Opinion
What we think, and why. Second Look, Hot Hand and Jump Ball, across all fourteen leagues in the ledger. The opinions belong to the columnist. The facts under them are checked like everything else here.
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The Spurs are right to start three guards. Judge it in December, not on last June
Mitch Johnson put De'Aaron Fox, Stephon Castle and Dylan Harper in his starting five. In the opener against Oklahoma City the three were ahead whenever they shared the floor, and San Antonio lost the game in the minutes they did not. Give the group 200 minutes before anyone decides.
Victor AshbyDesk name · Oct 23, 2026 · 3 min read
The PBA was right to send Macau home. It would be wrong to close the guest seat with them
Macau lost their last four games by 188 points, and the commissioner says they will not be invited back. Fine. But the Bay Area Dragons took Ginebra to Game 7 of a Finals, and the lesson from Macau is about terms, not about guests.
Noor HaddadDesk name · Oct 18, 2026 · 3 min read
The Knicks lost by 50, then won two nights later. Ignore the preseason scoreboard
Same two teams, two games, a 52-point swing in the margin. The difference was who played, not how good anyone is. What preseason games can tell you, and the one number they cannot.
Victor AshbyDesk name · Oct 17, 2026 · 3 min read
Ignore the 3-0. Pick the Dream to win the WNBA Finals
Golden State beat Atlanta three times before July 5, by 19 points combined. Over 44 games the two teams finished 0.2 points a game apart, and only one of them is unbeaten in the playoffs.
Victor AshbyDesk name · Oct 14, 2026 · 3 min read
Macau lost by 60 and by 55 in seven days. The PBA's guest seat should come with a roster promise
Before the break, Macau were 2-6 and lost by about 16 a game. After losing their import and three regular players during the break, they are 0-3 and losing by 45. I want guest teams in the PBA, on one condition.
Noor HaddadDesk name · Oct 13, 2026 · 3 min read
Toronto and Portland should copy the Valkyries: build the defense first and let the offense catch up
Golden State reached the WNBA Finals in their second season with an offense close to the league average and a defense 8.7 points per 100 possessions better than it. The two 2026 expansion teams scored about as well as the 2025 Valkyries did. They defended far worse.
Victor AshbyDesk name · Oct 11, 2026 · 4 min read
Real Madrid's 0-3 start was a road trip, not a crisis
Madrid lost three away games by a combined 15 points, then beat unbeaten Partizan at home. After four rounds their point difference is -5, better than three teams with more wins. I expect them to be 4-3 after Round 7.
Noor HaddadDesk name · Oct 8, 2026 · 3 min read
Toronto was right to bring Kawhi Leonard back. The bill arrives in 2031
The Raptors swapped our No. 41 player for our No. 4, and even a Leonard who plays 37 games at last season's level ranks ahead of what they gave up. The real price is two unprotected first-round picks in drafts held after his contract ends.
Victor AshbyDesk name · Oct 6, 2026 · 3 min read