5 Ways The League Has Changed Since LeBron James Didnt Make The NBA Finals

This would be the third of five straight seasons the Warriors would miss the playoffs, and while Curry's rookie year provided some fun moments, he was still two seasons away from feeling the full effects of ankle problems that would threaten to derail his car


The Matrix was pretty much hooked up to a dial-up modem by the time he made his way to Cleveland. He saw minutes early in the season but never really got used by head coach David Blatt, even when his team was gasping for air on offence with 7 bodies in the Fin


The odds are now in place. All that's left is for the NBA to hold its annual NBA Game Guide|Https://Nbaactioninsight.Com/ Draft lottery, which will happen on May 16 this year, to decide which pick goes where. For some teams, it's make or break. For others, they're just hoping lottery luck shines down on t


Next up is the Los Angeles Lakers, who have the most at stake here. Their 2017 first-round pick belongs to the Philadelphia 76ers, but they attached top-three protection to it. This means if it falls out of the top-three, the 76ers will take the pick and the Lakers are left empty-han


With all of the ridiculous numbers being put up by players like Russell Westbrook, James Harden, Isaiah Thomas and the entire Golden State Warriors these days, it's easy to lose sight of the most ridiculous stat going in the lea


From here, the odds diminish quite rapidly. The Orlando Magic rounds out the top-five of teams with the best odds. For an easy to follow look at draft odds, and a fun lottery simulator, head over to Tankathon.com to get the full rund


"I look forward to that matchup," Butler said after Friday's practice . "Especially what he's done this year for that team. I know that it's going to come at some point in time. I don't know when -- but I'm going to make it tough for him. For anybody that I'm guarding. Not just me, it's going to be a team effort. I'm going to get beat at times, I'm going to need guys to be there. If not, then we'll do it over and over again 'til somebody is there if I'm beat. But I look forward to that challenge. I want th


The 5’9" Thomas is in the midst of a spectacular, career-best campaign, averaging 28.9 points and 5.9 assists. If you’ve watched the Celtics play this year, you know that their entire offense runs through him and he’s what makes them tick. Further, he's been the best fourth quarter scorer in the league, providing important points down the stretch of most ga


"He's been that height for a long time now, so he's mastered it," Butler said . "He's really good at what he does. Coming off, pulling up, shooting shots. Getting to the rim, getting to the free throw line. 5[-foot-]8, 6-8, whatever it is, the guy knows how to put the ball in the bask


King James is near the end of season number 14 for him in his career. He’s played almost an additional season of basketball if you count the postseason and the Finals. In the championship rounds he’s had the aid of players like Dwyane Wade and Kyrie Irv


"He's a big part to what they do," Butler explained . "We all know that. I think they know that. But you can't take him out the game and think that you can win. Because they got a lot of other really good players, role players that make shots, create for others. They guard, they rebound, pass the ball. They got a really good team; they're really good at what they


That will only be the case, however, if coach Fred Hoiberg doesn’t derail what’s working in the hopes of appeasing his future Hall of Famer’s desire to have the rock in his hands as much as he did earlier in the sea


Hughes is still one of the more puzzling members of those pre-return LeBron teams, as he was looked at as a legitimate sidekick for The King at the time. He had just averaged 22 points per game with the Wizards and led the league in ste


"Point guard Rajon Rondo, demoted to the second unit earlier in the season, has the ball back in his hands and has averaged 8.4 assists, compared to 6.4 before Wade’s exit. He is averaging 10.9 points on 47 percent shooting (up from 7.2 on 39.4 percent). And defensively he has been energized, giving hard times most recently to Cleveland’s Kyrie Irving and Atlanta’s Dennis Schrod


In the four contests against the Bulls this year, Thomas put up 24.8 points and 5.8 assists per game. However, he shot the ball very well against Chicago, going 53.8 percent from the field along with 48.4 percent from three-point ra


Despite a 12-70 season for the New Jersey Nets, there was reason to believe good things were on the way. Prokhorov wanted stars to help facilitate a move to Brooklyn that was still two years away, and despite the lottery balls not falling in their favor to land John Wall, the Nets still had the third pick in the dr


The last NBA finals game played without LeBron in the lineup was on June 17, 2010 when Kobe Bryant and the Los Angeles Lakers topped Paul Pierce, Kevin Garnett, Ray Allen and Rasheed Wallace (!!) and the Boston Celt