Entries by Mateo Mayorga

Mateo’s Hoop Diary: Pacers take first blood in the Eastern Conference Finals behind a wild comeback fueled by Nesmith, Haliburton and Nembhard

The Pacers got their fifth road win of the playoffs after they were close to flatlining when the Knicks were up 14 points with three minutes left. Jalen Brunson picked up his fifth foul early in the fourth frame, but his crew had taken over with deep jumpers plus a barrage of inside action as […]

Mateo’s Hoop Diary: The five best things about opening weekend in the WNBA

The WNBA’s opening weekend kicked off and there was no shortage of high-level entertainment. There were record-setting nights, DeWanna Bonner moved past Tina Thompson for third all-time in WNBA regular-season scoring and the number one pick Paige Bueckers was ordinary in her debut against the Lynx.   Notably, the Valkyries’ first ever home game had […]

Mateo’s Hoop Diary: “It shouldn’t have been like this, I know that for damn sure”: The Heat were swept and humiliated by the bloodthirsty Cavaliers in the season finale

Pat Riley sat near courtside, looking as if he’d seen a ghost, but he was eyeballing the Heat’s corpse on the court named after him. His expression was similar to Vito Corleone’s when he told Bonesera, “Look how they massacred my boy.”   They quit early into the second quarter because they were a team […]

Mateo’s Hoop Diary: “The schemes are on steroids in the playoffs”: The Heat got annihilated by the Cavaliers in Game 3

The Cavaliers were as hell-bent as starving Lions when they cornered their next meal. They mentally and emotionally deflated the Heat by crushing them in almost all areas for a 37-point win, taking a 3-0 lead in the series. Despite the Heat’s daring efforts, their season was lost as the visitors ripped off an insurmountable […]