Hoops Rumors Polls

Poll: Denver Nuggets Vs. Minnesota Timberwolves

April 11th, 2018 at 11:34am CST by Luke Adams

The NBA’s playoff race has been a wild one this year, and there are still dozens of potential scenarios for the final version of this year’s NBA standings.

Still, while we may have to wait until the end of tonight’s slate to determine seeds and first-round matchups, 15 of 16 playoff spots have been clinched, leaving just one final slot available. And to make matters simpler, that last spot will be decided in a single game, with the Timberwolves hosting the Nuggets in a winner-take-all contest tonight.

The Nuggets and Timberwolves enter tonight’s action with matching 46-35 records, so the loser of the regular season finale will be a hard-luck lottery team, while the winner could end up as high as No. 6 in the Western standings. It’s the NBA’s first winner-gets-in, loser-gets-eliminated regular season finale since 1997, according to the league (Twitter link via Tim Reynolds of The Associated Press).

Denver has recent history on its side heading into the end-of-season showdown. The Nuggets have won six consecutive games while battling for their postseason lives, beating the Thunder, Bucks, Pacers, Clippers, and Trail Blazers during that stretch — the other win during that streak came against the Timberwolves, last Thursday in Denver.

Conversely, the Timberwolves have struggled during the season’s second half after looking like a potential top-four seed earlier in the year. Since getting to 31-18 on January 22, Minnesota has posted a mediocre 15-17 record.

Of course, the Wolves were without star forward Jimmy Butler for most of that stretch, and Butler’s back now. So is Paul Millsap, who missed a huge chunk of the season for the Nuggets, and Gary Harris, who was recently sidelined for 11 games with a knee injury. In other words, with the possible exception of Taj Gibson, who is dealing with a sore neck, both teams figure to be at full strength tonight.

The Timberwolves are slight favorites in the eyes of oddsmakers, and NBA.com’s experts favor Minnesota too, but that’s more about home-court advantage than the Wolves being the better team. This game could easily go either way.

What do you think? Which team will win tonight’s game and earn a spot in the NBA postseason, the Nuggets or the Timberwolves? Vote below and then jump into the comment section to share your two cents!

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Poll: Who Is 2017/18 NBA Coach Of The Year?

April 10th, 2018 at 11:19am CST by Luke Adams

While some of the NBA’s 2018 awards look like foregone conclusions – including James Harden for MVP and Victor Oladipo for Most Improved Player – there’s no shortage of viable candidates for the league’s Coach of the Year award. A handful of this season’s playoff teams have exceeded expectations or overcome major injury issues to lead their teams to the postseason.

Here are several of this year’s Coach of the Year candidates, along with a brief case for each of them:

