Rams

<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The Denver Nuggets have spent most of the season chasing something that once felt routine. Not wins, not rhythm, not momentum. What they have been chasing is availability.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">For months, Denver has navigated injuries, absences, and constant lineup changes that disrupted continuity and delayed any chance of building sustained chemistry. The last time the Nuggets were truly complete dates back to November 14, a moment that now feels distant considering everything that followed. Key pieces missed time, rotations shifted, and roles expanded and contracted out of necessity. There were nights when Denver simply had to find enough bodies to compete, let alone execute at a championship level.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">And yet, through all of that instability, the Nuggets never lost sight of the bigger picture. Now, for the first time in months, they are whole again.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">With Peyton Watson returning to action, Denver finally has its full complement of talent available. It is a development that arrives at the most critical point of the season. With the playoffs approaching, the Nuggets are no longer trying to survive. They are preparing to contend. There is a difference between those two mindsets, and for much of the season, Denver has been forced into the former.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">This is a roster that has already proven it can reach the summit. The blueprint exists, and the belief never left: the only thing missing was health. Now that it is back, so are expectations.</span></p>
<h3><strong>Nikola Jokic remains the center of everything</strong></h3>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">At the heart of it all is Nikola Jokic, who continues to perform at a level that has almost become normalized despite its historic nature.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Jokic is once again playing at an MVP level, quietly putting together another season that demands attention. He is averaging a triple-double, leading the entire league in that category, and dictating every aspect of Denver&rsquo;s offense with precision and control. What once felt extraordinary now feels routine, which says more about the standard he has set than any statistic ever could.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">There is a tendency to overlook sustained greatness when it becomes expected. Jokic has reached that point. His ability to control tempo, create advantages, and elevate everyone around him has become the foundation of the Nuggets&rsquo; identity. Every possession runs through his decision-making. Every read he makes has a ripple effect on the entire floor. Everything begins with him, and everything ends with him.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">He is the system, the engine, and the safety net all in one. His presence ensures that Denver will always have a functional offense, regardless of circumstance. Even during the most injury-riddled stretches of the season, Jokic kept the Nuggets afloat when he was on the floor. He simplified the game for his teammates, created high-percentage opportunities, and absorbed defensive attention without forcing the issue.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">When surrounded by a fully healthy roster, that functionality turns into something far more dangerous and the ultimate weapon in the league.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Opposing teams absolutely cannot load up on Jokic without consequences. The return of multiple scoring threats forces defenses into difficult decisions. Help too much, and shooters are open. Stay home, and Jokic will methodically dismantle single coverage. It is a dilemma that few teams have consistently solved, especially over the course of a seven-game series.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">As long as Jokic maintains this level of dominance, the Nuggets remain firmly in the championship conversation. In a playoff environment where adjustments determine outcomes, his ability to adapt on the fly gives Denver a strategic advantage that cannot be overstated.</span></p>
<h3><strong>Jamal Murray&rsquo;s long-awaited leap</strong></h3>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Alongside Jokic, Jamal Murray is putting together what can be described as the best season of his career.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">For years, Murray&rsquo;s postseason performances have defined his reputation. He has built a reputation as a player who rises when the stakes are highest. This season, however, he has brought that same level of impact into the regular season. The result is his first All-Star selection, a recognition that reflects both his production and his consistency over a larger sample size.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Murray is scoring at a career-high level while posting some of the most efficient shooting numbers of his career. His shot selection has improved, his decision-making has sharpened, and his ability to control the pace of the game has taken another step forward. He is no longer just a secondary creator. He is a co-engine of Denver&rsquo;s offense.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">More importantly, he has found a rhythm that complements Jokic without overlapping responsibilities. Their two-man game remains one of the most effective partnerships in the league, built on timing, trust, and an intuitive understanding of each other&rsquo;s tendencies. They do not just run plays, they read defenses together and they have been lethal in doing so.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">When Murray is operating at this level, the Nuggets become significantly more difficult to defend. Jokic no longer has to shoulder every offensive burden, and defenses cannot key in on a single option. Instead, they are forced to navigate a dynamic that punishes overcommitment and hesitation alike.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">This version of Murray elevates Denver from contender to legitimate threat. It also provides a level of offensive security that becomes critical in late-game situations, where execution often determines outcomes.</span></p>
<h3><strong>Role players finding their rhythm and rounding into form</strong></h3>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Health has not only restored the Nuggets&rsquo; core, it has also allowed their supporting cast to rediscover form and purpose.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Aaron Gordon and Christian Braun have both worked their way back from injuries that interrupted their seasons. Their return stabilizes Denver&rsquo;s defense, bringing back two of the team&rsquo;s most versatile and physical contributors on that end of the floor. Both players are capable of guarding multiple positions, switching across matchups, and providing the kind of physical presence that becomes essential in playoff basketball.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Gordon continues to expand his offensive range, adding more confidence to his perimeter shooting while maintaining his effectiveness as a cutter and interior finisher. His chemistry with Jokic remains one of Denver&rsquo;s most reliable sources of easy offense. Braun, meanwhile, has embraced a more aggressive approach, actively seeking scoring opportunities and applying pressure in transition. His willingness to attack has added another layer to Denver&rsquo;s offensive versatility.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The addition of Cam Johnson has been a story of patience. There were stretches where his shot was not falling, raising questions about his purpose after trading away Michael Porter Jr. Recently, he has begun to find his rhythm, knocking down perimeter shots with greater consistency. If that trend continues, his floor spacing will become a crucial element in Denver&rsquo;s playoff offense. His ability to stretch defenses opens driving lanes and creates cleaner looks for others.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The return of Bruce Brown adds another layer of familiarity and versatility. Brown understands the system, the expectations, and the details that matter in high-stakes moments. He can screen, cut, handle the ball, defend multiple positions, and connect lineups that might otherwise struggle to function cohesively. Players like him often determine the margins in playoff games, where a single possession can shift momentum.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Off the bench, Tim Hardaway Jr. provides instant offense. His ability to heat up quickly from beyond the arc gives Denver a scoring option that can swing momentum in short bursts. In a playoff setting, that kind of scoring punch off the bench can be the difference between maintaining a lead and surrendering it.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Then there is Spencer Jones, whose emergence has been one of the quieter developments of the season. Stepping into a larger role during periods of injury, he has earned the trust of head coach David Adelman by replicating aspects of Gordon&rsquo;s role. His energy, defensive activity, and willingness to do the small things have secured him a place in the rotation. Those contributions often go unnoticed, but they are essential in a playoff environment where depth is tested.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Beyond the primary rotation, the Nuggets have depth they can rely on when needed. Veterans like Jonas Valanciunas and Tyus Jones offer stability and experience, while younger players such as Jalen Pickett, Julian Strawther, Zeke Nnaji, and DaRon Holmes provide energy and situational impact.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">For the first time in months, all of these pieces are available at the same time. That alone changes the equation, and their continuity allows roles to settle. It allows chemistry to build and allows the Nuggets to play the way they were designed to play.</span></p>
<h3><strong>Peyton Watson&rsquo;s emergence adds a new dimension</strong></h3>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">While health has restored the Nuggets&rsquo; structure, the emergence of Peyton Watson has expanded it.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Watson&rsquo;s development has been one of the most compelling subplots of Denver&rsquo;s season. During stretches when the roster was depleted, he was forced into a larger role. Instead of merely filling minutes, he produced. Instead of deferring, he attacked. That stretch of responsibility accelerated his growth in ways that might not have been possible under normal circumstances.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">There were moments when Watson operated as a primary option, and he delivered with confidence. That experience has translated into a more complete offensive game. He has shown the ability to score at all three levels, knocking down perimeter shots, attacking the rim off the dribble, and creating space for midrange attempts. His willingness to take those shots has changed how defenses approach him.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">What makes his emergence particularly significant is how it fits within Denver&rsquo;s existing structure. The Nuggets have always relied on movement, cutting, and unselfish play. Watson enhances all of those elements. He remains an active cutter, a vertical threat, and a willing participant in the flow of the offense. He does not need to dominate the ball to be effective, which makes his integration seamless.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Defensively, his impact has not diminished. He continues to apply pressure on the ball, rotate effectively off it, and provide secondary rim protection. That combination of offense and defense gives Denver a player who can influence the game in multiple ways without disrupting its balance.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The Nuggets have not had a player with this exact profile in previous seasons. Watson introduces a new layer, one that raises the team&rsquo;s ceiling and gives them another option when primary actions are taken away.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">His contractual situation, with restricted free agency on the horizon, will be a storyline for another time. For now, his focus is clear. He is part of a team with championship aspirations, and his role within that pursuit continues to grow.</span></p>
<h3><strong>The emotional weight of being whole again</strong></h3>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">There is also an emotional component to Denver&rsquo;s current position that cannot be ignored.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Championship teams are not just built on talent. They are built on continuity, trust, and shared experience, and injuries disrupt all of those elements. They force players into unfamiliar roles and prevent the team from establishing a consistent identity. For months, the Nuggets had to operate without that sense of stability.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Being healthy again restores confidence in rotations, and it will be crucial for the Nuggets moving forward. Players know where they belong. They understand their roles. They can anticipate each other&rsquo;s movements. That level of familiarity allows teams to execute at a higher level, especially in high-pressure situations where hesitation can be costly.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">For a team that has already experienced the highest level of success, that familiarity carries even more weight. The Nuggets know what a championship run requires. They know the adjustments, the physicality, and the mental resilience needed to navigate four playoff rounds.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Now, they have the opportunity to tap into that experience once again.</span></p>
<h3><strong>Health remains the ultimate variable</strong></h3>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">For all the talent, depth, and momentum the Nuggets now possess, one question still defines their season.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Can they stay healthy?</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">It is a simple question with a complicated history. Injuries have already shaped their journey, forcing adjustments and testing their resilience. The front office has assembled a roster capable of competing with the best teams in the league. The coaching staff has managed rotations under less than ideal circumstances. The players have adapted to changing roles.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Now, the final requirement is continuity.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">If the Nuggets can maintain their health, they have everything needed to make another deep playoff run. They have the best player in the world in Jokic. They have a proven second option playing at an All-Star level. They have defensive versatility, shooting, experience, and depth. More importantly, they have a shared understanding of what it takes to win at the highest level.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The memory of their 2023 championship run is a reference point. It is proof that this group, when whole, can navigate the demands of the postseason and emerge on top. The Nuggets are finally healthy again, and that is what makes this moment significant. In a league where margins are thin and timing is everything, that might be the most important development of all.</span></p>

The Nuggets are finally healthy, with Nikola Jokic leading an intact roster into the playoffs as they aim for another deep title run.

Healthy at last, Nuggets ready to chase another NBA title run

<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The term &ldquo;3-and-D&rdquo; has long been one of the most valuable archetypes in modern basketball. It refers to players who can knock down the three-pointer consistently while also defending at a high level on the perimeter. The idea was never just about specialists who could only do one thing. True 3-and-D players were those who could space the floor offensively while also holding their ground defensively against elite scorers.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">That role defined Danny Green&rsquo;s career.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Green built a reputation as one of the most reliable players in that mold. A three-time NBA champion with the San Antonio Spurs, Toronto Raptors, and Los Angeles Lakers, he became known for his ability to stretch defenses with timely three-point shooting while also guarding the opposing team&rsquo;s best perimeter player.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">During championship runs, Green&rsquo;s value often came from the balance he provided. Offensively, his shooting forced defenses to stay honest and opened space for star teammates to attack. Defensively, his discipline and positioning allowed him to take on difficult assignments without sacrificing team structure.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">According to Green, players who truly excel in both areas have become less common.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">&ldquo;We don&rsquo;t see it as often as we used to,&rdquo; he said, reflecting on the classic definition of the 3-and-D role.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Green recently visited the Philippines as part of an initiative to support local partnerships and fan engagement in collaboration with NBA Store PH. During the visit, he interacted with fans and discussed various aspects of the modern game, including how the role he once thrived in has evolved.</span></p>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
<p dir="ltr" lang="en">3x NBA champion (Spurs, Raptors, Lakers) Danny Green is in the Philippines to support local partner engagements and interact with fans <a href="https://twitter.com/basketbllnews?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@basketbllnews</a> <a href="https://t.co/4Kjp7XnMDv">pic.twitter.com/4Kjp7XnMDv</a></p>
&mdash; Mon Anthony Valmoria (@MorvalNBA) <a href="https://twitter.com/MorvalNBA/status/2032392344079876556?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 13, 2026</a></blockquote>
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<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">In today&rsquo;s NBA, the game has shifted toward more ball-dominant creators and versatile offensive engines. Many players are asked to do more than simply space the floor and defend. They initiate offense, handle the ball in pick-and-roll situations, and create their own scoring opportunities. While that versatility is valuable, it has also blurred the lines of what a traditional 3-and-D player looks like.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Despite that shift, Green pointed out that there are still players in the league who embody the spirit of the role, even if their responsibilities extend beyond it.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Among the names he mentioned were Jaylen Brown, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Cade Cunningham, and Victor Wembanyama, and e</span><span style="font-weight: 400;">ach of those players fits the description in different ways.</span></p>
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<p dir="ltr" lang="en">3-time NBA champion Danny Green on who he thinks are the top 3-and-D players in the NBA today: &ldquo;Jaylen Brown, SGA, Cade Cunningham, all these guys that we watch that are MVP candidates, Victor Wembanyama.&rdquo; <a href="https://twitter.com/basketbllnews?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@basketbllnews</a> <a href="https://t.co/wbECdJ8E8K">pic.twitter.com/wbECdJ8E8K</a></p>
&mdash; Mon Anthony Valmoria (@MorvalNBA) <a href="https://twitter.com/MorvalNBA/status/2032407708004139228?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 13, 2026</a></blockquote>
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<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Brown has built his reputation as one of the league&rsquo;s premier two-way wings. He can score at all three levels while also defending multiple positions with physicality and athleticism. His ability to knock down perimeter shots while guarding top wings reflects the modern evolution of the 3-and-D role.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Gilgeous-Alexander, while primarily known for his offensive brilliance, has also developed into a disruptive defender with strong instincts and length. Cunningham&rsquo;s size and versatility at the guard position allow him to contribute defensively while spacing the floor when needed. Wembanyama represents perhaps the most unique version of the concept, combining elite rim protection with the ability to stretch the floor from beyond the arc.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">What these players represent is the modern version of the archetype. They are not limited to standing in the corner waiting for a kick-out pass or focusing solely on defensive assignments. Instead, they incorporate shooting and defense into a broader skill set that includes playmaking and scoring creation.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Green&rsquo;s perspective carries weight because he spent more than a decade mastering the role at the highest level. His shooting helped swing playoff games, and his defense allowed championship teams to maintain balance on both ends of the floor.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The league may be evolving, but the core value of the 3-and-D concept remains the same. Players who can space the floor while defending at a high level will always be essential pieces for winning teams.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Even if the role looks different today, its importance has not disappeared. According to Green, the players who can truly do both at an elite level are still among the most valuable in the game.</span></p>

Danny Green discusses the evolution of the 3-and-D role, saying the archetype is less common today.

