The Dallas Mavericks stayed alive in the 2024 NBA Finals after blowing out the Boston Celtics and cut the series lead to 3-1 in Game 4 on Day 42 of the 2024 NBA Playoffs on Friday night.
The Mavericks started hot from the get-go and never looked back. Anchored by the shotmaking of superstars Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving, Dallas built a 26 point lead at halftime and finished the game with a 38-point advantage.
After a disappointing Game 3 playing uninspired basketball, Doncic stepped it up big time especially on defense, moving and sliding his feet and had a more concerted effort on that end of the floor. It ignited several Mavs runs throughout the entire game and it set the tone for the rest of the game.
Boston just didn&rsquo;t have any answers against a surging Dallas offense and they will have another crack at closing the series out and win their 18th championship in Game 5 back in Boston.
Some takeaways from this game:
<ul>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">Luka playing with more effort on defense is everything for the Mavs; everything starts and ends with him. Got to set better examples for his teammates</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">An unforgettable game for Boston, lost a chance to close this series out. Now onto Game 5 in a crucial one, or else risk of coming back to Dallas and giving the Mavs the momentum</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">After 4 games, it seems likely that Jaylen Brown could win Finals MVP over fellow Celtic superstar Jayson Tatum. Jrue Holiday also has a remote chance of winning the award with his strong performance</li>
</ul>
Game 5 will be on Monday June 17.
Check out our recap here:

The Mavericks stayed alive in the 2024 NBA Finals after blowing out the Celtics and cut the series lead to 3-1 in Game 4.

2024 NBA Playoffs Day 43 Recap: Dallas stays alive

The Boston Celtics dominated the Dallas Mavericks once again and built a commanding 3-0 series lead in Game 3 of the 2024 NBA Finals on Day 42 of the 2024 NBA Playoffs on Wednesday night.
Despite playing without starting center Kristaps Porzingis, the Celtics looked like the hungrier team and played like they were the ones down 0-2.&nbsp;
Boston created separation in the 3rd quarter with their quality shot making and signature drive and kick out offense, building a 21-point lead.
With perhaps seemingly out of hand, Dallas unleashed a run bridging the 3rd and 4th quarters to cut the lead down to just three. However, superstar Luka Doncic fouled out on a questionable blocking foul call on him against Jaylen Brown.
Without their superstar, Dallas was not able to get enough baskets with Kyrie Irving being the main target of Boston&rsquo;s defense.
Some takeaways from this game:
<ul>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">Jrue Holiday and Derrick White&rsquo;s impact as two-way guards shine&nbsp;</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">Jayson Tatum finally snaps out of his Finals funk but would it be enough to win him the Finals MVP award remains to be seen</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">Luka getting exploited on defense and picked on by the Celtics is still the story of the series despite him putting up historic scoring numbers</li>
</ul>
Boston will try to close the series out and win their coveted 18th championship banner when the 2024 NBA Finals continues on Friday night in Game 4 still at the American Airlines Center in Dallas.
Check out our recap here:
&nbsp;

The Boston Celtics dominated the Dallas Mavericks once again and built a commanding 3-0 series lead in Game 3 of the 2024 NBA Finals on Day 42 of the 2024 NBA Playoffs on Wednesday night.
Despite playing without starting center Kristaps Porzingis, the Celtics looked like the hungrier team and played like they were the ones down 0-2.&nbsp;
Boston created separation in the 3rd quarter with their quality shot making and signature drive and kick out offense, building a 21-point lead.
With perhaps seemingly out of hand, Dallas unleashed a run bridging the 3rd and 4th quarters to cut the lead down to just three. However, superstar Luka Doncic fouled out on a questionable blocking foul call on him against Jaylen Brown.
Without their superstar, Dallas was not able to get enough baskets with Kyrie Irving being the main target of Boston&rsquo;s defense.
Some takeaways from this game:
<ul>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">Jrue Holiday and Derrick White&rsquo;s impact as two-way guards shine&nbsp;</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">Jayson Tatum finally snaps out of his Finals funk but would it be enough to win him the Finals MVP award remains to be seen</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">Luka getting exploited on defense and picked on by the Celtics is still the story of the series despite him putting up historic scoring numbers</li>
</ul>
Boston will try to close the series out and win their coveted 18th championship banner when the 2024 NBA Finals continues on Friday night in Game 4 still at the American Airlines Center in Dallas.
Check out our recap here:
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
The Jays lift Boston to take a commanding 3-0 series lead against Dallas ☘️ J. Brown 📊 30 PTS | 12-22 FG | 8 REB | 8 AST J. Tatum 📊 31 PTS | 11-26 FG | 6 REB | 5 AST<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/DifferentHere?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#DifferentHere</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/NBAFinals?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#NBAFinals</a> <a href="https://t.co/9guomTJkg9">pic.twitter.com/9guomTJkg9</a>
&mdash; BasketballNews.com (@basketbllnews) <a href="https://twitter.com/basketbllnews/status/1801093381118202086?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 13, 2024</a></blockquote>

<script src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js"></script>

The Celtics dominated the Mavericks once again and built a commanding 3-0 series lead in Game 3 of the 2024 NBA Finals.

2024 NBA Playoffs Day 42 Recap: Boston takes a commanding 3-0 NBA Finals lead

The Boston Celtics continued to frustrate the Dallas Mavericks and stifled them once again to pull through in Game 2 and create a 2-0 lead of the 2024 NBA Finals on Day 41 of the 2024 NBA Playoffs on Sunday night.
The Mavericks had a better start in this game with Luka Doncic scoring 23 in the first quarter however he could not sustain it as the Celtics did a much better job of tiring him out and hunting him on defense in the second half.
The game was close in the first quarter and second quarter with both teams trading baskets, however Boston pulled away in the 4th with timely baskets and big stops all over the place.
But perhaps there was no bigger stop than Derrick White&rsquo;s block on PJ Washington&rsquo;s breakaway dunk attempt with just under two minutes to go that effectively sealed the win for Boston.
Jaylen Brown put on the finishing touches on the other end by scoring on a left handed layup after blowing past by Washington and finishing over the outstretched arms of Maxi Kleber.
Some takeaways from this game include:
<ul>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">Dallas making Jayson Tatum a playmaker and responding beautifully, dishing out a game-high 12 assists</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">NBA Champion Jrue Holiday. Making the right plays as always</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">Luka Doncic continues doing Luka Magic things. A 30-point triple-double in just his second-ever Finals game. On an insane trajectory</li>
</ul>
Game 3 of the 2024 NBA Finals continues on Thursday night as the series shifts over to Dallas.
Check out our recap here:

The Celtics continued to frustrate the Mavericks and stifled them once again to pull through in Game 2 and create a 2-0 lead.

