Tag: James

76ers vs. Heat: James Harden must find vintage form for Philadelphia to survive until Joel Embiid returns

Bella

The Philadelphia 76ers came into their second-round opener against the Miami Heat on Monday with one realistic avenue to victory: James Harden had to be the best player on the floor. Perhaps he didn’t need to score 30 or 40 points, but he needed to be the best player on the floor, creating offense for himself and teammates at a dominant clip. 

That didn’t come close to happening. Harden finished with 16 points on 13 shots in Philadelphia’s 106-92 defeat in Game 1. He tallied as many turnovers (five) as assists. Two possessions, which actually accounted for 40 percent of Harden made buckets, tell a pretty accurate tale of the uphill battle scoring has become for Harden, particularly against an elite defense. 

With just under three minutes remaining in the first quarter, Harden found himself isolated on Tyler Herro at the top. As Mark Jones like to say, he played with his food for a few dribbles before hitting a step-back 3 to cut Miami’s lead to seven. 

With Duncan Robinson out of the rotation for Game 1, Miami offered just two defenders to possibly target: Herro and Max Strus, and Herro is by far the weakest link. If Harden was ever going to get a favorable one-on-one matchup, it was here, against Herro, and he didn’t even try to beat him off the dribble. He went to the step-back 3. He made it. Good for him. He’s not going to make enough of those to beat, or even moderately threaten, a team as good as the Heat. 

Understand, there’s nuance to consider here. Take a look at Victor Oladipo showing himself near the elbow to Harden’s left while his man, Matisse Thybulle, stands uncovered in the corner. This is the problem non-shooters pose. Oladipo is ready to pounce if

… Read More

LeBron James can take key step in direction of really worthwhile NFT world

Bella

Los Angeles Lakers superstar LeBron James has really a great deal performed it all all over what has been an illustrious 19-calendar year occupation. There is no question that this man will go down in history as a single of the biggest to have ever picked up a basketball.

LeBron is a fairly savvy entrepreneur as properly, with the four-time NBA champ also tied to more than a number of really-rewarding corporations in various unique fields. Right now, it looks like the Lakers star just disclosed his next company venture.

In accordance to trademark attorney Josh Gerben, LeBron has submitted 4 new trademarks with the intent of supplying them in the sort of virtual goods:

It seems as although LeBron James is preparing to enter the remarkably beneficial globe of NFTs or non-fungible tokens. In their most basic kind, NFTs are electronic collectibles that can be ordered by any person. It is definitely much additional sophisticated than that, but what can not be denied is that this electronic movement has a ton of revenue likely — even for a dude like LeBron.

The NBA and NBPA, for example, have very long been in partnership with NFT pioneer Dapper Labs at the rear of the very well-liked NBA Best Shot NFT platform. Unsurprisingly, LeBron is essentially a single of the most preferred names on the platform with his scarcest electronic “moment” (a 1-of-49 legendary Cosmic) fetching a current market price of more than $500,000. It does not

… Read More

How much could LeBron James impact son Bronny’s NBA draft stock? Probably more than you think

Bella

LeBron James Sr. was the top-ranked NBA prospect in his class from practically the moment he could pick up a basketball. He was a prodigy identified as a future superstar years before he was eligible to become a professional and about as close to a sure thing as young athletes ever get. LeBron James Jr., on the other hand, is something a bit more conventional.

Midway through his junior season at Los Angeles powerhouse Sierra Canyon, 247Sports ranks James as the 34th-best player in his high school class. His standing as a prospect has slipped since he reached the high school level, as 247 ranked him No. 19 in the class of 2023 as recently as September 2020. Now? He’s not even the highest-ranked son of a former Cleveland Cavalier in that class, as the 2023 crop is headlined by DJ Wagner, son of LeBron’s former teammate DaJuan Wagner. A four-star ranking is nothing to sneeze at for most prospects. It’s fairly low for a prospect literally named “LeBron James.” 

Were a prospect of that caliber not named “LeBron James,” he would probably be expected to spend multiple years in college developing his skill set and preparing to transition from collegiate star to professional role player. That might not be a luxury Bronny has, though, because his more famous father is already tying the end of his own career to the beginning of his son’s.

“My last year will be played with my son,” James Sr. told The Athletic Saturday. “Wherever Bronny is at, that’s where I’ll be. I would do whatever it takes to play with my son

… Read More

2022 NBA trade deadline: Sixers, Nets plan to discuss a Ben Simmons for James Harden deal, per report

Bella

It sounds as though the Philadelphia 76ers may not have to wait until the offseason to trade disgruntled star Ben Simmons after all. Recent reports suggested that the Sixers wanted to wait until more star players were available this summer before exploring a trade centered around Simmons, but The Athletic’s Shams Charania reported on Friday that the Brooklyn Nets are open to discussing a trade ahead of the deadline where James Harden would be sent to Philly in exchange for Simmons.

