We use cookies and other tracking technologies to improve your browsing experience on our site, show personalized content and targeted ads, analyze site traffic, and understand where our audiences come from. To learn more or opt-out, read our . Please also read our and , which became effective December 20, 2019.By choosing I Accept, you consent to our use of cookies and other tracking technologies.I Accept☰×Things got ugly in Chicago after Michael Jordan, Scottie Pippen, and virtually every other important figure of its dynasty was shoved out. Here’s a deep dive into wreckage left behind...…We use cookies and other tracking technologies to improve your browsing experience on our site, show personalized content and targeted ads, analyze site traffic, and understand where our audiences come from. To learn more or opt-out, read our . Please also read our and , which became effective December 20, 2019.By choosing I Accept, you consent to our use of cookies and other tracking technologies.I Accept☰×Things got ugly in Chicago after Michael Jordan, Scottie Pippen, and virtually every other important figure of its dynasty was shoved out. Here’s a deep dive into wreckage left behind...WW…

Welcome to The Ringer’s NBA Odds Machine for the 2020-21 postseason. Based on team strength as measured by point differential—a historically strong predictor of future success—with adjustments for individual wrinkles like injuries and schedules, the Odds Machine includes four features: a breakdown of each day’s games, an analysis of those games’ importance, a look at each team’s likelihood of advancing through the various playoff rounds, and an examination of each series, game by game. The Odds Machine will update every day until a champion is crowned, so be sure to check back throughout...…Welcome to The Ringer’s NBA Odds Machine for the 2020-21 postseason. Based on team strength as measured by point differential—a historically strong predictor of future success—with adjustments for individual wrinkles like injuries and schedules, the Odds Machine includes four features: a breakdown of each day’s games, an analysis of those games’ importance, a look at each team’s likelihood of advancing through the various playoff rounds, and an examination of each series, game by game. The Odds Machine will update every day until a champion is crowned, so be sure to check back throughout...WW…

Filed under:Is Trader Danny to blame for the Celtics’ struggles this season? We take a close look at his recent decisions.The Boston Celtics are an average team, with an average record (17-17), an average offense (15th in the league, per Cleaning the Glass), and an average defense (14th). To put it mildly, that’s not where a team coming off its third conference finals berth in four years is expected to be halfway through the season.Most concerning is that the roster has proved to be frighteningly shallow following Gordon Hayward’s departure in free agency and Marcus Smart’s calf injury....…Filed under:Is Trader Danny to blame for the Celtics’ struggles this season? We take a close look at his recent decisions.The Boston Celtics are an average team, with an average record (17-17), an average offense (15th in the league, per Cleaning the Glass), and an average defense (14th). To put it mildly, that’s not where a team coming off its third conference finals berth in four years is expected to be halfway through the season.Most concerning is that the roster has proved to be frighteningly shallow following Gordon Hayward’s departure in free agency and Marcus Smart’s calf injury....WW…

Filed under:Unless he’s added as an injury replacement, the 14-year guard will miss out yet again. If he never makes it, would he be the biggest snub in NBA history? Let’s investigate.Mike Conley is not on the All-Star roster, yet again. Despite unspectacular counting stats and two missed weeks due to injury, advanced metrics say the point guard for the NBA’s best team this season should be on that list: Among Western Conference players, Conley ranks fifth in , seventh in , and seventh in , all of which try to measure a player’s holistic impact on his team’s performance.Of course, those...…Filed under:Unless he’s added as an injury replacement, the 14-year guard will miss out yet again. If he never makes it, would he be the biggest snub in NBA history? Let’s investigate.Mike Conley is not on the All-Star roster, yet again. Despite unspectacular counting stats and two missed weeks due to injury, advanced metrics say the point guard for the NBA’s best team this season should be on that list: Among Western Conference players, Conley ranks fifth in , seventh in , and seventh in , all of which try to measure a player’s holistic impact on his team’s performance.Of course, those...WW…

Filed under:The former no. 1 pick has shown promise, but he’s still a ways away from All-Star consideration—in large part because of his avoidance of both the 3-point line and the free throw lineSportswriters like outliers. It’s easier to craft a narrative (or a spicy, scorching take) around a player at the bottom or top of a leaderboard than in the middle of the pack; the slim ends offer more room for exploration than the wide middle of the bell curve.When the same player is an outlier year after year, our pencils perk up. And when that same player is also a recent no. 1 draft pick,...…Filed under:The former no. 1 pick has shown promise, but he’s still a ways away from All-Star consideration—in large part because of his avoidance of both the 3-point line and the free throw lineSportswriters like outliers. It’s easier to craft a narrative (or a spicy, scorching take) around a player at the bottom or top of a leaderboard than in the middle of the pack; the slim ends offer more room for exploration than the wide middle of the bell curve.When the same player is an outlier year after year, our pencils perk up. And when that same player is also a recent no. 1 draft pick,...WW…