2024 NBA Playoffs Day 41 Recap: Boston creates separation from Dallas

Amidst all the hype surrounding her rookie year in the WNBA, Caitlin Clark will not be a part of the USA Women&rsquo;s Basketball National Team set to compete at the Olympics in Paris.
In a report by The Athletic&rsquo;s Shams Charania, the women set to be part of the 12 to go to Paris are the following:
<ul>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">A&rsquo;Ja Wilson</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">Breanna Stewart</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">Diana Taurasi</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">Brittney Griner</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">Kahleah Copper</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">Sabrina Ionescu</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">Kelsey Plum</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">Chelsea Gray</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">Jackie Young</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">Jewell Loyd</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">Napheesa Collier</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">Alyssa Thomas</li>
</ul>
&nbsp;
Clark&rsquo;s omission is noticeable yet understandable, with Team USA opting for more experience, overall team composition, and the chemistry of established WNBA stars in building the team.
The hotshot rookie who has taken the WNBA by storm will have to wait and watch before getting her turn with the national team in years to come. Clark is coming off a historic <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/college-sports/">NCAA</a> career at Iowa, where she became the Division I all-time leading scorer and won two National Player of the Year awards. On Friday, she hit seven 3-pointers and matched her WNBA career-high with 30 points in a win over the <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/wnba/team/mystics/">Washington Mystics</a>.
It is by no means of discrediting Clark and what she would be able to provide at the table, but more so in the tenure of these players playing for the national team. The 12 names have been training over the past few months together and it&rsquo;s only wise to keep them intact and not mess around with the dynamics surrounding the squad.

Amidst all the hype surrounding her rookie year in the WNBA, Caitlin Clark will not be a part of the USA Women&rsquo;s Basketball National Team set to compete at the Olympics in Paris.
In a report by The Athletic&rsquo;s Shams Charania, the women set to be part of the 12 to go to Paris are the following:
<ul>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">A&rsquo;Ja Wilson</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">Breanna Stewart</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">Diana Taurasi</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">Brittney Griner</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">Kahleah Copper</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">Sabrina Ionescu</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">Kelsey Plum</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">Chelsea Gray</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">Jackie Young</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">Jewell Loyd</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">Napheesa Collier</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">Alyssa Thomas</li>
</ul>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
REPORT: Caitlin Clark expected to be left off Olympics women&rsquo;s basketball roster, per <a href="https://twitter.com/TheAthletic?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@TheAthletic</a> 🚨 The main roster indicates a preference for veterans: &bull; A&rsquo;ja Wilson &bull; Breanna Stewart &bull; Diana Taurasi &bull; Brittney Griner &bull; Alyssa Thomas &bull; Napheesa Collier &bull; Jewell Loyd&hellip; <a href="https://t.co/DgbRn3roUC">pic.twitter.com/DgbRn3roUC</a>
&mdash; BasketballNews.com (@basketbllnews) <a href="https://twitter.com/basketbllnews/status/1799372767013535820?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 8, 2024</a>
<script src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js"></script>
</blockquote>
Clark&rsquo;s omission is noticeable yet understandable, with Team USA opting for more experience, overall team composition, and the chemistry of established WNBA stars in building the team.
The hotshot rookie who has taken the WNBA by storm will have to wait and watch before getting her turn with the national team in years to come. Clark is coming off a historic <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/college-sports/">NCAA</a> career at Iowa, where she became the Division I all-time leading scorer and won two National Player of the Year awards. On Friday, she hit seven 3-pointers and matched her WNBA career-high with 30 points in a win over the <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/wnba/team/mystics/">Washington Mystics</a>.
It is by no means of discrediting Clark and what she would be able to provide at the table, but more so in the tenure of these players playing for the national team. The 12 names have been training over the past few months together and it&rsquo;s only wise to keep them intact and not mess around with the dynamics surrounding the squad.

Amidst all the hype surrounding her rookie year in the WNBA, Caitlin Clark will not be a part of the Team USA Women’s Basketball - yet.

Team USA Women’s Basketball roster to Paris Olympics revealed, Clark left off

After over more than a week of waiting, the pinnacle of the NBA is finally here. And in the first game, a familiar dominant team set the record straight and set the tone that could potentially dictate the series&rsquo; pace.
The Boston Celtics were their usual dominant selves despite having more than a week off to dismantle the visiting Dallas Mavericks in Game 1 of the 2024 NBA Finals on Day 40 of the 2024 NBA Playoffs on Thursday night.
The Celtics had an avalanche of a first quarter, pouring it on from three to lead by 17 right from the get-go. The lead swelled at its biggest to 29 in the 2nd &ndash; with the Celtics dominating in Kristaps Porzingis&rsquo; first game back since the first round &ndash; before settling down to 21 at halftime.
The Mavericks threatened to close the gap in the third quarter when Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving made a run of their own, cutting the lead down to just 8 points. However, the Celtics struck again and never looked back until the final buzzer sounded.
Some takeaways from this game include:
<ul>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">Boston taking away Dallas&rsquo; biggest weapons from the first three rounds: lob plays and three-point corner shooting. It was basically nonexistent in this game and credit to the Celtics&rsquo; defensive gameplan for taking it away</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">Celtics putting on their bigger wings (Tatum and Brown) on the Mavericks&rsquo; screening bigs to force a switch onto Doncic. The Celtics usually switch at a high rate and it gave the Mavs some problems in the pick-and-roll as Doncic was not able to exploit slower players</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">Kyrie Irving with a rare bad shooting night after being spectacular in the playoffs thus far; would likely bounce back big time in Game 2</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">One of the best three-point shooting teams in the league, the Celtics lived and died by the three and they were greatly rewarded for it, going 16-42 shooting (38 percent)</li>
</ul>
Game 2 of the 2024 NBA Finals continues on Sunday night still at the Boston Garden in Boston, MA.
Check out our recap here:

After over more than a week of waiting, the pinnacle of the NBA is finally here. And in the first game, a familiar dominant team set the record straight and set the tone that could potentially dictate the series&rsquo; pace.
The Boston Celtics were their usual dominant selves despite having more than a week off to dismantle the visiting Dallas Mavericks in Game 1 of the 2024 NBA Finals on Day 40 of the 2024 NBA Playoffs on Thursday night.
The Celtics had an avalanche of a first quarter, pouring it on from three to lead by 17 right from the get-go. The lead swelled at its biggest to 29 in the 2nd &ndash; with the Celtics dominating in Kristaps Porzingis&rsquo; first game back since the first round &ndash; before settling down to 21 at halftime.
The Mavericks threatened to close the gap in the third quarter when Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving made a run of their own, cutting the lead down to just 8 points. However, the Celtics struck again and never looked back until the final buzzer sounded.
Some takeaways from this game include:
<ul>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">Boston taking away Dallas&rsquo; biggest weapons from the first three rounds: lob plays and three-point corner shooting. It was basically nonexistent in this game and credit to the Celtics&rsquo; defensive gameplan for taking it away</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">Celtics putting on their bigger wings (Tatum and Brown) on the Mavericks&rsquo; screening bigs to force a switch onto Doncic. The Celtics usually switch at a high rate and it gave the Mavs some problems in the pick-and-roll as Doncic was not able to exploit slower players</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">Kyrie Irving with a rare bad shooting night after being spectacular in the playoffs thus far; would likely bounce back big time in Game 2</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">One of the best three-point shooting teams in the league, the Celtics lived and died by the three and they were greatly rewarded for it, going 16-42 shooting (38 percent)</li>
</ul>
Game 2 of the 2024 NBA Finals continues on Sunday night still at the Boston Garden in Boston, MA.
Check out our recap here:
&nbsp;