This is a reverse from recent reports suggesting that Brooklyn did not plan on listening to any trade offers for Harden leading up to the deadline. But according to Charania, there’s a sense of urgency within the Nets’ organization this season, as they view it as a “critical year in Kevin Durant’s prime.” This report comes at a time when the Nets aren’t playing their best basketball. Durant is currently sidelined with a sprained MCL, and during that time Brooklyn has gone just 2-7 and is currently on a six-game losing streak. 

The Nets view a potential Simmons-for-Harden swap as an opportunity to get Brooklyn more depth, with Seth Curry, Tyrese Maxey and Matisse Thybulle all being potential add-ons to the deal. However, the Sixers reportedly would not include Maxey in a deal for Harden, per CBS Sports’ Michael Kaskey-Blomain. Philadelphia has been resistant in the past to trade Maxey, most recently when the team looked to acquire Harden originally from the Rockets. But with Joel Embiid playing at an MVP-level again, and the Sixers climbing up to the No. 3 spot in the Eastern Conference with a 31-20 record, Philadelphia clearly wants to take advantage of this season and almost certainly will be a piece that the Nets ask for in any return for Harden.

Simmons has

… Read More

LeBron James’ one-game suspension for clocking Isaiah Stewart doesn’t seem in line with J.R. Smith precedent

Bella
untitled-design-56.png
usatsi

The NBA announced on Monday that LeBron James has been suspended one game without pay — which amounts to a $284K forfeiture — for “recklessly hitting [Isaiah] Stewart in the face, and initiating an on-court altercation.”

It was also announced that Stewart, who was left badly bloodied after his face took the business end of James’ closed fist, has been suspended two games without pay for “escalating an on-court altercation by repeatedly and aggressively pursuing [LeBron James] in an unsportsmanlike manner.” 

Though understandable after the shot he took, Stewart lost his mind. This was not a typical “hold me back” NBA fight. Stewart was after LeBron like a madman. The scene was ugly and easily could’ve gotten much uglier. Stewart deserves the two-game suspension he got. You just can’t do this on an NBA court:

LeBron, on the other hand, appears to have gotten off lightly with his one-game suspension as there is precedent for a harsher penalty in this case. Back in 2015, J.R. Smith was suspended two playoff games for a nearly identical hit on Jae Crowder, which you can see below. 

Now here’s the LeBron footage:

And a slightly different angle:

You can clearly see LeBron looking back at Stewart as he throws his fist. He knew what he was doing. Smith took a longer swipe, but it’s the same thing. Watch the clips again. Smith was peeved about Crowder’s initial contact as they tussled for rebounding position, just as LeBron was visibly irritated with Stewart’s contact, for which Stewart was assessed a loose-ball foul. 

Smith took a swing backward. LeBron took a swing backward. 

Smith hit crowder in the face. LeBron hit Stewart in the face. 

… Read More

NBA Star Power Index: LeBron James raining 3-pointers; LaMelo Ball has to have Warriors kicking themselves

Bella

Welcome back to NBA Star Power Index: A weekly gauge of the players who are most controlling the buzz around the league. Inclusion on this list isn’t necessarily a good thing. It simply means you’re capturing the NBA world’s attention. This is also not a ranking. The players listed are in no particular order as it pertains to the buzz they’re generating. This column will run every week throughout the regular season. 

headshot-image

The Lakers have gotten out to a sluggish 2-2 start (they survived in OT at San Antonio on Tuesday without LeBron James, who was out with a sore leg), but the good news is LeBron James continues to look like a player capable of carrying a team. James’ 3-point shot is particularly splashy (as is his fadeaway). 

Through three games, James is taking just under 10 3-pointers per game and hitting 48 percent of them. If you’re interested in how the Lakers have played with using Russell Westbrook as a pick-and-roll partner with LeBron, our Sam Quinn provided a good breakdown here. 

headshot-image

Do yourself a favor and clear your schedule for as many Hornets games as you can. They are an Indy car, and LaMelo Ball is in the driver’s seat with the throttle pegged. Charlotte has jumped out to a 3-1 start with Ball shooting 50 percent from 3 on eight attempts a night; he’s already made seven 3s in two separate games. 

That kind of shooting was simply not expected from Ball, and certainly not this early. His comfort and confidence bely his experience. When he’s making 3s off the dribble and the catch on top of making passes like this one below, he’s an All-Star level player already. 

People are going to play the premature card, but the Golden State Warriors, though they’re obviously going

… Read More