Columns
The Philadelphia 76ers could be the team to watch in the Eastern Conference
The Philadelphia 76ers have been to the playoffs in each of the last three seasons. That’s the good news. The bad news is the Sixers have come up short in those playoff appearances. In 2017-18, the Sixers were eliminated by the Boston Celtics in the conference semifinals. The following year, the Philadelphia Sixers were ousted…
Read MoreMoney grab on the part of FIBA?
From the International Basketball Opinion Blog. Recently, the International Basketball Federation (FIBA) sanctioned members Canada, China, Chinese Taipei (aka Taiwan), and South Korea for not participating in the second window (November 2020) of their respective regional championship qualifying tournaments, catching them all off guard. FIBA hit all four with fines of $160,000. Half of those…
Read MoreNBA ’Superteams’: Tradition, Trend or Future?
The possible trade of James Harden to Brooklyn, where he would join Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving, brought the story of NBA ’superteams’ back into the focus of the basketball public. The last time this was talked about was when Durant left Oklahoma for Oakland four years ago. Mostly negative comments accompanied that departure of…
Read MoreA team loses all group games at FIBA U18 African Championship but still reaches the final! How??
From the International Basketball Opinion Blog. The FIBA U18 African Championship took place last week in Egypt. For both men and women. The COVID-19 is ravaging the globe, and Africa is no exception as various national and continental competitions have been canceled or postponed, such as the NBA/FIBA Basketball Africa League. Nevertheless, FIBA and FIBA…
Read MoreCollege basketball starts the weirdest season ever
The 2020-21 college basketball season finally started on Wednesday the 25th. Originally, the season should have started on Thursday, Nov. 10. But it was pushed back because of the COVID-19 pandemic. Was it a normal opening day? Not really, but what’s normal in 2020? Like everything else in this pandemic world, it was odd and disjointed.…
Read MoreFuture of G League uncertain
Will there be a G League this season? Who knows. Various scenarios There are discussions of various scenarios for a G-League campaign, including not holding one or expanding NBA rosters instead. One plan could feature having a handful of week-long G-League showcases in a bubble setting to ensure young players stay active. If a more…
Read MoreLeBron James reaches amazing milestone with 10th Finals appearance
LeBron James didn’t need to accomplish anything with the Los Angeles Lakers, didn’t even need to keep playing, for his reputation to be secure. King James is one of the five best NBA players of all time. What he’s done since entering the NBA as a teenage rookie in 2003 as the No. 1 overall…
Read MoreToni Kukoc should be enshrined into Basketball Hall of Fame
Basketball fans have been treated to installments of ESPN’s 10-part documentary titled The Last Dance. So far, Michael Jordan, Scottie Pippen, and Dennis Rodman have been the focal points of these episodes. While this trio certainly contributed to the Bulls’ second trio of titles, there were a few unsung heroes as well. One of those…
Read MoreTokyo Olympics no sure thing for 2020
The question isn’t if basketball will be played at the Tokyo Olympics. The question is this: When will the Tokyo Olympics take place? There are growing doubts that this will be an Olympic year. Growing sentiment points to 2021, or later. The original plan, which called for the Tokyo Olympics to start on July 24,…
Read MoreLooking back at the 2019 FIBA World Cup format
Isn’t 32 teams a bit too much? That depends on how you look at it. FIBA has 213 national federation members. Some simple math tells us that 15% of them qualified for the World Cup. That’s three out of every 20 teams. That percentage is on par with other similar international competitions, but low compared…
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