The Shooterz Corner

Its rapidly approaching. Christmas is around the corner. One of my favorite things on Christmas Day is the fact that the NBA puts out a big slate of games that you can watch throughout the day. The hardcore fan will probably watch all of them, but for those of you who lean a little more casual in your fandom here are the games you need to see. The NBA Christmas Day slate is as follows: 9AM- Bucks vs. Knicks 12PM- Thunder vs. Rockets 2:30PM- Sixers vs. Celtics 5PM- Lakers vs. Warriors 7:30PM- Trailblazers vs. Jazz Casual fans can skip Bucks vs. Knicks. Giannis is must see TV, but this probably isn't going to be a great game since the Knicks will likely get blown off the floor. Casuals shouldn't lose sleep over Thunder vs. Rockets either considering how up and down the Rockets have been this year. Sixers vs. Celtics is a must watch. It's a iconic rivalry, and perhaps an Eastern Conference Finals preview. Lakers vs. Warriors is also appointment viewing. LeBron vs.

Why the hell not? If you disagree with these rankings comment below. There is a system to determining which mascot is better than which I just refuse to reveal it. Final note: some NBA clubs don't have mascots. We are going best to worst in this list: 1. Benny the Bull 2. Stuff the Magic Dragon 3. Hugo the Hornet 4. Rumble 5. The Raptor   6. Jazz Bear 7. Bango 8. The Coyote   9.  Rocky 10. Slamson 11. Hooper 12. Crunch 13. Harry the Hawk 14. Champ   15. Moondog 16. Boomer 17. Franklin 18. Pierre the Pelican 19. Grizz 20. The Gorilla 21. Clutch 22. G-Wiz 23. Burnie 24. Blaze 25. Chuck 26. Lucky

D-Wade and LeBron squared off for the last time in Wade's career last night. It was both epic and magical, much like Wade's career. So let's honor the third greatest shooting guard of all time with some of his insane career highlights.   My personal favorite Wade moment was his epic run during the 2006 NBA Finals. I remember being in absolute awe as a youngster, as he single handedly dragged the Heat to victory against a superior Dallas Mavericks team.

  The Warriors have had more drama than usual this year, which was accentuated by a blow-up Kevin Durant and Draymond Green had earlier in the season. While I don't think he's going to leave (primarily because I think he will want to open up the new arena in San Francisco), if he does I think the Thunder are actually the most likely destination. It would be really difficult to make the cap situation work, but I think Durant probably feels some strong ties to the community there. In addition,  the Thunder would afford him an opportunity to continue competing for championships without the label of jumping on the bandwagon. He would have to mend fences with Westbrook, but this makes the most sense. Other potential destinations don't seem like they would be as attractive to Durant. The Knicks have been so inept I don't think he would want to entrust the prime years of his career to them. The Clippers have appealing supporting pieces, but Durant would still be second fiddl

Let me be clear about what this exercise is. I am attempting to discern which teams have made a difference throughout the course of NBA history. This is not who is relevant in the moment, but rather which teams have stood out in the tapestry of basketball history. So I will slot teams into the categories of relevant and not relevant. I'm primarily doing this to piss off as many fan bases as possible, so lets get to it.  In the Category of Relevant:  Milwaukee Bucks : Just barely, but they have a passionate fanbase and have had multiple all time great players including Oscar Robertson.  Philadelphia 76ers : The Sixers are a classic NBA franchise with a storied history. This is an easy call.  Indiana Pacers : Indiana loves basketball and the Pacers are no exception.     Boston Celtics : No discussion needed. 17 championships and a bevy of iconic players, the Celtics are obviously relevant.  Detroit Pistons : The Bad Boys era alone makes them relevant, but they need to start

We've reached what is about the quarter point of the NBA season. So its time to hand out some quarter season awards. To be clear this is not who I think is going to win at the end of the year, simply who I think is most deserving at this point of the season. MVP- Giannis Antetokounmpo Rookie of the Year- Luka Doncic Sixth Man of the Year- Lou Williams Defensive Player of the Year- Marc Gasol Most Improved Player- De'Aaron Fox   Coach of the Year- Mike Budenholzer Disagree with any of these? Leave a comment below and tell me why.

This is an episode of a podcast that I did with friend and fellow basketball fan Jesse Palomera. Enjoy!

