#JosephThiel

Jun 24, 2017
5 min

NBA Draft 2017: Trade Recap

Arguably the most exciting night of the NBA offseason occurred Thursday night. Not just for the top college prospects to be selected during the NBA draft, but also trading players, picks, and future assets seems to happen more on draft night than any other day in the NBA calendar year. This year we saw a blockbuster trade, pick swaps, and even several trades in the second round. Here at OTG, we’re going to recap each trade from last night and do a quick breakdown for both sid

Breaking Down the 76ers and Celtics Trade

Joseph Thiel

Jun 19, 2017
4 min

Breaking Down the 76ers and Celtics Trade

The Philadelphia 76ers and Boston Celtics agreed to swap first round picks in the upcoming draft this Thursday night. The 76ers will now select first overall for the consecutive year and are expected to take the former Washington guard Markelle Fultz. The Celtics, on the other hand, will now select third in Thursday’s NBA draft and will also be compensated with a future draft pick which will be determined in various ways. Prior to this trade, the 76ers owned an unprotected fi

Kevin Durant Displaying Dominance in the NBA Finals

Joseph Thiel

Jun 7, 2017
3 min

Kevin Durant Displaying Dominance in the NBA Finals

This is exactly what Kevin Durant was daydreaming about last July when he made the decision to move on from the Oklahoma City Thunder and join forces with Stephen Curry and the 73-9 Golden State Warriors. Almost a year later, Kevin Durant has the NBA world talking about him being the best scorer on the planet while guiding the Warriors to a 2-0 series lead. Unlike last year’s 2-0 series lead, the Warriors have given the Cleveland Cavaliers very little to hang their hat on hea

NBA Finals 2017: X-Factors for Both Teams

Joseph Thiel

May 31, 2017
3 min

NBA Finals 2017: X-Factors for Both Teams

We are less than a day away from Game 1 of the NBA Finals. The Cleveland Cavaliers and Golden State Warriors will face-off for the third straight year. With the addition of Kevin Durant, the Warriors have a better shot of dethroning the defending champions despite finishing with a worse record than the previous year. Leading up to the NBA Finals, most of the chatter has been surrounding LeBron James’s legacy and Durant’s need to finally win a championship, but there are still

What the Spurs Are Missing Without Kawhi Leonard

Joseph Thiel

May 19, 2017
3 min

What the Spurs Are Missing Without Kawhi Leonard

After being embarrassed in Game 2 by the Golden State Warriors, the San Antonio Spurs have all but given up on this series without their MVP candidate. Kawhi Leonard was the only reason the Spurs had any chance in the series, and without him the Spurs look lifeless. During the Spurs 136-100 defeat on Tuesday night, they showed no desire to be on the court with the Warriors and gave up on head coach Gregg Popovich. The Spurs have shown us before that they can win without their

Joseph Thiel

May 15, 2017
3 min

Spurs' Positives Heading Into Game 2

The San Antonio Spurs suffered one of its most crushing playoff defeats in recent memory when they squandered a 25-point lead in a 113-111 loss to the Golden State Warriors. The Warriors went on a remarkable 18-0 run in the 3rd quarter when Kawhi Leonard left the game with an ankle injury and would not return. Without their leader for the second time this postseason, the Spurs were unable to close the gap and suffered one of the worst playoff losses in the last 15 years. The

Nene out for the Remainder of the Playoffs

Joseph Thiel

May 8, 2017
3 min

Nene out for the Remainder of the Playoffs

The Houston Rockets tied their second-round series with the San Antonio Spurs Sunday night with a 125-104 victory turning this matchup into a best of three. James Harden led the Rockets with 28 points and 13 assists while Kawhi Leonard and the Spurs struggled heavily without the services of Tony Parker. Leonard and LaMarcus Aldridge combined for just 32 points in the loss and struggled heavily defending against the Rockets’ offense. Despite the Spurs struggles, the worst news

Joseph Thiel

May 1, 2017
2 min

Battle of the Benches

The Houston Rockets and San Antonio Spurs will kick off their second-round matchup tonight in San Antonio. Both teams are coming off hard fought first round series and are looking towards a spot in the Western Conference Finals. Houston defeated the Russell Westbrook led Oklahoma City Thunder in five games, while the Spurs took care of business against the Memphis Grizzlies in six games. There are many takes to point out during this series, which make it the first great serie

Joseph Thiel

Apr 24, 2017
2 min

Rockets Bench Holds Off the Thunder

Even on a night where James Harden had one of his worst shooting performances of the year, the Houston Rockets were still able to be hang on against the Oklahoma City Thunder by a final score of 113-109. Led by Nene Hilario’s 28 points off the bench, the Rockets proved that they can win without the heroics of James Harden on a nightly basis. Russell Westbrook obtained his third straight playoff triple-double by halftime, but the Thunder continued to struggle without him on th

Rockets’ Depth Becoming Too Much for Thunder

Joseph Thiel

Apr 20, 2017
3 min

Rockets’ Depth Becoming Too Much for Thunder

The Houston Rockets took a commanding 2-0 series lead last night against the Oklahoma City Thunder behind James Harden’s 35 points. The Thunder led for most the game, but Russell Westbrook’s 4 for 18 shooting in the fourth quarter allowed the Rockets to erase a double-digit lead. Russell Westbrook proved Wednesday night why many people have referred to the Thunder as a one man wrecking crew. Despite the loss, Westbrook achieved the highest points scored while recording a trip

NBA Playoffs: Rockets vs Thunder Preview

Joseph Thiel

Apr 12, 2017
3 min

NBA Playoffs: Rockets vs Thunder Preview

The 2017 NBA Playoffs kick off this weekend with arguably the most anticipated matchup coming between the Houston Rockets and Oklahoma City Thunder. The Rockets took the regular season series with a record of 3-1 against the Russell Westbrook led Thunder. The Thunder, however, have won the only playoff matchup between the two teams in 2013 with a series win of 4-2. Westbrook and Houston’s James Harden have been the talk of the MVP race and it will be interesting to see how th

Most Shocking Teams Entering the 2017 Playoffs

Joseph Thiel

Apr 5, 2017
3 min

Most Shocking Teams Entering the 2017 Playoffs

We are just a little over a week away from the beginning of the 2017 NBA Playoffs and many teams have already punched their ticket. The Western Conference is almost set in stone with seven of the eight spots already locked in, while the 5-8 spots in the Eastern Conference have yet to be decided. Although the NBA Finals have seen a LeBron James led team versus the best team in the West over the past six years, it has still seen its fair share of surprising teams who were eithe

Joseph Thiel

Mar 30, 2017
4 min

76ers’ Future Looking Bright

It is no secret by now that the Philadelphia 76ers have been tanking to acquire better draft picks. Many people have been highly critical of the 76ers front office for the hitting the restart button on their roster, but you can’t acquire superstars like LeBron James and Kevin Durant in free agency unless there is already a successful system in place. Over the last three NBA Drafts since the tank began, the team has selected no lower than the 3rd overall pick. Due to injuries

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