Mike D’Antoni, Rockets (64-16): While D’Antoni hasn’t changed his approach significantly this season, his system continues to fire on all cylinders. The Rockets will finish with the NBA’s best record by far, and any coach who guides his team to a 65-win season deserves strong consideration for this award.
Dwane Casey, Raptors (59-22): After getting swept out of the 2017 playoffs and losing veterans like P.J. Tucker, Patrick Patterson, Cory Joseph, and DeMarre Carroll in the offseason, the Raptors were expected to perhaps take a step back. Instead, Casey had led a revamped offense and a dominant bench unit to the best season in franchise history.
Brad Stevens, Celtics (54-26): Besides overcoming Gordon Hayward‘s season-ending injury, Stevens and the Celtics have also worked injuries to several other key players, including Kyrie Irving and Marcus Smart. Boston will ultimately end up with approximately the same record many experts anticipated, but the path to get there has been far more challenging than expected.
Brett Brown, Sixers (50-30): This was the year the Sixers had hoped to move out of the rebuilding phase, but simply getting to .500 would’ve been viewed as a success. Not only did the Sixers blow past .500, but they’re now in position to claim the No. 3 seed in the East and potentially improve by 24 games over last season’s 28-54 mark.
Nate McMillan, Pacers (48-33): Viewed as a borderline playoff team after trading Paul George to Oklahoma City, the Pacers got off to a decent start before slipping to 19-19 early in 2018. Skeptics may have predicted a finish out of the postseason at that point, but McMillan has guided Indiana to a 29-14 record since January 3, putting the team in position for a top-five seed.
Terry Stotts, Trail Blazers (48-33): A recent slump has brought the Blazers back down to the pack in the West, but as recently as a couple weeks ago, they looked like the third-best team in the West. That’s an impressive showing for a team that finished with a .500 record a year ago and didn’t make any major offseason roster changes.
Quin Snyder, Jazz (47-33): The Jazz have looked like this year’s version of the 2016/17 Heat, following up a poor first half with an incredible second-half run. The Heat’s 30-11 finish last season left them just short of the playoffs, but the Jazz have locked up a postseason berth with a staggering 28-5 run since since January 22.
Alvin Gentry, Pelicans (47-34): A season-ending injury to DeMarcus Cousins could have easily derailed the Pelicans’ playoff aspirations, but Gentry – with the help of Anthony Davis and Jrue Holiday – didn’t let that happen. New Orleans clinched a playoff spot on Monday night.
Gregg Popovich, Spurs (47-34): A perennial candidate for this award, Popovich will likely be passed over this year for the Spurs’ underwhelming record by their standards — this will be the club’s worst regular season record since 1997. Still, Popovich got San Antonio back to the postseason without Kawhi Leonard for all but nine games. That shouldn’t be overlooked.

ESPN’s panel of experts gives Casey the slight edge for the award, ahead of Stevens, Snyder, D’Antoni, and McMillan, in that order. But this figures to be a close vote, with upwards of one-third of the league’s coaches worthy of votes.

What do you think? Who is your pick for Coach of the Year? Vote below in our poll and jump into the comment section to explain your choice!

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Poll: Who Is 2017/18 NBA Rookie Of The Year?

April 9th, 2018 at 11:21am CST by Luke Adams

The 2017/18 NBA rookie class has looked deep and impressive this season, with many players from last year’s draft already assuming key roles on their NBA clubs. However, the battle for this season’s Rookie of the Year has essentially been a two-man race for months. With apologies to Jayson Tatum and others, the vote will almost certainly come down to Ben Simmons vs. Donovan Mitchell.

Mitchell, the 13th overall pick in the 2017 draft, has done his part to help Jazz fans forget about Gordon Hayward‘s departure, averaging a team-high 20.5 PPG to go along with 3.7 APG, 3.7 RPG, and 1.5 SPG. After coming off the bench for several games near the start of the season, Mitchell has been a mainstay in Utah’s starting lineup since November, and had been a huge reason why the Jazz hold the No. 4 seed in the West — the team is 42-27 in games Mitchell starts.

While Mitchell’s rookie year has been outstanding, don’t count Simmons among those who will admit to being impressed by the Jazz guard. Asked by ESPN’s Chris Haynes which rookies around the NBA have caught his attention this season, Simmons promptly replied, “None.” The Sixers‘ point guard also didn’t mince words when asked about his own pick for Rookie of the Year.

“Who would I pick? Me, 100 percent,” Simmons told Haynes. “I think I have been playing solid all year. If you look at the numbers, you will see. People who know the game know.”

Simmons’ numbers are certainly worth mentioning. While he hasn’t scored at the same rate as Mitchell, posting 16.0 PPG for the year, 2016’s first overall pick has filled up the stat sheet with 8.2 APG, 8.1 RPG, and 1.7 SPG after missing the entire 2016/17 season. He has also made 54.7% of his shots from the field, though the fact that he has attempted just 11 three-pointers all season helps buoy that mark.

Like Mitchell’s Jazz, Simmons’ Sixers are in position to host a first-round playoff series, potentially as the No. 3 seed. And as good as the two rookies have been, they also both play alongside star centers – Rudy Gobert and Joel Embiid – who have arguably been the 2017/18 MVPs for Utah and Philadelphia, respectively. In other words, Mitchell and Simmons have very similar – and virtually equally compelling – cases for being named the 2017/18 Rookie of the Year.