“We don’t see it as often than we used to”: Danny Green cites elite 3-and-D guys

<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The NBA is not waiting for a transition. It is already happening.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">For years, the league has been defined by icons like LeBron James, Stephen Curry, and Kevin Durant. Their era shaped modern basketball and carried the sport into a new global space. But as time moves forward, another truth becomes clearer each season.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The next wave is not coming: It is already here. Some of the NBA&rsquo;s young stars and their ages are the following:</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Cooper Flagg is 19.</span><span style="font-weight: 400;"><br /></span><span style="font-weight: 400;">Kon Knueppel is 20.</span><span style="font-weight: 400;"><br /></span><span style="font-weight: 400;">Victor Wembanyama is 22.</span><span style="font-weight: 400;"><br /></span><span style="font-weight: 400;">Jalen Duren is 22.</span><span style="font-weight: 400;"><br /></span><span style="font-weight: 400;">Alperen Sengun is 23.</span><span style="font-weight: 400;"><br /></span><span style="font-weight: 400;">Paolo Banchero is 23.</span><span style="font-weight: 400;"><br /></span><span style="font-weight: 400;">Cade Cunningham is 24.</span><span style="font-weight: 400;"><br /></span><span style="font-weight: 400;">Anthony Edwards is 24.</span><span style="font-weight: 400;"><br /></span><span style="font-weight: 400;">LaMelo Ball is 24.</span><span style="font-weight: 400;"><br /></span><span style="font-weight: 400;">Jalen Johnson is 24.</span><span style="font-weight: 400;"><br /></span><span style="font-weight: 400;">Tyrese Maxey is 25.</span><span style="font-weight: 400;"><br /></span><span style="font-weight: 400;">Deni Avdija is 25.</span><span style="font-weight: 400;"><br /></span><span style="font-weight: 400;">Tyrese Haliburton is 25.</span><span style="font-weight: 400;"><br /></span><span style="font-weight: 400;">Luka Doncic is 26.</span><span style="font-weight: 400;"><br /></span><span style="font-weight: 400;">Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is 27.</span><span style="font-weight: 400;"><br /></span><span style="font-weight: 400;">Jayson Tatum is 27.</span><span style="font-weight: 400;"><br /></span><span style="font-weight: 400;">Jaylen Brown is 29.</span><span style="font-weight: 400;"><br /></span><span style="font-weight: 400;">Donovan Mitchell is 29.</span><span style="font-weight: 400;"><br /></span><span style="font-weight: 400;">Jalen Brunson is 29.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">That list alone tells the story.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">These are not prospects waiting for opportunity. They are All-Stars. Franchise cornerstones. Playoff performers. MVP candidates. Players that are already shaping postseason outcomes and redefining team ceilings.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Victor Wembanyama is already altering defensive schemes league-wide at 22. Luka Doncic has been an MVP-level engine for years and is still just 26. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander has elevated himself into best player in the world talks. Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown have already led championship-level teams and are still in their twenties.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Anthony Edwards has embraced the spotlight and looks ready to carry the league&rsquo;s next era of superstar charisma. Tyrese Haliburton and Tyrese Maxey are redefining guard play with pace and efficiency. Paolo Banchero and Alperen Sengun are anchoring offenses through skill and versatility rather than traditional post play. Cade Cunningham is proving that control and poise can still dominate in a league obsessed with speed.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Even younger talents like Cooper Flagg and Kon Knueppel represent what is coming next. They are entering a league that already prioritizes skill, spacing, and positional fluidity. By the time they hit their primes, the foundation will already be set by the group just ahead of them.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">What makes this era unique is its balance. There is no single prototype dominating the landscape. Some of these stars are 7-foot playmakers. Some are downhill scorers. Some are defensive anchors. Some are creative offensive orchestrators. The diversity of skill sets means the league is not shifting toward one dominant style, it is expanding.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Another important factor is global influence. Victor Wembanyama, Luka Doncic and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander represent international excellence at the highest level. The league is no longer centered in one region or identity. The game has evolved into a global ecosystem where elite talent emerges from everywhere.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">As the previous generation begins to wind down, the league is searching for its next face. But then it has several candidates. It has multiple MVP-level players under 30. It has championship-proven stars still entering their prime years. It has young bigs redefining positional expectations. It has guards who control pace like veterans despite being in their mid-twenties.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The NBA is in great hands because it does not rely on one successor. It has a wave.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">A wave of players who grew up watching LeBron and Curry and Durant. A wave that understands branding, skill development, and modern spacing. A wave that is comfortable with pressure and unafraid of expectations.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The transition will not feel abrupt because it is already unfolding in real time. These players are not waiting to inherit the league. They are actively taking ownership of it.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The next era is not years away, it is happening right now.</span></p>

From Wemby and Luka to Ant and Tatum, the NBA’s next generation of stars is already here and ready to lead the league forward.

Ushering the new era: The next wave of NBA stars are here

<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Anthony Edwards had a front-row seat to greatness during the 2024 Paris Olympics. Being part of Team USA allowed him to spend extended time around legends LeBron James, Stephen Curry, and Kevin Durant, not just during games but in practices, shootarounds, and daily preparation. What he noticed most was not the highlights or the talent, but the discipline behind it.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">They have been doing the same thing every single day, and according to Edwards, that is exactly why they have accomplished so much in their careers.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Spending that much time with them gave him perspective. Watching how they prepare, how they warm up, how they recover, and how they approach each day showed him that greatness is built on routine. It is not about constantly searching for something new. It is about mastering the same process repeatedly.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">&ldquo;Playing with them on the USA team, it taught me about having a routine, especially when it comes to being on the court,&rdquo; Edwards said postgame at the 2026 All-Star Game in LA. &ldquo;Watching Steph, KD, and Bron every day do the same routine, it&rsquo;s like it&rsquo;s normal for a person to get bored with the same thing, waking up, doing this every single day. But I feel like that&rsquo;s what made them great and that&rsquo;s what they taught me for sure.&rdquo;</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">That level of consistency is what separates sustained greatness from short-term success. For most players, repetition can feel monotonous. For players like Curry, LeBron, and Durant, repetition creates comfort and confidence. Their routines have allowed them to remain elite deep into their careers, adjusting their games as needed but never abandoning the foundation that built them.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Edwards clearly understands that now, and he is beginning to apply those lessons to his own journey.</span></p>
<h3><strong>Letting the work speak for itself</strong></h3>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">At 24 years old, Edwards is already moving in the right direction. Being named All-Star Game MVP is another step forward in his growth as one of the faces of the league. However, for him, the recognition is not the final goal. It is simply progress.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Edwards has made it clear that he does not want to be just one of the best players in the league, but instead he wants to be THe best. That mindset aligns directly with the habits he observed during the Olympics.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">When asked what the All-Star MVP win meant to him, he kept it simple.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">&ldquo;It is a step in the right direction for sure. We chose to compete today, and we came out on top.&rdquo;</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">That statement carried weight because of the context surrounding the All-Star Game in recent years. The event has been criticized for lacking competitiveness and intensity, with many fans feeling that players were not taking it seriously. Edwards embraced the opportunity to compete and help change that narrative. He understood that effort matters, even in exhibition and pickup basketball settings, because habits carry over into bigger moments.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The performance was not just about scoring or highlights. Instead, it was about showing that the next generation values competition and takes pride in it. Victor Wembanyama, a fellow young superstar like Edwards, played hard from the get go and Edwards admitted it was him who got him going.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Confidence plays a major role in that. Edwards has never lacked self-belief, but when asked where that confidence comes from, he pointed directly back to the work.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">When asked about where he thinks that confidence comes from, Edwards offered a simple yet strong statement.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">&ldquo;I feel like it comes from the work, all the hours I put in the gym. I am always in the gym, so being in the gym and shooting all those shots all the time you build confidence within that.&rdquo;</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">That answer ties everything together. The same routine that he saw from Curry, LeBron, and Durant is the same routine he is building for himself. His confidence is not random. But rather it is developed through repetition, preparation, and countless unseen hours in the gym.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Edwards is still early in his career, and he has not yet accomplished what those three legends have achieved. However, the foundation is being built the right way. He recognizes that greatness is not accidental and that talent alone is not enough to sustain dominance over time.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">If he continues to apply those lessons and maintain that daily discipline, his ceiling becomes even higher. He already has the athleticism, scoring ability, and charisma to lead the next era of stars. Pairing that with routine and relentless work gives him a real chance to reach the level he aspires to.</span></p>

Anthony Edwards shares what he learned from the legends of the NBA from his Olympics stint, and how it has transformed his season.

Anthony Edwards praises LeBron, Steph, and KD’s work ethic: “That’s what made them great”

<div>Every February, LeBron James has been wondering why he didn't participate in the Slam Dunk Contest for more than two decades, one of the NBA's great what-ifs. Fans have debated the topic in barbershops, on sports radio, and across social media.</div>
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<div>Brandon 'Scoop B' Robinson's recent interview with former <a href="https://bookmaker-ratings.ru/tip/sport-types/tip-nba-tips/">NBA </a>forward and 1992 dunk champion Cedric Ceballos has given new life to the conversation, even though some parts of the past need to be addressed.</div>
<div>Ceballos didn't just suggest that LeBron skipped the contest because he wasn't interested.</div>
<div>&nbsp;</div>
<div>He defined it as something deeper: the preservation of the brand.</div>
<div>&nbsp;</div>
<div>&ldquo;He had a chance his rookie year and he didn&rsquo;t,&rdquo; <a href="https://scoopb.com/2026/02/cedric-ceballos-talks-vince-carters-springs-anthony-edwards-rise-and-why-lebron-james-skipped-the-dunk-contest/">Ceballos told Robinson</a>. &ldquo;After that rookie year, anything after that would damage his credibility and his career. It&rsquo;s not really if he wins it &mdash; because he&rsquo;s supposed to win it &mdash; it&rsquo;s that if he loses it.&rdquo;</div>
<div>&nbsp;</div>
<div>
<div>According to Ceballos, the risk outweighed the reward. LeBron had already become too big, too famous, and too accustomed to dominating. Winning would be the standard operating procedure.</div>
<div>&nbsp;</div>
<div>Losing would be a headline that would follow him forever.</div>
<div>&nbsp;</div>
<div>To reinforce his point, Ceballos referenced LeBron's high school years.</div>
<div>&nbsp;</div>
<div>
<p data-start="1229" data-end="1478">&ldquo;He lost in the McDonald&rsquo;s All-American Game,&rdquo; Ceballos said, claiming that a then lesser-known Shannon Brown outshined LeBron in the dunk contest. &ldquo;Shannon Brown beat him, but he was a little bit not as famous as LeBron and they gave it to LeBron.&rdquo;</p>
<p data-start="1480" data-end="1599">The story fits neatly into Ceballos&rsquo; narrative: LeBron experiencing early proof that even one loss could dent his aura.</p>
<p data-start="1601" data-end="1646">The problem? It didn&rsquo;t quite happen that way.</p>
<p data-start="1601" data-end="1646">&nbsp;</p>
<h2 data-start="1601" data-end="1646">What Ceballos Was Really Arguing</h2>
<p data-start="1480" data-end="1599">Ceballos' fundamental basketball critique was evident, even though his memory was spotty. According to him, LeBron is a powerful power dunker - one of the best in live action - but not a specialist in dunk contests.</p>
<p data-start="1480" data-end="1599">&ldquo;LeBron dunks on a lot of people,&rdquo; Ceballos implied, &ldquo;but trickery, suaveness &mdash; no.&rdquo;</p>
<div>LeBron's remarkable abilities are attributed to his speed, strength, timing, and rim violence, not to his choreographed creativity. In the past, the Dunk Contest has awarded both flair and force equally.</div>
<div>&nbsp;</div>
<div>The basketball argument is fair. Michael Jordan, Dominique Wilkins, Vince Carter, and Zach LaVine were legends of the contest, blending athleticism and innovation.</div>
<div>&nbsp;</div>
<div>Windmills, free-throw line glides, props, timing, and theatrical moments all play significant roles.LeBron's game has always been about efficiency and dominance, not pre-planned artistry.</div>
<div>&nbsp;</div>
<h2>The McDonald&rsquo;s Contest Reality</h2>
<p data-start="2532" data-end="2682">Officially, LeBron James won the 2003 McDonald&rsquo;s All-American Slam Dunk Contest in Cleveland. The other finalists were Shannon Brown and J.R. Giddens.</p>
<p data-start="2684" data-end="2712">However, the nuance matters.</p>
<p data-start="2714" data-end="2997">Many recaps from that night noted that LeBron&rsquo;s dunks were solid but relatively basic &mdash; powerful, clean, but not jaw-dropping. Brown, on the other hand, pulled off one of the most impressive single dunks of the event but missed multiple attempts afterward, hurting his overall score.</p>
<p data-start="2999" data-end="3072">LeBron benefitted from consistency, hometown energy, and others&rsquo; miscues.</p>
<p data-start="3074" data-end="3211">So while Ceballos is wrong that LeBron &ldquo;lost,&rdquo; he&rsquo;s not wrong that the perception afterward was more complicated than a dominant victory.</p>
<p data-start="3213" data-end="3356">Even as a teenager, LeBron was learning something crucial: when you&rsquo;re the most famous player in the building, expectations distort everything.</p>
<h2 data-start="3213" data-end="3356">The Real Risk for Superstars</h2>
<p data-start="3392" data-end="3462">This is where Ceballos&rsquo; brand argument actually lines up with reality.</p>
<p data-start="3464" data-end="3560">For a player like LeBron James, the Dunk Contest was always a high-risk, low-reward proposition.</p>
<p data-start="3562" data-end="3617">If he won? Fans would shrug and say he was supposed to.</p>
<p data-start="3619" data-end="3810">If he lost &mdash; especially to a smaller, less famous, more creative dunker like Nate Robinson, Gerald Green, or Zach LaVine &mdash; it would instantly become a meme, a punchline, a permanent footnote.</p>
<p data-start="3812" data-end="4018">History backs this up. Dwight Howard&rsquo;s loss to Nate Robinson still gets referenced. Aaron Gordon losing twice despite incredible dunks became a running joke about being &ldquo;robbed.&rdquo; The contest doesn&rsquo;t forget.</p>
<p data-start="4020" data-end="4096">And LeBron has essentially acknowledged this dynamic himself over the years.</p>
<p data-start="4098" data-end="4298">He&rsquo;s said repeatedly that if he ever did the Dunk Contest, he&rsquo;d &ldquo;have to win&rdquo; &mdash; otherwise it wouldn&rsquo;t be worth it. That mindset alone shows how much pressure and perception factored into the decision.</p>
<h2 data-start="4098" data-end="4298">LeBron&rsquo;s Own Explanation</h2>
<p data-start="4330" data-end="4423">Publicly, LeBron has always framed his absence in basketball terms rather than branding ones.</p>
<p data-start="4425" data-end="4538">He&rsquo;s emphasized that his goals <a href="https://x.com/ScoopB/status/1668247108309118977">were championships</a>, MVPs, Defensive Player of the Year awards &mdash; not dunk trophies.</p>
<p data-start="4540" data-end="4786">He&rsquo;s also consistently called himself an &ldquo;in-game dunker,&rdquo; explaining that he doesn&rsquo;t enjoy planning or practicing set-piece dunks. For him, dunking is about reacting in real time, attacking defenders, and finishing with force &mdash; not choreography.</p>
<p data-start="4788" data-end="4851">That explanation fits his personality and play style perfectly.</p>
<p data-start="4853" data-end="4901">But it doesn&rsquo;t exclude the brand reality either.</p>
<p data-start="4853" data-end="4901"><video controls="controls" width="300" height="150">
<source src="https://x.com/ScoopB/status/1668247108309118977?s=20" /></video></p>
<h2 data-start="5066" data-end="5370">So Was Ceballos Right?</h2>
<p data-start="4931" data-end="5008">Factually, no &mdash; LeBron didn&rsquo;t lose that high-school contest to Shannon Brown.</p>
<p data-start="5010" data-end="5064">Conceptually? He was tapping into something very real.</p>
<p data-start="5066" data-end="5370">From the moment LeBron entered the league as &ldquo;<a href="https://rg.org/news/basketball/phil-handy-jordan-kobe-lebron-goat-debate">The Chosen One</a>,&rdquo; every appearance became a referendum on greatness. The Dunk Contest, meant to be fun and experimental, would&rsquo;ve placed him in a situation where creativity mattered more than dominance &mdash; and where a single off night could live forever online.</p>
<p data-start="5372" data-end="5479">For a generational superstar with nothing to gain and everything to lose, skipping it made strategic sense.</p>
<p data-start="5481" data-end="5659">In that light, LeBron&rsquo;s absence doesn&rsquo;t look like fear or lack of interest alone. It looks like a calculated understanding of modern sports culture, expectations, and reputation.</p>
<h2 data-start="5481" data-end="5659">The Middle Ground</h2>
<div>LeBron James' Dunk Contest absence was not only framed as a branding decision by Cedric Ceballos, but also by an associate of James' <a href="https://landonbuford-com-488060.hostingersite.com/lakers-lebron-james-associate-reveals-real-reason-he-skipped-dunk-contest/">Rob MC in the Walklikeus room</a> a few years back.</div>
<div>&nbsp;</div>
<div>&nbsp;</div>
<div>They said it did not fit LeBron's image at the time and pointed out that the contest was less exciting after the best players stopped participating in the early 2000s.</div>
<div>&nbsp;</div>
<div>He answered those who questioned LeBron's drive by citing his famous 3-1 Finals comeback, and also reminded everyone that many great players skipped the contest.</div>
<div>&nbsp;</div>
<div>LeBron stayed out of the Dunk Contest, not because he was scared, but because he thought it could hurt his reputation more than it could help, choosing his long-term legacy over a show, according to their comments.</div>
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<source src="https://x.com/LandonBuford/status/1359669118643941376?s=20" /></video></div>
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Cedric Ceballos explains how branding, risk, and legacy factored into LeBron James's decision not to enter the NBA Slam Dunk Contest.

