Yes this is a few days late but the Los Angeles Dodgers join the likes of the 2025 Kansas City Chiefs and the 2024 Tampa Bay Lightning as the latest failed attempts to achieve the ever elusive threepeat, with the Brewers sweeping them after repeated blown leads in every game.

I won't pretend to know much about non-American sports leagues - i'm sure Real Madrid has done it once or twice since 2002 - but as far as the NBA is concerned, I do at least know a few times that a 3peat was thwarted for one reason or another...

• 2017-2018 Warriors: The most recent failed threepeat is, of course, the KD Warriors who were lacking the snake in the Western Conference Finals and all but one game of the 2019 Finals, ultimately losing in 6 games to the Toronto Raptors.
  • The Warriors would eventually win another ring while Durant has, to date, yet to get back to the Conference Finals in either the East or West.
  • Before anyone points to the 2016 Warriors for another failed 3peat between 2015-17, I don't think Kevin Durant joins the Warriors if they don't blow that 3-1 lead so even if Durant doesn't stay in the East, they probably lose in 2017 as that year's Cavaliers team was straight up better than the year before.
• 2012-13 Miami Heat: Four Finals, two rings. Take your pick of LeBron not choking in the 2011 Finals or the Spurs not being one of the all-time best teams in 2014 due to forces beyond mortal comprehension ^{(I really don't see a world in which that Heatles team wins in 2014 barring injury. The Spurs that year were historic by every metric one measures success.}). Point being, the Heatles repeated but LeBron failed to match the feat Jordan did. Twice.
  • Regardless of the tiresomeness of the GOAT debate, his performance in the 2011 Finals still remains the biggest blemish of James' career.
• 2009-2010 Lakers: Did you know the Lakers, despite their history of success in the BAA/NBA have only threepeated twice in their entire existence?
  • The first time they did so was back in the segregation era of the league (1952-54) so it shouldn't count but then there's the dominance of the Kobe/Shaq threepeat.
  • The Kobe/Gasol duo did their best in 2011 but Dirk's Mavericks dominated throughout the second round and swept them on their way to the franchise's first & thus far only championship. They'd also have threepeated if they won in 2008 but I digress.
  • After this failed repeat, well we all know what L.A. tried to do with the botched Chris Paul 3-team trade and the infamous pivot via a Dwight/Nash/Kobe Big 3. The only reason one can't say they're the worst example of a failed superteam? At least they (barely) made the playoffs in 2012/13. You can't say the same for the Westbrook Lakers of 2021/22...even if both failed contenders did eventually give out a lottery pick (It was Dyson Daniels for the Pelicans, Mikal Bridges for the Lakers).
• 2003-07 Spurs: This is an interesting case because San Antonio had two chances to threepeat. Or I suppose they had one chance to 4-peat like the 1997-2000 Houston Comets or 5-peat (Quinpeat?).
  • As they won in 2003, 2005 & 2007, winning in 2004 or 2006 would have edged out Shaq and company as the most recent threepeat amongst the major leagues, with one of those rings potentially coming at Shaq's expense in the 2006 Finals.
  • The Spurs would likely be favored in 2004 and 2006 - thought it's worth mentioning that same Pistons team from 2004 sans-future All-Star Mehmet Okur took them to a tight 7 games in 2005 beat the Kobe/Shaq Lakers in 2004 in 5 games.
  • Ultimately, we'll never know how either series would play out as the Spurs lost in the 2nd round to the eventual Western finalist Dallas Mavericks in 2006 in a hard-fought 7 game series
  • In 2004, they were trounced in 6 by the final gasp of the Kobe/Shaq Lakers with the new additions of Gary Payton and pedophile Karl Malone who, I kid you not, thought it was a good idea to flirt with Kobe's wife. Truly a class act, that ringless creep.
    • Still, 3 rings in 5 years is nothing to sneeze at. That's more than Karl Malone got in his 19 years of being the statistically largest choker in playoff history.

Given that no team in the NBA has even made it back to the Finals in the 20s aside from the Celtics (which was non-consecutive in 2022 and 2024), it's likely we won't see one occur for quite some time.

A few days away from their highly anticipated matchup to kickstart the brand-new NBA season, the New York Knicks and the Philadelphia 76ers have already made history together.

The October 20 regular-season opener between the two teams has officially become the most expensive NBA season-opening game in history on the secondary ticket market.

According to SeatGeek, the average price for a seat at Madison Square Garden has surged to approximately $2,600, which is a staggering 282% increase compared to last year's home opener of the New York Knicks against the Cleveland Cavaliers.

