Basketball, Sports Data, Sports Fan Data, Top 10

Top NBA Teams: #5 Cleveland Cavaliers

“With the first pick in the 2003 NBA draft, the Cleveland Cavaliers select LeBron James”. This statement, delivered by David Stern (commissioner of the NBA at the time), changed everything for not only the Cavaliers, but the city of Cleveland as a whole. All the way up until 2010, LeBron was committed to the Cavs and made them into a team that was not only well respected, but also feared across the league. After the (first) departure of LeBron, the Cavs no longer seemed to hold the same amount of strength as they had in previous season; however, they hit the jackpot with the #1 pick in the 2011 draft with future All-Star point guard Kyrie Irving. Although Irving struggled to bring the Cavs success in his first few years, he reignited the team’s spirits and potential. When LeBron returned in 2014, the city was joyous and the passion to win was back. During all of LeBron’s next four years as a Cavalier, he carried them to 4 straight NBA Finals appearances. Their most notable performance was coming back from being down 3-1 in the Finals and winning. The city of Cleveland was then branded as “The Land” as it was the center of focus across the league. This season, the team is fresh and young and is led by young guard Collin Sexton who has nothing but success in his future. With all of this going on for the Cavs, it is clear as to why they rank 5th in FanWide’s Top Ten NBA Teams ranking.

Visit FanWide.com to find a Cleveland Cavaliers game watch party or fan club near you.

Basketball, Sports Data, Sports Fan Data, Top 10

Top NBA Teams: #7 Miami Heat

Miami is by far one of the most active and passionate cities across the United States. On top of that, every season their home team, the Miami Heat, never fail to excite the fans and make strong pushes in the regular season. They struck gold in 2003 by drafting Dwyane Wade from Marquette with the 5th pick in the draft. Wade led the Heat, along with Shaquille O’Neal and others, to a title in the 2006 season. A few years later, LeBron James and Chris Bosh decided to join the Heat and led the team to four straight finals appearances, winning it in 2012 and 2013.

In more recent years, the Miami Heat have had a strong roster with Justise Winslow and Goran Dragic. Lastly, Dwyane Wade’s farewell season is this year this has for sure brought a lot of attention to Miami as a legend is retiring soon. He even got invited to play in this year’s All-Star game. Without further or due, let’s look into how the Heat placed 7th in FanWide’s Top Ten NBA Team rankings.

Visit FanWide.com to find a Miami Heat game watch party or fan club near you.

Basketball, Sports Data, Sports Fan Data, Top 10

Top NBA Teams: #8 Los Angeles Lakers

Popular. Scary. Legendary. Historic. These are only some of the many words that can be used to describe the Los Angeles Lakers. This past offseason changed a lot for the Lakers. LeBron James chose to sign with them and that reignited the fire within the fans. Along with many young stars such as Brandon Ingram, Lonzo Ball, Josh Hart, and of course Kyle Kuzma, this team has an absurd amount of potential carried by one of the best leaders to ever play the game. Nevertheless, one season good season is not the only reason they place in FanWide’s Top Ten NBA Teams ranking.

The Lakers have always been one of the most exciting teams to watch. The organization was founded in 1947, the second year of the NBA, which ultimately gives them an advantage over almost all teams as their franchise timeline goes back further. Kobe Bryant, easily one of the best and by far the most competitive player to set foot on an NBA court, spent his whole career with LA and recently retired in 2016. Other legends such as Shaquille O’Neal, the whole Showtime Lakers (Magic Johnson, James Worthy, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar), Wilt Chamberlain, and many more have all put on a Lakers jersey. You will never be disappointed watching a Lakeshow…trust me. No wonder why the Lakers were able to place 8th in FanWide’s Top Ten NBA Teams ranking.

Visit FanWide.com to find a Los Angeles Lakers game watch party or fan club near you.

Basketball, News

LeBron Keeps his Promise to Akron

Most basketball fans thought that LeBron signing with the Los Angeles Lakers would be the biggest move he made this summer. However, the opening of the I Promise School, a joint venture funded by the LeBron James Family Foundation and Akron, Ohio Public Schools, certainly showed the public that LeBron is capable of making headlines off the court as well.

Visit FanWide.com to find a Los Angeles game watch party or fan club near you.

Analysis, Basketball, Sports Data, watch party

2018 NBA Free Agency: Shaking Up the NBA

The 2018 NBA Free Agency started on July 1. NBA fans all over the country have been incessantly refreshing Adrien Wojnarowski’s and Shams Charania’s Twitter feed since then. Every fan wants to know how this NBA Free Agency will affect their favorite team’s chances next season and in those to come. FanWide will have you covered during the season with game watch parties once the season begins. Below you will find detailed explanations of some major offseason moves thus far so you can prepare yourself for the 2018-2019 NBA season.

Analysis, Baseball, Basketball, Events, Sports Data, Uncategorized, watch party

Does Nationwide Interest In A Team Move With Its Best Players?

Two weeks ago, the New York Mets traded Matt Harvey to the Cincinnati Reds for Devin Mesoraco and cash. While Harvey’s star has dimmed as he’s struggled with injuries the past few seasons, there was a time where he was one o the best pitchers in baseball, the Dark Knight who started at the all-star game. As a Mets fan myself, Harvey became one of my favorite players on a series of underperforming Mets teams, and made each game he pitched a must-watch experience. While this trade made sense from a baseball standpoint, it was a disappointing  experience for me because of my affection with Harvey as a player, and although my Mets fandom will not sway, I will definitely be following the Reds more closely, especially on days where Harvey pitches. This made me wonder, how much does the movement of star players influence fans’ interest in the teams they root for?

Basketball

The NBA Top 5: Most Popular Highlights of 2016-17

With the 2017 NBA season coming to a close, it’s time to take a look back at the top highlight videos of the season.

According to Google Trends data, these are the top 5 most viewed clips that you must watch!

5. LeBron James vs. Kevin Durant on Christmas Day 2016 (1.6 Million Views)

The rivalry – once quite heated, but more recently quieted, was resurrected and made for a game for everyone to enjoy.