Articles by Esfandiar Baraheni (36)
This is everything the New York Knicks planned for this summer. When they traded for Mikal Bridges and Karl-Anthony Towns, they did so with one thing in mind: toppling the Boston Celtics. That didn’t go well in the regular season. The Knicks, very famously, didn’t win a single game against the top-three teams in the […]
One of the biggest questions heading into the Minnesota Timberwolves’ first-round series versus the Los Angeles Lakers was how Anthony Edwards and Julius Randle could keep up as shot creators against Luka Doncic, LeBron James and Austin Reaves. On the surface, the Lakers have a pretty clear advantage there. James and Doncic are two all-time […]
Luka Doncic and Rudy Gobert are very familiar with one another. One of the most iconic moments of the 2024 NBA Playoffs came during Game 2 of the Western Conference Finals when Doncic nailed a dagger 3-pointer over Gobert, who had switched out to try to contain him on the perimeter. So when the Doncic’s […]
It’s been a while, but the Detroit Pistons are back in the playoffs. They’re the NBA’s feel-good team this year and now want to prove they’re more than just a nice story as they face the offensively potent New York Knicks in round one. Knicks-Pistons is a matchup headlined by offensive-minded, gritty point guards in […]
This matchup has everything you’d want in an NBA playoff series. Luka Doncic against the team he eliminated in last year’s Western Conference Finals, except he’s playing or a different team with a new cast alongside him. Instead of Kyrie Irving and PJ Washington, LeBron James and Austin Reaves are Doncic’s trusty sidekicks this time. […]
The Most Improved Player Award always creates the most heated debate: how does one define most improved? Which leap is more significant: a player who turns into an All-Star or a player who goes from the fringes of the NBA to a legitimate rotation player? Does it matter if we award Most Improved to a […]
It’s been a little over a calendar year since the Indiana Pacers traded for Pascal Siakam. During the 122 games he’s played for the Pacers over that span (including the regular season and 17 playoff games), he’s helped them evolve on both ends of the floor into a new, more well-rounded version of themselves. Siakam […]
It’s incredible how much can change in a year. This time last year, the Detroit Pistons were struggling to secure their eighth victory of the season. Now, they’ve won eight in a row, recently beating the defending champion Boston Celtics for their 33rd win of the season. That victory capped off a 19-8 start to […]
Injuries suck. Unfortunately, they’re an inevitable aspect of sports. The NBA world was shaken up by the news San Antonio Spurs All-Star Victor Wembanayama will miss the rest of the season with a deep vein thrombosis, a form of a blood clot in his right shoulder. While the Spurs have signaled to insiders Wembanyama is […]
With the All-Star Break mere hours away, the home stretch of the NBA season will kick off next week. A busy trade deadline, filled with plenty of current and former All-Stars finding new homes, could have major implications for the playoffs. Ahead of the postseason push, the Sportscasting crew identified a few players to keep […]