Ultimately, the mind-boggling prices are dictated by several key factors. The opener will begin after the Knicks raise their 2026 NBA championship banner.

LeBron James will also officially play for the first time as a member of the star-studded Philadelphia 76ers, and it will put both the Knicks and the 76ers for an intense rematch after last postseason's second-round encounter.

Source: https://basketnews.com/news-257511-knicks-and-76ers-make-nba-history-in-highly-anticipated-season-opener.html

The Kings used the Spurs' broadcast + put their own score graphic + used their radio commentary, so no replays.

One of the main subjects the documentary explores is Philadelphia's heartbreaking loss to the Atlanta Hawks in Game 7 of the 2021 Eastern Conference semifinals.

Simmons faced intense criticism after passing the ball instead of attempting an open dunk late in the game. The moment quickly became one of the most discussed plays of his career and intensified the pressure surrounding the young star.

"How did I feel? I was like, 'What a piece of 'shit,'" Simmons said in the documentary about his head coach at the time, Doc Rivers.

Simmons added: "When you have a relationship with somebody, and they have your back, I think certain things are supposed to be handled certain ways. But then you also gotta look at it from the side of 'he's got a job.' You know, he's making his money."

"He ain't trying to lose his job or anything like that. So, when times get tough, people start panicking. People throw people under the bus, and that's just, it's just what happened."

Source: https://basketnews.com/news-257527-ben-simmons-used-an-expletive-to-describe-doc-rivers-in-his-new-documentary.html

Suns owner Matt Ishbia on trading for Kevin Durant in recent quote to CNBC Sports

"I kind of just threw money at the problem... Bringing in super talented players like Kevin Durant doesn't necessarily lead to championships."

Kevin durant then claps back on Twitter:

"#blameKD even though KD stayed on top of his game at 36 and got u back this "culture" you love so much. Aye, Matthew acts like I got arrested for a DUI or sumn. Back to threads 😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂"

Matt Ishbia Response:

"You obviously didn't watch the clip. Didn't blame you @Kdtrey5, but am happy with the culture we are building here in Phoenix. We got the right guys and right focus now and are excited for this season

Good luck this season in houston"

Kevin Durant claps back:

"U should be giving Thanks every chance u get. You don't have to pay me an absurd amount of money to play for another team."

DALLAS (Oct. 17, 2026) – The Dallas Mavericks announced today that they have exercised the third year rookie scale option on forward/guard Cooper Flagg.

Flagg (6-9, 228) averaged 21.0 points, 6.7 rebounds, 4.5 assists, 1.2 steals, 0.9 blocks and 33.5 minutes per game in 70 games (all starts) last season en route to being named the 2025-26 Kia NBA Rookie of the Year. At 19 years, 112 days, Flagg became the second-youngest player in NBA history to garner Rookie of the Year honors behind LeBron James (19 years, 106 days).

The Duke University product led the Mavericks in total points (1,473), rebounds (466), assists (316) and steals (84) in 2025-26. He finished as the only player in the entire NBA to lead his team in each of the four categories and joined Michael Jordan as the only rookies in league history to do so. Flagg averaged 22.6 points, 6.9 rebounds, 5.4 assists, 1.2 steals and 1.2 blocks after the All-Star break, finishing as the only player across the entire NBA to average at least 20.0 points, 6.0 rebounds, 5.0 assists, 1.0 steals and 1.0 blocks following the break.

Flagg (19 years, 103 days) became the youngest player in NBA history to score 50-plus points with his 51point performance against the Orlando Magic on April 3, breaking his own record for the most points by a teenager in NBA history (49, vs. Charlotte, Jan. 29). He followed with a 45-point outing against the Los Angeles Lakers on April 5 to join Wilt Chamberlain as the only rookies in NBA history to total 96-plus points over any two-game span.

---

Source: Mavs PR

• Anthony Edwards with the hand size of Kawhi Leonard
• Jalen Brunson but 3 inches taller + wingspan
  
• Tyrese Haliburton with the vertical jump of Zach Lavine
• Jaylen Brown with a third eye in the back of his head

The Utah Jazz have claimed center Tony Bradley off free agency waivers, sources tell ESPN. Bradley was the Jazz's No. 28 pick in 2017 and now returns where he spent his first 3 NBA seasons.

https://www.espn.com/contributor/shams-charania/1d489d1b16008

I'm going to follow the league for the first time ever and was wondering should I just stick to following my chosen team for the entire season (Phoenix Suns) or should I throw in a secondary team also and if I'm following more than 1 team should I just watch the games condensed or watch games in full?

I'd like to keep up around the league without having burn out mid-season trying to keep up with everything. Can't wait for the season to start.

