modern basketball
Living Through The NBA Renaissance: David Roth's Weak In Review
In 2016, the NBA cemented its status as both the happiest and healthiest league in professional sports. Basketball has never been more beautiful, or more joyful.
In Al Horford, Brad Stevens Has an All-Star and a Perfect Fit
Few NBA players are more well-rounded—or more consistently excellent in more ways—than Al Horford. We talked to Brad Stevens about how he'll use his new star.
The Memphis Grizzlies' Personality Transplant Is Going Great
The Grit and Grind Grizzlies have been one of the NBA's most distinctive teams. But in a league that's changing fast, they knew they needed to adapt. They did.
The Oklahoma City Thunder Were Wild, Loud, And Still Echoing
Bad luck, historically tough competition, and some stubborn personality kinks kept the Durant/Westbrook Thunder from being great, but they were always memorable.
How Much Are Teams Willing To Bet On Harrison Barnes?
Harrison Barnes has tantalizing talent, but he also just had a demoralizing NBA Playoffs. He's still going to get paid this offseason, but things have changed.
Watching Kyrie Irving, as Imperfect as Perfect Can Get
The Cleveland Cavaliers' Kyrie Irving can do things no other NBA point guard can do. What gets him into trouble is doing them all at once. In Game 5 of the NBA Finals against the Golden State Warriors, however, it all worked.
Magic, Technology, And Steph Curry In The NBA Finals: David Roth's Weak In Review
Stephen Curry really is the most valuable and uniquely dominant player in the NBA right now. But, for the second straight NBA Finals, he isn't. Both make sense.
What Do We Do After The Dion Waiters Renaissance?
For 15 playoff games, Dion Waiters played the best and most valuable basketball of his career. But the Thunder played 18 playoff games, and Waiters' future is cloudy.
Watching Kevin Durant, Who Is as Impossible and Unstoppable as Ever
Two years ago, Kevin Durant was the MVP of a very different NBA. This postseason, he is burning NBA modernity to the ground through sheer virtuosity. It's fun.
Channing Frye Knows His Role, And The Cavaliers Are Better For It
Everything the Cleveland Cavaliers do revolves around LeBron James. In Channing Frye, the team has found just the satellite it needs to orbit around the perimeter.
The Chicago Bulls Commit to a New Philosophy, But At What Cost?
After a decade of playing grunty, physical ball, the Bulls have embraced a faster pace on offense. It's working, but there are still plenty of questions to answer.
What Was Kyle Korver?
Kyle Korver had a breakout season at the age of 34, which is a thing that doesn't happen. A lot of that was his work paying off, but a changing NBA helped, too.