Preview: Northwest Division
To kick off our 2023-2024 NBA season coverage, Back Sports Page will preview all 30 NBA teams for the upcoming year. However, unlike years past, our previews will be put out according to their respective divisions. In our fourth preview edition, our staff looked at the Southwest division and broke down each of the five teams. Our basketball staff turned their attention to the Northwest division in this piece.
BSP NBA Season Preview: Southeast Division
To kick off our 2023-2024 NBA season coverage, Back Sports Page will preview all 30 NBA teams for the upcoming year. Different for years past, however, our previews will be put out according to their respective divisions. In our first edition, our staff looked at the Southeast division and broke down each of the five teams. Follow along over the next two weeks to see an analysis of the outlooks for teams as they head into the new season.
Team USA Is Losing Their Edge
When the USA Men’s Basketball team plays, the expectation is for them to win and win big. Regardless of the opponent, location, and circumstance, the overarching notion is that the Americans are more talented, and therefore they will come out victorious. This feeling didn’t just spring up out of nowhere. Decades of Team USA victories from the Olympics to World Championships to exhibitions have conditioned viewers that the USA is operating at a higher level than the rest of these nations.
The Celtics Sixth Man Enigma
For the first time in a long time, the Boston Celtics don’t have to worry about the status of their starting lineup as they head into training camp. Barring a significant setback from newly acquired big man Kristaps Porzingis, the Celtics will enter their October 24 matchup against the New York Knicks with a lineup of Derrick White, Jaylen Brown, Jayson Tatum, Al Horford, and Porzingis. The Celtics still have one roster spot to fill before opening camp next month.
BSP NBA First-Half Games to Watch Guide
Last week, the NBA released the schedule for all 30 teams, including the dates and design for the in-season tournament. With over 2,460 possible games to watch, how does one decide which ones to prioritize? Well, luckily, our writers have you covered because they have narrowed it down even further to focusing only on the games happening before the All-Star break.
Early Injury A Bad Omen For The Celtics
In the year’s first test of trust for the Boston Celtics, they were able to pass with flying colors by retaining Jaylen Brown on a record-setting contract extension. Many wondered if the Celtics, who have had trouble re-signing stars in previous summers, could get a deal done. This time, they got it done under new leadership with President of Basketball Operations Brad Stevens. Now a different kind of trust test has arrived in the form of their new big man Kristaps Porzingis.
Who Will Fill The Celtics Final Roster Spots?
A championship-caliber team is usually not too worried about who the 13th, 14th, and 15th men are on their roster. It’s not because those players aren’t necessary, they…are. Conventional wisdom, though, tells us that if the end of the rotation guys are going to make or break title hopes, then the team has other issues to worry about. So why are those end-of-bench players important? Well, because not every player contributes to winning by being on the court.
How The NBA Helped Damian Lillard And The Trail Blazers
On Friday, with things quiet in the basketball world, NBA Commissioner Adam Silver threw Damian Lillard an 8-by-11-inch life vest. The piece of paper, disseminated by the league office, condemned the conduct from all sides involved with the Lillard sweepstakes. Even just days old, the “Lillard Memo” is already one of those things that has fostered conspiratorial behavior.
The Boston Celtics Make Risky Bet
The wait is finally over for the anxious “Green Teamers” who have been wondering when a Jaylen Brown contract extension would come. On Tuesday afternoon, the All-Star wing agreed to sign a five-year $304 million max contract extension with the Boston Celtics. Getting an extension done was a listed priority by President of Basketball Operations Brad Stevens. “He’s a big part of us moving forward,” Stevens said at his June 1st press conference.
Good Timing For The Open Championship
This week, the fourth and last major of the golf season is happening at the Royal Liverpool Golf Club in Hoylake, Meyerside, in the U.K. The Open Championship has always brought a lasting legacy and anticipation matched only by The Masters tournament. But, even then, The Open feels as close to the earliest stages of competitive golf allowable now. Last week, in his preparation for the Genesis Scottish Open, Rory McIlroy hit a persimmon golf club off the tee.
Grant Williams Is Leaving; Is Jaylen Brown Staying?
Before the NBA Draft, the Boston Celtics made a swing to solidify their frontcourt by acquiring Kristaps Porzingis. The move shook up the NBA landscape and tore down a core that had been together for over six seasons. The Celtics lost another piece of their core this week in the form of forward Grant Williams. Williams signed an offer sheet with the Dallas Mavericks for a four-year $53,000,000 deal that turned into a sign-and-trade between the Mavericks, Celtics, and San Antonio Spurs.
Bruce Brown is a Indiana Pacer
During their championship parade in late June, Denver Nuggets Coach Michael Malone asked a sea of fans, “You all tell me, is Brucey B going anywhere?” After a brief pause, Malone answered his own question with an emphatic and drawn-out “H— no.” What at the time seemed like a pitch that couldn’t be turned down (a parade with the entire team and thousands of cheering fans) ultimately was not accepted by Bruce Brown.
A Restricted Free Agent Summer
Move over “short king spring,” it is a restricted free-agent summer. The new name doesn’t quite roll off the tongue, but it definitely is a way of drawing more attention to the current class of not-so-free agents. A descendant of the MLB’s practice of controlling professional athletes, restricted free agency has had its fair share of headline moments in the NBA.
The Celtics Swing Big for Porzingis
Late Wednesday night, less than 24 hours before the NBA draft, notifications started popping up on phones, laptops, and televisions, alerting the basketball world of a trade. That in and of itself wasn’t the shocking part. It was a certainty that trades would begin to flow by now. Moreover, rumors of a trade between the Boston Celtics, the Los Angeles Clippers, and the Washington Wizards had already been reported.
