5 ways the league has changed since LeBron James didnt make the NBA Finals

In the four contests against the Bulls this year, Thomas put up 24.8 points and 5.8 assists per game. However, he shot the ball very well against Chicago, going 53.8 percent from the field along with 48.4 percent from three-point ra

After spending his entire eight years with the Bulls, the fan-favorite was sent to the Oklahoma City Thunder at the trade deadline, along with Doug McDermott, for an underwhelming package headlined by point guard Cameron Pa

James has made the finals a ridiculous six straight times with two different teams, losing in the finals to Dallas with the Miami Heat and then beating Oklahoma City. The Heat then topped and then were topped by San Antonio in consecutive years before he moved on to Cleveland for a two-year split with the Warri

Well, Prokhorov gave away a whole bunch of future assets to be decent for a few years, Derrick Favors was shipped to Utah before his rookie season ended, and now the Nets are going nowhere for the foreseeable fut

A few Rose surgeries, a firing of coach Tom Thibodeau (now in Minnesota), and some fan favorites on the move later, and the Bulls are fighting for their playoff lives this spring after missing the playoffs altogether a year

Listed at 6’7″, Butler is a full 10 inches taller than Thomas, but has the physical gifts that it takes to stick with him for a long period of the game. Despite the major height difference, Butler respects Thomas’ versatile g

This would be the third of five straight seasons the Warriors would miss the playoffs, and while Curry’s rookie year provided some fun moments, he was still two seasons away from feeling the full effects of ankle problems that would threaten to derail his car

At 31 years old, Deng is getting a career-lows in points with 7.6 per game, the first season out of 12 in the single-digits. He is under contract for the next three seasons at an average of about $18 million per y

With all of the ridiculous numbers being put up by players like Russell Westbrook, James Harden, Isaiah Thomas and the entire Golden State Warriors these days, it’s easy to lose sight of the most ridiculous stat going in the lea

The Boston Celtics legend won an NBA championship with the franchise in 2008 after they acquired Kevin Garnett and Ray Allen, but unfortunately for him, his prime years saw him playing for some bad Celtics teams which worked against

The last NBA finals game played without LeBron in the lineup was on June 17, 2010 when Kobe Bryant and the Los Angeles Lakers topped Paul Pierce, Kevin Garnett, Ray Allen and Rasheed Wallace (!!) and the Boston Celt

The 5’9″ Thomas is in the midst of a spectacular, career-best campaign, averaging 28.9 points and 5.9 assists. If you’ve watched the Celtics play this year, you know that their entire offense runs through him and he’s what makes them tick. Further, he’s been the best fourth quarter scorer in the league, providing important points down the stretch of most ga

«He’s a big part to what they do,» Butler explained . «We all know that. I think they know that. But you can’t take him out the game and think that you can win. Because they got a lot of other really good players, role players that make shots, create for others. They guard, they rebound, pass the ball. They got a really good team; they’re really good at what they

While taking Thomas out of the game with his swarming defense would be wonderful for the Bulls, Butler knows that the Celtics still would have other pieces on their roster that his teammates would need to be ready

Like Kidd, Hall of Famer Thomas is firmly in the conversation when discussing the best point guards in history, he was a magician with the ball in his hands. However, unlike Kidd, Thomas at least had some rings to show for

«I look forward to that matchup,» Butler said after Friday’s practice . «Especially what he’s done this year for that team. I know that it’s going to come at some point in time. I don’t know when — but I’m going to make it tough for him. For anybody that I’m guarding. Not just me, it’s going to be a team effort. I’m going to get beat at times, I’m going to need guys to be there. If not, then we’ll do love it over and over again ’til somebody is there if I’m beat. But I look forward to that challenge. I want th

Oden’s story is a sad one as the hyped number one overall pick from Ohio State was looking to prove the doubters wrong in Miami. Pat Riley took him on as a project and things looked like they might work

The Matrix was pretty much hooked up to a dial-up modem by the time he made his way to Cleveland. He saw minutes early in the season but never really got used by head coach David Blatt, even when his team was gasping for air on offence with 7 bodies in the Fin

When he famously signed with his hometown Chicago Bulls in the offseason, the general thought was that Wade joining forces with Jimmy Butler and Rajon Rondo in Chicago would result in success in the Eastern Confere