Articles by Mat Issa (69)
At a glance, it seems like the Oklahoma City Thunder blew the doors off the Minnesota Timberwolves in Game 1 of the Western Conference Finals, with the final score reading 114-88. But a more thoughtful analysis shows the Timberwolves were in it for most of the night (even holding a lead midway through the third […]
The 2025 NBA Playoffs has reached their penultimate stage and four teams will duke it out to see which gets the privilege of representing their conference in the Finals. Over in the Western Conference, we’ve been blessed with an exciting matchup. On one end, you have the league’s best North American-born basketball player in Shai-Gilgeous […]
People often ask me why it is I hold such a deep infatuation with role players. After all, the NBA is commonly referred to as a “star-driven league.” While it is true winning big without out at least some top-end talent on the roster is nearly impossible, the current salary structure has made it difficult […]
With a 3-1 deficit in front of them (a mountain only 4.4 percent of teams facing it have ever climbed) and their best player out because a devastating injury, the Boston Celtics are in desperate need of a miracle if they hope to keep their title defense alive. If only the Celtics had another two-way […]
The Golden State Warriors emerged with a road victory in Game 1 of the Western Conference Semifinals against the Minnesota Timberwolves. Unfortunately, it came at a cost. Around the 8:50 mark of the second quarter, Stephen Curry floated in a soft push shot, but, in the process, he incurred a lower body injury. The noble […]
After acquiring Karl-Anthony Towns and Mikal Bridges this past offseason, the New York Knicks seemed primed to compete for an NBA title in 2025. For most of the season, though, that didn’t appear to be in the cards. Yes, they finished with a respectable 51-31 record, but they accumulated it by slaying lesser teams rather […]
With the first round behind us and the 16-team pool dwindled down to eight, we can turn our focus to the second round of the 2025 NBA Playoffs. The Golden State Warriors were the last team of the bunch to advance to the conference semifinals. While they ultimately survived the relentless Houston Rockets, their next […]
After losing Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Semifinals to the Indiana Pacers, the knee-jerk reaction if you’re d with the Cleveland Cavaliers may be panic. This is Cleveland’s first loss of the postseason, so we have no precedent for how it will respond to the adversity. Also, as the No. 1 seed hosting the […]
Now that the dust has settled on the first round and only eight teams remain, we can focus on the second round. And we have a treat on our hands in the Western Conference Semifinals, as the top-seeded Oklahoma City Thunder will face off against the fourth-seeded Denver Nuggets. The young Thunder are well-rested after […]
After suffering a second straight loss to the Houston Rockets, the Golden State Warriors now find themselves knotted at three games a piece in this first-round series, leaving them reeling for answers ahead of a do-or-die Game 7 clash. As it stands, their biggest problem (as we predicted) has been dealing with Houston’s twin tower […]