NBA Preview 2018: Houston Rockets

2017-2018 Record: 65-17. Lost in Western Conference Finals. The Houston Rockets were nearly unstoppable last year. Painfully boring to watch, but nearly unstoppable nonetheless. The Rockets were both painfully boring and nearly unstoppable due to a brand of intricate isolation basketball crafted specifically to take down the Warriors in the Western Conference Finals, and anyone …

SPECIAL EDITION NBA Preview 2018: Utah Jazz

2017-2018 Record: 48-34. Lost in Second Round. If you weren’t already aware, Yours Truly is a lifelong and avid fan of the Utah Jazz. If you weren’t already aware, the Utah Jazz have more hype surrounding their team currently than they have since the Stockton-Malone era. Salt Lake City is also one of the smallest markets …

NBA Preview 2018: Oklahoma City Thunder

2017-2018 Record: 48-34. Lost in First Round. The Oklahoma City Thunder are not a team that you write off. They have one of the best guards in the game in Russell Westbrook, a star small forward in Paul George, one of the best perimeter defenders in the game in SG Andre Roberson, a Center of Unusual Size in …

NBA Preview 2018: Toronto Raptors

The Toronto Raptors not only lost one of the best shooting guards in the league this offseason when they traded away DeMar DeRozen, they also lost a sense of certainty. Sure the Raptors probably weren’t going to be legit title contenders without a superstar big-man, but with LeBron running away to the Western Conference, Toronto was …

NBA Preview 2018: New Orleans Pelicans

The New Orleans Pelicans possess a relatively well-rounded and talented roster, front court consisting of PF Julius Randle, C Jahlil Okafor, and SF Nikola Mirotic, and back court led by PG That Guy With The Crazy Hair, and G Jrue Holiday. Did I leave someone off of that list? Oh, right. They also have a power foward …

NBA Preview 2018: Denver Nuggets

2017-2018 Record: 46-36 The Denver have toiled in either obscurity or mediocrity for most of my lifetime. A quick look at their season-by-season record should instantly conjure images of the Cincinnati Bengal’s playoff woes, as both teams have a long track record of being pretty good through the regular season only to tank shortly after the playoffs start. …

NBA Preview 2018: Minnesota Timberwolves

2017-2018 Record: 47-35, Lost in First Round In perfect conditions, the T-Wolves are a team poised to be title contenders. Two promising young players in C Karl Anthony-Towns and SF Andrew Wiggins, a two-way superstar entering his prime in Jimmy Butler, and a half-decent supporting cast including Derrick Rose, Jeff Teague, Taj Gibson, Luol Deng, and Amar'e …

NBA Preview 2018: Miami Heat

2017-2018 Record: 44-38, Lost in 1st Round The Miami Heat are a long way off from their glory days with LeBron, D Wade, and Chris Bosh, but in the weak Eastern Conference they can still be playoff contenders. Led in scoring and assists by PG Goran Dragic, the Heat rely on consistent play throughout their roster …

NBA Preview 2018: Chicago Bulls

2017-2018 Record: 27-55 The Bulls have been a successful franchise since they were created. They’ve appeared in the playoffs in 36 of their 54 seasons, capitalizing with a championship title in six of those seasons with His Airness and Pippen. They’re only one season removed from their last playoff appearance, but after the departure of Jimmy …

NBA Preview 2018: Sacramento Kings

2017-2018 Record: 27-55 Sacramento is the capital of the most important state in America, but it often goes forgotten, as does its favorite NBA team. Don’t feel like a bad basketball fan if you tend to ignore the Kings’ existence, it’s not your fault. The Kings have not had a winning record since the 2005-2006 season, and …