Filed under:Three-point shooting is dictating outcomes more than ever before, and there isn’t much defenses can do to stop itThe Utah Jazz strode confidently into Denver on the last day of January. They boasted an 11-game win streak and the best record in the NBA; they’d recently beaten the Bucks, the Warriors, and the very Nuggets they were set to play that day.Little did they know they were walking into a flood. The Nuggets deluged the scorching Jazz with triple after triple, taking a 25-point lead into halftime thanks to 15-for-17 shooting on 3-pointers. Their first-half shot chart is...…Filed under:Three-point shooting is dictating outcomes more than ever before, and there isn’t much defenses can do to stop itThe Utah Jazz strode confidently into Denver on the last day of January. They boasted an 11-game win streak and the best record in the NBA; they’d recently beaten the Bucks, the Warriors, and the very Nuggets they were set to play that day.Little did they know they were walking into a flood. The Nuggets deluged the scorching Jazz with triple after triple, taking a 25-point lead into halftime thanks to 15-for-17 shooting on 3-pointers. Their first-half shot chart is...WW…

Filed under:Calculating the odds of when Minnesota’s first-rounder will convey to Golden State and where the pick is most likely to land in the draft lotteryIt’s not often that the two worst teams in a conference combine for the most compelling deal at a trade deadline. But that was the case last season, when Golden State sent D’Angelo Russell to Minnesota in exchange for Andrew Wiggins and a future first-round pick.For Golden State, the move was oriented toward the future. With Klay Thompson and Steph Curry hurt, 2019-20 was a lost season, so the Warriors flipped Russell—who had been a...…Filed under:Calculating the odds of when Minnesota’s first-rounder will convey to Golden State and where the pick is most likely to land in the draft lotteryIt’s not often that the two worst teams in a conference combine for the most compelling deal at a trade deadline. But that was the case last season, when Golden State sent D’Angelo Russell to Minnesota in exchange for Andrew Wiggins and a future first-round pick.For Golden State, the move was oriented toward the future. With Klay Thompson and Steph Curry hurt, 2019-20 was a lost season, so the Warriors flipped Russell—who had been a...WW…

Filed under:The defense is still a work in progress, but Brooklyn is at least ahead of the curve in the way it deploys its superstarsBrooklyn’s Big Three era has had a bumpy beginning. On the one hand, the Nets beat the Bucks and Heat (twice), and they have the in the league since . On the other hand, they lost to the Wizards and Cavaliers (twice), and they have the in the league since the trade.There’s reason for concern, especially after squandering a win over the Wizards in a late collapse. But that concern needn’t be excessive—after all, the Nets still have the second-best record in the...…Filed under:The defense is still a work in progress, but Brooklyn is at least ahead of the curve in the way it deploys its superstarsBrooklyn’s Big Three era has had a bumpy beginning. On the one hand, the Nets beat the Bucks and Heat (twice), and they have the in the league since . On the other hand, they lost to the Wizards and Cavaliers (twice), and they have the in the league since the trade.There’s reason for concern, especially after squandering a win over the Wizards in a late collapse. But that concern needn’t be excessive—after all, the Nets still have the second-best record in the...WW…

Filed under:Postponements are interrupting the NBA docket virtually every night, but the schedule can still reveal the truth about some teams’ true potentialNBA teams’ strength of schedule basically evens out through a full season, but different teams take different paths to that balanced end point. Some teams stack their easy opponents early and hold on for dear life down the stretch; others struggle through an opening gauntlet before feasting on tankers and rebuilders later on.Roughly a quarter of the way through the shortened 2020-21 season, these differences are worth remembering: We...…Filed under:Postponements are interrupting the NBA docket virtually every night, but the schedule can still reveal the truth about some teams’ true potentialNBA teams’ strength of schedule basically evens out through a full season, but different teams take different paths to that balanced end point. Some teams stack their easy opponents early and hold on for dear life down the stretch; others struggle through an opening gauntlet before feasting on tankers and rebuilders later on.Roughly a quarter of the way through the shortened 2020-21 season, these differences are worth remembering: We...WW…

Filed under:To break through their postseason wall, the Bucks may be better off limiting their two-time MVP’s role in crucial momentsThe Nets beat the Bucks in a thriller Monday night, and a whole bunch of players had a moment to shine down the stretch. Kevin Durant and Joe Harris made clutch 3s. James Harden and Jrue Holiday scored closer to the basket. Khris Middleton hit jumper after jumper. Everyone you’d expect participated—except Giannis Antetokounmpo.Giannis led the Bucks with 34 points in the game, to be fair. But he wasn’t the Bucks’ leader for the final possessions, instead taking...…Filed under:To break through their postseason wall, the Bucks may be better off limiting their two-time MVP’s role in crucial momentsThe Nets beat the Bucks in a thriller Monday night, and a whole bunch of players had a moment to shine down the stretch. Kevin Durant and Joe Harris made clutch 3s. James Harden and Jrue Holiday scored closer to the basket. Khris Middleton hit jumper after jumper. Everyone you’d expect participated—except Giannis Antetokounmpo.Giannis led the Bucks with 34 points in the game, to be fair. But he wasn’t the Bucks’ leader for the final possessions, instead taking...WW…