Ex-Laker Cedric Ceballos Weighs-In on Why LeBron Skipped the Dunk Contest

<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">For years, optimism around the Charlotte Hornets has felt fragile &ndash; brief flashes of promise followed by long stretches of uncertainty. Injuries stalled momentum, development timelines drifted, and hope was something fans talked themselves into rather than something they could see nightly on the floor.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">But that&rsquo;s changing right now.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">What&rsquo;s happening in Charlotte this season feels different, not because the Hornets are suddenly title contenders, but because they finally look like a team building toward something real and with growth. At the center of it is an offensive trio that has quietly become one of the most dangerous three-man shooting combinations in the NBA: LaMelo Ball, Brandon Miller, and rookie Kon Knueppel. Together, they are redefining the Hornets&rsquo; identity.</span></p>
<h3><strong>A trio that fits</strong></h3>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Ball and Miller were always going to be the franchise&rsquo;s cornerstones. Ball, the flamboyant engine, sees passing angles others don&rsquo;t even attempt and remains as a legitimate offensive threat with a little razzle dazzle. Miller, the scorer with size and polish, has steadily evolved into a true three-level threat. The missing piece was someone who could complement their gravity without needing the ball to dominate possessions.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Enter Kon Knueppel &ndash; and not in the limited way many expected.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Knueppel arrived with the label of a shooter, a floor spacer who would benefit from Ball&rsquo;s playmaking and Miller&rsquo;s shot creation. Instead, he&rsquo;s blown past expectations, putting together one of the most efficient rookie seasons the league has seen. He&rsquo;s not just knocking down open threes &ndash; he&rsquo;s attacking closeouts, finishing through contact, and punishing mismatches in the midrange.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Rather than shrinking next to two high-usage stars, Knueppel has expanded Charlotte&rsquo;s offensive ceiling.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">That&rsquo;s what makes this trio special: their games amplify each other. Ball&rsquo;s creativity bends defenses, Miller&rsquo;s scoring versatility forces help from every level, and Knueppel punishes hesitation. There&rsquo;s no redundancy between the three, only synergy.</span></p>
<h3><strong>Brandon Miller&rsquo;s leap is here, and LaMelo Ball is his most impactful</strong></h3>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Miller&rsquo;s recent stretch has been the clearest signal yet that Charlotte has a legitimate star growing in real time.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Over his last nine games, Miller is averaging 24.6 points on an absurd 70.1 true shooting percentage, along with 4.9 rebounds and 3.4 assists per game. More importantly, he&rsquo;s done it consistently &ndash; nine straight 20-plus-point performances, finally healthy and attacking defenses from everywhere on the floor.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">This isn&rsquo;t empty scoring, instead Miller has become decisive. When defenders press up, he drives. When they sag, he shoots. When help arrives early, he makes the simple read. His shot diet is cleaner, his pace more controlled, and his confidence unmistakable.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">For a franchise that has long searched for a wing it could build around, Miller is delivering all the goods for the Hornets.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Ball has always been box-office. The flair, the audacity, the no-look passes &ndash; they&rsquo;ve been part of his identity since day one. But this season, particularly during Charlotte&rsquo;s recent surge, Ball has arguably been playing the most impactful basketball of his career.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">He recently became just the fifth player in NBA history to record 5,000 points, 1,500 rebounds, and 2,000 assists in his first 300 career games, joining Magic Johnson, Walt Frazier, Oscar Robertson, and Luka Doncic. That company alone tells the story.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">What separates this version of Ball is control. He&rsquo;s picking his spots better. He&rsquo;s balancing aggression with orchestration. And with Miller and Knueppel spacing the floor, Ball doesn&rsquo;t have to force brilliance &ndash; it comes naturally.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Defenses can&rsquo;t load up on him anymore, and every rotation comes with consequences.</span></p>
<h3><strong>The pieces are starting to align, and the results are following</strong></h3>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">There&rsquo;s tangible proof that this isn&rsquo;t theoretical optimism.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The Hornets are 11-1 when their starting lineup of Ball, Knueppel, Miller, Miles Bridges, and Moussa Diabate takes the floor together. That group has developed chemistry quickly, playing with clarity and purpose on both ends.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Charlotte has won six straight games and is 7-1 over its last eight, arguably its best stretch of basketball all season. Since December 1, the Hornets rank:</span></p>
<ul>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1"><span style="font-weight: 400;">2nd in offensive rating</span></li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1"><span style="font-weight: 400;">4th in true shooting percentage</span></li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1"><span style="font-weight: 400;">3rd in offensive rebound percentage</span></li>
</ul>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Those numbers reflect a team that understands its strengths and is leaning into them, and a large part of this growth comes from the bench.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Head coach Charles Lee has quickly earned respect as a teacher, a motivator, and a developer of young talent. Charlotte&rsquo;s offense is structured but free &ndash; players know where their advantages are and are encouraged to exploit them. Mistakes don&rsquo;t result in paralysis, and growth is part of the plan.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">That culture matters for a young team &ndash; and so does patience.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">With a front office led by Jeff Peterson, Charlotte has committed to clarity in its roster building. They know what they&rsquo;re looking for in the draft. They&rsquo;ve accumulated picks. And rather than rushing timelines, they&rsquo;re allowing their core to grow together &ndash; which might be the most encouraging sign of all.</span></p>
<h3><strong>The Charlotte Hornets&rsquo; future moving forward</strong></h3>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">This version of the Hornets is fun in each and every aspect of the game. They play with joy and build off of emotion, celebrate each other&rsquo;s success, and they compete with belief.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Ball, Miller, and Knueppel are the Hornets&rsquo; hot shooting trio that are a glimpse into what Charlotte can become if development continues on this path. There will still be bumps, as young teams always face them. But for the first time in a long time, the direction is clear for these Hornets.</span></p>

LaMelo Ball, Brandon Miller, and Kon Knueppel are powering Charlotte’s offensive surge as the Hornets’ young core finally clicks.

LaMelo Ball, Brandon Miller, Kon Knueppel, and the birth of Charlotte’s offensive future

<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">For a franchise that spent the past year recalibrating its identity, the Portland Trail Blazers are no longer asking what they might become. They are showing it, night after night, in the Western Conference standings, on the court, and within the locker room.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Portland is above .500 again, and they are firmly in the thick of the playoff race in the West, in a conference that offers no grace period. And most importantly, they are doing it with a roster that blends urgency with youth &ndash; a mix that is intentional in the construction rather than accidental. This isn&rsquo;t a rebuild stalling into mediocrity. It&rsquo;s a team taking a leap, one that looks impressive and with progress.</span></p>
<h3><strong>A gamble rooted in belief</strong></h3>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">It started with a bold, emotional decision that set the tone for everything that followed.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">When the Trail Blazers signed franchise icon Damian Lillard after he was waived by the Milwaukee Bucks, Portland wasn&rsquo;t interested in nostalgia for nostalgia&rsquo;s sake. They wanted culture, accountability, and a statement. Someone who could remind a young roster what standards look like when winning matters.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Then came the win-now move that truly clarified direction: trading Anfernee Simons for Jrue Holiday. It was a risk, no doubt. Simons represented youth, upside and scoring punch for their core. But Holiday represented something Portland had been missing &ndash; a champion, a defensive tone-setter, and a voice that commands respect without raising it.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Together, Lillard and Holiday have given the Blazers something invaluable: their credibility and winning mindset, not just externally, but also internally. Team practices matter more, close games feel different, and mistakes become lessons instead of habits.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Holiday, in particular, has been vital: organizing the floor, calming possessions late, and serving as a constant presence in the locker room. For a young team learning how to win, that influence cannot be overstated.</span></p>
<h3><strong>Deni Avdija&rsquo;s arrival as a star</strong></h3>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Yet as important as the veterans have been, this season belongs to Deni Avdija.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Avdija hasn&rsquo;t just improved, he has transformed and blossomed into a full-blown star. Avidja has made the leap, and it&rsquo;s reshaped everything about Portland&rsquo;s ceiling. He has been the Blazers&rsquo; best player this season, and it has been clearly the case.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">A jumbo playmaking forward with relentless downhill pressure, Avdija attacks the rim with purpose. He currently leads the league in free throw attempts, a reflection of both his aggression and his physicality. He&rsquo;s constantly seeking contact, forcing defenses to react, bend, and eventually break.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Avdija can create his own shot and he scores at all three levels. He handles, passes, defends multiple positions, and dictates tempo for the team. Whether initiating offense or finishing possessions, he plays with a confidence that suggests this isn&rsquo;t a fluke &mdash; it&rsquo;s a new baseline for his play today moving forward.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">With the league&rsquo;s new All-Star format pitting USA vs. World, Avdija&rsquo;s emergence couldn&rsquo;t be more timely. An All-Star berth feels not only possible, but deserved. Avdija should be named to Team World and he has built a compelling case.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">More than numbers, he has become Portland&rsquo;s engine &ndash; the player teammates feed off, the one who sets the tone when games tighten.</span></p>
<h3><strong>Sharpe&rsquo;s next step, Camara&rsquo;s havoc, Clingan&rsquo;s anchor</strong></h3>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">While Avdija has led the charge, he hasn&rsquo;t done it alone.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Shaedon Sharpe is beginning to find consistency, slowly stepping into the responsibility of being a No. 1 option. His talent has never been in question ever since from the start. The explosiveness, shot-making, and athletic ceiling are undeniable. What Sharpe is learning now is assertiveness &ndash; understanding when to take over, when to impose his will.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">If he puts it all together, Sharpe remains the player most capable of becoming Portland&rsquo;s best long-term star. This season has been about learning how to be that guy, not just flashing it.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Toumani Camara continues to be exactly what Portland needs on the wing: disruptive, versatile, and fearless defensively. He routinely takes on the opponent&rsquo;s best perimeter scorer and holds his ground in switches against bigger players. His defensive havoc allows the Blazers to be aggressive without losing structure.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Inside, Donovan Clingan has emerged as the defensive anchor. He inhales rebounds, sets punishing screens, and finishes efficiently around the rim with soft touch on lobs. His occasional willingness to stretch the floor hints at future growth, but even now, his impact is clear &ndash; he alters shots, blocks attempts, and stabilizes the paint.</span></p>
<h3><strong>Unexpected contributors, steady veterans</strong></h3>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Every good season has its subplots, and for Portland, Caleb Love has become one of the best. As an undrafted rookie, Love has provided scoring punch off the bench, knocking down threes, creating offense for others, and putting pressure on the rim. He plays without fear &ndash; a trait that fits perfectly with this team&rsquo;s evolving identity.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Sidy Cissoko has also had his moments, injecting energy whenever he checks in, whether starting or coming off the bench. His activity level changes games in small but meaningful ways.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">And when the moment calls for experience, Portland still has it. Jerami Grant, Robert Williams III, and Matisse Thybulle remain reliable options &ndash; veterans who understand playoff-level basketball and can be deployed when stability is needed.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">But perhaps the most striking part of Portland&rsquo;s rise is who hasn&rsquo;t been on the floor.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Scoot Henderson, the franchise&rsquo;s prized young guard, has yet to play this season due to a lingering hamstring injury. He was supposed to be central to this transition &ndash; a symbol of the future.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Instead, Portland has surged without him.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">That&rsquo;s not an indictment of Scoot. If anything, it underscores how far ahead of schedule the Blazers might be. Avdija&rsquo;s leap, the veterans&rsquo; influence, and the collective buy-in have accelerated the timeline. When Scoot does return, he won&rsquo;t be asked to save a franchise &ndash; he&rsquo;ll be joining one that already believes in itself.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">&ndash; &ndash; &ndash;</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">For the first time since the prime years of Damian Lillard, this version of the Blazers feels different because the urgency is real. The talent is emerging, the leadership is present, and the results are starting to match the vision.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Portland is playing better basketball and they are unraveling their identity &ndash; a team that competes and believes in themselves.</span></p>

The Blazers are playing .500 basketball this season, fueled by Deni Avdija’s All-Star leap and a young core learning how to win.

