NBA Preview

Now, where were we? Longtime readers of Athlon Sports products will recall that once upon a time, Athlon produced an NBA preview annual. But when the most recent NBA lockout delayed the start of the 2011-12 season until Christmas, one casualty — in addition to some squandered fan goodwill and about $400 million in lost revenue for franchises and players — was the Athlon NBA preview magazine. Since then, the league and the sport itself have seen some remarkable developments. The 3-point shot has achieved ascendancy as the game’s driving force, giving rise to positionless basketball based on perimeter shooting from guards, wings and bigs alike and rendering traditional back-to-the-basket post players a vanishing breed. A Golden State Warriors dynasty based on 3-point precision has come and gone. Europe and…

THAT 70s SHOW Coming into last season, NBA players managed to score 70 points or more in a regular-season game just 13 times combined — with six of those performances delivered by Wilt Chamberlain. Then in January 2024: Philadelphia’s Joel Embiid and Dallas’ Luka Dončić both summoned their Inner Wilt, erupting for 70 and 73 points, respectively, just four days apart. It was the NBA’s second straight season with at least two 70-point games; Cleveland’s Donovan Mitchell and then-Portland Trail Blazer Damian Lillard both posted 71-point efforts in 2022-23. Before this recent spree, there had been only two 70-point performances in the 21st century: Phoenix’s Devin Booker went for 70 in March 2017 and was preceded by Kobe Bryant’s 81-point masterpiece for the Los Angeles Lakers against Toronto on Jan. 22,…

“YOU HAVE TO LET GO OF OUTCOMES. IT HAS TO BE ABOUT THE ENJOYMENT AND EMBRACING THE PROCESS.” They often sat next to each other watching the Los Angeles Lakers play in the Las Vegas Summer League in July, and it was during those moments when general manager Rob Pelinka would hear from his new head coach, JJ Redick, about Redick’s contention that today’s NBA players consume basketball knowledge and develop their basketball IQ in different ways than their predecessors. As Pelinka began to lean into the newness of Redick’s approach, those conversations reiterated to him that his views and Redick’s were aligned. It became apparent to Pelinka that even a sage like LeBron James and a student of the game such as Anthony Davis could appreciate Redick’s methods. The…

On a sunny Saturday in May, a handful of San Antonio schoolchildren crowded into the auditorium at the local planetarium to help celebrate the city’s newest and biggest star. It was an inspired choice as the setting for Victor Wembanyama’s NBA Rookie of the Year trophy presentation. “I can’t think of a more perfect place for a man who has an alien on his shoe,” Spurs general manager Brian Wright said. With Wembanyama’s season-long highlight reel scrolling on the planetarium’s domed ceiling — and after he had given the assembled grade-schoolers a lecture on the scientific concept of “dark matter” (yes, really) — the 20-year-old Frenchman gladly accepted the Wilt Chamberlain Trophy, which he had earned in unanimous fashion. He said he had the perfect place picked out for displaying…

1 CBA BLUES The new collective bargaining agreement is something that can go unnoticed by fans, but it is already playing a major role in how teams go about building their rosters. The entire league has been impacted — and general managers and salary-cap gurus are admittedly being thrown for a bit of a loop. For the non-numbers experts, the modern-day CBA was agreed upon by the league and the players and introduces a “second apron,” which can significantly impact how teams go about roster construction. It used to be that GMs could spend freely, provided that their owners were willing to ante up on tax penalties for going over the cap. Now, though, if you spend over that “second apron,” you’re greatly hindering your ability to make trades, sign…

* Playoff Teams EASTERN CONFERENCE ATLANTIC 1. Boston* 2. New York* 3. Philadelphia* 4. Toronto 5. Brooklyn CENTRAL 1. Milwaukee* 2. Cleveland* 3. Indiana* 4. Chicago 5. Detroit SOUTHEAST 1. Orlando* 2. Miami* 3. Atlanta 4. Charlotte 5. Washington EASTERN CONFERENCE FINALS BOSTON OVER PHILADELPHIA WESTERN CONFERENCE SOUTHWEST 1. Dallas* 2. Memphis* 3. New Orleans* 4. Houston 5. San Antonio NORTHWEST 1. Oklahoma City* 2. Minnesota* 3. Denver* 4. Utah 5. Portland PACIFIC 1. Phoenix* 2. Sacramento* 3. L.A. Clippers 4. Golden State 5. L.A. Lakers WESTERN CONFERENCE FINALS OKLAHOMA CITY OVER MINNESOTA MOST VALUABLE PLAYER SHAI GILGEOUS-ALEXANDER, OKLAHOMA CITY COACH OF THE YEAR JOE MAZZULLA, BOSTON ROOKIE OF THE YEAR REED SHEPPARD, HOUSTON NBA FINALS BOSTON OVER OKLAHOMA CITY…