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The NBA playoffs are upon us, with 16 teams competing for the Larry O'Brien Trophy. But what about the other guys? What about the teams we wish were in the playoffs? We may know, in our heads, that they didn't do enough to get into the postseason, bu...

Dear Kobe Bryant, In the middle of a playoff chase that has you clinging tenaciously to the no. 8 seed and yapping about how you have to take more control of the team's defensive strategy, why are you doing this? In the 71st game of your 17...

It has been a rough year for Kevin Love and the Timberwolves in basketball terms. Love broke his right hand twice, first doing knuckle push-ups, and then during a game shortly after returning. Love wasn't himself in those 18 games, shooting just 35 p...

In the time of attack guards, small ball, and stretch 4's, Big Al Jefferson's game is unapologetically old school. He's the kind of post player that was once so ubiquitous in the league, but now seems to be an endangered species. Like Adrian Peterson...

The NBA's five-man squads that crush. Plus: DeAndre Jordan's self-alley-oops, Kevin Love's injury, and the disappearance of Marvin Williams.

With nine minutes left in the fourth quarter of the Timberwolves' November 16 loss to the Warriors, a middle-aged couple descended from the stands at the Target Center, ostensibly on their way out. After bypassing the exits, they eventually reached c...

The Minnesota Timberwolves, with Kevin Love and Ricky Rubio healthy, projected as a clear playoff team — and one that might have surprised folks by pushing something like 50 or even 55 wins. They were a .500 team when healthy last season, and t...

This will kick-start your heart. Also, while I have you all here, isn't this a great little moment? It's almost like, right there, during that hug, when Durant walks up to Gasol and Kobe, that's when the Olympics end and the NBA season ...

Blake Griffin, Andre Iguodala, and James Harden secured the final three spots on the U.S. Olympic men's basketball team, beating out Eric Gordon, Rudy Gay, and no. 1 draft pick Anthony Davis. Griffin may be the most interesting selection, because, mo...

Kevin Love has had a fantastic season, averaging 26.5 points and 13.6 rebounds per game. But for the month of March alone, over a 16-game span, he averaged 30.7 PPG and 13.9 RPG on 46.4 percent shooting, including 44.9 percent shooting from the 3-poi...

On today's show, The Basketball Jones discuss the tight race in the Atlantic Division, whether the Spurs are better or worse with Boris Diaw and Captain Jackson, whether the NBA should adopt the Euro goaltending rule, and the "Kevin Love for MVP" mov...

The night the Nets turned Ersan Ilyasova into Kevin Love.

Kevin Love is a shooter before anything else. Even though we would expect him, as a power forward, to be comfortable playing close to the basket, the centerpiece of Love's game is his jump shot. He often struggles to score in the post, though it isn'...

Round of Applause At this point in my life, I am honestly more into Kobe Bryant as an interview subject than as a basketball player. I appreciate how we're back into Kobe-as-performance-artist territory. I'm sure they are studying his newest piece, ...

In case you were out living a life of leisure, here's what you missed in sports on Monday. The New York Giants arrived home yesterday, and were greeted by 200 raucous fans at their practice facility. Oddly enough, one of the wildest fans was a hea...

I'm looking forward to being a regular contributor for Grantland, where I will share my experiences as I navigate through life, the world of sports, L.A., pop culture, travel and whatever else should surface. To get you up to speed on what I have bee...