Ohonsi's NBA Blog

Happy late birthday to the pound-for-pound GOAT. It's hard to ignore AI's scoring binges, his filthy handle, and that he was never afraid of contact or taking center stage with the game on the line. But what I admire the most about Iverson is that he persevered even though so many people were against him. They couldn't stand that he was a true representation of real hoop culture. They were so intimidated by him that they made childish rules to protect the comfort of the average paying customer despite the fact that he wasn't hurting anyone. Now, there's too much of a circus and not enough of a middle ground. The rules are clearly being broken but they're hiding the rulebook that they used to permanently kill what he stood for since the circus is an example of the underlying motive, which was created by the people who've always had the power.

Randle loves to go right before pulling up for a jumper around the free throw area. Naturally, it's easier to go in the direction of your weak hand then pull up since you don't have to align your body toward the hoop nearly as much compared to dribbling in the direction of your dominant hand. Anyway, he's been horrible this series and it isn't just because he's missing shots. One thing Atlanta is doing to slow him down is forcing Julius baseline when he's at the left or right wing (not the corner) so he'll meet an extra defender who's waiting near the block if he drives. Therefore, Randle either has to shoot with essentially 2 guys guarding him or pick up his dribble then pass out of a double team. This is why he hasn't been able to shoot his signature shot as often as he needs to. If he and RJ (the Knicks 2 best players) continue to struggle mightily, the Knicks will have a slim chance of winning this series. Despite the Hawks strategy, I'm stil...

In game 1, Miami's offense struggled badly late in the 4th quarter and in OT primarily because of their 2 best players. It goes beyond their field goal percentages being downright awful. Jimmy has this annoying habit of driving to the rim then picking up his dribble without making a quick decision after which makes it so much harder to find an open teammate or create just enough room for a shot. This wasted too much time which led to bad shots and even worse, turnovers. I don't know why someone who's so good at drawing fouls by being physical when attacking the rack and is a good free throw shooter gets nervous this often. Bam has improved a lot this season at hitting open mid-range jumpers and taking defenders off the dribble for mid-range jumpers as well as shots at the cup. His 41 point performance in Brooklyn and game winner vs the Nets in Miami are great examples. However, it's criminal how often he doesn't do anything with the rock besides look for dribble han...

It's time for my all-NBA picks. Creating these lists the past 3 years, including my all star selections, has been very fun since it's a challenge to compare players to see who makes the cut. It's much harder/more intriguing this season due to the insane amount of hoopers that produced at an all-star level this season.  This is the order I use to decide my teams: production, eye test, games played, and team success vs supporting cast.  Eye test: The most important skill in basketball by far is being able to score in isolation (off the dribble, in the post, or facing up) at an all-star level. There are other important skills but this is the only one that if a player has, can make a team with a relatively weak supporting cast much better than it actually is (a perfect example: '01 Iverson).  The positions (guard, forward, and center) are based off of basketball reference and ESPN.  My website, link in bio, includes this and other NBA articles. Search "must read" ...

Fan voting ends on the 16th at 11:59 p.m. ET but I'm not sure of the date for the media and coaches. The starters are announced on the 18th while the reserves are revealed on the 23rd so my picks are based off of info before the 17th because of how soon the official slots are being released. Creating these lists the past 3 years has been very fun since it's a challenge to compare players to see who makes the cut. It's a lot harder this year due to a significantly shortened schedule and the ridiculous amount of all-star talent, especially in the east. So the snubs will be plenty during this go-round. My website, link in bio, includes this and other articles including some that are labeled must read (aka my best work). B = backcourt, F = frontcourt, WC = wild card West Starters B - Damian Lillard (Blazers) B - Luka Doncic (Mavs) F - Paul George (Clippers) F - LeBron James (Lakers) F - Nikola Jokic (Nuggets) Reserves B - Stephen Curry (Warriors) B - Donovan Mitchell (Jazz) F -...