Articles by Ben Pfeifer (138)
Promising young players define themselves in the playoffs. Most crumble under the pressure of the postseason. However, some players, like the Oklahoma City Thunder’s sophomore guard Cason Wallace, rise to the occasion. In Oklahoma City’s second-round win over the Denver Nuggets, the Thunder outscored the Nuggets by 23.7 points per 100 possessions during Wallace’s minutes. […]
During the Boston Celtics’ first-round win over the Orlando Magic, Jayson Tatum carved up an elite Orlando defense, adjusting after a poor Game 1. Boston’s offense, fueled by Tatum, should’ve had an easier time against a New York Knicks defense that’s inferior to Orlando’s by any regular season statistical measure. But the Celtics find themselves […]
A miraculous Denver Nuggets comeback, fueled by late-game shenanigans and a clutch Aaron Gordon triple, kicked the top-seeded Oklahoma City Thunder into a 1-0 hole in the Western Conference Semifinals. Oklahoma City can clean up plenty of little things, namely focusing more on both ends, avoiding silly fouls in the backcourt and making open jumpers. […]
Though the NBA Draft combine receives most of the spotlight, the G League Elite Camp marks an important part of the draft process. The list of participating prospects is weaker than most years, but some prospects will still rise above the rest. Let’s discuss five G League Elite Camp players with potential to break out […]
In the closing minutes of Oklahoma City’s Game 4 matchup with the Memphis Grizzlies, Jalen Williams brought the ball across the timeline. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander attempted to screen for Williams, but Williams found himself isolated against Scotty Pippen Jr. Williams calmly blew by Pippen, accessed the middle of the floor and nailed a floater to extend […]
Both the top-seeded Cleveland Cavaliers and Indiana Pacers took care of business in their first-round series. After the Cavs swept the Miami Heat and the Pacers toppled the Milwaukee Bucks in five games, each team will have a bit more game-planning and matchup stress to consider for their second-round bout. A regular-season buzzsaw in Cleveland […]
The Los Angeles Clippers and the Denver Nuggets will treat us to the first Game 7 of the 2025 NBA Playoffs on Saturday night. Most anticipated this series to go the distance and the chess match between two excellent teams hasn’t disappointed. To escape this series and challenge the Oklahoma City Thunder in the second […]
For some NBA fans, Jayson Tatum’s recent playoff performances leave them wanting more. Despite winning a title last season as the Boston Celtics’ primary engine, his relative inefficiency and tendency to sit in the background while teammates carried the scoring load led some to question his true greatness. Those detractors would have felt emboldened after […]
The Nike EYBL circuit opened up this past weekend in Phoenix. Nearly all of high school basketball’s best prospect took the floor, hoping to boost their stock heading into next season. Because of the high competition level, EYBL presents one of the better scouting opportunities for these young prospects. Let’s break down performances from five […]
As many expected, the top-seeded Cleveland Cavaliers took care of business in their first two playoff games against Miami. The Heat scared the Cavs with a near-comeback win in game two, but to this point, the Cavs have done what an elite team should do. Cleveland should end up winning this series, but the Heat […]