After over more than a week of waiting, the pinnacle of the NBA is finally here. And in the first game, a familiar dominant team set the record straight and set the tone that could potentially dictate the series&rsquo; pace.
The Boston Celtics were their usual dominant selves despite having more than a week off to dismantle the visiting Dallas Mavericks in Game 1 of the 2024 NBA Finals on Day 40 of the 2024 NBA Playoffs on Thursday night.
The Celtics had an avalanche of a first quarter, pouring it on from three to lead by 17 right from the get-go. The lead swelled at its biggest to 29 in the 2nd &ndash; with the Celtics dominating in Kristaps Porzingis&rsquo; first game back since the first round &ndash; before settling down to 21 at halftime.
The Mavericks threatened to close the gap in the third quarter when Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving made a run of their own, cutting the lead down to just 8 points. However, the Celtics struck again and never looked back until the final buzzer sounded.
Some takeaways from this game include:
<ul>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">Boston taking away Dallas&rsquo; biggest weapons from the first three rounds: lob plays and three-point corner shooting. It was basically nonexistent in this game and credit to the Celtics&rsquo; defensive gameplan for taking it away</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">Celtics putting on their bigger wings (Tatum and Brown) on the Mavericks&rsquo; screening bigs to force a switch onto Doncic. The Celtics usually switch at a high rate and it gave the Mavs some problems in the pick-and-roll as Doncic was not able to exploit slower players</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">Kyrie Irving with a rare bad shooting night after being spectacular in the playoffs thus far; would likely bounce back big time in Game 2</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">One of the best three-point shooting teams in the league, the Celtics lived and died by the three and they were greatly rewarded for it, going 16-42 shooting (38 percent)</li>
</ul>
Game 2 of the 2024 NBA Finals continues on Sunday night still at the Boston Garden in Boston, MA.
Check out our recap here:
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
Jaylen Brown stuffed the stat sheet as he leads Boston in a Game 1 win in the <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/NBAFinals?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#NBAFinals</a> against Dallas 😤 J. Brown 📊 22 PTS | 7-12 FG | 6 REB | 2 AST | 3 STL | 3 BLK Other top performers: K. Porzingis 📊 20 PTS | 8-13 FG | 2-4 3P | 3 REB | 3 BLK J. Tatum 📊 16 PTS | 11 REB |&hellip; <a href="https://t.co/UIRG9XA7JR">pic.twitter.com/UIRG9XA7JR</a>
&mdash; BasketballNews.com (@basketbllnews) <a href="https://twitter.com/basketbllnews/status/1798912802595516900?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 7, 2024</a></blockquote>

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The Celtics were their usual dominant selves to dismantle the visiting Mavericks in Game 1 of the 2024 NBA Finals.

2024 NBA Playoffs Day 40 Recap: Boston draws first blood in NBA Finals

The Los Angeles Lakers are reportedly targeting University of Connecticut coach Dan Hurley for their vacant head coaching job, according to ESPN&rsquo;s Adrian Wojnarowski.
According to Woj, the back-to-back NCAA coach for the UConn Huskies has been the Lakers&rsquo; top-secret target after previous reports suggested that the franchise has been in contact with several other names in the NBA space. Former player and now-ESPN analyst JJ Redick and Charlotte Hornets&rsquo; top assistant James Borrego were among those mentioned in reports.
The Lakers have already been reported to have met with Hurley for initial meetings and their discussions are expected to ramp up in a few days, with the franchise preparing a massive, long-term contract offer to pry Hurley to the NBA.
ANALYSIS: With Hurley&rsquo;s name thrown to the Lakers&rsquo; head coaching job candidates, this could mean that Redick&rsquo;s opportunity with the Lakers could either turn out to be a smokescreen for the grander scheme of things of plans by the Lakers to hire the NCAA champion coach. Numerous reports have already been out there with Redick&rsquo;s name as the top candidate for the franchise&rsquo;s head coaching job and with this development, this shakes things up for a lot of reasons.
More notably, signing Hurley would mean the Lakers are going all-in with their pitch to make superstar LeBron James stay with the team, pending his decision in free agency. LeBron has expressly shown on social media platforms like X and Instagram his admiration for Hurley and his creative and innovative offensive schemes.
Furthermore, Hurley seems like the type of coach who LeBron might listen to and/or is good enough/brave enough to coach LeBron considering the type of player that he is on and off the floor.
Lastly, Hurley&rsquo;s possible hiring would likely affect the Lakers&rsquo; drafting process in which LeBron&rsquo;s son Bronny James could likely be drafted to the team using its 55th pick in the upcoming draft. Hurley has been known as a master in player development and could potentially help the younger James&rsquo; growth moving forward.

The Los Angeles Lakers are reportedly targeting University of Connecticut coach Dan Hurley for their vacant head coaching job.

Lakers targeting UConn’s Dan Hurley for head coaching job

Japan&rsquo;s best professional teams Hiroshima Dragonflies and Ryukyu Golden Kings have qualified and will represent the country in the upcoming East Asia Super League 2024-2025 season, announced the league in a press release.
Champions Dragonflies and runners-up Golden Kings of Japan&rsquo;s top-flight league &ldquo;B.League&rdquo; will compete with other champions and runners-up from different East Asian leagues to be called champions of East Asia.
Among the teams they will be facing are Taiwan&rsquo;s P.League+, Korea&rsquo;s Korean Basketball League (KBL), and the Philippines&rsquo; Philippine Basketball Association (PBA).
Already qualified are Korea&rsquo;s champions and runners-up Busan KCC Egis and Suwon KT Sonicboom. Teams from the P.League and PBA are yet to be determined.
EASL CEO Henry Kerins said, &ldquo;EASL is delighted to have the B.LEAGUE champions and runners-up competing once again to be the champions of East Asia. We&rsquo;re looking forward to returning to Okinawa with the Ryukyu Golden Kings, after a tremendous series of games there last season. And we can&rsquo;t wait to see what the Hiroshima Dragonflies will bring to the 2024-25 Season.&rdquo;
B.LEAGUE Chairman Shinji Shimada said, &ldquo;The 2023-24 season champions Hiroshima Dragonflies and runners-up Ryukyu Golden Kings will represent the B.LEAGUE in the EASL next season.&nbsp;
&ldquo;After a year of battling it out in the B.LEAGUE, which is improving year by year, and achieving impressive results as champions and runners-up, they have proved that they are Japan&rsquo;s two best teams.
&ldquo;Last season, the Chiba Jets were crowned EASL champions. We hope that one of these two teams will bring the EASL championship to Japan again.&rdquo;
The draw for the EASL 2024-25 Season Group Stage was made earlier this year in agreement with the participating leagues. The eight participating teams will be divided into two groups, containing four teams each.
As B.LEAGUE champions, the Dragonflies have been placed into Group A. The Golden Kings have been placed into Group B.&nbsp;
Hiroshima will match up in Group A against Korean Basketball League (KBL) runners-up Suwon KT Sonicboom, the P. LEAGUE+ runners-up, and one of the best-performing teams from the Philippine Basketball Association&rsquo;s (PBA) 2023-24 conferences.
In Group B, Ryukyu will face KBL champions the Busan KCC Egis, the P. LEAGUE+ champions, and a second top-performing PBA team.
&mdash;
About East Asia Super League
East Asia Super League (EASL) is the Champions League of East Asian basketball. Combining the best clubs, from the best leagues, with best-in-class production values, EASL&rsquo;s vision is to become one of the world&rsquo;s top professional basketball leagues. At the same time, the league aims to elevate the sport of basketball across the East Asia region.
EASL operates with a 10-year agreement with FIBA, the world governing body for basketball, granting FIBA Asia&rsquo;s recognition. It also operates under agreements with the East Asia region&rsquo;s leading basketball leagues, securing the participation of their teams. Those leagues are the Japan B.LEAGUE, the Korean Basketball League (KBL), the Philippine Basketball Association (PBA), and Chinese Taipei&rsquo;s P. LEAGUE+.&nbsp;
For more information about the East Asia Super League, please visit <a href="http://www.easl.basketball/">www.EASL.basketball</a>.

