Ohonsi's NBA Blog

Bill Russell is generally considered to be one of the 10 greatest players despite his non-inflated production and skills mirroring the likes of Mutombo, Ben Wallace, and DeAndre Jordan. But nobody puts those 3 anywhere near Russell or gave them significant consideration for the top 75 list...which is fair because Bill was one of the top players in his era while the others weren't close at all in theirs. LeBron: - #1 all-time in regular season points scored - #1 all-time in playoff points scored - 20 years in the NBA without scoring under 20 a night (No one will ever touch the 1st 3) - 4 rings - 4 finals MVP's - An argument for the most efficient high volume scorer ever (excluding the 3 point and free throw line) However, the eye test can't be questioned. In his 1st stint in Cleveland he was great at beating defenders of the dribble for tough finishes and was a decent enough shooter to keep defenses honest. However the '07 Spurs badly exposed Bron's shaky jumper like...

Since the NBA added a play-in tournament (which is ok but the bubble rules need to come back), it should have no issue expanding the all-star rosters from 12 to 15 so the lineups can be divided into 5 which is the # of players allowed on the court for each team. As of today, there are 42 qualified players averaging at least 20 points which would be a record if the season ended like this. That's part of the big picture which is how talented the league has become; and another reason why the teams should expand. I like to pretend that I have an official ballot (the NBA interests me, I have the time, and it doesn't hurt me) so I balance offensive production/talent (explained at the end), responsibility for their team’s success (depending on how much success), and everything else (rebounding/defense). This list is based off everything before jan 21 (also explained in the comments). Everyone you'll see played at least 30 games prior to jan 21. The positions are determined by comm...

I think Milwaukee wins it all. Their big 3 might be the best leaguewide and Giannis is at the top of the NBA with an argument for being the most versatile defender in the game (rewatch the iconic block on Ayton). 2 seasons ago he dropped 50 to clinch a title (hadn't been done since '58), then in last year's playoffs Antetokounmpo became the 1st ever to put up at least 200 pts/100 reb/50 ast in a series. Anyway, I believe the only reason they didn't repeat in 2022 is because of the injury to Middleton who's made plenty of clutch shots in the postseason. Add the fact that Holiday is in the highest tier of on-ball defenders... Out west I see the Clippers playing in June. If Kawhi didn't get hurt, they probably would've made the '21 finals. Now, their roster is much better and they'll be able to switch on defense as well as anyone. Kawhi is great in the playoffs and led a team to a championship. The Clips employ another high level 2-way player (Ge...

Miami's frequent use of the zone defense played a major role in their series win vs Philly. This is because it kept Embiid from spending a lot of time on or near the block. Therefore, he was essentially turned into a full-time perimeter iso scorer at or near the free throw line where the help defense is very close (due to the zone defense) if Joel drives left or right. That would've been effective against Giannis since he's a poor shooter who would be without Middleton but unfortunately for the Heat, they'll play Boston. The zone defense is implemented to limit scoring opportunities in the paint which generally leads to more 3-point attempts. If Miami guards this way in the conference finals, the Celtics can cause significantly more damage beyond the arc than the Sixers since the Boston big men (Horford and Grant Williams in particular) can thrive shooting a high volume of spot up jumpers from 3. The Heat also have to worry about whether Butler can sustain his huge jump...

My All-NBA Teams *Based on a combo of (in this order) production, talent, team success, and games played. Positions are based on common sense. See the comments for more detail. 1st G: Young (Hawks) G: Booker (Suns) F: Doncic (Mavs) (My MVP) F: Antetokounmpo (Bucks) C: Embiid (Sixers) 2nd G: Mitchell (Jazz) G: Lavine (Bulls) F: DeRozan (Bulls) F: Tatum (Celtics) C: Jokic (Nuggets) 3rd G: Morant (Grizzlies) G: Curry (Warriors) F: James (Lakers) F: Durant (Nets) C: Towns (Wolves) West playoff predictions *I picked Utah to beat Dallas regardless of Luka's health, but the Mavs would've had a great shot at winning if he wasn't compromised. It'd be a miracle if they beat the Jazz if Luka can't play normally. Suns (1) beat (8) Pelicans Jazz (5) beat Mavs (4) Warriors (3) beat Nuggets (6) Grizzlies (2) beat Wolves (7) Suns (1) beat Jazz (5) Grizzlies (2) beat Warriors (3) Suns (1) beat Grizzlies (2) East *I would've picked Boston to beat Brooklyn had Rob Williams bee...

Philly might be the most talented team in the NBA. They have an MVP candidate (Embiid) who lives at the free throw line, is an effective rim protector and scorer at all 3 levels, and can’t be guarded on the block. Harris and Maxey are good off the dribble scorers who typically provide an efficient 15-20 points. Green has enough playoff experience to where he can be trusted to produce as a consistent enough 3 and D player in the postseason. Thybulle is a terror defensively. I don’t remember watching anyone as good as him when it comes to recovering to players with the ball who’ve separated from him. And like Murray (Spurs), his anticipation is top tier in the passing lanes. *He wont play in Toronto but I believe the 76ers still win the series although his part-time absence could be the biggest reason for a Philadelphia loss. Despite all of this, I think Harden will be the deciding factor. His performance will likely be why they win or don't win a chip. Ever since he got injured (ham...

March 2022 I was blessed, but public humiliation was the norm. They didn’t like that I have an African name. Their racist taunting was definitely an issue, but that was an intro to what they really hated about me: I didn't live my life trying to fit in. That’s a rare combo, especially the latter, in the US which made me a target to be treated like some kind of 2nd class citizen. (I'll skip the consistent verbal abuse). They hated that I didn’t use social media, and base my free time on mainstream movies, tv shows, video games, and celebrities. They challenged my manhood since I didn't drink, party, or smoke weed (I do what's naturally comfortable to me, which shouldn't be a big deal). They hated that I didn't dress like a pretty boy even though my clothes weren't raggedy/smelling. Nothing I put on was wild, but the expectation is to dress like some kind of fashionista, country club dude, or frat kid. Except for social media, I've continued the same habit...