From reset to resurgence: The Portland Trail Blazers are putting it together

<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Former NBA guard Jeff Teague believes the Denver Nuggets remain the team to beat in the Western Conference &ndash; and he didn&rsquo;t hesitate to put a prediction on it.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">&ldquo;I&rsquo;m going to be honest, if Jokic and them are fully healthy, they are going to 4-2 OKC,&rdquo; Teague said in a recent podcast. &ldquo;They already took them to seven games last year and they were not healthy with some injuries here and there. I really like this Denver team this year.&rdquo;</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Teague&rsquo;s confidence isn&rsquo;t coming out of nowhere. There&rsquo;s real substance behind his take, especially considering how Denver has looked this season and how much continuity remains from its championship core.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Nikola Jokic is once again playing at an MVP level, averaging a near triple-double while putting up historically efficient numbers. His command of the offense continues to be the foundation of everything Denver does, and when he&rsquo;s healthy, the Nuggets&rsquo; ceiling rises to championship level.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Jamal Murray, meanwhile, may finally earn his long-awaited All-Star selection. He&rsquo;s averaging career highs across the board and remains the ideal No. 2 option next to Jokic, perfectly complementing Denver&rsquo;s read-and-react style with his shot-making and playmaking.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Around them, Denver&rsquo;s supporting cast has quietly taken meaningful steps forward. Aaron Gordon has improved as a three-point shooter while continuing to provide physicality, toughness, and elite off-ball movement. Christian Braun, fresh off a contract extension, has developed strong chemistry with Jokic. Cam Johnson, brought in to replace Michael Porter Jr., has seamlessly filled his role as a spacer and cutter, maximizing his impact without disrupting the offense.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Off the bench, free-agent additions Tim Hardaway Jr., Bruce Brown, and Jonas Valanciunas have given Denver reliable depth, shoring up areas that were tested during last year&rsquo;s postseason run.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Perhaps the biggest revelation this season has been Peyton Watson. His growth on both ends of the floor has been noticeable, and with Jokic missing time, Watson has stepped up offensively, giving Denver another viable option and further stabilizing the rotation.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">When you combine roster depth, continuity, and elite chemistry, it&rsquo;s easy to see why Teague views the Nuggets as Oklahoma City&rsquo;s biggest obstacle. If Denver stays healthy, they may very well be the Thunder&rsquo;s toughest challenge in the race to return to the Western Conference Finals &ndash; and possibly punch another ticket to the NBA Finals.</span></p>

Jeff Teague believes the Denver Nuggets are the best team in the West.

Jeff Teague thinks the Nuggets are the best in the West: “They going to 4-2 OKC”

<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">There was always going to be a reckoning for the Boston Celtics. When Jayson Tatum went down with a torn Achilles during last year&rsquo;s playoffs, the immediate question wasn&rsquo;t just how long Boston would be without its franchise star &ndash; but what the Celtics would look like in his absence. Championship cores rarely survive injuries of that magnitude unscathed. More often than not those teams fracture so they try to reset, and they quietly accept a step back.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">This season was labeled a &ldquo;gap year&rdquo; almost by default, until Jaylen Brown refused to let it become one.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">With Boston stripped of its offensive centerpiece and much of the supporting cast that defined its title run &ndash; Jrue Holiday, Kristaps Porzingis, and Al Horford all gone &ndash; the Celtics entered the season with lowered expectations and little external belief. What followed so far this season, however, has been one of the most defining stretches of Brown&rsquo;s career and one of the most impressive coaching jobs by Joe Mazzulla.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Boston somehow remains afloat and relevant: as of this writing they are currently 2nd in the Eastern Conference and are competitive night in and night out, powered by a version of Jaylen Brown that looks increasingly like a top-10 player in the league.</span></p>
<h3><strong>First option Jaylen Brown hoops</strong></h3>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">This has been the season where everything clicked for Brown. With Tatum sidelined, he didn&rsquo;t merely inherit the role of first option, he embraced it and expanded it. He mastered his game that was once questioned for its limitations and it has evolved into something that devastates opponents.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Brown&rsquo;s shotmaking this season is operating on a different plane. Pull-up jumpers off either foot, step-backs with confidence, strong decisive rim pressure that bends defenses, and creating advantages even when his shot doesn&rsquo;t fall. He&rsquo;s no longer just reacting to the defense, rather he&rsquo;s dictating it and playing at his own pace.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Being &ldquo;featured&rdquo; as the main guy can sometimes expose weaknesses for some players. Instead, it sharpened Brown&rsquo;s strengths. He&rsquo;s scoring more efficiently under greater defensive attention. He&rsquo;s commanding double teams without rushing decisions. And perhaps most importantly, he&rsquo;s showing a level of control and composure that suggests a player who finally understands the rhythm of the game at its highest level.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">This is what a $60 million-per-year player is supposed to look like. For years, Brown&rsquo;s contract was framed as a risk &ndash; an overpay tethered to potential rather than certainty. This season so far has flipped that narrative entirely. He is worth every penny, not because of raw numbers alone, but because of his impact on the floor. He has carried on the responsibility and leadership that shows up every night when there are no safety nets left.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Brown&rsquo;s evolution hasn&rsquo;t been all statistical: it has also been psychological.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Without Tatum, there is no fallback plan, late-clock bailout, and the luxury of deferring. Every offensive scheme is designed with Brown as the focal point, and yet Boston&rsquo;s offense hasn&rsquo;t collapsed under the weight.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">If anything, it&rsquo;s become clearer. Brown has learned when to get his shot off and when to trust his teammates. His reads out of pressure have improved. His willingness to absorb contact, get to the line, and wear down defenders has become a tone-setter for a roster still finding its identity.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">This is a player proving he can be the guy &ndash; even if just for now. And that matters not only for the present, but for Boston&rsquo;s long-term reality when Tatum eventually returns. The Celtics are competitive because of him, and he has done a tremendous job in doing so.</span></p>
<h3><strong>Joe Mazzulla reinventing Celtics basketball</strong></h3>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">If Brown has been the engine, Joe Mazzulla has been the architect.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">What Boston lost in talent, it had to recover in structure &ndash; and Mazzulla deserves enormous credit for how quickly and decisively he pivoted. This is almost an entirely different team from the one that raised a banner not long ago. Only Brown and Derrick White remain as true pieces from that championship core.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Everything else had to be rebuilt. Mazzulla adjusted the offense to feature the current Celtics roster strengths other than the usual system he was accustomed to using in their title run. The Celtics play faster in spurts and simpler in execution by necessity. Roles are clearly defined, expectations are realistic and accountability within the team is firm.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Payton Pritchard, elevated into the starting point guard role, has responded with poise and toughness. He&rsquo;s there to organize, compete, and space the floor, while Derrick White remains the stabilizer, the connective guard who keeps lineups functional. This has worked throughout the course of the year, with no signs of drop in production even without Jrue Holiday.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Around them, Mazzulla has empowered a new wave of role players. Jordan Walsh is getting meaningful minutes, Neemias Queta has carved out a real role, and offseason acquisitions like Anfernee Simons, Luka Garza, and Hugo Gonzales have been solid in&nbsp; their own right.</span></p>
<h3><strong>Jayson Tatum&rsquo;s return and what it means for Boston</strong></h3>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">&ldquo;Gap&rdquo; years in the NBA are supposed to be quiet. They are to be about patience, development, and waiting for better days. Instead, Boston has turned this season into a proving ground &ndash; for Brown, for Mazzulla, and for a franchise that refuses to fade into irrelevance simply because circumstances demanded it.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">This doesn&rsquo;t necessarily mean that the Brown and the Celtics are true title contenders in their current form this season, but it does imply that they are still dangerous and rounding up in form while their best player comes back.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">And when Tatum eventually returns, he won&rsquo;t be walking back into a team that treaded water. He&rsquo;ll return to one that learned how to survive without him, and one that discovered a version of Jaylen Brown that can take them to the next level.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">This statement written by Jaylen Brown and reinforced by Joe Mazzulla has the Celtics looking ahead for a bright future when they are back in full strength.</span></p>

Jaylen Brown is playing at a top-10 level as the Celtics defy expectations in a gap year without Jayson Tatum.

Jaylen Brown, Joe Mazzulla keeping Celtics relevant sans Jayson Tatum

<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">There was a time when every Nikola Jokic triple-double was a headline. Now, it&rsquo;s just another night in the NBA.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Through the first seven games of the season, Jokic has recorded a triple-double in five of them &ndash; a feat that, for almost any other player, would be hailed as an early-season masterpiece. For Jokic nowadays though, it barely makes noise &ndash; or so we thought.&nbsp;</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">His latest line &ndash; 33 points, 15 rebounds, and 16 assists in a win over the Miami Heat &ndash; came and went without much fanfare. No major debates, no viral clips, just another Nikola Jokic game.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">It raises a sobering question: </span><strong>Have we started taking Nikola Jokic for granted?</strong></p>
<p><strong>When greatness becomes routine</strong></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">In a league dominated by storylines, Jokic has somehow become background noise.</span><span style="font-weight: 400;"><br /></span><span style="font-weight: 400;">There&rsquo;s the buzz surrounding Oklahoma City&rsquo;s rise to their dynasty aspirations, led by Shai Gilgeous-Alexander&rsquo;s another MVP-level play. There&rsquo;s Victor Wembanyama&rsquo;s historic two-way surge, Luka Doncic torching defenses nightly, and Giannis Antetokounmpo reclaiming his MVP momentum as the Bucks return back into contention. Amid all this, Jokic continues to produce at a level that would define other players&rsquo; careers &ndash; and yet, it&rsquo;s treated as business as usual.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Maybe that&rsquo;s the curse of consistency. Jokic has been performing at an MVP standard for six straight years, making extraordinary basketball look almost effortless. His greatness has lost its novelty, not its effectiveness. The NBA world seems to have reached the point where a 25-12-12 stat line is expected out of him night in and night out, and anything less is considered an off night.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">That kind of expectation can only mean one thing: we might have grown numb to the brilliance of the Joker.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Jokic&rsquo;s game defies conventional flash. He doesn&rsquo;t soar above defenders, doesn&rsquo;t scream after dunks, and rarely demands attention. Instead, he dissects opponents with surgical precision &ndash; manipulating angles, finding shooters, and bending defenses until they break.&nbsp;</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">He makes the hardest parts of basketball look like second nature. And perhaps because of that, his dominance no longer shocks us.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Watch him closely, though, and it&rsquo;s clear this is not normal. No one in NBA history has combined this kind of scoring efficiency, playmaking creativity, and rebounding control in one body. Jokic&rsquo;s blend of power and patience, vision and touch, feels like something out of a different era &ndash; or maybe a different dimension.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Yet, somehow, it doesn&rsquo;t dominate the discourse anymore the way it once did.</span></p>
<p><strong>The cost of familiarity</strong></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">It&rsquo;s possible that &lsquo;voter fatigue&rsquo; has caught up with Jokic &ndash; not just in award voting, but in the public consciousness. When a player sustains greatness for this long, the conversation naturally shifts elsewhere. The media and fans often chase new narratives, new stars, new sensations. Jokic, who&rsquo;s been doing this for years, no longer fits the mold of &ldquo;breaking news.&rdquo;</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">But it&rsquo;s worth remembering: he&rsquo;s still the best player in basketball.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Since 2019, Jokic has averaged roughly 26 points, 12 rebounds, and 9 assists per game while leading the Denver Nuggets to sustained success, including the 2023 NBA Championship &ndash; a run that stamped his legacy as one of the all-time greats. And yet, even as he keeps doing it, his name often fades into the background of louder storylines.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The truth is, we&rsquo;ve normalized his greatness to the point where we no longer fully appreciate it. It&rsquo;s not that Jokic has gotten worse &ndash; it&rsquo;s that everyone else has gotten louder.</span></p>
<p><strong>Led by Jokic, Nuggets quietly creep up atop the West</strong></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Part of the reason Jokic&rsquo;s brilliance flies under the radar is the Nuggets&rsquo; quiet offseason.</span><span style="font-weight: 400;"><br /></span><span style="font-weight: 400;">While other teams made splashy moves &ndash; like Kevin Durant&rsquo;s shocking arrival in Houston &ndash; Denver operated with surgical precision rather than spectacle.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">They brought back a familiar face in Bruce Brown, a key piece of their 2023 title run. Brown&rsquo;s return instantly reestablishes the defensive edge and chemistry that made Denver so complete during their championship push. His connection with Jokic is instinctive; he knows exactly when and where to cut, and Jokic always finds him.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The Nuggets also made a subtle but meaningful trade &ndash; flipping Michael Porter Jr. for Cameron Johnson. At first glance, it might seem like a downgrade in talent, but in practice, it could be an upgrade in fit. Johnson&rsquo;s spacing, unselfishness, and commitment to role-playing perfectly complement Jokic&rsquo;s system. He won&rsquo;t hijack possessions or hunt shots; he&rsquo;ll move, shoot, and defend &ndash; the exact formula that maximizes Jokic&rsquo;s playmaking brilliance.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Denver also finally addressed one of their lingering issues: the lack of a dependable backup center. The addition of Jonas Valanciunas gives them that stability. A bruising interior presence and elite screener, Valanciunas allows Denver to stay afloat when Jokic sits &ndash; a problem that&rsquo;s haunted them for years. He&rsquo;s also a sneaky-good passer, keeping Denver&rsquo;s dribble-handoff flow alive in bench units.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">And perhaps the most underrated move of all is not a move at all: the return of a healthy Jamal Murray and Aaron Gordon. Both have battled injuries during previous playoff runs, but when on the floor, they complete Denver&rsquo;s identity. Murray&rsquo;s two-man game with Jokic remains one of the most unstoppable actions in basketball, while Gordon&rsquo;s cutting, defense, and athleticism balance the Nuggets on both ends.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Another quiet storyline is their head coach David Adelman. After taking over midseason last year, Adelman has done an exceptional job keeping the Nuggets grounded and disciplined. His defensive tweaks and trust in player development have kept Denver sharp despite roster transitions. He doesn&rsquo;t seek the spotlight &ndash; much like Jokic &ndash; but his influence is felt in the team&rsquo;s structure, chemistry, and accountability.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Adelman has embraced what makes Jokic special: freedom within a framework. Denver plays through Jokic at all times, but it never feels forced. The rhythm of the offense &ndash; cuts, screens, spacing &ndash; is organic, built on years of familiarity and trust.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">While the Thunder, Lakers, Spurs, and Rockets dominate headlines, the Nuggets are quietly creeping back into the Western Conference&rsquo;s top tier. It&rsquo;s easy to forget that Denver was one win away from eliminating the eventual champion Oklahoma City Thunder last postseason.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Now, with a more balanced roster, better depth, and a refreshed core, they&rsquo;re poised to make another deep run. And at the center of it all &ndash; both literally and figuratively &ndash; is Nikola Jokic, still orchestrating everything with unmatched control.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">He&rsquo;s still the engine, still the mind, still the heartbeat of Denver basketball. And yet, somehow, we&rsquo;ve stopped talking about him.</span></p>
<p><strong>The normalization of the extraordinary</strong></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Maybe that&rsquo;s the price of sustained brilliance &ndash; to be so consistently excellent that the world stops noticing.&nbsp;</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">But history will remember what the present often overlooks. Jokic isn&rsquo;t just putting up big numbers; he&rsquo;s reshaping what we thought possible for a big man.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">One day, when we look back, we&rsquo;ll realize these seasons weren&rsquo;t normal. They were masterpieces hiding in plain sight.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Nikola Jokic hasn&rsquo;t fallen off &ndash; if anything, he&rsquo;s still climbing. It&rsquo;s the rest of us who&rsquo;ve forgotten to look up.</span></p>

Nikola Jokic’s brilliance has become so routine that fans may be taking it for granted. Read why, here:

Has Nikola Jokic become underrated?

