Shane Young

2 weeks ago | forbes.com | Shane Young

In a series that shouldn’t have extended this long in the first place, the Oklahoma City Thunder handled business in Game 7 of the West semifinals, dispatching the Denver Nuggets in a 32-point bludgeoning. After trailing by five in the first quarter, OKC pounced on Denver and outscored them 104-67 the rest of the way. For the Thunder, it clinched their 58th double-digit victory of the year – now tied with the 1971 Bucks for the second most in history for a full season and ensuing playoff run.

1 month ago | forbes.com | Shane Young

The Cleveland Cavaliers have another award to hand out with Kenny Atkinson officially being named the NBA’s Coach of the Year for the 2024-25 season. The news comes just two weeks after franchise star Evan Mobley took home Defensive Player of the Year, as the trophy cases are filling up in The Land. In his first head coaching gig since 2020, Atkinson guided the Cavaliers to 64 wins and the second-best record in franchise history.

1 month ago | forbes.com | Shane Young

The NBA’s longest-tenured coach is walking away from the sidelines. Gregg Popovich, who had graced the San Antonio Spurs for 29 seasons as head coach, is stepping down from the role he’s mastered since 1996. With the context of his last six months of health concerns, this decision shouldn’t come as a shock. Popovich, 76, suffered a mild stroke in early November just five games into the regular season.

1 month ago | forbes.com | Shane Young

There are many pleasant features of playoff basketball. Sure, not every game will be classified as ‘beautiful’ with the amount of physicality that’s allowed compared to the six-month regular season – by the way, are we sure that’s good for the sport if there’s no semblance of consistency there? That’s a larger conversation. One of the best parts of the postseason, though, is watching how many counters a team has when they are pressured.

1 month ago | forbes.com | Shane Young

At the time of its creation, there weren’t many drawbacks to the NBA’s play-in tournament, a system designed to increase competition during the dog days of the regular season and give franchises a sliver of hope. Devised by the NBA’s head of basketball strategy and analytics Evan Wasch, along with other lead executives, the play-in tournament was intended to stir up intrigue and provide more teams with a puncher’s chance.