Basketball Intelligence For 10/14/24
Vinsanity gets enshrined, the Warriors continue to make a preseason splash, and more...
We know that thousands of you use BI as your main NBA go-to resource. PLEASE consider a paid subscription so we can keep bringing you the best NBA stories. Writers, if you feel like we’ve helped you grow over the years, please consider a paid subscription. Because of rising production costs, BI needs your help to survive! Of course, we appreciate the loyalty and support of our existing paid subscribers. Without you, there is no BI! If your finances permit, please consider becoming a founding subscriber.
As an incentive for free subscribers to upgrade to paid, we’re currently providing a $10 off coupon. Subscribe now! THANK YOU!
PODCAST: A conversation with writer Oliver Fox about the direction that basketball content seems headed
WNBA NEWS
New York Liberty found a key factor in Betnijah Laney-Hamilton for WNBA Finals win
Ben Pickman, The Athletic
Lynx’s Alanna Smith: X-factor, All-Defensive player, grad student
Ben Pickman, The Athletic
WNBA Finals winners, losers: Series living up to hype, needs consistent officiating
Lindsay Schnell, USA Today
LEAGUE NEWS
Jerry West becomes first three-time inductee as Carter and Billups enter basketball's Hall of Fame
Brian Mahoney, ABC News
One Defining Stat for Every NBA Team Heading Into the 2024-25 Season
Zach Kram, The Ringer
The NBA has entered a new era of parity. How did we get here and what’s next?
Mike Vorkunov, The Athletic
NBA predictions: How bottom of the Eastern Conference will play out in 2024-25
John Hollinger, The Athletic
Vince Carter reaches the Hall of Fame, with grace alongside his jaw-dropping verticality
David Aldridge, The Athletic
And that was the miracle of Vince Carter, through two-plus decades on the stage. His level of explosive greatness was so unapproachable that it made otherwise sane men question what they’d just seen, for what they’d just seen was impossible. It is why, though his teams rarely were serious contenders for championships during his NBA-record 22 seasons, Carter was an easy selection to this year’s incoming class for the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame, and will be inducted in Springfield, Mass., tonight.
The NBA's parity era is here, with 6 champions in 6 years. Now Boston will try to buck that trend
Tim Reynolds, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Ranking five NBA stars under most pressure this season: Paul George, Karl-Anthony Towns on list with new teams
Brad Botkin, CBS Sports
NBA top 100 defenders rankings (100-11): Where do O.G. Anunoby, Jayson Tatum, Kawhi Leonard land on list for 2024-25?
Stephen Noh, The Sporting News
TEAM NEWS
BOS: As starters rest, two Celtics hopefuls impress in preseason win over Raptors
Zack Cox, Boston Herald
BOS: While the stars sit, the Celtics remain dominant, and other observations from Sunday’s preseason game
Adam Himmelsbach, Boston Globe
CHI: How Matas Buzelis has made the Chicago Bulls believers: ‘He has tremendous upside’
Darnell Mayberry, The Athletic
CHI: Chicago Bulls X's & O's Preview
Coach Gibson Pyper, Half Court Hoops
DAL: Dallas Mavericks Team Review
Aaron Bollwinkel, Live. Breathe. Ball.
The key question will be whether Dallas can continue to be the defensive unit they were in the latter part of last season. With the loss of Derrick Jones Jr., it will be crucial for Luka to show the type of defensive effort he flashed in spurts during the postseason—though not what we saw in the Finals. Given his offensive workload, no one expects him to be a plus-defender, but he needs to be locked in enough to avoid being a liability.
DAL: Three Things NBA Preview: Dallas Mavericks
Jared Dubin, Last Night, In Basketball