  It has been reported that the Lakers are interested in a three team trade that would involve Trevor Ariza, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, and some kind of draft asset. I understand why the Lakers would want Ariza. He brings both a veteran and defensive presence that the Lakers don't have much of outside of Tyson Chandler. That said, why make this trade when the gains are so minimal, and Ariza might steal minutes from their young wings like Brandon Ingram (who has struggled) and Kyle Kuzma? That doesn't really make sense, especially considering Ariza's deal expires next year. I find it unlikely the Lakers resign him since they'll be going after major free agents. Moreover, Ariza doesn't make them a title contender this year. So, it would be a strange move considering the need to develop some of their younger assets. This trade story actually illustrates the quandary the Lakers find themselves in. They are caught in between a need to win now since LeBron is going on 34

It was recently reported that Nick Young, a.k.a. Swaggy P has signed with the Denver Nuggets. He brings more depth to a position the Nuggets were already fairly deep in. Gary Harris, Will Barton, and Malik Beasley are already on roster. What the Nuggets really need is a true point guard, and Nick Young certainly doesn't help in that department. It isn't the worst signing ever, but it feels a little unnecessary. To commemorate this occasion lets remember some of Nick Young's more epic moments.  

  The Warriors are going to win the championship this year if they are healthy. I'm not sure if they will win again after that because Durant, Cousins, and Thompson are all free agents, but this year I'm not sure anyone can beat them four out of seven times in a playoff series. They have simply collected more talent than any other team in the league and its not close. The Celtics are probably a deeper team overall, but they don't have the number of truly exceptional players the Warriors can put on the floor. That said, I'm not saying the Warriors will run through each round like its nothing, and they are noticeably thinner on the bench, but this team is basically basketball's version of Thanos. They end the fight when they decide they are tired of taking punches. The reality is I'm not sure they have someone who can challenge them in either conference. The West is deep but there isn't really a dominant team outside of Golden State. The East's best c

LeBron's move to LA signified the end of his chapter in Cleveland, and now that we've seen a little of the King in the purple in gold I'm glad he took the plunge. The NBA is better when its marquee franchises are better. And make no mistake, the Lakers are the marquee franchise. While they probably aren't true title contenders this year, the possibilities of this new look Laker team are super exciting. For one we will hopefully get to see another great Bay Area-Los Angeles rivalry take shape. The Warriors and Lakers have played in the same division for a long time but their games have never captured the hearts of the respective fanbases the way Dodgers vs. Giants has over the years. Now it might be able to if the Warriors dominance and Lakers ascendence can meet somewhere in the middle. There is already some tension there considering LeBron has lost three of his last four finals appearances to the boys in the Bay. Also, what if Durant signs with the Lakers, and Cousin

Baseball is known for having strange food items at a variety of their ball parks. So in the spirit of ranking weird food, I have found some of the stranger NBA foods and decided to rank them. I have not personally tasted any of these items so I think I am therefore the most impartial judge. We are going weirdest to least weird. Lets get to the ranking: 1. Triple Double (Phoenix Suns) : This is a double stack of beer-brat patties, beer cheese sauce, caramelized onions, and cider slaw on a butter toasted pretzel bun.   2. Brisket Potato Waffle (San Antonio Spurs)   3. Fried Dessert (Oklahoma City Thunder) : Cheesecake or Twinkies, your choice. 4. BBQ Pork Flauta (Denver Nuggets) 5. Topped French Fries (Boston Celtics) : Dealers choice, you've got the options of chicken parmesan, steak and cheese, buffalo chicken or garlic parmesan.   Disagree with the ranking? Leave a comment below.

Basketball fans will likely have a pretty thorough understanding of the rules of the game, or at the very least a tacit understanding of how the game is played. However, there are some "rules" exclusive to the NBA game that are not in the actual rulebook. These are what I like to call the unwritten rules of the game, they are aspects of the sport that are implicitly understood but never explicitly referenced or officiated. You may even hear some of them brought up in a broadcast. So without further adieu, I present five of the key unwritten rules of the game. This list is not comprehensive and I reserve the right to change and amend it at a later date. THE UNWRITTEN NBA RULES  Rule #1 Superstars Get Star Treatment:  NBA superstars like LeBron James, James Harden, Kevin Durant, and so on receive calls that would not be afforded to lesser role players. The NBA is a star driven league and the stars get foul calls that your day-to-day role player doesn't. At this point y

The western conference is more difficult to figure out than a Salvador Dali painting right now. For the moment it is a mystery for us to unravel considering there are fourteen teams vying for eight playoff spots. The Suns are the lone team who might as well set their sights on the NBA draft. So lets explore who is real and who isn't in the wild, wild west. Meaning the true playoff contenders, because unlike diamonds playoff contention isn't forever. Are the Clippers Real? : What the Clippers are doing right now is pretty baffling. I felt they were a marginal playoff team at best, but they've beaten teams with far superior talent. They are averaging the third most points per game, with players I'm sure many fervent NBA fans would struggle to name.  Rookie Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is looking like a low-key steal at the 11th pick, and they are getting career seasons from players like Tobias Harris, Danilo Gallinari, and Montrezl Harrell. Not to mention Lou Williams who is