What do you think? Would you pick Mitchell or Simmons as the 2017/18 Rookie of the Year? Is there another candidate that you think has a case to be at the forefront of the discussion? Does the fact that Simmons had an extra year of NBA seasoning affect your pick at all, even though he’s technically eligible for the award?

Vote below in our poll and jump into the comment section to share your thoughts!

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Poll: How Far Will Celtics Advance In Playoffs?

April 5th, 2018 at 5:51pm CST by Luke Adams

When Gordon Hayward went down with a season-ending ankle injury during the Celtics‘ first game of the 2017/18 season, the club’s fan base initially shifted its focus to next year, when Hayward would be fully recovered and youngsters like Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown would have another year of experience under their belts.

However, Hayward’s absence didn’t slow down the Celtics — the team was the No. 1 seed in the East for much of the season. Boston eventually ceded that top spot to the Raptors, but maintained a stranglehold on the No. 2 spot. And while the C’s may not have been a legit title contender without Hayward, there was a sense that the Kyrie Irving-led squad had a chance to make it out of the East.

Much of that hope was extinguished today when the Celtics announced that Irving would undergo another procedure on his knee that will sideline him for the postseason and keep him on the shelf for four or five months. The C’s will now head into the playoffs without either of their star veteran acquisitions from the 2017 offseason.

While the Celtics’ chances of making a deep playoff run look significantly diminished, it’s worth noting that the club hasn’t exactly fallen off a cliff without its star point guard in the lineup. Irving played his last game on March 11 vs. Indiana. Since then, the C’s have posted a respectable 7-4 record, with wins over the Thunder, Blazers, Jazz, and Raptors. Of their four losses, three were on the road against playoff teams (New Orleans, Milwaukee, and Toronto) and the fourth was a double-overtime nail-biter vs. the Wizards.

In other words, even without Irving and Hayward on the floor, the Celtics are a well-coached and dangerous team that will be a tough out in the playoffs.

Still, as ESPN’s Kevin Pelton writes, the club’s postseason run figures to be shorter than it would be for the average No. 2 seed. Pelton suggests that the Celtics should remain favorites in the first round against Miami, Milwaukee, or Washington, but may head into round two as underdogs.

What do you think? Can the Celtics still win a round or two – or even three – in the playoffs? Or will the injury bug ultimately result in an early exit for the East’s No. 2 seed? Vote in our poll and jump into the comment section below to weigh in!

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Poll: Which Western Contenders Will Miss Playoffs?

April 3rd, 2018 at 8:54am CST by Luke Adams

Three teams in the Western Conference have clinched playoff berths, with the Rockets, Warriors, and Trail Blazers likely locked into the top three seeds, in that order. However, after those top teams, the race for the conference’s final five postseason spots remains hotly contested.

The Spurs (45-32) are ostensibly in the driver’s seat for the No. 4 seed and home-court advantage in the first round, but a late-season slide could still put their playoff spot in jeopardy. San Antonio has back-to-back road games against the Clippers and Lakers on tap this week, followed by home games against Portland and Sacramento, and a regular season finale in New Orleans. While it’s still possible that Kawhi Leonard could return for one or more of those games, the club isn’t counting on that.

While the Thunder (45-33) remain in contention for the No. 4 spot too, they’re also one bad week away from slipping out of the playoff picture, particularly since they hold virtually no tiebreakers against their Western competitors. You can probably pencil OKC in for a win at home vs. Memphis next Wednesday, but before that game, the Thunder will have to deal with the Warriors at home, and the Rockets and Heat on the road.

The Jazz (44-33) have won 27 of their last 34 games, but that hasn’t been enough to pull away from the pack in the West. A home-and-away set against the Lakers this week bodes well, but Utah will also have to host the Clippers and Warriors before finishing the season in Portland. Holding tiebreakers over the Spurs, Pelicans, and Clips could come in handy.

