Paul Pierce sees a lot of his game in Luka Doncic … for some reason. The NBA viewing public has grown accustomed to former greats becoming TV broadcasters and talking heads, which usually leads to them saying some unruly, outrageous things from time to time. Charles Barkley, Shaquille O’Neal and now Paul Pierce are usually
Dallas Mavericks
Luka Dončić and the Mavericks surged into the playoffs last season behind a historically efficient offense. Does the 2021 season have another leap in store? 1. Will Dallas’ push for a more balanced roster impact their league-leading offense from last year? Probably, but not so much that the Mavericks can’t contend for the top spot
Luka Doncic, the Slovenian wonder boy, is a generational spectacle and No. 1 on The Step Back’s 25-under-25 list for 2020. Only a handful of players can draw fans in like carnival barkers, promising spectators grand-staged wonders they’ve never seen before. Dallas’ lone star is among them. Remember back when the 2018 draft loomed and
The Dallas Mavericks scooped Josh Richardson from the Philadelphia 76ers for Seth Curry. The Dallas Mavericks had the most elite offense in NBA history last season but badly needed defensive help on the wing. The Philadelphia 76ers had star-level talent but desperately needed more shooting and balance for their roster. In a draft-night trade involving
Here are five options for the Dallas Mavericks’ first pick in the 2020 NBA Draft. Coming off Luka Doncic’s exhilarating first trip to the NBA playoffs, the Dallas Mavericks‘ main focus is building a contender around their future MVP. While free agency and the trade market will be key in coming seasons, that sense of
Montrezl Harrell, the reigning Sixth Man of the Year, might be on the move this offseason. Very rarely would the reigning Sixth Man of the Year fresh off an appearance in the Western Conference semifinals consider leaving one of the biggest contenders in the 2020-21 season, but that’s exactly the situation that could present itself
Danilo Gallinari is exactly the type of player several contending teams need to add. While it took him a while to get going in the NBA, Danilo Gallinari has been one of the best stretch forwards for the last decade in the league. A 6-foot-10 big with a sweet three-point stroke and solid passing ability,
LEXINGTON, KENTUCKY – FEBRUARY 15: Tyrese Maxey #3 of the Kentucky Wildcats (Photo by Andy Lyons/Getty Images) Tyrese Maxey will almost certainly be a first-round pick. As the 2020 NBA Draft draws closer, Kentucky will send another potential lottery pick into the fold in the form of combo guard Tyrese Maxey. A deadly slasher with
The NBA’s City Edition jerseys have been hit or miss. Unveiling a new NBA jersey is equal parts exciting and nerve-racking. While it’s cool to see some of the fresh new threads teams will unveil, it also becomes painfully obvious which teams tried to do too much and came up with some of the worst-looking
Dirk Nowitzki declined Steve Nash’s offer to be his assistant coach with the Brooklyn Nets. After spending a few seasons together with the Dallas Mavericks, Steve Nash and Dirk Nowitzki became lifelong friends in the process. Hailed as two of the greatest players in NBA history with three regular-season MVP awards, 22 All-Star appearances, 20
Kristaps Porzingis, Luka Doncic, Dallas Mavericks. (Photo by Ashley Landis-Pool/Getty Images) Celtics complete first-round sweep of 76ers by Scott Rogust 4 fights fans should be looking forward to in September & October by Chad Porto Kristaps Porzingis will not play for the Dallas Mavericks on Sunday. Though Luka Doncic is good to go on Sunday
Luka Doncic carried the Dallas Mavericks to an eye-opening win over the LA Clippers in Game 4. The LA Clippers led by as many as 21 points in Game 4 on Sunday, but even that massive lead wasn’t enough to stop Luka Doncic. Thanks to the second-year superstar’s efforts and game-winning 3-pointer over Reggie Jackson
Marcus Morris ejected for hard foul on Luka Doncic (Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images) Brewers willing to trade Josh Hader with Dodgers as potential suitor by Mark Powell Cody Bellinger, Dodgers set new home run record (Video) by Amy Kaplan Marcus Morris and Luka Doncic are at the center of attention yet again Sure,
Marcus Morris ejected for hard foul on Luka Doncic (Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images) Could Earl Thomas go to Chargers in wake of Derwin James injury? by John Buhler Luka Doncic was fed up with Marcus Morris following another hard foul. The Dallas Mavericks have a legitimate superstar in Luka Doncic. He scored 38
The LA Clippers closed out a tough series against the Dallas Mavericks in Game 6 to win the series. The Dallas Mavericks made this a better first-round playoff series than anticipated, but were ultimately outmatched by the LA Clippers. Despite the Clippers losing Marcus Morris early in this Game 6 clincher, the loss of Kristaps