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<div>Angel Reese: I post pictures of myself in a bathing suit but, multiple times people have made AI pictures of me naked. My family members are sending it to me, uncles are like, &lsquo;Are you naked on Instagram ? It sucks to see that and it&rsquo;s really hard that I have to go through that</div>
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<div>Interviewer: So when you were talking about being sexualized, a lot of people we like, &lsquo;Well, she asked for it.&nbsp;</div>
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<div>I reposted this video clip along with commentary from Adrian Ewing and was surprised to see some of the comments in my comment section&nbsp;</div>
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<div>Seeing grown men justify why Angel Reese somehow deserves to be sexualized is depressing to see. But it wasn&rsquo;t just these cats in my comment section, people in the media like Jason Whitlock (who never misses an opportunity to bash Black People for his MAGA audience) and David Portnoy, founder of barstool, doubled down on his hatred for Angel Reese.&nbsp;</div>
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<div>I showed these my daughters volleyball carpool and this is what they had to say,&nbsp;</div>
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<div>Imani&nbsp;</div>
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<div>&ldquo;Who said anything about Onlyfans ? Why would he jump to that ? She just did something that no other athlete has done before. Why do they care so much about her ? Why does it matter so much to them ? She is just living her life. So they don&rsquo;t want her (or any other WNBA player) so they chastise them for their Pay Us What You Owe us stance, but then they don&rsquo;t want them to earn money through any marketing opportunities or any other way either ? She comes out with her own shoes they mad. She breaks record on the court they mad. She says she doesn&rsquo;t want to talk to the media they mad. She criticizes her organization they mad. Why don&rsquo;t they both mind their business and let her live her life&rdquo;&nbsp;</div>
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<div>Baby Sierra&nbsp;</div>
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<div>So where are all the men standing up for her ? I saw Shaq said something one time awhile ago but that&rsquo;s it ? Just you and Shaq ? Nobody else says anything ? Well I&rsquo;m glad you said something. Thank you for standing up for us&nbsp;</div>
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<div>Addy</div>
<div>&ldquo;It&rsquo;s really weird that they are so focused on her. &nbsp;Don&rsquo;t they have any other topics to talk about ? Why are they so fixated and infatuated with her ? Do they focus this much on any other WNBA player not named Caitlin Clark ? It&rsquo;s just weird how much they are locked in on Angel Reese&nbsp;</div>
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<div>All valid points made by the Carpool&nbsp;</div>
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<div>To David Portnoy I ask:&nbsp;</div>
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<div>What could this 23 year old young woman possibly have done to make you this upset with her ? So much so that you say you &ldquo;hate&rdquo; her ? You can&rsquo;t be still bent out of shape because she beat yall great white hope Caitlin Clark back in college so what is it ? Is it just a natural jealous and hatred of Black Women not needing your approval or consent to live their lives ? Or the fact that she has brilliantly taken the Caitlin Clark Mob&rsquo;s hatred toward her and transformed it into 7 figure earnings for herself and her brand ?&nbsp;</div>
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<div>Angel Reese just made history as the first professional athlete ever to walk at the Victoria Secret&rsquo;s Fashion Show. That means no other athlete in the history of athletes has ever done this before and as Rep Jasmine Crockett said,&nbsp;</div>
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<div>&ldquo;The only people that are crying are the mediocre white boys that have been beaten out by people that historically have had to work so much harder,&rdquo;</div>
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<div>Unfortunately, it&rsquo;s not just mediocre white boys who are doing the bashing. Almost all of the comments I showed earlier from my Instagram comments section were by Black Men. Not just people like Jason Whitlock whose schtick is bashing the Black Community so he can continue to get pats on the top of his head from a MAGA audience that can then point to him and say,&nbsp;</div>
<div>&ldquo;See I&rsquo;m not racist, here&rsquo;s a Black Man saying this&rdquo; But regular everyday Black Men who actually justified Angel another Black Woman being sexualized.&nbsp;</div>
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<div dir="ltr">A few days ago, Angel Reese responded to a viral post that put her side-by-side with Sid. She called the comparison rude and completely out of line.&nbsp;</div>
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<div dir="ltr">People keep asking me why I post about Angel Reese so much ? Well, I&rsquo;ll tell you why. Ever since she beat Caitlin Clark in college, there has been an onslaught of criticism hurled her way. She became the villain. Public enemy number one (to a certain specific demographic) And as a Black Man, whenever I see what sometimes seems like the entire basketball world bashing a young Black Woman, I&rsquo;m suppose to come to her defense.&nbsp;</div>
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<div dir="ltr">People don&rsquo;t understand that young Black Girls see the criticism that Angel Reese receives and understand how it is a microcosm of life. This is how they are treated in their schools and how they will be treated as they grow up in this society. They will be judged more heavily, and criticized more heavily, and a higher expectation and standard will be placed on them than their white counterparts&nbsp;ie Stephen A. Smith ridiculing Rep Jasmine Crockett but having no issues with Trump&rsquo;s presentation.&nbsp;</div>
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<div dir="ltr">So when my daughters and her teammate in our carpool tell me, &ldquo;Thank you for standing up for us&rdquo; I know, I&rsquo;m doing what I&rsquo;m supposed to be doing.&nbsp;</div>
<div dir="ltr">&nbsp;</div>
<div dir="ltr">
<div>&ldquo;The most disrespected person in America is the Black Woman. The most unprotected person in America is the Black woman. The most neglected person in America is the Black woman."</div>
<div><span style="color: #020518; font-family: Google Sans, Roboto, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: x-large;">&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;~Malcolm X</span></div>
<div><span style="color: #020518; font-family: Google Sans, Roboto, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: x-large;"><img src="https://cdn.basketballnews.com/images/story/body/7-etan-thomas-13_690w.jpeg" alt="" /></span></div>
</div>
</div>

Angel Reese Doesn’t “Deserve” To Be Sexualized. No Woman Does.

Angel Reese Doesn’t “Deserve” To Be Sexualized. No Woman Does

The Chicago Sky don’t deserve Angel Reese. Read more why:

The Chicago Sky as an organization do not deserve Angel Reese

<div dir="ltr">An Open Letter To RG3</div>
<div dir="ltr">&nbsp;</div>
<div dir="ltr">Dear RG3,
<div>
<div>&nbsp;</div>
<div>My son Malcolm was one of the biggest RG3 fans growing up.&nbsp;</div>
<div>&nbsp;</div>
<div><img src="https://cdn.basketballnews.com/images/story/body/4-etan-thomas-1_690w.jpeg" alt="" /></div>
<div>
<div>In 2011, The Washington Commanders had an open scrimmage for fans and the community. I took my son there and we watched the entire practice from start to finish including stretching, warm ups, everything. So afterwards, we were standing on the side and you walked by Malcolm and said,&nbsp;</div>
<div>&nbsp;</div>
<div>&ldquo;Hey you got braids like me&rdquo;&nbsp;</div>
<div>&nbsp;</div>
<div>And Malcolm replied,</div>
<div>&nbsp;</div>
<div>&ldquo;No, I have dreadlocks&rdquo;&nbsp;</div>
<div>&nbsp;</div>
<div>And you laughed, and Malcolm asked if he could take a picture with you and from that day on, he was the biggest RG3 fan on earth. So that meant so was I.&nbsp;</div>
<div>&nbsp;</div>
<div>We went to the games, sat out in the stadium in the freezing cold, bought the RG3 jerseys, bought him an RG3 poster with you pointing up to the heavens and me and my wife used it to illustrate that athletes like you and Steph Curry in particular always give thanks and praise to Jesus Christ for everything they accomplish whether it was a touchdown (RG3) or 3 pointer (Steph Curry).</div>
<div>&nbsp;</div>
<div>&nbsp;</div>
<div>&nbsp;</div>
<div>Young Malcolm received the message and put the poster on his bedroom door. He would tap it every day as he walked by. We were full blown RG3 fans as a family. He even dragged his little sister Imani to the games.&nbsp;</div>
<div>&nbsp;</div>
<div><img src="https://cdn.basketballnews.com/images/story/body/4-etan-thomas-3_690w.jpeg" alt="" /></div>
<div>
<div>I remember that infamous game in the 2012-2013 NFL Wild Card game against the Seattle Seahawks where you re-aggravated your knee injury during the game and ultimately tore your ACL and LCL. I remember watching my son asking over and over the entire game from the first snap why you were even playing. He kept saying,&nbsp;</div>
<div>&nbsp;</div>
<div>&ldquo;If RG3 is hurt and playing, couldn&rsquo;t he get hurt more ?&rdquo;</div>
<div>&nbsp;</div>
<div>He was literally yelling,&nbsp;</div>
<div>&nbsp;</div>
<div>"Look at his face daddy, he is in pain why is he still playing if he is in that much pain?"</div>
<div>&nbsp;</div>
<div>When you went down, the look on Malcolm&rsquo;s face is something I will never forget. It was sheer horror followed by anger. I remember he couldn&rsquo;t even sleep that night he was so upset.&nbsp;</div>
<div>&nbsp;</div>
<div><a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/therootdc/post/robert-griffin-iii-an-open-letter/2013/01/07/5e4da812-58fd-11e2-beee-6e38f5215402_blog.html">The next day I wrote an article for The Washington Post mainly to convey Malcolm&rsquo;s frustration over the entire situation as we both felt that you should&rsquo;ve never been cleared to play and the medical staff, the coaches, and the entire organization failed you.&nbsp;</a></div>
<div>&nbsp;</div>
<div>Even now, whenever I am discussing the topic of a team neglecting a player&rsquo;s safety and well being by playing them injured and risking their health for &ldquo;The Big Game&rdquo; I use you as an example. It is a cautionary tale for athletes that should be repeated which I did recently in my article titled, <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/the-indiana-pacers-rg3d-tyrese-haliburton?fbclid=IwQ0xDSwLfDdtleHRuA2FlbQIxMQABHmNyk6lZSSvwHjakPrXhs6dC9sgeHiJSuaRNTmALm5an_9ymtdg4Px4VUq94_aem_q_a1E4M2rtFYSDjf4ZGzWw">&ldquo;The Indiana Pacers RG3&rsquo;d Tyrese Haliburton&rdquo;&nbsp;</a></div>
<div>
<p>We as a family always supported you. I even did a few Fatherhood Panels with your father at different churches in the DMV including my church First Baptist Church Of Glenarden, Reid Temple, and we went to Wise High School. My daughter became friends with your niece. My wife hugs your mother every time she would see her in church. We loved your entire family.&nbsp;</p>
<p>So now, years later I have to ask you, what happened to you since retiring and going into the media ?&nbsp;</p>
<p>Let me say this, you are incredibly talented behind the mic.&nbsp;</p>
<p>I don&rsquo;t have to agree with all of your perspectives and takes to be able to acknowledge that. You have the gift of gab, a big personality on screen, and I am happy you found something you are passionate about especially as I feel and will always stand on the fact that your career was unfairly taken from you by the Washington Commanders coach, medical staff and everyone else who still to this day failed to take responsibility for playing you and in essence ruining your entire career.&nbsp;</p>
<p>But somewhere something changed. You morphed into someone I would have never expected.&nbsp;</p>
<p>By now everyone has seen what transpired with you and your comments regarding a racist disgusting tweet aimed at Angel Reese.&nbsp;</p>
<p>Quick recap, for those who are not aware, Angel Reese was named one of 3 athletes who will grace the NBA 2K26 cover and in response to that news, a now viral tweet replaced her face with that of an ape. So you responded with a tweet condemning the racist depiction and declared that racism has no place in society and can&rsquo;t we all just get along. The tweet was going just fine, but then it took a turn and you brought back up your notion that according to your anonymous sources Angel Reese does in fact hate Caitlin Clark so you was right along. And that&rsquo;s where you lost me.</p>
<p><img src="https://cdn.basketballnews.com/images/story/body/4-etan-thomas-4_690w.jpeg" alt="" /></p>
<p>You couldn't just say it was racism, terrible and disgusting and leave it at that? Why would you feel the need to continue this narrative about Angel Reese hating Caitlin Clark ? Why even bring that up? Whether intentional or unintentional, you are fanning the flames for the Caitlin Clark white grievance mob.&nbsp;</p>
<div>You may not be aware of this but let me explain what you are doing again whether intentionally or not.&nbsp;</div>
<div>&nbsp;</div>
<div>The Angel Reese is jealous of Caitlin Clark narrative you continue to parrot has been implemented for a reason. This entire situation has been manufactured ever since Angel Reese beat Caitlin Clark (The Great White Hope) in college. There is historical context to this.&nbsp;</div>
<div>&nbsp;</div>
<div>Back in 1910, Boxer Jack Johnson beat James Jeffries (The Great White Hope of the time) this fight was marketed and widely viewed as a &ldquo;referendum on white superiority&rdquo;&nbsp;</div>
<div>The hate and anger was instant as his victory ignited&nbsp;&nbsp;<a href="https://timeline.com/when-a-black-fighter-won-the-fight-of-the-century-race-riots-erupted-across-america-3730b8bf9c98" target="_blank" rel="noopener" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://timeline.com/when-a-black-fighter-won-the-fight-of-the-century-race-riots-erupted-across-america-3730b8bf9c98&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1752743372198000&amp;usg=AOvVaw2BLD6dkizo_qfoiccJB3jZ">bloody confrontations and violence</a>&nbsp; all throughout the country actually leaving two dozen people dead, almost all of them Black and hundreds injured and arrested. And that&rsquo;s when Jack Johnson became hated by the white masses.&nbsp;</div>
<div>&nbsp;</div>
<div><a href="https://theconversation.com/when-a-black-boxing-champion-beat-the-great-white-hope-all-hell-broke-loose-163413" target="_blank" rel="noopener" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://theconversation.com/when-a-black-boxing-champion-beat-the-great-white-hope-all-hell-broke-loose-163413&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1752743372198000&amp;usg=AOvVaw39vP21OkVB_BH6KU_53lal">https://theconversation.com/<wbr />when-a-black-boxing-champion-<wbr />beat-the-great-white-hope-all-<wbr />hell-broke-loose-163413</a></div>
<div>&nbsp;</div>
<div>Fast forward to 2023, when a new Great White Hope arises (Caitlin Clark) and is defeated by Angel Reese but not only did she beat her, she told her about it along the way accompanied with the hand gesture in her face, and taunts (which Caitlin Clark did first accompanied with trash talking and taunts of her own that nobody had an issue with but I digress)&nbsp;</div>
<div>&nbsp;</div>
<div>Well, this isn&rsquo;t the 1910s so the Caitlin Clark mobs couldn&rsquo;t respond the way the James Jeffries mob did, but they could take their hate, anger, vitriol, racism, etc etc online, which they did all directed toward Angel Reese. She didn&rsquo;t just become a villain, as she told reporters she had been actually receiving death threats online for over a year.&nbsp;</div>
<div>&nbsp;</div>
<div><a href="https://www.nbcnews.com/news/nbcblk/loss-iowa-lsu-angel-reese-death-threats-rcna146023" target="_blank" rel="noopener" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.nbcnews.com/news/nbcblk/loss-iowa-lsu-angel-reese-death-threats-rcna146023&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1752743372198000&amp;usg=AOvVaw3AAvUloVRuhTsBBuhBsniM">https://www.nbcnews.com/news/<wbr />nbcblk/loss-iowa-lsu-angel-<wbr />reese-death-threats-rcna146023</a><wbr />&nbsp;</div>
<div>&nbsp;</div>
<div>So, now back to you pushing this&nbsp;</div>
<div>Angel Reese is jealous of Caitlin Clark narrative. Do you realize exactly whose narrative you are promoting ? I don&rsquo;t see how you couldn&rsquo;t. You see your comment sections every time &nbsp;you disparage, demonize, and discredit Angel Reese. You even mocked her with your wife sitting in the background drinking tea like the movie &ldquo;Get Out&rdquo; or something.&nbsp;</div>
<div>&nbsp;</div>
<div>Maybe you&rsquo;re not aware of this but this entire situation is now being weaponized by a certain demographic of Caitlin Clark fans. She is now being used as a symbol of white grievance which directly correlates to the MAGA narrative that the whole country is out to get the &ldquo;good christian white folks&rdquo;.&nbsp;</div>
<div>&nbsp;</div>
<div>Despite the fact that Caitlin Clark has repeatedly asked not to be weaponized as a symbol of racism and bigotry, this has become much bigger than Caitlin Clark so it really doesn&rsquo;t matter what she requests.&nbsp;</div>
<div>&nbsp;</div>
<div>The narrative is to protect the white damsel in distress in correlation to historically how even the thought of a &ldquo;white delicate flower&rdquo; being harmed or in danger or disrespected or whistled at would result in a vicious white mob attacking, lynching, mutilating, and murdering the suspected perpetrator.&nbsp;</div>
<div>&nbsp;</div>
<div>That&rsquo;s why the narrative that the entire WNBA are intentionally fouling her or viewing her with Latonya Harding eyes skating past Nancy Kerrigan, is not only inaccurate but also promotes this same dangerous mentality.&nbsp;</div>
<div>&nbsp;</div>
<div><a href="https://foxsportsradio.iheart.com/content/2024-09-23-jason-whitlock-says-dijonai-carrington-assaulted-caitlin-clark-in-attack/">Media members like Jason Whitlock purposely used the words &ldquo;assault&rdquo; and &ldquo;attack&rdquo; and &ldquo;stab in the eye&rdquo; when discussing a foul by Dijonai Carrington.</a></div>
<div>&nbsp;</div>
<div><a href="https://www.indystar.com/story/sports/basketball/wnba/fever/2024/09/24/caitlin-clark-says-dijonai-carrington-eye-poke-wasnt-intentional-wnba-playoffs-indiana-fever-sun/75365622007/">All of the intentionally stoked outrage prompted Caitlin Clark to publicly denounce the narrative and state, &ldquo;the foul was unintentional."</a></div>
<div>&nbsp;</div>
<div>And then and only then did people like Jason Whitlock back away from the narrative. But that&rsquo;s exactly what you are doing. You are pushing a very dangerous narrative.&nbsp;</div>
<p><a href="https://x.com/torreysmithwr/status/1943333887163158840?s=46&amp;t=FiXBDRUe_KpN8Ix5Vb08vg">Former Baltimore Ravens Torrey Smith was 100% spot on when he tweeted:</a></p>
<p><img src="https://cdn.basketballnews.com/images/story/body/4-etan-thomas-5_690w.jpeg" alt="" /></p>
<p><a href="https://x.com/realrclark25/status/1943702842818052426?s=46&amp;t=FiXBDRUe_KpN8Ix5Vb08vg">Ryan Clark was also spot on when he tweeted:</a></p>
<p><img src="https://cdn.basketballnews.com/images/story/body/4-etan-thomas-6_690w.jpeg" alt="" /></p>
<p>Here is my sincere honest question to you. Are you attempting to follow the breadcrumbs left by people like Jason Whitlock ? Meaning someone who purposely takes on certain positions and perspectives that you know will be applauded amongst a certain demographic?&nbsp;</p>
<p>Coincidentally, this is a meme that I saw floating around social media of you. I put it next to a meme that has been floating around social media of Jason Whitlock for sometime now and you are better than this !!! I know you are, but this is exactly what you are morphing into, and it hurts my heart to see.&nbsp;</p>
<p><img src="https://cdn.basketballnews.com/images/story/body/4-etan-thomas-7_690w.jpeg" alt="" /></p>
<p>Comedian Goddfrey was spot on how he described your spat with Ryan Clark a few months ago when he said,&nbsp;</p>
<p>&ldquo;Every time you publicly dog a Black Woman, you&rsquo;re dogging your mother, your grandmother, your aunties.&rdquo;&nbsp;</p>
<p>I don&rsquo;t know if you heard his message to you but please listen to his entire video. He agreed with you that children and family should be left out of the conversation which Ryan Clark also acknowledged and apologized to you for. But that aside, their points still stand.&nbsp;</p>
<p><a href="https://www.instagram.com/reel/DJ8EbTdJwlc/?igsh=N2g0eHBpcmJmczJp">https://www.instagram.com/reel/DJ8EbTdJwlc/?igsh=N2g0eHBpcmJmczJp</a></p>
<p>Let me paint a another illustration.</p>
<p>Savion Glover&rsquo;s character Manray in the Spike Lee Classic Bamboozled.&nbsp;</p>
<p>Remember at the end when he was looking in the mirror as he was about to put on the Black Face and his conscious started to attack his soul and he just couldn&rsquo;t do it anymore. He couldn&rsquo;t participate in their minstrel show so he came on stage without the Black Face ? My hope and prayer for you is that you eventually get to the place where you simply can&rsquo;t do it anymore and you wipe the Black Face off, and come on to the stage as Robert Griffin III.&nbsp;</p>
<p><img src="https://cdn.basketballnews.com/images/story/body/4-etan-thomas-9_690w.jpeg" alt="" /></p>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>