Japan’s best professional teams Hiroshima Dragonflies and Ryukyu Golden Kings have qualified for the EASL 2024-2025 season.

Japan B.League top two teams to compete in EASL 2024-2025 season

With just over a month left before the destinies of franchises are altered when the 2024 NBA Draft happens on June 26-27 at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, teams are hard-pressed on whether or not to keep their picks or trade them for win-now pieces.
&nbsp;
Here&rsquo;s all the buzz around the league so far in anticipation of the big day:
&nbsp;
Rockets open to trading no.3 pick for Mikal Bridges
&nbsp;
According to reports, the Houston Rockets would be open to trading their 2024 NBA no.3 selection for Brooklyn&rsquo;s Mikal Bridges. The Rockets have been in a resurgence after being bad for 4 years since James Harden left the team and are now looking for a win-now piece to add to their team.
&nbsp;
Led by young stars Alperen Sengun and Jalen Green and fiery coach Ime Udoka, the Rockets finished just outside of the play-in tournament this season. Adding Bridges instead of the third pick in the draft would allow the Rockets to be aggressive in winning next season and then develop the pick for future use.
&nbsp;
Pelicans defer this year&rsquo;s pick to Lakers, choose to swap 2025 1st
&nbsp;
The New Orleans Pelicans will defer their pick this year to the Los Angeles Lakers to choose to swap the 2025 pick instead, according to ESPN&rsquo;s Adrian Wojnarowski. The move is seen to be made in anticipation of what&rsquo;s about to be a weaker draft compared to recent years. The 2025 one, on the other hand, figures to be one of the best and deepest in years.
&nbsp;
The Pelicans will keep their 21st pick this year and let the Lakers keep the 17th pick. According to reports, LA is also shopping the pick around to find a player suited around stars LeBron James and Anthony Davis.
&nbsp;
Kings willing to part ways with 13th pick, Huerter, Barnes
&nbsp;
As they prepare to retool this offseason around stars De&rsquo;Aaron Fox and Domantas Sabonis, the Sacramento Kings are reportedly willing to trade their 13th pick of this year; &lsquo;s draft along with Harrison Barnes and Kevin Huerter. Sacramento &ldquo;wants to seriously compete&rdquo; in Fox&rsquo;s and Sabonis&rsquo; prime years as they aggressively hunt for a win-now piece to pair with their two all-stars.

With just over a month left before the destinies of franchises are altered when the 2024 NBA Draft happens on June 26-27 at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, teams are hard-pressed on whether or not to keep their picks or trade them for win-now pieces.
&nbsp;
Here&rsquo;s all the buzz around the league so far in anticipation of the big day:
&nbsp;
Rockets open to trading no.3 pick for Mikal Bridges
&nbsp;
According to reports, the Houston Rockets would be open to trading their 2024 NBA no.3 selection for Brooklyn&rsquo;s Mikal Bridges. The Rockets have been in a resurgence after being bad for 4 years since James Harden left the team and are now looking for a win-now piece to add to their team.
&nbsp;
Led by young stars Alperen Sengun and Jalen Green and fiery coach Ime Udoka, the Rockets finished just outside of the play-in tournament this season. Adding Bridges instead of the third pick in the draft would allow the Rockets to be aggressive in winning next season and then develop the pick for future use.
&nbsp;
Pelicans defer this year&rsquo;s pick to Lakers, choose to swap 2025 1st
The New Orleans Pelicans will defer their pick this year to the Los Angeles Lakers to choose to swap the 2025 pick instead, according to ESPN&rsquo;s Adrian Wojnarowski. The move is seen to be made in anticipation of what&rsquo;s about to be a weaker draft compared to recent years. The 2025 one, on the other hand, figures to be one of the best and deepest in years.
The Pelicans will keep their 21st pick this year and let the Lakers keep the 17th pick. According to reports, LA is also shopping the pick around to find a player suited around stars LeBron James and Anthony Davis.
Kings willing to part ways with 13th pick, Huerter, Barnes
As they prepare to retool this offseason around stars De&rsquo;Aaron Fox and Domantas Sabonis, the Sacramento Kings are reportedly willing to trade their 13th pick of this year; &lsquo;s draft along with Harrison Barnes and Kevin Huerter. Sacramento &ldquo;wants to seriously compete&rdquo; in Fox&rsquo;s and Sabonis&rsquo; prime years as they aggressively hunt for a win-now piece to pair with their two all-stars.

With just over a month left before the destinies of franchises are altered when the 2024 NBA Draft happens on June 26-27 at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, teams are hard-pressed on whether or not to keep their picks or trade them for win-now pieces.
Here&rsquo;s all the buzz around the league so far in anticipation of the big day:
Rockets open to trading no.3 pick for Mikal Bridges
According to reports, the Houston Rockets would be open to trading their 2024 NBA no.3 selection for Brooklyn&rsquo;s Mikal Bridges. The Rockets have been in a resurgence after being bad for 4 years since James Harden left the team and are now looking for a win-now piece to add to their team.
Led by young stars Alperen Sengun and Jalen Green and fiery coach Ime Udoka, the Rockets finished just outside of the play-in tournament this season. Adding Bridges instead of the third pick in the draft would allow the Rockets to be aggressive in winning next season and then develop the pick for future use.
Pelicans defer this year&rsquo;s pick to Lakers, choose to swap 2025 1st
The New Orleans Pelicans will defer their pick this year to the Los Angeles Lakers to choose to swap the 2025 pick instead, according to ESPN&rsquo;s Adrian Wojnarowski. The move is seen to be made in anticipation of what&rsquo;s about to be a weaker draft compared to recent years. The 2025 one, on the other hand, figures to be one of the best and deepest in years.
The Pelicans will keep their 21st pick this year and let the Lakers keep the 17th pick. According to reports, LA is also shopping the pick around to find a player suited around stars LeBron James and Anthony Davis.
Kings willing to part ways with 13th pick, Huerter, Barnes
As they prepare to retool this offseason around stars De&rsquo;Aaron Fox and Domantas Sabonis, the Sacramento Kings are reportedly willing to trade their 13th pick of this year; &lsquo;s draft along with Harrison Barnes and Kevin Huerter. Sacramento &ldquo;wants to seriously compete&rdquo; in Fox&rsquo;s and Sabonis&rsquo; prime years as they aggressively hunt for a win-now piece to pair with their two all-stars.

