Basketball Intelligence for 2/14/24
Jamal Murray, Myles Turner, MVP straw poll, and much more
LEAGUEWIDE STORIES
NBA Power Rankings: Celtics back on top as Warriors, Mavericks make huge leaps, Wolves collect statement wins
Colin Ward-Henninger, CBS Sports
NBA Power Rankings: Durant drives Suns in the West and Beverley begins with the Bucks
Staff, ESPN
Where 100 league insiders see the NBA MVP race, including where Jokic, Giannis and SGA land
Tim Bontemps, ESPN+
Despite Jokic claiming 69 first-place votes, the six-time All-Star will look to stop a two-year trend: The leader in the second straw poll -- Embiid in 2022 and Jokic last year -- has been surpassed by the second-place finisher in official award voting the past two seasons.
If that trend continues, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander -- the face of the league's most exciting young team -- will join Steve Nash as the only Canadians to win the NBA's top individual honor.
3 points: OG Anunoby's impact, Doc Rivers' remedy and the Thunder's one weakness
Yaron Weitzman, Fox Sports
The NBA's 65-Game Rule is Working, Mavs' New Era to Cavs' Rise, Defensive insights and Unveiling Brandon Miller
Vikram Dimba, NBA Librarian Weekly
TEAM STORIES
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BOS: Video breakdown: A look at how Jaylen Brown handled the point during the fourth quarter in Brooklyn
John Karalis, Boston Sports Journal
BOS: Celtics bet on Jrue Holiday paying dividends after quiet trade deadline
Brian Robb, MassLive
BOS: Jayson Tatum scored 31 first-half points, but his unselfishness in the second half helped the Celtics finish off the Nets
Adam Himmelsbach, Boston Globe
BRK: Day’Ron Sharpe’s return could shake up Nets’ defensive game
Brian Lewis, New York Post
CLE: How Cavaliers became NBA's hottest team: Donovan Mitchell levels up, Jarrett Allen's All-Star play and more
Stephen Noh, The Sporting News
CLE: Cavs forward Evan Mobley has a very good reason for his slow(er) offensive development
Jimmy Watkins, Cleveland.com
If Mobley played in a ball-handling wasteland like San Antonio, he might be a smoother dribbler by now. If he was drafted by a team like Houston, which craved scoring after trading James Harden, he might have developed more go-to moves. And if he landed in Detroit, where the Pistons are desperate for direction of any kind, Mobley might look more like the idealized prospect so many want him to be here.
But because he fit so well in Cleveland, the Cavs fast-tracked their plan to playing serious, winning basketball. Because of that plan, they traded for Mitchell to pair with Garland, both of whom deserve every dribble and shot attempt. And because Mobley found a way to fit into his new surroundings, people have confused his lack of opportunity with a lack of ability.
DEN: Is Denver’s Jamal Murray the best player never to be an All-Star? He doesn’t care: ‘I am a champion’
Sam Amick, The Athletic
“I mean I’m doing it,” Murray said with a shrug. “I’m an All-Star when you need the All-Star to show up — in the playoffs. You want the best to step up (then), right? And I think I do a good job of that. So I kind of backed myself up in that way. That’s it. That’s what it is. So it’s just more fuel to the fire.
“But (not being selected an All-Star) doesn’t hurt me like that, psychologically. I haven’t made it for so long, and I’m a champion. And I’m on the best team in the world playing with the best player in the world (in Jokić).”