Is there a reason to think this year’s Denver/Lakers series will go better for LA than last year’s? What strengths and weaknesses do the playoff newcomers from Orlando bring to challenge the Cavs? The Suns are favored in this series, should they be? What specific matchup problems do they cause for the Wolves? Luka vs Kawhi is perhaps the best matchup of the first round. Plus, the news that Jontay Porter is banned from the NBA and Zion Williamson will be out weeks with his hamstring issue.

A fascinating final day of action unfolds, with huge games between Orlando and Milwaukee, Phoenix and Minnesota, and LA and New Orleans overshadowed by….Cleveland and Charlotte? Why JB Bickerstaff’s closing lineup will go down in tanking lore. Plus, the Knicks’ fascinating decision (which they may not even have considered) of whether to win against Chicago, the Bulls’ curious decision to go for it against New York, and whether the Lakers should actually consider losing the 7 vs 8 game to...

It’s time to take stock of how we did on our preseason over/under picks and analyze what went right and what went wrong for our preseason predictions, and also see who will be crowned the over/under king this season.

It’s time for Dunc’d On’s final picks for the league’s major awards. Find out who we picked for all of the major awards, including MVP, All-NBA,, ROY, COY, and 6MOY. Plus, our picks for sophomore of the year, Executive of the Year, and Not Executive of the Year.

It’s time for the most thorough evaluation of NBA defense you are going to find. We pick our official positionless All-Defensive Teams, sure, but we really have some fun picking the best defenders at each position 1-5. Then it’s time for Worst-Team All-Defense, as we select the weakest defenders at each position and the No-Defense Player of the Year. Plus, Nate has his picks for the defenders who most improved and declined this year, and a few categories including: Best post defender Best...

BOS: Is the Porzingis postup a panacea for their late game ills? ATL: What do we make of the sans Trae stretch by Dejounte Murray? BRK: Is Lonnie Walker a solid third scoring guard going forward? DET & WAS played a huge double tank game. IND: Should you put your center on Siakam or Turner? CHA: The final word on Miles Bridges this season

In what is annually one of the more controversial episodes, it’s time to look at which teams are best set up for the future by examining the best young cores of players 25 and under. It’s a banner year for teams which have been winning with young players–how do they all stack up?

NOP:  Did the Orlando Magic EXPOSE the way to beat the Pels in the playoffs? GSW: The Warriors really struggle against athleticism HOU: Amen Thompson and Jalen Green have led the Rox to 8 straight wins SAS and MEM: The Spurs wanted to beat the Grizz to get the Raps’ pick, but a Taylor Jenkins end-of-game play won it. DEN: The Nuggets have a great fastball, and teams have seen it a lot since they’ve been so healthy POR: How has Kris Murray’s turn as a starter been going?

Nate and Danny have a big disagreement at number 1, and then struggle to order the rest of the big stars at the position. Where do Steph, Dame, Shai, Brunson, the Tyreses, De’Aaron, Kyrie, Ja, and all the rest of the league’s playmakers slot in? Where do we draw the line between a good number 1 and a great number 2?

We got a ton of questions on the Knicks, Hornets, Cavs, and Bulls, so we went long to discuss matters such as whether the former Pistons will be in the Knicks’ playoff rotation, which Hornets will be on the team when they next make the playoffs, whether the Cavs will over- or underperform in the postseason, and whether Zach LaVine will be a Bull at the start of next season.

It’s time to tackle the league’s most star-studded position. Where do KD, Kawhi, Luka, LeBron, Tatum, Jimmy, and the rest of the stars land? And which guys represent solid two-way options at the position further down the table? Who are the biggest risers and fallers year-over-year?

PHX: How is Royce O’Neale fitting in? MEM: Should the Grizz count on Santi Aldama as a key piece next season? NOP: The Pels have gotten separation in the race for the 5th seed LAC: Do the Clippers have enough shooting? LAL: Why is Anthony Davis’ efficiency only average for his position? DAL: Can the Mavs defense be good enough to win a playoff series? HOU: What are our hopes for Jalen Green? SAC: Can Sacramento afford Malik Monk in free agency? POR: Banton down the hatches!

DEN vs BOS: 40 minutes on another fascinating game between the 2 favorites MIN: How can they weather the loss of KAT? OKC: Lu Dort is an underrated reason for the Thunder’s success GSW vs SAS: The Spurs’ role players roll the Warriors UTA: Keyonte George is a bright spot in their struggles since the break

IND: Tyrese Haliburton is struggling since his return from injury. BRK and ATL BATTLE IT OUT for 10th-seed bragging rights BOS: The Celtics are one of the best regular season teams ever CHI: What of Patrick Williams’ 4th season? DET: Cade Cunningham is…kind of on track? ORL: Franz Wagner’s offensive game as he nears his extension window TOR: The Raps are very injured, should that change their approach to their top-6 protected pick? Plus, Immanuel Quickley’s performance in Toronto.

It’s time for Dunc’d On’s monthly check-in on the league’s major awards. Find out who we picked for all of the major awards, including MVP, All-NBA, DPOY, ROY, COY, and 6MOY. Plus, our picks for sophomore of the year, Executive of the Year, and Not Executive of the Year.

Our bi-weekly look at the Western Conference: MIN: Anthony Edwards vs other great shooting guards at 22 OKC and LAC played a very revealing game that both really went for NOP: The subtle decline in Zion’s game DAL: The Mavs are smoking with Daniel Gafford on the floor SAC: How the Kings’ rim protection has improved, and are they getting “lucky” so far? PHX: The Suns badly miss Bradley LAL: How sustainable is D’Angelo Russell’s recent play? HOU: The state of Alperen Sengun’s game in his 3rd...

With the trade deadline in the rearview mirror, we take a look at which are the worst contracts in the NBA going forward. What is the right way to measure this, and how many Bulls are on the list?!

A mailbag edition of our bi-weekly look at the East has a ton of great questions, including but not limited to: ATL: Why is Trae disrespected, how do they make the math work this offseason? BOS: C’s or the field in the East? BRK: What young player would you move Mikal Bridges for? Is this 2025 cap space plan a good idea? CHA: Brandon Miller! CHI: How long until the Bulls have new leadership? CLE: Why are the Cavs absolutely destroying teams right now? DET: Our thoughts on the...