T teams are hard-pressed on whether or not to keep their picks or trade them for win-now pieces. Here’s all the buzz in the league.

2024 NBA Draft Buzz: The latest movements around the league leading up to the draft

Although we&rsquo;re in the middle of the NBA Playoffs and the Boston Celtics are about to take on the Dallas Mavericks in the NBA Finals for the championship, teams on the outside looking in are starting to make their moves to bolster their benches. Here are some of them that are on the move:
Warriors, Darvin Ham to discuss assistant coach role
According to reports, Golden State has approached former Lakers head coach Darvin Ham for an assistant coaching role with the team. Although it isn&rsquo;t expected to materialize, it is a signal of the Warriors&rsquo; desire to add a big-name assistant, and indications are they are in search of either a former head coach or former player to fill the role. The Warriors will continue their search moving forward.
Wizards hire Brian Keefe as head coach
The Washington Wizards have promoted interim head coach Brian Keefe to be the team&rsquo;s full-time coach. Keefe, who will be the 26th head coach in Wizards franchise history, had an 8-31 record as interim head coach last year for Washington. He takes over the franchise who have intriguing young talents in Deni Avdija, Bilal Coulibaly, and Tristan Vukcevic.
Lue, Clippers ink extension
Clippers head coach Tyronn Lue will be back for the considerable future in LA as he extends with the Clippers for 5 years, USD 70 million. Lue, an assistant on Team USA&rsquo;s staff, has agreed with Clippers owner Steve Ballmer regarding the extension which will make him one of the league&rsquo;s highest-paid coaches.
Caron Butler returns to Miami on a 4-year deal
Butler, a part of Erik Spoelstra&rsquo;s staff in Miami, has been extended for another 4 years to remain on the bench for the Heatles. A 16-year NBA veteran and an ex-Heat player, Butler has spent the last 4 years as an assistant with the team.
David Fizdale joins Mike Budenholzer in Phoenix
Fizdale, who has been a part of Frank Vogel&rsquo;s staff, will join newly installed head coach Mike Budenholzer&rsquo;s staff in Phoenix.

Teams on the outside looking in are starting to make their moves to bolster their benches. Here are some of them that are on the move.

NBA Coaching Changes: Teams starting to equip their tacticians

Sacramento Kings head coach Mike Brown has netted a new 3-year deal with the team that will take him through the 2026-2027 season, <a href="https://x.com/wojespn/status/1796751924261224904">ESPN&rsquo;s Adrian Wojnarowski reports.</a>
Brown, 54, led Sacramento to the playoffs for the first time in 16 years two years ago and won 46 games and a Play-In game this season. He now gets a $4.5 million raise annually and an additional two seasons of $8.5 million per year.
The 2022-2023 NBA Coach of the Year and the Kings were determined to discuss a new deal after the franchise&rsquo;s recent success over the past two years. After ending a 16-year playoff drought, the Kings took then-defending champions Golden State Warriors to 7 games before eventually losing.&nbsp;
The Kings are looking to build off those two winning seasons to improve the team even more and contend with Brown at the helm. They are currently bannered by all-stars De&rsquo;Aaron Fox and Domantas Sabonis with young talents like Keegan Murray also in the fold.
After Brown, Sacramento will also have another big decision to make this offseason as 6th man of the year finalist Malik Monk enters free agency.&nbsp;

Sacramento Kings head coach Mike Brown has netted a new 3-year deal with the team that will take him through the 2026-2027 season.

Mike Brown inks 3-year extension with Kings

The Dallas Mavericks did not fool around and finished the business in the Western Conference Finals by beating the Minnesota Timberwolves on their home floor in Game 5 on Day 39 of the 2024 NBA Playoffs on Thursday night.&nbsp;
The Mavericks have made it to the NBA Finals once again for the first time in 13 years since winning the championship in 2011. Led by charismatic star Luka Doncic, they defeat the upstart Timberwolves with their young superstar Anthony Edwards.
Doncic was red hot to start the game, scoring 22 points in the 1st quarter to outscore the entire Timberwolves by himself. The Mavs essentially ended the game at halftime, building a 29-point lead, and never looked back since.
It was coming off a tough loss at home in Dallas in Game 4 when the Mavericks had a chance to sweep the series. However, Karl-Anthony Towns and Edwards had different plans to extend the series to one more game back home in Minnesota.
There was some renewed sense of hope coming into Game 5 and after beating the defending champs, the Denver Nuggets on their home floor in Game 7 of the Western Conference Semifinals, the Wolves believed they could also be the first team out of the 155 who tried in history to overcome a 0-3 series deficit.
However, Doncic immediately shut that door and got the job done to avoid giving the Wolves any momentum. He now advances to his first-ever NBA Finals appearance at 25 years old. Doncic was also a finalist for this year&rsquo;s MVP award.
Doncic and Dallas will face the mighty Boston Celtics who swept the Indiana Pacers two days earlier. It will be an interesting matchup to see considering the past connections between players. Kristaps Porizingis, a former teammate of Doncic, is now with the Celtics while Kyrie Irving, a former Celtic, is now a teammate of Doncic.
The 2024 NBA Finals will start a week from now, June 6 with Game 1 to be played at the Boston Garden.
Check out our recap here:

The Dallas Mavericks did not fool around and finished the business in the Western Conference Finals by beating the Minnesota Timberwolves on their home floor in Game 5 on Day 39 of the 2024 NBA Playoffs on Thursday night.&nbsp;
The Mavericks have made it to the NBA Finals once again for the first time in 13 years since winning the championship in 2011. Led by charismatic star Luka Doncic, they defeat the upstart Timberwolves with their young superstar Anthony Edwards.
Doncic was red hot to start the game, scoring 22 points in the 1st quarter to outscore the entire Timberwolves by himself. The Mavs essentially ended the game at halftime, building a 29-point lead, and never looked back since.
It was coming off a tough loss at home in Dallas in Game 4 when the Mavericks had a chance to sweep the series. However, Karl-Anthony Towns and Edwards had different plans to extend the series to one more game back home in Minnesota.
There was some renewed sense of hope coming into Game 5 and after beating the defending champs, the Denver Nuggets on their home floor in Game 7 of the Western Conference Semifinals, the Wolves believed they could also be the first team out of the 155 who tried in history to overcome a 0-3 series deficit.
However, Doncic immediately shut that door and got the job done to avoid giving the Wolves any momentum. He now advances to his first-ever NBA Finals appearance at 25 years old. Doncic was also a finalist for this year&rsquo;s MVP award.
Doncic and Dallas will face the mighty Boston Celtics who swept the Indiana Pacers two days earlier. It will be an interesting matchup to see considering the past connections between players. Kristaps Porizingis, a former teammate of Doncic, is now with the Celtics while Kyrie Irving, a former Celtic, is now a teammate of Doncic.
The 2024 NBA Finals will start a week from now, June 6 with Game 1 to be played at the Boston Garden.
Check out our recap here:
&nbsp;