The New York Knicks are waiving Bruce Brown, sources tell ESPN. James Wiseman is set to make the Knicks regular season roster as a reserve center

https://www.espn.com/contributor/shams-charania/502f1113f1029

I’m from Trinidad & Tobago and looking to get into the NBA, but I haven’t picked a team yet.

I want a team with:

🏆 A realistic chance of winning championships

🔥 A passionate fanbase and strong team culture

📈 Good management and a bright future

🏀 An exciting team to watch

👕 Cool jerseys and a good history

I don’t want to just bandwagon the current best team. I want a team I can support for the next 10+ years, through the good and bad.

If you had to recommend ONE team, who would it be and why? Also, which teams should I avoid? Be honest!

1. Sixers winning the title. Mostly because of the implications it would have for both them and the Celtics. Embiid becomes a made man, Lebron adds the cherry on top of his legacy, Brown silences the haters and might alter the perception of analytics. The craziest part would be the consequences for the Celtics, who seemingly would have traded away title contention, can't even imagine what the fan reaction would be, especially if they matched up in the postseason. All around this has to be no. 1 to me no question.

2. Spurs return to the finals and seal the deal, Wemby immediately puts himself on the path to becoming an all-timer, Harper and Castle fill out a dynasty in the making. Spurs immediately become the main power in the league and set up some crazy matchups down the line.

3. The Kings are good -- speaks for itself.

4. The Knicks repeat. Seems like not many have them as the favorite for this season, which is understandable given the roster flux, but a repeat seals them as an all time champion squad, NYC legends, Brunson as an all-timer and best little guy of all time, Jimmy Butler look even worse with KAT doubling up on chips.

5. The rookies are ready to lead - one or more of Dybantsa, Wilson, Boozer or Petersen are just straight ready-made for the league and can start leading their teams to some wins. Would totally shift the landscape of the league and elevate some teams that have been bad for a long time, and have a fascinating effect on the overall competition level of the league. Think you could throwing Cooper Flagg in with this mix too.

6. TWolves make the finals. Even just making the finals and getting past OKC and/or the Spurs would be a wild validation of Ant and LaMelo. You can just imagine some of the shit that would come out of these guys mouths if this comes to fruition lol Any cements his reputation as a giant killer.

7. Pacers return to the finals. Legitimizes them as arguably the third major power in the east, having beaten the Knicks two season ago, and competed with the '24 Celtics. Validates their '25 finals run and reminds people they basically should have won the chip in 25.

8. The Nets are good. Arguably could be no. 1 lol.

9. The Clippers make the playoffs - having them bounced back after getting fucked for the 118th time through reason we didn't even know could exist would be an awesome storyline, and honestly pretty shocking given.

I also added a funny part at the end

Source: https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/7698077/2026/10/17/lakers-dalton-knecht-roster-spot/?unlocked_article_code=1.JVE.-wdb.ZFVm9PVDR4pG&source=user_shared_article&smid=ta-ios-share

I’ve been really fascinated by the whole Cam Thomas saga. He didn’t sign over the summer, didn’t even take a camp deal before they opened last month

I haven’t seen any stories about him going to Europe or China? Anybody have any idea what he’s up to

HD version via Reddit

There’s a large group of people who believe that the Pacers run to the NBA Finals in 2025 Game 7 (which they led at half) was in large part a fluke.

However, there was also an even larger group of people who viewed the 2024 Pacers who made the ECF a fluke.

The 2025 Pacers proved that the 2024 team was not a fluke.

Much like the 2014 Spurs proved that the 2013 Spurs would have been a deserving champion over the 2013 Heat, and got to prove it in dominating fashion, I expect the Pacers to make it back to the Finals, and beat the Oklahoma City Thunder.

Teams that made a Game 7 of the NBA FINALS, typically go on to win championships, or have already won a championship or make it back.

Game 7 Losers:
2013 Spurs, won the 2014 Championship.
2016 Warriors, won the 2017 Championship.
2010 Boston Celtics, won the 2008 Championship.
2005 Detroit Pistons, won the 2004 Championship.
1994 Knicks, made 1999 Finals (injury led to loss)
1988 Detroit Pistons, won back to back titles.

For a team to back a conference Finals, make a Game 7 NBA Finals, lose in the most heartbreaking fashion.

My bet is that they go back to the Finals, as the number 1 overall seed, and win in 4 or 5 games — hopefully against the team they would have beaten before.

Expect a Haliburton MVP campaign.

Source: https://www.nba.com/blazers/news/trail-blazerswaivejeremy-sochan

It's time for him to learn Chinese?