The Timberwolves (44-34) could badly use Jimmy Butler in their lineup down the stretch, and he’s still expected to be back before the end of the season, but his exact return date remains up in the air. Home-and-away games against Denver may ultimately decide Minnesota’s playoff fate, though the Wolves will also face a pair of lottery teams in the Lakers (road) and Grizzlies (home). Minnesota’s tiebreakers over the Thunder, Jazz, Pelicans, and Clippers look big now.

The Pelicans (43-34) have lost four straight games, putting their playoff spot at risk, but those losses came against four very good teams. They’ll have a chance to turn things around this week when they host the Grizzlies and visit the Suns. After that, the schedule gets tough again — the Pelicans close out by visiting the Warriors and Clippers before hosting the Spurs.

If any of those five teams falter, the Nuggets (42-35) and Clippers (41-36) will be ready to take advantage, though neither team has it easy down the stretch. In addition to facing Minnesota twice, the Nuggets also host the Pacers and Trail Blazers. The Clippers have one road game left in Utah, and will host the Spurs, Pelicans, and Lakers. The Nuggets and Clippers will also face one another in L.A. on Saturday.

Got all that? Great. Now, we want to know what you think. How will the season’s final nine days play out? Which two of the top 10 teams in the West will end up missing the playoffs? Vote below in our poll and jump into the comment section below to share your thoughts!

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Poll: Will The Spurs Make The Postseason?

March 13th, 2018 at 10:28am CST by Luke Adams

While the Eastern Conference’s eight playoff teams are close to becoming locked in, the race for the postseason in the Western Conference has only intensified in recent weeks.

The Rockets and Warriors have a stranglehold on the top two seeds and are in no danger of missing the playoffs. The Trail Blazers, winners of 10 straight games, have been one of the league’s hottest teams and currently have a small cushion for the No. 3 seed. After Portland, the Thunder, Pelicans, and Timberwolves round out the top six.

A game and a half behind Minnesota and New Orleans, four teams are currently tied in the standings, with the Clippers (36-29) holding a slight edge over the Jazz (37-30), Nuggets (37-30), and Spurs (37-30). Based on current tiebreakers, Denver and San Antonio are on the outside of the playoff picture looking in, for now.

The Spurs’ spot in the standings isn’t a huge surprise — the team has been without All-NBA forward Kawhi Leonard for all but nine games, and outside of LaMarcus Aldridge, the rest of the roster isn’t exactly brimming with star power. It makes sense that the club has struggled. Still, the Spurs haven’t missed the playoffs since 1997, so one of the sport’s most impressive streaks is in danger of coming to an end this spring.

The Spurs are coming off a brutal stretch of the schedule which saw them play road games in Golden State, Oklahoma City, and Houston. The team lost all three of those of those contests, and things won’t get much easier down the stretch.

According to Tankathon.com, the Spurs have the NBA’s fifth-hardest schedule for the rest of the season, with games against the Rockets, Warriors, Trail Blazers, Thunder, Timberwolves, Wizards, Jazz, Bucks, and Pelicans (twice) still on tap. For their part, the Spurs veterans know that they’ll have their work cut out for them if they want to extend their streak of postseason experiences.

“Been winning for a lot of years,” Tony Parker said on Monday, per Tim MacMahon of ESPN. “Since I’ve been in the league, I’ve made eight conference finals, five NBA Finals. We’ve been winning a lot. But this year, there’s been a lot of injuries. We just have to find a way to try to qualify for the playoffs.”

Of those injuries alluded to by Parker, Leonard’s quad issue has been the most devastating, but there’s a chance the Spurs will get him back in their lineup later this week. While a meeting with Gregg Popovich will determine whether Leonard’s return is imminent, he’s aiming to get back on the court on Thursday. (Update: he’ll be out through Thursday).

Having a healthy, productive Leonard available down the stretch would improve San Antonio’s playoff chances significantly, but it remains to be seen how effective the star forward can be in the season’s final weeks.

What do you think? Is this the year the Spurs’ playoff streak comes to an end, or will they find a way to extend it to 21 straight appearances? Vote below in our poll and then jump into the comment section below to weigh in!

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Poll: Will James Harden Win MVP?