Dear RG3: Please Don’t Turn Into Jason Whitlock

<div>The Indiana Pacers medical team decided to clear Tyrese Haliburton to play in Game 7 of the NBA Finals despite an existing calf strain and that blunder resulted in a torn Achilles tendon. While understandable given the gravity of the situation, that decision proved to be very costly for not only the organization as a whole but more importantly to Tyrese Haliburton as it was just announced that he would miss the entire 2025/2026 season due to a torn achilles.&nbsp;</div>
<p><img src="https://cdn.basketballnews.com/images/story/body/3-etan-thomas-1_690w.jpeg" alt="" /></p>
<div>In contrast, this past summer, my daughter Imani Thomas class of 2026 was faced with a very difficult decision to play through an injury at Nationals and risk further more severe injury.&nbsp;</div>
<div>
<div>&nbsp;</div>
<div>Here&rsquo;s the story: &nbsp;</div>
<div>&nbsp;</div>
<div>Imani had played through shin splints for the entire travel season with her team Maryland Juniors. These shin splints actually developed during her junior year high school season with Bishop McNamara, but she is a soldier and she pushed through like all athletes do.&nbsp;</div>
<div>&nbsp;</div>
<div>However, toward the end of her travel season, the shin splints continued to get worse. She did constant treatment and even started over compensating to protect her shin splints until one practice she could barely move. The assistant coach (Coach Ashley Williams) came up to me and said,&nbsp;</div>
<div>&ldquo;Imani is a beast, and she is not going to stop playing no matter what I tell her. But you need to get this checked out because it&rsquo;s visibly getting worse&rdquo;&nbsp;</div>
<div>&nbsp;</div>
<div>So me and my wife Nichole took her to get X Rays and a MRI and it was discovered that her shin splints had turned into a stress fracture.&nbsp;</div>
<div>&nbsp;</div>
<div>She was devastated. Nationals were coming up and like any athlete she contemplated just sucking it up and playing through the pain.&nbsp;</div>
<div>&nbsp;</div>
<div>The doctor was honest with us. He explained to us that if Imani was playing soccer, he would definitely not clear her to play because the likelihood of her getting kicked in her stress fracture was relatively high. If she played football or rugby or any contact sport, he would also not clear her. But she plays volleyball, and the likelihood of her getting kicked in her stress fracture was very low.&nbsp;</div>
<div>&nbsp;</div>
<div><img src="https://cdn.basketballnews.com/images/story/body/3-etan-thomas-6_690w.jpeg" alt="" /></div>
<div>&nbsp;</div>
<div>However, if she landed wrong, the impact could be just as severe as if she got kicked. Then he asked how her mechanics were and I told him that she had been over compensating for quite some time. She&rsquo;s been pushing through and getting a lot of treatment but she has been in pain for a long time. And the doctor said honestly, it&rsquo;s a decision you have to make for her. She is going to want to risk it all and play. That&rsquo;s how athletes are.&nbsp;</div>
<div>&nbsp;</div>
<div>So we talked to Imani, explained the risks, and together we came to the decision that it would be best to sit out.&nbsp;</div>
<div>&nbsp;</div>
<div>And it was a very difficult process for her as it would be for any athlete but long term over short term was what was important.&nbsp;</div>
</div>
<div>&nbsp;</div>
<div>Now, back to Tyrese Haliburton.</div>
<div>&nbsp;</div>
<div>
<div>NBA fans across the world witnessed what would have been a story of triumph. One for the archives of NBA history. The storyline would&rsquo;ve been.... Facing elimination in the NBA playoffs in a pivotal Game 7, Tyrese Haliburton battles through injury with superhuman perseverance and in heroic fashion to save the Pacers and propel them into victory solidifying this as one of the greatest finals performances in the history of the NBA. They probably would&rsquo;ve had a picture of Haliburton with a Superman emblem on his chest and a cape under his Warriors uniform. Would&rsquo;ve had his dad holding the same Pacers towel he waved in front of Giannis next to his son with the trophy. Would&rsquo;ve been a sportswriters dream as so many angles could&rsquo;ve been covered and explored.</div>
<div>
<p>People love stories of heroics. Isiah Thomas hobbling around on one foot in game 6 of the 1988 NBA Finals against the Lakers and scoring 25 points in the 3rd quarter. Or Willis Reed walking out of the tunnel for the New York Knicks on his bum ankle in Game 7 of the 1970 Finals. Everything was set up for Haliburton to be added to that list.</p>
<p>High school, college and professional coaches across the country were just salivating to be able to use this as an example to their players to enforce the philosophy that &ldquo;pain is weakness leaving your body&rdquo;. They would&rsquo;ve used Haliburton as an example to young athletes that the game (not your health) is what matters most. And a real &ldquo;team player&rdquo; would sacrifice a &ldquo;little discomfort&rdquo; for their team.</p>
<p>I have seen this all before. During my tenure with the Washington Wizards, I witnessed team trainer Eric Waters misdiagnose player after player because what was best for the Wizards organization was for that player to play.</p>
<p>I saw Richard Hamilton go off on the entire training staff after he learned that&nbsp;he had been playing through a torn groin, only disclosed to him after the team was out of playoff contention. He had been complaining about his groin for weeks and the trainers were giving him treatment two and three times a day all the while knowing his groin was torn, but they wanted to push for the playoffs so they didn&rsquo;t tell him.&nbsp;</p>
<p><img src="https://cdn.basketballnews.com/images/story/body/3-etan-thomas-3_690w.jpeg" alt="" /></p>
<p>I saw them tell Jarvis Hayes that he simply had a case of &ldquo;tendinitis&rdquo; in his knee and had him playing through the pain. Turned out he had a broken knee cap and ruined his entire career.&nbsp;</p>
<p>I saw them tell Kwame Brown that he was just experiencing a &ldquo;little discomfort&rdquo; in his leg and that he needed to play through the pain to show everyone that he was worthy of being the number 1 pick. Turned out later, he actually had a torn hamstring.&nbsp;</p>
<p><img src="https://cdn.basketballnews.com/images/story/body/3-etan-thomas-4_690w.jpeg" alt="" /></p>
<p>I saw Eric Waters tell Deshawn Stevenson there was nothing seriously wrong with his back and had him getting ice and stem and playing through the pain. After the season, upon further review by an outside doctor it was discovered that he actually had an Inflamed L5 Nerve that was stuck underneath a disc that required not one but two back surgeries to repair.&nbsp;</p>
<p>My point in saying all of this is not to simply blast Eric Waters, I am showing that this happens all the time in professional sports. With team doctors and trainers, there is a conflict of interest and the sworn medical oath becomes blurred and effects their diagnoses. They are hired by the teams and are in essence employees of the organization not employees of the players. So they don&rsquo;t have the players best interest in mind, typically, they only have the organization&rsquo;s.</p>
<p>The Indiana Pacers medical staff basically RG3&rsquo;d Haliburton. They &ldquo;Any Given Sunday&rsquo;d&rdquo; him. They Eric Waters&rsquo;d him.</p>
<p><img src="https://cdn.basketballnews.com/images/story/body/3-etan-thomas-5_690w.jpeg" alt="" /></p>
<p>He shouldn&rsquo;t have been playing period.</p>
<p>The risks outweighed the rewards. Even from a team standpoint. This is your franchise player. This is a player who has the capability of single handedly turning an entire NBA championship finals series around. This is a player that you should&rsquo;ve done everything in your power to convey to him how important he is long term for them and how much they value his health and are looking out for his best interest etc etc. However, what they showed was the exact opposite.&nbsp;</p>
<p>It doesn&rsquo;t matter if Haliburton insisted on playing in Game 7, just like it didn&rsquo;t matter if Imani insisted on playing in Nationals.&nbsp;Sometimes, when it comes to their health, athletes need people to make the decision for them. That&rsquo;s our job as parents and we did that. That was also the job of the Pacers medical team, and they did not have the medical integrity to do that.&nbsp;</p>
<p>Imani had her boot off now and is starting rehab and will be back full strength in a few weeks. Haliburton&rsquo;s calf strain turned into a ruptured Achilles and he will have to sit out the entire 2025/2026 season.&nbsp;</p>
<p>In explaining the difference in how me and my wife Nichole handled her injury vs how the Pacers medical staff handled his, I started singing, &ldquo;They Not Like Us&rdquo; A Dad joke that fell flat with Imani but I don&rsquo;t care it was a good joke.&nbsp;</p>
<p>But in all seriousness, I hope all young players see this and learn that no matter what the circumstances or how big the game is, your health always comes first, and you ALWAYS get a 2nd opinion from your own doctors that have nothing to do with the organization like Kawhi Leonard did in San Antonio his last season there.&nbsp;</p>
<p>Let me refresh everyone&rsquo;s memory.</p>
<p>Everyone with a microphone dogged Kawhi that season. Skip Bayless was still going on his hateful rants and baseless criticisms of Kawhi even after the Raptors beat the 76ers in the playoffs.</p>
<p>Skip Bayless tweeted out</p>
<p>&ldquo;Well, I guess it worked for No. 2 to quit on the Spurs last season complaining of what Spurs doctors decided was no more than a thigh bruise. He wound up in the East, playing against a hobbled, sick Embiid and an overrated Giannis. "Crime" pays.&rdquo;</p>
<p>Kawhi delt with Coach Popovich taking shots at him, his teammates taking shots at him, the team questioning his injury because their &ldquo;team doctors&rdquo; said he was fine. But he got a 2nd opinion and was told otherwise and did what was in his best interest. Danny Green was reportedly playing through a torn groin after being misdiagnosed by the same team doctors that misdiagnosed Kawhi.</p>
<p>And the Spurs are one of the most respected organizations in the NBA with one of the most respected coaches in the NBA. But, the bottom line is, any organization will throw you out there in a heartbeat injured if they feel it is best for the organization. They will publicly criticize you if you don&rsquo;t play and if you play and re-injure yourself worst or just don&rsquo;t play up to their expectations (as if they don&rsquo;t know your playing injured) they will get rid of you in a New York minute just like The Washington Commanders did RG3 and just like the Washington Wizards did with Jarvis Hayes.</p>
<p>I remember watching Grant Hill. He was about to literally take over the league.</p>
<p>People were calling him out for not playing hurt. Said he was soft, overrated etc etc just like they were saying about Haliburton before he shut them all up this playoff series.</p>
<p>The Orlando medical staff derailed Grant&rsquo;s entire career.&nbsp;</p>
<p>Another example is the young Isiah Thomas. He shouldn&rsquo;t have been playing in Boston in the playoffs but he played, ended up hurting himself more, ended up needing surgery, cost himself 100 million dollars came back and played after losing his sister and they traded him that summer because they knew about his injury and knew that he needed surgery.</p>
<p><img src="https://cdn.basketballnews.com/images/story/body/3-etan-thomas-8_690w.jpeg" alt="" /></p>
<p>Kyrie Irving goes and gets a 2nd opinion and they say you need surgery, the Celtics doctors didn&rsquo;t tell him he needed surgery, so he had his surgery and came back the next year strong. There is a reoccurring theme here.</p>
<p>I immediately called my son Malcolm who is working hard at The University Of Dayton right now as I write this article I hope he learned the lesson in what just happened to Haliburton. Told my daughter Baby Sierra and Imani the entire way to school yesterday, like literally the whole entire way I was going on an endless rant.</p>
<p>Told them stories of Eric Waters and Ernie Grunfeld trying to get me to take a cortisone shot in my pubic bone and go out an play when I was suffering an abdominal strain that kept me sidelined for an extended period of time. But also how the 2nd opinion I received from my doctor was that if I did that, I would almost certainly hurt myself worse because the Cortisone show wouldn&rsquo;t exceed the healing process, it was just make it so I didn't feel the pain.&nbsp;</p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<p>But just think of it logically, your body sends pain signals to you when something is hurting to let you know to stop doing that. If you block that signal, you won&rsquo;t feel the warning you&rsquo;re supposed to feel. Made perfect sense to me so I told them no. And sure they tried to put pressure on me and have a beat writer pressure me through the power of the pin in a few articles (no I didn&rsquo;t have any actual proof of this but the timing and coincidence was way too convenient so I&rsquo;ll say &ldquo;allegedly&rdquo; had a beat writer pressure me through the media). But the end result was me standing firm and telling them no, I can&rsquo;t go.</p>
<p>However, the onus shouldn&rsquo;t be placed on the athlete&rsquo;s shoulders. Of course athletes are going to want to play but it shouldn&rsquo;t be up to them. A solution to this league wide issue was suggested to me by a lawyer by the name of Marlon Amprey. He explained that the Players Association should assemble a group of outside doctors/specialists (or specific doctors/specialists the player suggests) that have no connection to the team whatsoever.</p>
<p>That will provide 2nd &amp; 3rd opinions and give players detailed reports on their health and risk of injury. All doctors&rsquo; reports given by teams that drastically differ should go under review and there should be repercussions for team doctors and trainers who medically clear players who shouldn&rsquo;t be medically cleared to play.</p>
</div>
</div>

