Tom Ziller

Sacramento

Writer at Good Morning It’s Basketball

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Articles

Jokic is not enough

1 day ago | teamziller.com | Tom Ziller

Good morning. The biggest lesson of these playoffs so far? A single, singular star is not an adequate response to a great team. That's been illustrated in both the Thunder's series against the Nuggets and the Pacers' 4-1 win over the Cavaliers. Let's basketball. It'd be unfair to ask more of Nikola Jokic than what he provided in Game 5 after two tough outings leading into it.
The No. 1 pick in the 2025 NBA Draft will go to the nihilists

2 days ago | teamziller.com | Tom Ziller

— 5 min read Good morning. The Mavericks, Spurs and Sixers will get the top three picks in the 2025 NBA Draft. What the hell? What the hell. Also, Jayson Tatum might have torn his Achilles as the Knicks went up 3-1. Let's basketball. Sending prayers to Jayson Tatum, who appears to have torn his Achilles late in the Celtics' Game 4 loss to the Knicks. If true, it'd be the second torn Achilles of the playoffs after Damian Lillard. Heartbreaking then, heartbreaking now.
Cav-tastrophe

3 days ago | teamziller.com | Tom Ziller

— 6 min read Good morning. The 64-win Cavaliers are in deep, deep trouble. Meanwhile, OKC is learning the recipes, the Celtics bounce back and the Wolves might be taking control. Let's basketball. Oklahoma City didn't really sweat against the Grizzlies. The team is in a full-on war with the Nuggets, who split the two games in Denver despite Nikola Jokic going 15/47 (32%) over the weekend.
The summer of all hell breaking loose

6 days ago | teamziller.com | Tom Ziller

Good morning. The stricter salary cap rules and some possibly extremely wild outcomes this spring might lead to an unexpected enormous reshuffling this summer. Just consider it another unintended consequence of the NBA's internal architecture. Let's basketball. The NBA has a habit of making adjustments to its arcane salary cap rules to fix certain problems that the league perceives exit, or to boost the chances of the less well-built franchises.
Home is where the hard is

1 week ago | teamziller.com | Tom Ziller

Home is where the hard is Good morning. Road teams are now 5-0 in the second round of the NBA playoffs. How we got there in one of the series is a real trip. Let's basketball. Chalk Cliffs on Rugen; Caspar David Friedrich; 1818 This post is for paying subscribers only Subscribe now Already have an account? Sign in
Heist night in the NBA

1 week ago | teamziller.com | Tom Ziller

Good morning. No one who played Monday wanted to know the odds, because they meant nothing. Let's basketball. Jayson Tatum cooked in the first quarter, everyone else in the Boston whites got loose in the second quarter and it looked like we were headed for a Game 1 blow-out with the Celtics leading the Knicks by 16 at the half. Then O.G. Anunoby unlocked the gates to heaven and New York came roaring back, giving us an entertaining fourth quarter that nearly ended with a Jalen Brunson game-winner.
Buddy Hield is occasionally the greatest shooter alive

1 week ago | teamziller.com | Tom Ziller

Good morning. The Warriors finally closed out the Rockets and the Pacers shut down the Cavalanche. Let's basketball. A series that was physical and messy and sometimes ugly and defense-first and without flow ended with a Game 7 that was ... physical and messy and sometimes ugly and defense-first and without flow. There were two quarters that ended 23-19. There was first quarter Jonathan Kuminga and first quarter Kevon Looney. Alperen Sengun went 9/23 from the floor ...
Mile High meltdown

1 week ago | teamziller.com | Tom Ziller

Mile High meltdown Good morning. The Clippers did almost nothing well for the most important minutes of their season on Saturday. Welp. Let's basketball. Isle of the Dead; Arnold Bocklin; 1883 This post is for paying subscribers only Subscribe now Already have an account? Sign in
OK, who left the Brunson Burner on all night?

1 week ago | teamziller.com | Tom Ziller

OK, who left the Brunson Burner on all night? Good morning. Jalen Brunson ended the Pistons' glass slipper season, James Harden extended the Clippers' and the Kings are really doing this Doug Christie thing. Let's basketball. The Chariot of Apollo; Odilon Redon; 1909 This post is for paying subscribers only Subscribe now Already have an account? Sign in
Revenge of Rudy

2 weeks ago | teamziller.com | Tom Ziller

Where we stand 1 week into the playoffsGood morning. Every series featured Game 3 or 4 this weekend, so let's check in with where we stand. Or in the case of Memphis, where we sit. On a plane to Cancun. Let's basketball.