February 23rd, 2018 at 11:18am CST by Luke Adams

A year ago, Russell Westbrook made NBA history by becoming the first player in over five decades to average a triple-double for an entire season. Despite the fact that his Thunder were only sixth in the Western Conference, Westbrook earned MVP honors.

This season, Westbrook’s Thunder sit in fifth in the West, and the star point guard is nearly averaging a triple-double again, with 25.3 PPG, 10.4 APG, and 9.5 RPG. This time around though, Westbrook is an afterthought in the MVP discussion — he finished seventh in a recent poll of NBA reporters conducted by Tim Bontemps of The Washington Post.

Westbrook’s triple-double average was at the center of his 2016/17 MVP case, but it wasn’t the only point in his favor. He also led the NBA in scoring, and the fact that he wasn’t playing alongside an established star like Paul George buoyed his case. Still, the contrast between the general perception of last year’s performance and this year’s is an indication that MVP votes often rely on a narrative as much as anything.

In 2017/18, James Harden‘s narrative is the one gaining momentum. The best player on what has been the league’s best team, Harden has led the Rockets to a 44-13 mark and has posted staggering numbers in the process. He’s leading the NBA with 31.3 PPG, and has also contributed 9.0 APG, 5.1 RPG, and 1.8 SPG on .448/.384/.865 shooting.

Harden’s excellent season earned him the top spot on 91 of the 100 ballots Bontemps received in his informal MVP poll earlier this month. Only one of the 100 writers polled left Harden out of the top two. Those figures suggest that the race isn’t close, but should it be?

ESPN’s Zach Lowe suggested earlier today that you could make a real case for Giannis Antetokounmpo as a co-favorite in the MVP conversation. Antetokounmpo, who is averaging 27.8 PPG, 10.4 RPG, and 4.8 APG with a .540 FG%, is putting up monster numbers of his own, and his on/off-court numbers are striking — the Bucks have a +5.6 net rating when he plays, and a rating of -9.7 when he sits.

Stephen Curry and Kevin Durant, the first two runners-up in Bontemps’ poll, are both having big seasons for the Warriors, and LeBron James should be part of the MVP discussion too, especially if he and the new-look Cavaliers have a strong finish. The Raptors and Celtics are the top two teams in the East right now, so DeMar DeRozan and Kyrie Irving shouldn’t be written off either. And the way Jimmy Butler has led the Timberwolves this year has been impressive.

In other words, there are no shortage of worthy candidates for this year’s Most Valuable Player award, so should Harden be considered the overwhelming favorite to win it, as the results of Bontemps’ poll suggest?

What do you think? Will Harden be this year’s MVP? Who is his biggest threat to claim that award? Vote below in our poll and jump into the comment section so share your thoughts!

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Poll: Which Team Will Earn No. 1 Seed In East?

February 20th, 2018 at 4:00pm CST by Luke Adams

Like the Rockets in the Western Conference, the Raptors entered the All-Star break on a hot streak that allowed them to claim the No. 1 seed in the East. With Toronto on a seven-game winning streak and Boston having lost three in a row, the 41-16 Raps now have a two-game cushion on the 40-19 Celtics.

While the Raptors currently hold the top spot in the East, they’re not a lock to hang onto it the rest of the way. The Celtics figure to bounce back, particularly when Marcus Smart returns to their lineup. And the Cavaliers aren’t going anywhere either — after a midseason swoon, a series of deadline-day trades have revitalized the Cavs, who have won four in a row to increase their record to 34-22, 6.5 games back of Toronto.

It would take a major slump for the Raptors to give up a 6.5-game lead with just 25 to play, but if that slump happens, we probably shouldn’t rule out teams like the Wizards (33-24), Pacers (33-25), and Bucks (32-25) either. Still, those clubs are very long shots for the No. 1 seed. The race for the top spot in the East looks like it will come down to three teams — and possibly just two if the Cavs dug too deep a hole during the first half.