Luka Doncic isn’t a fan of Marcus Morris’ words or actions in this series. The Dallas Mavericks had a rough game on Tuesday night. They were blown out by the Los Angeles Clippers 154-111 in a pivotal Game 5. Luka Doncic had a less than stellar follow up to his magical Game 4. Doncic finished
Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images Brett Brown lacking momentum to return as 76ers coach by John Buhler Stephen Curry and the rest of his family showed up as virtual fans to support Seth Curry. The Currys have rapidly become one of the most prominent families in the NBA. Thanks to Stephen Curry and the
LeBron James, Los Angeles Lakers. (Photo by Ashley Landis-Pool/Getty Images) Zack Greinke can’t drive 55, but he can throw 54 (Video) by John Buhler LeBron James went all Mike Breen on us celebrating Luka Doncic’s game-winner. LeBron James could not be more excited about Luka Doncic‘s game-winning 3-pointer. From somewhere inside of the NBA bubble,
The Dallas Mavericks were able to defeat the Patrick Beverley-less LA Clippers behind Luka Doncic’s 28 points, tying the series in Game 2. Game 2 of the first-round NBA playoff matchup between the LA Clippers and Dallas Mavericks began much as the first one did — with one team opening up a massive lead early.
The Whiteboard is The Step Back’s daily basketball newsletter, covering the NBA, WNBA and more. Subscribe here to get it delivered to you via email each morning. The first four games of the 2020 NBA Playoffs gave us a bit of everything — epic scoring performances, a blowout, an overtime squeaker, controversial calls and the
Even with Luka Doncic scoring a record 42 points in his playoff debut, it was not enough to defeat Kawhi Leonard and the LA Clippers. While the LA Clippers ultimately prevailed in Game 1 Monday night, their victory did not come as easily as it appeared it would in the game’s opening minutes. After the
No need for a long preamble. The first round of the NBA playoffs is finally here. Let’s break down the most interesting question that will define each series. Lakers vs. Blazers What happens when a stoppable force meets a movable object? The Lakers clinched the No. 1 seed in the West fairly early in the
Eric Gordon, #10, Houston Rockets, (Photo by Tim Warner/Getty Images) The West is home to many of the NBA‘s brightest stars, but the contributions of role players could tilt the scales of a tightly-packed conference. Gordon has missed Houston’s first three games with a left ankle injury, and could remain on the sideline for two
Photo by Katharine Lotze/Getty Images Catapulted by Luka Dončić’s awesome second season, the Dallas Mavericks go into the Orlando bubble right in the thick of the West’s playoff race. The 2019-20 season has been loaded with parity, especially in the Western Conference. Among the glut of contenders is the Dallas Mavericks, who could fall anywhere
Nationals and Yankees take a knee before national anthem by Steven Kubitza Of course, Yankees vs. Nationals Opening Night game has a rain delay by John Buhler LOS ANGELES, CA – DECEMBER 29: LeBron James #23 of the Los Angeles Lakers looks to pass the ball against the Dallas Mavericks at Staples Center on December
Welcome back to Basketball Insiders’ “Looking Back” series! We’ve already gone over how the first and second overall pick have fared since 2009, so naturally, the next pick up is the third overall pick. Like with the first two, we categorize these players by if they are hits, misses, in the middle, or role players.
In the NBA world right now, everybody is doing what they can to stay entertained. We’re tuning into The Last Dance every Sunday. We’re squeezing every detail we can get out of this supposed rift in Utah right now between Donovan Mitchell and Rudy Gobert. We’re trying to figure out what’s the aptest solution for
Last week, Basketball Insiders ranked who was the best of the best of each position in the NBA, including executives. This week, Basketball Insiders is taking a look at who are among the most underrated executives in the NBA. What makes an executive underrated? It’s actually a pretty loaded question. Their work may have led
As many as a dozen players could make strong cases they belong on this year’s ballot for Most Improved, but these seven stood out from the pack. The beauty of an award like Most Improved Player is in how wide a net it casts across the NBA. The more glamorous MVP and Rookie of the
It may seem like it, but, in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, the NBA world never truly stopped turning, even Bodog Canada is still running. Yes, in a time of some much-needed, sports-related distraction, the play has been put on hold. But the Association has continued to chug along as the draft and free