The Indiana Pacers medical team decided to clear Tyrese Haliburton to play in Game 7 of the NBA Finals despite an existing calf strain.

The Indiana Pacers RG3’d Tyrese Haliburton

<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The Indiana Pacers struck first in the 2025 NBA Finals, taking Game 1 against the Oklahoma City Thunder after an improbable comeback in the 4th quarter clinched by a game-winning jumper from Tyrese Haliburton. While the series is far from over, Game 1 offered plenty of early lessons and adjustments to look out for in the coming games.</span></p>
<h3><strong>Turnovers, turnovers, turnovers</strong></h3>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">If there&rsquo;s one thing you can&rsquo;t do against the Thunder, it&rsquo;s turn the ball over. Oklahoma City isn&rsquo;t just elite in forcing turnovers &ndash; they&rsquo;re historically good. Game 1 was a harsh introduction for Indiana, who coughed up possession far too many times against a team designed to feast off mistakes &ndash; 24 of them to be exact.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">OKC&rsquo;s perimeter defenders, from Alex Caruso to Jalen Williams to Lu Dort and Cason Wallace, excel at reading passing lanes and applying pressure without fouling. The Thunder swarmed Indiana&rsquo;s offense, collapsing on drives and disrupting flow. Their rotations were sharp, their closeouts disciplined, and their ability to generate live-ball turnovers turned defense into instant offense.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Given that this was Indiana&rsquo;s first Finals appearance in decades, some early jitters were expected. The energy inside Paycom Center was relentless, and the Pacers' miscues snowballed under pressure. Although they won Game 1 by a hair, moving forward the Pacers need to prioritize clean possessions and limit turnovers if they want a real shot at winning the series. Because let&rsquo;s be real, the Thunder are still heavy favorites despite squandering Game 1. Improved composure and better decision-making, especially from their lead ball handlers, will be key.</span></p>
<h3><strong>Too much space for the MVP</strong></h3>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Indiana&rsquo;s defensive game plan allowed Shai Gilgeous-Alexander far too much room to operate. The newly crowned MVP carved up the defense with his signature patience, gliding into open mid-range jumpers and attacking downhill with minimal resistance. Time and again, he found the pockets of space he thrives in. SGA scored an astounding 38 points in his Finals debut, and Indiana should do a better job in crowding him and showing him bodies.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">SGA&rsquo;s ability to control tempo is what makes him so difficult to guard. He's never rushed. He plays at his own pace, decelerating into stepbacks or slithering into floaters. In Game 1, Indiana gave him too much cushion and failed to show enough help at the point of attack.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">To slow him down, the Pacers must adjust their coverage. They need to crowd his space, get physical, and throw multiple bodies at him. Blitzing pick-and-rolls, shading help early, and forcing the ball out of his hands should be top priorities. OKC&rsquo;s supporting cast is capable, but Indiana has to be willing to gamble by making others beat them. As it stands, SGA is getting exactly what he wants.</span></p>
<h3><strong>Bench scoring advantage</strong></h3>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">One area Indiana clearly won in Game 1 was bench production. Obi Toppin led the way with 17 points, including five made threes, providing crucial spacing and energy. His timely shooting helped the Pacers keep pace, particularly during stretches when their starters were stagnant.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">TJ McConnell was equally impactful, igniting the Pacers&rsquo; second unit with relentless pace and dribble penetration. Whether pushing off makes or misses, McConnell kept OKC on their heels and helped Indiana stay within striking distance. His ability to find seams in the defense and collapse the Thunder&rsquo;s perimeter gave Indiana a much-needed offensive spark.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The Thunder, on the other hand, didn&rsquo;t get much juice from their reserves offensively aside from Isaiah Hartenstein. While their rotation depth helped defensively, the scoring disparity off the bench could be something to monitor as the series progresses. If Indiana&rsquo;s bench can continue to outperform OKC&rsquo;s, it could swing the momentum in tighter contests.</span></p>
<h3><strong>Rotation chess match</strong></h3>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Thunder head coach Mark Daigneault made some eyebrow-raising rotation decisions in Game 1. Most notably, he started Cason Wallace over Isaiah Hartenstein, opting for a smaller, switch-heavy group designed to disrupt Indiana&rsquo;s ball movement and prevent easy driving lanes.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The Thunder rarely used their double-big lineups, instead rotating between Hartenstein and Chet Holmgren at center while leaning into versatility and perimeter defense. At times, Daigneault even deployed a one-forward, four-guard setup &ndash; and in a few stints, a full five-guard lineup. The strategy prioritized switchability and speed, key components in disrupting Indiana&rsquo;s flow.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Daigneault went deep into his bench, using 11 players in total. The most surprising cameo came from rookie Ajay Mitchell, who logged a 4&ndash;5 minute stretch early in the second quarter. Mitchell went scoreless on 0-of-3 shooting and finished with a -3, which showed Daigneault&rsquo;s willingness to trust his young talent &ndash; even on the Finals stage. While it didn&rsquo;t pay dividends on the scoreboard, the experience could prove valuable if Mitchell&rsquo;s number is called again later in the series. However, with everything on the line and at stake, Daigneault must choose between developing and going all in and trust the veterans to win games for OKC.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">On the other side, Rick Carlisle pushed all the right buttons. Thomas Bryant and Ben Sheppard delivered timely contributions, defending well and knocking down big shots. Carlisle staggered minutes well, ensuring McConnell and Toppin had favorable matchups. His ability to read the game and make real-time adjustments helped Indiana stay competitive despite the turnover woes.</span></p>
<h3><strong>Final thoughts</strong></h3>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Game 1 gave us a glimpse of how Oklahoma City&rsquo;s swarming defense and MVP-led offense can control the tempo of this series. Their blend of length, athleticism, and discipline on defense creates chaos, while SGA&rsquo;s poise and scoring gravity center everything on offense. But it also showed Indiana has the bench depth, coaching flexibility, and offensive firepower to respond.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Expect the Pacers to clean up their turnovers and tweak their coverage on Gilgeous-Alexander heading into Game 2. They'll need to impose more physicality on defense and continue winning the bench battle. If they can take better care of the ball and throw OKC off rhythm, this series has the potential to get very interesting.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The chess match has only just begun.</span></p>

Discover key takeaways from Game 1 of the 2025 NBA Finals between the Thunder and Pacers, what we learned from each team.

Thunder-Pacers Game 1 Takeaways: What we learned from the NBA Finals opener

<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The New York Knicks didn&rsquo;t just beat the Boston Celtics. They unmade them.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">It was never just about winning a series. It was about proving a point. About silencing the doubt that crept in after four straight regular-season losses. About validating every roster move, every inch of grit, and every ounce of sweat poured into this season. It was about showing the basketball world &ndash; loudly and unmistakably &ndash; that this team wasn&rsquo;t just trying to contend. They were trying to conquer.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">When the final buzzer sounded in Madison Square Garden and the scoreboard read 119&ndash;81, the Knicks had done just that &ndash; burying the defending champions in a Game 6 demolition and clinching their first Eastern Conference Finals appearance in 25 years.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">But the mission is far from over.</span></p>
<p><strong>A blueprint forged in Celtics&rsquo; green</strong></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">From the jump, New York&rsquo;s front office operated with one adversary in mind: Boston. The Celtics were the gold standard, the defending champions, and the measuring stick for anyone serious about owning the East.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Leon Rose and company tailored this roster to match up directly with Boston&rsquo;s strengths. They re-signed OG Anunoby and traded for Mikal Bridges &ndash; two of the league&rsquo;s premier wing defenders &ndash; to neutralize Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown. Then came the blockbuster deal to acquire Karl-Anthony Towns, who gave the Knicks a stretch big man to go toe-to-toe with Kristaps Porzingis.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Everything was calculated. Every move had Boston&rsquo;s name on it.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">And yet, the regular season was a humbling reminder of how far they still had to go. The Celtics swept the Knicks 4&ndash;0, and did so with such ease that New York&rsquo;s grand design felt naive. What good was a plan if the execution failed? If Boston could anticipate every counter, every scheme, every attempt at disruption?</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">But that&rsquo;s the thing about belief &ndash; it doesn&rsquo;t disappear with setbacks. It adapts. It evolves. It waits for its moment.</span></p>
<p><strong>A series that changed everything</strong></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Heading into the second round, the Knicks were underdogs by every metric. They had a seven-man rotation, an ailing Mitchell Robinson, and a superstar in Jalen Brunson carrying an enormous load. Boston had depth, pedigree, and the confidence of having dismantled them all season.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">But the Knicks weren&rsquo;t interested in narratives. They were there to rewrite them.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">New York stunned the Celtics by taking Games 1 and 2 in Boston &ndash; punctuated by two clutch defensive stops from Mikal Bridges. In Game 1, it was a strip of Jaylen Brown. In Game 2, it was a game-sealing closeout on Tatum. That was the turning point&mdash;when the Knicks wrestled control from the defending champs and refused to let go.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">OG Anunoby was nothing short of sensational. His defense on Tatum was suffocating, but it was his offensive output that tilted the series. He punished Boston with timely threes, strong drives, and unrelenting pressure. By the end of Game 6, he had cemented himself as one of the best two-way performers of the postseason.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Karl-Anthony Towns reminded everyone why the Knicks traded for him. He provided invaluable floor spacing, softening Boston&rsquo;s paint defense and making their double-big lineups less effective. His rebounding and decision-making gave the Knicks versatility they sorely lacked in previous playoff runs.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Josh Hart, the team&rsquo;s emotional engine, played like a man possessed. He chased every loose ball, battled for every rebound, and made hustle plays that sent the Garden into a frenzy. In Game 6, he notched the franchise&rsquo;s first playoff triple-double since 1972. He was the spirit of the Knicks personified.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Mitchell Robinson, matched against the veteran Al Horford, was a force on the glass and in the paint. His size and activity made Boston work for everything. And the Towns-Robinson pairing &ndash; while unconventional &ndash;&nbsp; at times gave New York an edge in rim protection and rebounding.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Miles McBride, the fan favorite, was the exclamation point. His clutch shooting and relentless defense made the most of his minutes. The Garden roared every time he touched the ball, and in Game 6, he gave fans even more to cheer for with 10 points and relentless pressure on the perimeter.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">And, of course, Jalen Brunson. The league&rsquo;s Clutch Player of the Year showed why he earned that title. Whether it was a floater in traffic, a step-back jumper, or a drive through contact, Brunson delivered in every critical moment. He averaged 26.2 points in the series and captained the Knicks with poise, toughness, and swagger.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">He was, and continues to be, the heart of New York&rsquo;s renaissance.</span></p>
<p><strong>More than just a win &ndash; it&rsquo;s a revival</strong></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The impact of this series win goes beyond the scoreboard. It reverberated through the city. New York, a basketball town starving for success, erupted in celebration. Celebrities poured out of the Garden. Streets were flooded with fans chanting &ldquo;Go New York Go New York Go!&rdquo;. Timoth&eacute;e Chalamet &ndash; yes, even the &lsquo;Lisan Al Gaib&rsquo; &ndash; joined in in support of his favorite NBA team</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">It lit up the NBA world. What was supposed to be Boston&rsquo;s coronation turned into a Knicks uprising. The defending champs were outclassed, outcoached, and outworked. And the league took notice.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">It reaffirmed the Knicks&rsquo; vision. Every decision, every gamble &ndash; they were worth it. This wasn&rsquo;t just a team that got hot. This was a team that executed its plan to perfection when it mattered most.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">&ndash; &ndash; &ndash;</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">However, the job is not yet done.&nbsp;</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The Knicks have their work cut out for them from here on out. Two series down, two series to go. Now, it&rsquo;s on to Indiana.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The Pacers are no easy out. Led by All-NBA guard Tyrese Haliburton and a deep, versatile supporting cast, they&rsquo;ve steamrolled through the playoffs with pace, ball movement, and shooting.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The Knicks, meanwhile, continue to rely on a tight, seven-man rotation. They&rsquo;ll enter the series with the same urgency, the same intensity &ndash; but also with heavier legs.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">It&rsquo;ll be a clash of philosophies: New York&rsquo;s top-heavy, defense-first grind versus Indiana&rsquo;s spread attack and bench firepower. But if the Celtics series proved anything, it&rsquo;s that the Knicks are more than just a system. They&rsquo;re a team that believes &ndash; fiercely and completely.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">They believe in each other. They believe in the plan. And now, for the first time in decades, the entire city believes alongside them.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">So no, the job&rsquo;s not done, but the Knicks are exactly where they believed they&rsquo;d be.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">And they're just getting started.</span></p>

The Knicks finally beat the Celtics in a dramatic 6-game series, validating their season-long mission, but the job's not finished yet.