The Dallas Mavericks did not fool around and finished the business in the Western Conference Finals by beating the Minnesota Timberwolves on their home floor in Game 5 on Day 39 of the 2024 NBA Playoffs on Thursday night.&nbsp;
The Mavericks have made it to the NBA Finals once again for the first time in 13 years since winning the championship in 2011. Led by charismatic star Luka Doncic, they defeat the upstart Timberwolves with their young superstar Anthony Edwards.
Doncic was red hot to start the game, scoring 22 points in the 1st quarter to outscore the entire Timberwolves by himself. The Mavs essentially ended the game at halftime, building a 29-point lead, and never looked back since.
It was coming off a tough loss at home in Dallas in Game 4 when the Mavericks had a chance to sweep the series. However, Karl-Anthony Towns and Edwards had different plans to extend the series to one more game back home in Minnesota.
There was some renewed sense of hope coming into Game 5 and after beating the defending champs, the Denver Nuggets on their home floor in Game 7 of the Western Conference Semifinals, the Wolves believed they could also be the first team out of the 155 who tried in history to overcome a 0-3 series deficit.
However, Doncic immediately shut that door and got the job done to avoid giving the Wolves any momentum. He now advances to his first-ever NBA Finals appearance at 25 years old. Doncic was also a finalist for this year&rsquo;s MVP award.
Doncic and Dallas will face the mighty Boston Celtics who swept the Indiana Pacers two days earlier. It will be an interesting matchup to see considering the past connections between players. Kristaps Porizingis, a former teammate of Doncic, is now with the Celtics while Kyrie Irving, a former Celtic, is now a teammate of Doncic.
The 2024 NBA Finals will start a week from now, June 6 with Game 1 to be played at the Boston Garden.
Check out our recap here:
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
The Dallas Mavericks will advance to the 2024 NBA Finals 🏆 This marks their first Finals appearance since clinching the championship in 2011 💪🏽 <a href="https://t.co/CO48K861DF">pic.twitter.com/CO48K861DF</a>
&mdash; BasketballNews.com (@basketbllnews) <a href="https://twitter.com/basketbllnews/status/1796374331733541046?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 31, 2024</a></blockquote>

<script src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js"></script>

&nbsp;

The Dallas Mavericks did not fool around and finished the business in the Western Conference Finals by beating the Minnesota Timberwolves on their home floor in Game 5 on Day 39 of the 2024 NBA Playoffs on Thursday night.&nbsp;
The Mavericks have made it to the NBA Finals once again for the first time in 13 years since winning the championship in 2011. Led by charismatic star Luka Doncic, they defeat the upstart Timberwolves with their young superstar Anthony Edwards.
Doncic was red hot to start the game, scoring 22 points in the 1st quarter to outscore the entire Timberwolves by himself. The Mavs essentially ended the game at halftime, building a 29-point lead, and never looked back since.
It was coming off a tough loss at home in Dallas in Game 4 when the Mavericks had a chance to sweep the series. However, Karl-Anthony Towns and Edwards had different plans to extend the series to one more game back home in Minnesota.
There was some renewed sense of hope coming into Game 5 and after beating the defending champs, the Denver Nuggets on their home floor in Game 7 of the Western Conference Semifinals, the Wolves believed they could also be the first team out of the 155 who tried in history to overcome a 0-3 series deficit.
However, Doncic immediately shut that door and got the job done to avoid giving the Wolves any momentum. He now advances to his first-ever NBA Finals appearance at 25 years old. Doncic was also a finalist for this year&rsquo;s MVP award.
Doncic and Dallas will face the mighty Boston Celtics who swept the Indiana Pacers two days earlier. It will be an interesting matchup to see considering the past connections between players. Kristaps Porizingis, a former teammate of Doncic, is now with the Celtics while Kyrie Irving, a former Celtic, is now a teammate of Doncic.
The 2024 NBA Finals will start a week from now, June 6 with Game 1 to be played at the Boston Garden.
Check out our recap here:
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
The Dallas Mavericks will advance to the 2024 NBA Finals 🏆 This marks their first Finals appearance since clinching the championship in 2011 💪🏽 <a href="https://t.co/CO48K861DF">pic.twitter.com/CO48K861DF</a>
&mdash; BasketballNews.com (@basketbllnews) <a href="https://twitter.com/basketbllnews/status/1796374331733541046?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 31, 2024</a></blockquote>

<script src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js"></script>

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
CELTICS 🆚 MAVERICKS Call it right now &mdash; who will be this year's NBA champions? 🤔 <a href="https://t.co/qZGlX8xw37">pic.twitter.com/qZGlX8xw37</a>
&mdash; BasketballNews.com (@basketbllnews) <a href="https://twitter.com/basketbllnews/status/1796378522342289449?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 31, 2024</a></blockquote>

<script src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js"></script>

The Mavericks have made it to the NBA Finals once again for the first time in 13 years since winning the championship in 2011.

2024 NBA Playoffs Day 39 Recap: Dallas advances to the NBA Finals

The Boston Celtics made quick work of the Indiana Pacers to book a ticket to the NBA Finals while the Minnesota Timberwolves lived to fight for another day on Days 37 and 38 of the 2024 NBA Playoffs on Monday and Tuesday nights.
&nbsp;
Although the Celtics swept the Pacers, it did not come easy with 3 of the 4 games had Indiana the lead in the 4th quarter before Boston displayed their superior experience in clutch playoff situations that willed them to victory.
&nbsp;
The Pacers also missed young star Tyrese Haliburton in action during the series&rsquo; last two games with a left sore hamstring.
&nbsp;
Jaylen Brown won the Eastern Conference Finals MVP after averaging 29.3 points on 54 percent shooting in the 4-game sweep.
&nbsp;
Over at the West, the Timberwolves finally won a game over the Mavericks in impressive fashion. After leading most of the time in the first three games, particularly in the 4th quarter, the Mavericks proved to be the better team in the clutch led by Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving.
&nbsp;
However this time around, star guard Anthony Edwards showed his clutch genes as well, hitting a long two-pointer that gave Minnesota a 5-point lead with 38 seconds left.&nbsp;
&nbsp;
Co-star Karl-Anthony Towns was also huge, tallying 20 points in the second half including two huge threes in the 4th that kept the Mavs at bay.
Game 5 will be back in Minnesota on Thursday night.
Check out our recap here:

The Boston Celtics made quick work of the Indiana Pacers to book a ticket to the NBA Finals while the Minnesota Timberwolves lived to fight for another day on Days 37 and 38 of the 2024 NBA Playoffs on Monday and Tuesday nights.
&nbsp;
Although the Celtics swept the Pacers, it did not come easy with 3 of the 4 games had Indiana the lead in the 4th quarter before Boston displayed their superior experience in clutch playoff situations that willed them to victory.
&nbsp;
The Pacers also missed young star Tyrese Haliburton in action during the series&rsquo; last two games with a left sore hamstring.
&nbsp;
Jaylen Brown won the Eastern Conference Finals MVP after averaging 29.3 points on 54 percent shooting in the 4-game sweep.
&nbsp;
Over at the West, the Timberwolves finally won a game over the Mavericks impressively. After leading most of the time in the first three games, particularly in the 4th quarter, the Mavericks proved to be the better team in the clutch led by Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving.
However this time around, star guard Anthony Edwards showed his clutch genes as well, hitting a long two-pointer that gave Minnesota a 5-point lead with 38 seconds left.&nbsp;
Co-star Karl-Anthony Towns was also huge, tallying 20 points in the second half including two huge threes in the 4th that kept the Mavs at bay.
Game 5 will be back in Minnesota on Thursday night.
Check out our recap here:

The Boston Celtics made quick work of the Indiana Pacers to book a ticket to the NBA Finals while the Minnesota Timberwolves lived to fight for another day on Days 37 and 38 of the 2024 NBA Playoffs on Monday and Tuesday nights.
&nbsp;
Although the Celtics swept the Pacers, it did not come easy with 3 of the 4 games had Indiana the lead in the 4th quarter before Boston displayed their superior experience in clutch playoff situations that willed them to victory.
The Pacers also missed young star Tyrese Haliburton in action during the series&rsquo; last two games with a left sore hamstring.
Jaylen Brown won the Eastern Conference Finals MVP after averaging 29.3 points on 54 percent shooting in the 4-game sweep.
Over at the West, the Timberwolves finally won a game over the Mavericks impressively. After leading most of the time in the first three games, particularly in the 4th quarter, the Mavericks proved to be the better team in the clutch led by Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving.
However, this time around, star guard Anthony Edwards also showed his clutch genes, hitting a long two-pointer that gave Minnesota a 5-point lead with 38 seconds left.&nbsp;
Co-star Karl-Anthony Towns was also huge, tallying 20 points in the second half including two huge threes in the 4th that kept the Mavs at bay.
Game 5 will be back in Minnesota on Thursday night.
Check out our recap here:

The Boston Celtics made quick work of the Indiana Pacers to book a ticket to the NBA Finals while the Minnesota Timberwolves lived to fight for another day on Days 37 and 38 of the 2024 NBA Playoffs on Monday and Tuesday nights.
Although the Celtics swept the Pacers, it did not come easy with 3 of the 4 games that had Indiana the lead in the 4th quarter before Boston displayed their superior experience in clutch playoff situations that willed them to victory.
The Pacers also missed young star Tyrese Haliburton in action during the series&rsquo; last two games with a left sore hamstring.
Jaylen Brown won the Eastern Conference Finals MVP after averaging 29.3 points on 54 percent shooting in the 4-game sweep.
Over at the West, the Timberwolves finally won a game over the Mavericks impressively. After leading most of the time in the first three games, particularly in the 4th quarter, the Mavericks proved to be the better team in the clutch led by Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving.
However, this time around, star guard Anthony Edwards also showed his clutch genes, hitting a long two-pointer that gave Minnesota a 5-point lead with 38 seconds left.&nbsp;
Co-star Karl-Anthony Towns was also huge, tallying 20 points in the second half including two huge threes in the 4th that kept the Mavs at bay.
Game 5 will be back in Minnesota on Thursday night.
Check out our recap here:

The Boston Celtics made quick work of the Indiana Pacers to book a ticket to the NBA Finals while the Minnesota Timberwolves lived to fight for another day on Days 37 and 38 of the 2024 NBA Playoffs on Monday and Tuesday nights.
Although the Celtics swept the Pacers, it did not come easy with 3 of the 4 games with Indiana leading in the 4th quarter before Boston displayed their superior experience in clutch playoff situations that willed them to victory.
The Pacers also missed young star Tyrese Haliburton in action during the series&rsquo; last two games with a left sore hamstring.
Jaylen Brown won the Eastern Conference Finals MVP after averaging 29.3 points on 54 percent shooting in the 4-game sweep.
Over at the West, the Timberwolves finally won a game over the Mavericks impressively. After leading most of the time in the first three games, particularly in the 4th quarter, the Mavericks proved to be the better team in the clutch led by Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving.
However, this time around, star guard Anthony Edwards also showed his clutch genes, hitting a long two-pointer that gave Minnesota a 5-point lead with 38 seconds left.&nbsp;
Co-star Karl-Anthony Towns was also huge, tallying 20 points in the second half including two huge threes in the 4th that kept the Mavs at bay.
Game 5 will be back in Minnesota on Thursday night.
Check out our recap here:

The Boston Celtics made quick work of the Indiana Pacers to book a ticket to the NBA Finals while the Minnesota Timberwolves lived to fight for another day on Days 37 and 38 of the 2024 NBA Playoffs on Monday and Tuesday nights.
Although the Celtics swept the Pacers, it did not come easy with 3 of the 4 games with Indiana leading in the 4th quarter before Boston displayed their superior experience in clutch playoff situations that willed them to victory.
The Pacers also missed young star Tyrese Haliburton in action during the series&rsquo; last two games with a left sore hamstring.
Jaylen Brown won the Eastern Conference Finals MVP after averaging 29.3 points on 54 percent shooting in the 4-game sweep.
Over at the West, the Timberwolves finally won a game over the Mavericks impressively. After leading most of the time in the first three games, particularly in the 4th quarter, the Mavericks proved to be the better team in the clutch led by Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving.
However, this time around, star guard Anthony Edwards also showed his clutch genes, hitting a long two-pointer that gave Minnesota a 5-point lead with 38 seconds left.&nbsp;
Co-star Karl-Anthony Towns was also huge, tallying 20 points in the second half including two huge threes in the 4th that kept the Mavs at bay.
Game 5 will be back in Minnesota on Thursday night.
Check out our recap here:
&nbsp;

The Boston Celtics made quick work of the Indiana Pacers to book a ticket to the NBA Finals while the Minnesota Timberwolves lived to fight for another day on Days 37 and 38 of the 2024 NBA Playoffs on Monday and Tuesday nights.
Although the Celtics swept the Pacers, it did not come easy with 3 of the 4 games with Indiana leading in the 4th quarter before Boston displayed their superior experience in clutch playoff situations that willed them to victory.
The Pacers also missed young star Tyrese Haliburton in action during the series&rsquo; last two games with a left sore hamstring.
Jaylen Brown won the Eastern Conference Finals MVP after averaging 29.3 points on 54 percent shooting in the 4-game sweep.
Over at the West, the Timberwolves finally won a game over the Mavericks impressively. After leading most of the time in the first three games, particularly in the 4th quarter, the Mavericks proved to be the better team in the clutch led by Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving.
However, this time around, star guard Anthony Edwards also showed his clutch genes, hitting a long two-pointer that gave Minnesota a 5-point lead with 38 seconds left.&nbsp;
Co-star Karl-Anthony Towns was also huge, tallying 20 points in the second half including two huge threes in the 4th that kept the Mavs at bay.
Game 5 will be back in Minnesota on Thursday night.
Check out our recap here:
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
Jaylen Brown and the Celtics rally late to close out Pacers for 4-0 sweep in ECF 📊 29 PTS | 11-22 FG | 4-8 3P | 6 REB | 3 STL Other top performers 🏀 J. Tatum 📊 26 PTS | 11-26 FG | 13 REB | 8 AST J. Holiday 📊 17 PTS | 7-13 FG | 9 REB D. White 📊 16 PTS | 7-14 FG | 4 REB | 4&hellip; <a href="https://t.co/ac3Guvm8JK">pic.twitter.com/ac3Guvm8JK</a>
&mdash; BasketballNews.com (@basketbllnews) <a href="https://twitter.com/basketbllnews/status/1795305706868117613?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 28, 2024</a></blockquote>

