Phillip Barnett Archives

August 4, 2017 | Denver Broncos

Terrell Davis and LaDainian Tomlinson: Running back two historic careers

Football exists through the prism of diametrically opposite kinds of players: those who create the brutal nature of the sport and those who try to avoid it.

July 27, 2017 | Minnesota Timberwolves

BIG3 Week 6: Should we begin the MVP discussion as we head to Dallas?

As the games move to Texas, we’re starting to get a real clear picture of what the playoffs are going to look like. Trilogy clinched the first playoff berth in the league’s history while 3 Headed Monsters and Power could officially join them with wins in Dallas.

July 20, 2017 | NBA

BIG3 Week 5: Pivotal make-or-break weekend in Chicago

The weirdest thing about the BIG3 so far is that teams have been allowed to trade players. Following Week 4, The Killer 3s traded Larry Hughes to the Ghost Ballers for Mo Evans.

May 26, 2017 | San Antonio Spurs

Manu Ginobili gave life to the San Antonio Spurs

There was a time when no one wanted to watch the San Antonio Spurs play basketball. Ironically, this was also the same period of time when the other 29 teams in the Association were playing the ugliest basketball in the league’s history.

May 1, 2017 | NBA

Analyzing the BIG3 draft rosters: Who can win the championship?

The Big3 draft was this Sunday, and with the teams set in stone, everything just got a little bit more exciting. Ice Cube’s new basketball league features everything from hand-checking to a 4-point line (where is Antonie Walker when you need him?) and a few current and future hall of famers either playing or coaching.

April 10, 2017 | Memphis Grizzlies

Former NBA players we'd like to see go back to coach their college teams

Last week, Georgetown University announced that Patrick Ewing would become the new Georgetown men’s basketball coach. Ewing had been lobbying for a head coaching job in the NBA for at least a decade.

March 28, 2017 | Las Vegas Raiders

The Raiders will forever belong to Oakland

The Oakland Raiders will not be the Oakland Raiders forever, this much we know. While the move will remove the Raiders from their home for the second time in the team’s history, the move doesn’t necessarily mean that the franchise’s identity is altered in any way.

March 17, 2017 | NBA

Eastern Conference bottom feeders to watch down the stretch

We’re less than a month away from the end of the NBA’s regular season, so it’s time to focus our attention on the teams who won’t play in this year’s postseason.

March 15, 2017 | NBA

NBA Western Conference bottom feeders to watch down the stretch

We’re less than a month away from the end of the NBA’s regular season, so it’s time to focus our attention on the teams who won’t play in this year’s postseason.

March 7, 2017 | NBA

Dirk Nowitzki's unique career led him to 30,000 points

The summer after the 2002 NBA Playoffs, Holger Geschwindner found a tailor to create a fencing suit for a 7-foot German basketball player. The Sacramento

March 1, 2017 | NBA

With Joel Embiid out, who should win Rookie of the Year?

Joel Embiid is the NBA’s Rookie of the Year even if he is not the NBA’s Rookie of the Year. He’s been much more than just the best first-year player in the NBA, he’s been instrumental in changing the on-court culture of the 76ers while also being one of the most entertaining men off the floor.

February 22, 2017 | NBA

The Aesthetic: Pushing the boundaries of the three-pointer

When Anthony Morrow was drafted out of Georgia Tech by the Golden State Warriors in 2008, I didn’t think that he would become the greatest shooter in NBA history, but I didn’t believe that he wouldn’t become the greatest shooter either.

February 13, 2017 | NFL

When it's complicated: Loving Michael Vick

It’s overtime in Minnesota. It’s 2nd-and-8 on Minnesota’s 46-yard line, and Michael Vick takes the snap from under center. There is a play-action to running back T.J.

February 2, 2017 | New England Patriots

Aesthetic: The deep ball

The definitive play of the 2017 NFL postseason came during the second quarter of the AFC Championship Game. With the Patriots leading 10-6, Tom Brady gave the Patriots their first real cushion of the contest with a first down 34-yard flea-flicker touchdown pass to Chris Hogan.