Unlike in the West, where the Rockets and Warriors have been just as successful on the road as at home, a pair of top Eastern contenders have been much better when they’ve had home-court advantage. The Raptors have an NBA-best 24-4 mark at home, compared to 17-12 on the road. The Cavs, meanwhile, are 20-7 in home games and having a losing record (14-15) as visitors. Claiming the No. 1 seed and gaining home-court advantage throughout the playoffs could be a huge factor for those teams.

What do you think? Will the Raptors hang onto the No. 1 seed? Will the Celtics reclaim it? Will the new-look Cavs go on a hot streak to get back in the race to the top? Vote below in our poll and then jump into the comment section to share your thoughts!

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Poll: Which Team Will Earn No. 1 Seed In West?

February 19th, 2018 at 4:00pm CST by Luke Adams

Before the All-Star break began last week, the Rockets won their 10th straight game while the Warriors lost for the fourth time in their last eight contests. Houston’s hot streak, combined with Golden State’s (relative) cold streak, moved the 44-13 Rockets into the No. 1 seed in the Western Conference by a half-game over the 44-14 Warriors.

It’s not the first time the Rockets have sat atop the West this season. Houston opened the season on a 25-4 run and had a leg up on Golden State until about Christmas Day. Now, Mike D’Antoni‘s squad has reclaimed the No. 1 seed.

The Rockets and Warriors have each been about as successful on the road as they’ve been at home, so the two teams may not go all-out down the stretch to claim the No. 1 seed. Still, with the Warriors looking to come out of the West for a fourth consecutive season, the Rockets appear to be the biggest threat to knock them off since Kevin Durant arrived in the Bay Area. If the Western Conference Finals come down to these two clubs, home-court advantage could be a factor.

No other Western Conference team is within nine games of either the Rockets or Warriors in the standings, so this looks like a two-team race, and we want to know what you think.

Will the Warriors, who haven’t lost more than 15 games in a regular season since 2013/14, finish the season on a hot streak and claim the No. 1 seed? Or will, the Rockets, who are 28-1 when James Harden, Chris Paul, and Clint Capela are all in their lineup, hang onto their lead in the West and grab the top spot heading into the postseason?

Vote below in our poll and jump into the comment section to share your thoughts — including whether or not home-court advantage will make a difference for these two clubs.

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Poll: Who Will Win Slam Dunk Contest?

February 16th, 2018 at 3:30pm CST by Luke Adams

After focusing on this weekend’s Three-Point Contest on Thursday, we’re turning our attention today to Saturday night’s main event: The Slam Dunk Contest.

While 2018’s Three-Point Contest will be headlined by Klay Thompson and Eric Gordon, the two most recent winners of the event, this year’s Dunk Contest features a group made up almost entirely of first-time participants — and no former winners.

Rookies Donovan Mitchell and Dennis Smith Jr. are, of course, participating for the first time, as is Larry Nance Jr., who had campaigned for his inclusion in the past. The only contestant who has any previous Dunk Contest experience is Victor Oladipo, who was the runner-up to Zach LaVine in 2015.

Despite his experience in the contest, Oladipo is currently viewed as the underdog in this year’s event. Gambling site Bovada.lv gives the Pacers guard the longest odds to win, and only one of ESPN’s 17 experts picked him in the site’s All-Star Saturday predictions.

Smith Jr., the Mavericks’ point guard, is considered the favorite by Bovada, and Ben Golliver of SI.com also tabbed the rookie to take home the crown on Saturday night. However, he’ll have his work cut out for him.

Mitchell, who has the second-best odds from Bovada, is viewed as a strong candidate to win the event, despite being a late addition after Aaron Gordon had to pull out. Mitchell was picked by eight ESPN experts — only five members of ESPN’s panel chose Smith Jr.

Nance Jr., who received three votes from ESPN’s panel, also shouldn’t be ruled out. As Golliver observes, the new Cavaliers big man will be looking to live up to the legacy of his father, Larry Nance Sr., who won the league’s first ever Dunk Contest back in 1984. A longtime Laker, Nance Jr. may also have something of a home-court advantage in Los Angeles, despite being traded last week.

What do you think? Who do you expect to win this year’s Slam Dunk Contest? Vote in our poll, then jump into the comment section below to share your two cents!

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