<script src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js"></script>

&nbsp;

The Boston Celtics made quick work of the Indiana Pacers to book a ticket to the NBA Finals while the Minnesota Timberwolves lived to fight for another day on Days 37 and 38 of the 2024 NBA Playoffs on Monday and Tuesday nights.
Although the Celtics swept the Pacers, it did not come easy with 3 of the 4 games with Indiana leading in the 4th quarter before Boston displayed their superior experience in clutch playoff situations that willed them to victory.
The Pacers also missed young star Tyrese Haliburton in action during the series&rsquo; last two games with a left sore hamstring.
Jaylen Brown won the Eastern Conference Finals MVP after averaging 29.3 points on 54 percent shooting in the 4-game sweep.
Over at the West, the Timberwolves finally won a game over the Mavericks impressively. After leading most of the time in the first three games, particularly in the 4th quarter, the Mavericks proved to be the better team in the clutch led by Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving.
However, this time around, star guard Anthony Edwards also showed his clutch genes, hitting a long two-pointer that gave Minnesota a 5-point lead with 38 seconds left.&nbsp;
Co-star Karl-Anthony Towns was also huge, tallying 20 points in the second half including two huge threes in the 4th that kept the Mavs at bay.
Game 5 will be back in Minnesota on Thursday night.
Check out our recap here:
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
Jaylen Brown and the Celtics rally late to close out Pacers for 4-0 sweep in ECF 📊 29 PTS | 11-22 FG | 4-8 3P | 6 REB | 3 STL Other top performers 🏀 J. Tatum 📊 26 PTS | 11-26 FG | 13 REB | 8 AST J. Holiday 📊 17 PTS | 7-13 FG | 9 REB D. White 📊 16 PTS | 7-14 FG | 4 REB | 4&hellip; <a href="https://t.co/ac3Guvm8JK">pic.twitter.com/ac3Guvm8JK</a>
&mdash; BasketballNews.com (@basketbllnews) <a href="https://twitter.com/basketbllnews/status/1795305706868117613?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 28, 2024</a></blockquote>

<script src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js"></script>

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
Jaylen Brown is the 2024 Eastern Conference Finals MVP 🏆 📊 29.8 PTS | 5 REB | 3.0 AST | 2.0 STL | 51.7% FG | 37.0% 3P | 65.5% FT <a href="https://t.co/HyYgT9kr2s">pic.twitter.com/HyYgT9kr2s</a>
&mdash; BasketballNews.com (@basketbllnews) <a href="https://twitter.com/basketbllnews/status/1795300367842132223?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 28, 2024</a></blockquote>

<script src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js"></script>

&nbsp;

The Boston Celtics made quick work of the Indiana Pacers to book a ticket to the NBA Finals while the Minnesota Timberwolves lived to fight for another day on Days 37 and 38 of the 2024 NBA Playoffs on Monday and Tuesday nights.
Although the Celtics swept the Pacers, it did not come easy with 3 of the 4 games with Indiana leading in the 4th quarter before Boston displayed their superior experience in clutch playoff situations that willed them to victory.
The Pacers also missed young star Tyrese Haliburton in action during the series&rsquo; last two games with a left sore hamstring.
Jaylen Brown won the Eastern Conference Finals MVP after averaging 29.3 points on 54 percent shooting in the 4-game sweep.
Over at the West, the Timberwolves finally won a game over the Mavericks impressively. After leading most of the time in the first three games, particularly in the 4th quarter, the Mavericks proved to be the better team in the clutch led by Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving.
However, this time around, star guard Anthony Edwards also showed his clutch genes, hitting a long two-pointer that gave Minnesota a 5-point lead with 38 seconds left.&nbsp;
Co-star Karl-Anthony Towns was also huge, tallying 20 points in the second half including two huge threes in the 4th that kept the Mavs at bay.
Game 5 will be back in Minnesota on Thursday night.
Check out our recap here:
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
Jaylen Brown and the Celtics rally late to close out Pacers for 4-0 sweep in ECF 📊 29 PTS | 11-22 FG | 4-8 3P | 6 REB | 3 STL Other top performers 🏀 J. Tatum 📊 26 PTS | 11-26 FG | 13 REB | 8 AST J. Holiday 📊 17 PTS | 7-13 FG | 9 REB D. White 📊 16 PTS | 7-14 FG | 4 REB | 4&hellip; <a href="https://t.co/ac3Guvm8JK">pic.twitter.com/ac3Guvm8JK</a>
&mdash; BasketballNews.com (@basketbllnews) <a href="https://twitter.com/basketbllnews/status/1795305706868117613?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 28, 2024</a></blockquote>

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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
Jaylen Brown is the 2024 Eastern Conference Finals MVP 🏆 📊 29.8 PTS | 5 REB | 3.0 AST | 2.0 STL | 51.7% FG | 37.0% 3P | 65.5% FT <a href="https://t.co/HyYgT9kr2s">pic.twitter.com/HyYgT9kr2s</a>
&mdash; BasketballNews.com (@basketbllnews) <a href="https://twitter.com/basketbllnews/status/1795300367842132223?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 28, 2024</a></blockquote>

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FINAL GAME RECAP ⏪ Anthony Edwards and the Timberwolves kept the series alive as they got the bounce back 105-100 W against the Mavericks 🔥 📊 29 PTS | 11-25 FG | 5-8 FT | 10 REB | 9 AST Other top performers 🏀 K. Towns 📊 25 PTS | 9-13 FG | 4-5 3P | 5 REB R. Gobert 📊 13&hellip; <a href="https://t.co/G3S7RgVEmo">pic.twitter.com/G3S7RgVEmo</a>
&mdash; BasketballNews.com (@basketbllnews) <a href="https://twitter.com/basketbllnews/status/1795715945073459516?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 29, 2024</a></blockquote>

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The Celtics made quick work of the Pacers to book a ticket to the NBA Finals while the Timberwolves lived to fight for another day.

2024 NBA Playoffs Day 37 and 38 Recap: Boston sweeps Indiana, Minnesota lives another day

Mon Anthony Valmoria is the lead NBA writer for BasketballNews.com.&nbsp;