The Denver Nuggets Aren't Resting
Winning an NBA championship isn’t going to stop the Denver Nuggets from being aggressive. Complacency doesn’t seem to fit the attitude of the Nuggets front office. Repeating as champions won’t be easy, considering it’s hard to replicate the magic of a title run. Just days before the calendar switched to a new year, the Nuggets are trying their best to make that happen.
Boston Celtics End of Season Report
The Boston Celtics spent this past season running around in the dark. They had done this exercise before, stumbling in the past against bigger stars like LeBron James. The Celtics also got hit beside the head to a more experienced Miami Heat team in the bubble. Last season, they avoided chairs and tables on their way to the NBA Finals, only to crash into a Golden State-shaped wall. However, when the lights were turned on at the end of this season, there was no championship.
What is Chris Paul's Future
Another future Hall-of-Fame point guard is at a crossroads. Earlier this season, it was Russell Westbrook. Once he was shut down, it was Damian Lillard. Now it is Chris Paul. Paul has been passed around from contender to contender over the last six seasons. Over those years, the teams– this time the Phoenix Suns– looked at his production and pedigree and invested in him even at an increased age.
The Miami Heat Three-For-All
The Miami Heat are psychopaths. Medically diagnosed as such? No. But in a basketball sense, they fit the profile. Here’s the clinical evidence, first, they were content with not having a home-court advantage in any series during the playoffs. Then this team was excited to play the Milwaukee Bucks in the First Round. Lastly, they were even a little too happy that things got harder when Tyler Herro went down with a hand injury.
The Celtics Melt to The Heat
It had barely been 48 hours since the Boston Celtics left South Florida following their Game 6 stunning victory over the Miami Heat. Stories and media features were being mass-produced, rightfully so, about Derrick White’s game-winning putback layup. Video, from all angles, was broadcast incessantly on all platforms. Staged like written for a TV scene, White’s play saved the Celtics season and opened the door for something unprecedented. The last two days were the polar opposite.
Al Horford Needs to Walk the Talk
Here’s a free idea for Boston Celtics fans; instead of watching the team play Game 1 of any playoff series, just throw on a comfort movie. It will make you feel better and will definitely be more enjoyable. The Celtics opened up another series by going down 0-1 with their loss on Wednesday night. That makes their record 5-6 in the series-opening game, dating back to the start of the “bubble” Playoffs in 2020.
Game 7: Tatum Powers Celtics to Win
For the second straight season, the Boston Celtics faced the grim reality after falling behind 3-2 in the second round of the Eastern Conference Playoffs, this time to the Philadelphia 76ers. In front of them was the task of overcoming the 84% of the time when the team ahead 3-2 wins the series. Even more concerning, The Celtics’ play and decision-making had sputtered in major moments through the series’ first five games.
Memphis Grizzlies End of Season Report
Last year the Memphis Grizzlies ended the season by speeding past expectations. A second-round loss to the eventual NBA champions, the Golden State Warriors, was an excellent building block for the future. With some uncertainty in the talent of other Western Conference teams at the outset, the landscape for the Grizzlies was wide open. What the Grizzlies achieved on the court was a 51-31 record and a second-place finish in the conference. What they achieved off the court was much less impressive.
Celtics vs. Hawks Recap: Boston Moves On In Six
This year’s postseason motto for the Boston Celtics is “Unfinished Business.” The slogan is a callback to Boston’s run to the NBA finals last year that saw them two games away from hoisting the organization’s 18th championship banner. Boiled down, the mantra is, “We know what it takes to get there; now we have to finish.” Every player on the team echoed that sentiment from day one this season. But in the NBA, like most industries, it’s about what you do, not what you say.
Injuries And Scapegoating The Charge
The offensive charge in basketball is undergoing a public relations crisis. Over the weekend, during the much anticipated first round of the NBA playoffs, three impactful injuries happened. Two featured face-of-the-franchise players free-falling in the air with no time to brace themselves after leaping toward the rim. Ultimately those two players, Memphis Grizzlies guard Ja Morant and Milwaukee Bucks forward Giannis Antetokounmpo, ended up leaving their respective games and not returning.
BSP Basketball Staff NBA Awards
This year, in preparation for the end of the year, the NBA writers here at Back Sports Page submitted their picks for who they thought would make it to the NBA Finals in our roundtable published last week. In addition, the basketball staff also made their picks on the end-of-season awards and honors.
San Antonio Spurs End of Year Grades
The 2022-2023 season has come to an end for the San Antonio Spurs, and they achieved what they set out to do at the beginning of the year: Lose plenty of games. It’s no fun watching your team lose 60 times a year, but the torture of tanking has gifted the Spurs a top-3 chance at the prized French prospect Victor Wembanyama. Mustering only 22 wins had them tied for both last place in the western conference as well as the second-worst record in the NBA with the Houston Rockets.
BSP 2023 NBA Finals Roundtable Predictions
The 2023 NBA playoffs will commence soon and the BSP Basketball staff wanted to put together some predictions for the final outcome. Who will win the 2023 NBA Finals? There are plenty of contenders in both the Western and Eastern Conferences so your guess is as good as ours. We will put our writers to the test to see who comes closest to predicting the participants and the winner of the next NBA championship. Memphis Grizzlies vs.
Root For A Masters Hole-In-One
The eyes of the golfing world turn their attention to Augusta, GA, this week for the annual Masters Tournament. While dads around the country are rejoicing, it might be hard for some casual golf fans to latch onto a golfer to root for. After all, some of the past champions and more recognizable names are now too controversial due to their affiliation with the LIV Golf Tour. Well, if you are stuck wondering what you should focus on during the tournament, here is something to look out for.
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