The 10-man rotation, starring the importance of talking on defense
A look around the league and the Web that covers it. It’s also important to note that the rotation order and starting nods aren’t always listed in order of importance. That’s for you, dear reader, to figure out.
C: The Cauldron. Jared Dubin talked to a bunch of players and coaches about the importance of communication in developing great NBA defenses. Not surprisingly, they seemed pretty eager to talk about talking.
PF: ESPN Insider ($). Tom Haberstroh makes a compelling argument that this version of Kawhi Leonard — the one that not only locks down as the Defensive Player of the Year, but also serves as the San Antonio Spurs’ No. 1 offensive option and produces at an elite level with increased touches — merits a place “in the discussion of the NBA’s best player.”
SF: Mavs Outsider Report. Bobby Karalla takes a look at the work Al-Farouq Aminu did in limiting James Harden’s open looks in Game 4, helping the Dallas Mavericks stay alive and take the first step toward clawing back into their best-of-seven series.
SG: The Triangle. Brian Phillips on Stephen Curry, who “exists on the plane where the impossible and the rational coincide,” who is “a demigod hanging with Olympians,” and whose MVP case really ought to include consideration of “the special joy of watching him.”
PG: GQ. Bethlehem Shoals on Rajon Rondo, how things ended in Dallas, and where they can go from here: “[…] unless Rajon Rondo retires after this season, he’ll have to learn to be just another basketball player.”
6th: Raptors Republic. This ran before the Washington Wizards finished off their four-game sweep, but William Lou’s piece on the disappointment of the cold hard reality of the Toronto Raptors’ shortcomings more than holds up after the final buzzer of Game 4.
7th: The Triangle. Zach Lowe with a typically thorough, nuanced and balanced overview of what we’ve learned from the first round of the playoffs thus far.
8th: NBA.com. John Schuhmann on how the widespread criticism of Deron Williams after his early-series struggles helped galvanize the Brooklyn Nets, bringing them back from the brink with a pair of wins that have the top-seeded Atlanta Hawks on the ropes, and Williams — for the moment, at least — looking like the D-Will of old.
9th: Peachtree Hoops. Brad Rowland hones in on a point-guard matter of some import on the other sideline — namely, that second-year Hawk Dennis Schröder “picked an awful time to produce his worst four-game stretch of the season.” (SB Nation’s Mike Prada has more on the Hawks point guards’ struggles, as well as how Brooklyn’s adjustments on both ends of the floor have helped short-circuit the East’s top seed.)
10th: Complex. Maurice Peebles goes in-depth on the folks who run some of the NBA’s most visible social media accounts: “They’re the present and the future of sports reporting, the young pathfinders who will soon define the next era of online media. One fire emoji at a time.”
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Dan Devine is an editor for Ball Don’t Lie on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at [email protected] or follow him on Twitter!
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