The Knicks were built to beat the Celtics – now they’re built for more

<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">When the New York Knicks gave up five first-round picks to acquire Mikal Bridges from the Brooklyn Nets, the move was met with shock, skepticism, and scrutiny. Five first-round picks. For a player whose offensive role had diminished, whose stats were down, and whose place in a new system seemed more complementary than central.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">It was one of the most bizarre returns for a player in recent NBA history, which is borderline unprecedented. Bridges was no superstar scorer, nor a perennial All-NBA selection. He had gone from being Brooklyn's first option to, arguably, New York's fourth. Questions swirled: Was this a reach and an overpay?</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">But New York seemingly knew what they were doing. They were reuniting Bridges with former college teammates at Villanova, Jalen Brunson and Josh Hart. All three won an NCAA national championship playing together, and the Knicks were hoping this could translate into a good winning culture in the NBA and eventually a title.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Then, as the Knicks stunned the defending champion Boston Celtics in back-to-back games to start their 2025 Eastern Conference Semifinal series, those questions disappeared. Because Mikal Bridges answered every single one of them.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">People often forget that the Knicks didn&rsquo;t bring in Bridges to average 25 points a game. They brought him in to defend the NBA&rsquo;s biggest, strongest wings. They brought him in for this very moment.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The Celtics, with Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown leading the charge on the way to their title last season, are the blueprint every other contender is trying to crack. Long, physical wings who can score from anywhere, who can switch everything, and who have been to the NBA Finals twice in the past three seasons. To compete with them, you don&rsquo;t just need offense. You need answers.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">New York&rsquo;s answer? Stack the deck with perimeter stoppers. Bridges. OG Anunoby. Josh Hart. Two-way warriors with toughness and length. And in a matchup where margins are razor-thin, where late-game execution determines the outcome, the Knicks&rsquo; investment has already paid dividends.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">With the game tied in overtime and the final seconds ticking down, the Celtics had the ball in Jaylen Brown&rsquo;s hands. But as Brown caught the ball on the left wing, Bridges was there to read the play and anticipate the move.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">He ripped the ball from Brown&rsquo;s hands in one swift motion, wrestled it away as Brown scrambled to recover, and held on as the buzzer sounded. Ball game in Game 1, Knicks steal Game 1 in the Boston Garden.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Bridges didn&rsquo;t just make a great play &ndash; he made the play. The one that changes the conversation, and the one that likely swings a series.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Two nights later, the stakes rose again. Boston had a huge 20-point lead late in the third quarter, and New York was running on fumes. That&rsquo;s when Bridges flipped the switch, not just defensively, but offensively too.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">He scored all 14 of his points in the fourth quarter alone, rallying the Knicks back into the game. It was the highest-scoring playoff quarter of his career. The energy inside the Boston Garden shifted, as if life were sucked out of the arena.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">And with the Knicks clinging to a slim lead and seconds left, Jayson Tatum had the ball on the left wing. As he tried to make his move toward the baseline, he found himself trapped, smothered by both Bridges and Anunoby. There was nowhere to go.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Tatum tried to make the right play and pass out of the double. But Bridges read it. He stuck out his arm, deflected the ball, and threw the ball to the backcourt to a streaking Jalen Brunson, and it sealed the victory. Game over, Knicks 2, Celtics 0. The seemingly invincible defending champion Celtics looked every bit of human that they could be, dropping two straight at home on both comeback occasions.</span></p>
<p><strong>Bridges&rsquo; role and the Knicks&rsquo; vision</strong></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Bridges&rsquo; offensive dip since arriving in New York has been noticeable. He&rsquo;s no longer the guy who averaged 26.1 points per game in Brooklyn post-KD and Kyrie. With Jalen Brunson scoring and orchestrating, Karl-Anthony Towns spacing, and OG Anunoby slashing, Bridges has often been the third option, sometimes fourth.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">But that&rsquo;s not the full picture. Basketball is bigger than the box score. And Bridges, even in a quieter offensive role, is impacting winning at the highest level.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The Knicks gambled on a vision: a roster designed to slow down elite wing scorers in high-stakes games. And with just two playoff games against Boston, that vision has materialized.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">They didn&rsquo;t need Bridges to carry the offense. They needed him to carry the moment, to guard the other team&rsquo;s best guy, and to make the winning play. And he did.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Bridges didn&rsquo;t ask to be traded. He didn&rsquo;t lobby for five first-round picks to be attached to his name. But he embraced the responsibility. He leaned into the expectations. And now, he&rsquo;s delivering on the biggest stage against the defending champions. He&rsquo;s defending like a star and playing like a closer, all while doing it without the spotlight demanding he score 30.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">There&rsquo;s something poetic about a player making his greatest impact on the defensive end in a league that so often celebrates offense. In a series where Boston's stars were expected to take over, Bridges is writing a different script &ndash; one that says defense still wins games, and that the &ldquo;other guy&rdquo; can become the hero.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The job isn&rsquo;t finished, and Boston definitely isn&rsquo;t going away. They&rsquo;re too good and battle-tested. But with the Knicks up 2-0, the tone has been set for the rest of the series.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">And if this series is the war New York built their roster for, then Mikal Bridges is one of their weapons to go to war with. Game 3 awaits. But you better believe the Celtics will be seeing No. 25 in their nightmares.</span></p>

Mikal Bridges' two game-winning defensive plays vs. Boston proved his worth in the Knicks' stunning 2-0 series lead over the Celtics.

Mikal Bridges proves his worth with clutch defense late against Boston

<p><em><span style="font-weight: 400;">A huge confidence booster for the Cavs as they take care of business in the first round, and the real fight that begins now</span></em></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The Cleveland Cavaliers didn&rsquo;t just win their first-round playoff series against the Miami Heat &ndash; they obliterated them. With a dominant four-game sweep that featured historic blowouts, overwhelming defense, and total control from tip to buzzer, the Cavaliers emphatically showed that the version of themselves they teased throughout the regular season wasn&rsquo;t a mirage. It was a warning shot &ndash; and it just became deafeningly real.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Their 55-point Game 4 win &ndash; a 118-63 dismantling &ndash; capped off a sweep that ended with a record-setting +122 point differential, the most lopsided series margin in NBA playoff history. This was not just about moving on to the next round; it was about announcing themselves as a legitimate championship contender.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Cleveland&rsquo;s 55-point win in Game 4 is now the fourth-largest blowout in NBA postseason history, trailing only a pair of 58-point wins (Minneapolis Lakers over the St. Louis Hawks in 1956 and Denver Nuggets over the New Orleans Hornets in 2009), and a 56-point Lakers victory over Golden State in 1973.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">But it wasn&rsquo;t just one game. Over the course of the four-game sweep, Cleveland posted wins of 26, 31, 10, and finally 55 points &ndash; a combined margin of 122 &ndash; obliterating the previous record for point differential in a four-game sweep. The Cavaliers did not merely win &ndash; they dominated wire-to-wire in every game, showcasing what their ceiling looks like when everything is firing.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Game 4 alone was a demolition. Cleveland led 72-33 at halftime, a 39-point margin that now ranks as the third-largest halftime lead in playoff history. The only ones greater? Cleveland themselves, when they led Boston by 41 at the break in the 2017 Eastern Conference Finals, and Detroit&rsquo;s 40-point halftime lead over Washington in 1987.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Even zooming out, this series was a statistical masterclass from the Cavaliers. According to NBA Advanced Stats:</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">-Cleveland posted a Net Rating of +30.1 across the series, a figure that dwarfs any other playoff team this postseason.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">-They held the Heat to just 84.5 points per game, nearly 20 points below Miami&rsquo;s season average.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">-The Cavaliers shot 50.6% from the field and 40.1% from three, compared to Miami&rsquo;s 38.9% and 29.3%, respectively.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">-Cleveland averaged 27.0 assists per game to Miami&rsquo;s 17.8, displaying a level of ball movement and offensive flow that few teams have matched this postseason.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Business has been handled. So now the real fight begins.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">All year long, Cleveland&rsquo;s potential was obvious. With a core of Donovan Mitchell, Darius Garland, Evan Mobley, and Jarrett Allen, surrounded by improved role play from Max Strus, Ty Jerome, and DeAndre Hunter, the Cavaliers have all the tools to go all the way.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">But questions remained about how their success would translate into the playoffs. Last year&rsquo;s second-round exit to the Boston Celtics was still fresh. The physicality, half-court execution, and decision-making under pressure were areas they needed to grow in.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">This series, they answered that challenge &ndash; and then some.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Donovan Mitchell was at the center of it all. More than the numbers, he set the tone early in each game &ndash; attacking mismatches, creating for teammates, and leading vocally. His postseason experience was a stabilizing force for a group that needed to put its demons behind it.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Mobley and Allen were defensively dominant, forming a wall inside the paint that Miami couldn&rsquo;t break. Mobley, in particular, showcased improved patience and poise, while switching onto smaller guards without giving up ground.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Garland&rsquo;s playmaking improved each game. Strus, Jerome, and Hunter gave consistent scoring off the bench. And head coach Kenny Atkinson seemed to push every right button with rotations, defensive matchups, and timely adjustments.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The sweep wasn&rsquo;t just a win. It was the Cavaliers taking care of business, as a great team should, against a depleted Heat squad that sorely missed superstar Jimmy Butler. The focus, intensity, and killer instinct on display showed a team that has grown from its failures and is ready to embrace the expectations that come with being a serious contender.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">After a sweep of this magnitude, the conversation shifts. No longer is Cleveland simply a &ldquo;dangerous dark horse.&rdquo; This team should now be mentioned in the same breath as Boston as a favorite to come out of the Eastern Conference, especially with their defense and depth clicking at the right time.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">It&rsquo;s not just about who they beat, but how they did it. Their suffocating defense held Miami under 90 points in three of four games. Their offense was fluid, unselfish, and versatile. And their stars stepped up, consistently.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The next round will bring a tougher opponent in the Indiana Pacers, one with more firepower and fewer injuries. But if this version of the Cavaliers shows up &ndash; the one that plays with precision, aggression, and unshakable confidence &ndash; then the rest of the league needs to take notice.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Because what Cleveland just did wasn&rsquo;t an outlier, it was a warning. The real fight begins now. And the Cavaliers look ready for war.</span></p>

The Cleveland Cavaliers didn’t just win their first-round playoff series against the Miami Heat – they obliterated them.

Cleveland’s statement sweep of Miami cements title aspirations

<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">As the 2025 NBA Playoffs tip off, every team in the Eastern Conference brings with it a burning question. Some are looking to validate their dominance, others are hoping to make noise for the first time, and a few are simply trying to recapture playoff magic from the past. Here&rsquo;s one key question for each East playoff squad heading into this year&rsquo;s postseason.</span></p>
<p><strong>Cleveland Cavaliers &ndash; Are they for real?</strong></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The Cavaliers were expected to take a leap under new head coach Kenny Atkinson, but few predicted it would be this significant. Cleveland posted a 64-18 record, up from 51 wins last season, and ranked eighth in the NBA in defensive rating (111.8) while climbing to the best in the league in offensive rating (121.0). It&rsquo;s a massive leap in two-way consistency, anchored by Evan Mobley&rsquo;s breakout campaign and a more dynamic offense tailored around Donovan Mitchell and Darius Garland.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Mobley&rsquo;s development has been a game-changer. The 22-year-old averaged career-highs in points (18.5), rebounds (9.3), and assists (3.2), while maintaining elite rim protection (1.6 blocks per game). Offensively, his confidence as a shot creator and short-roll playmaker opened up space for the rest of the team. The Cavs now run more actions through Mobley, especially from the elbows, and his improved jump shot has made him far more difficult to guard.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">But make no mistake &ndash; Mitchell remains the barometer. The All-Star guard battled injuries down the stretch but still averaged 24.0 points, 4.5 assists, and 5.0 rebounds on 44.3% shooting. If he can stay healthy and lead confidently on both ends, Cleveland has the pieces to make a legitimate run to the conference finals.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The Cavs have the metrics, the momentum, and the maturity. Now it&rsquo;s about proving they belong with the league&rsquo;s elite when the lights are the brightest.</span></p>
<p><strong>Boston Celtics &ndash; Can they go back-to-back?</strong></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The reigning champions enter the playoffs with a sense of unfinished business &mdash; not because they failed last year, but because they&rsquo;re now chasing greatness. The Celtics finished 61-21 this season for back to back 60-win seasons. They had the league&rsquo;s second best net rating at +9.4, fueled by elite balance: second in offensive rating (119.5) and fourth in defensive rating (110.1).</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Jayson Tatum continues to evolve as one of the NBA&rsquo;s most complete stars. His 26.8 points per game came with improved efficiency (58.2% true shooting) and a career-high 8.7 rebounds. Tatum has learned to pick his spots better, moving the ball when doubled and attacking mismatches when given space. Jaylen Brown, fresh off his Finals MVP last season, has become a more consistent creator as well, averaging 22.2 points.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Add in Kristaps Porzingis&rsquo; floor spacing and rim protection, Jrue Holiday&rsquo;s stability on both ends, and Derrick White&rsquo;s ability to do everything in between, and the Celtics are again the most complete team in basketball. But repeating is never easy. No team has done it since the Warriors in 2018, and even small injuries or matchup issues can derail a title defense.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Boston is built for this moment, but with every other East contender gunning for them, the question looms large: can they close the deal twice in a row?</span></p>
<p><strong>New York Knicks &ndash; Can they stay healthy?</strong></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">When fully healthy, the Knicks look like a team that can hang with anyone &mdash; and that includes Boston and Cleveland. But that&rsquo;s been the caveat all season. Jalen Brunson missed 17 games, Karl-Anthony Towns sat for 10, and OG Anunoby dealt with multiple absences due to elbow and hamstring issues. New York&rsquo;s starting five of Brunson, Hart, Bridges, Anunoby, and Towns had time to play with pace and their own style, and they looked formidable.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Brunson has been the Knicks&rsquo; engine, averaging 26.0 points and 7.3 assists while continuing to elevate in crunch time. His pairing with Towns gave New York a new level of offensive versatility, and Mikal Bridges&rsquo; ability to guard top wings allowed them to scheme freely. But concerns about wear and tear remain &mdash; especially under Tom Thibodeau, whose rotations have leaned heavily on his starters. All five starters have averaged in the top 15 of the most minutes played in the league, and that can likely put a strain on their bodies.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Depth is another concern. The Knicks rely on Precious Achiuwa, Cam Payne, Delon Wright, and Landry Shamet to absorb the bench minutes. A deep run hinges on all starters being available and fresh throughout the postseason. If any one piece breaks down, New York could fall short of its championship aspirations.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">This is their most talented team in years &mdash; but availability may be just as important as ability.</span></p>
<p><strong>Indiana Pacers &ndash; Do they have enough to make a deep run once more?</strong></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Last year, the Pacers surprised many by reaching the second round, aided in part by injuries to their first-round opponent. This year, expectations are higher &mdash; and the margin for error is thinner. Indiana finished 50-32 and ranked 9th in offensive rating at 115.4. Their identity remains clear: run fast, shoot threes, and trust in Tyrese Haliburton to control the tempo.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Haliburton posted 18.6 points and 9.2 assists per game this season, and despite shooting efficiency dipped slightly as teams began pressuring him more aggressively, he bounced back quite nicely and got back to the high level he was playing at. That&rsquo;s where Pascal Siakam comes in to help him and provide a stabilizing frontcourt presence, while defending opposing bigs.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Depth-wise, the Pacers have the tools. Myles Turner remains one of the league&rsquo;s best shot blockers, Andrew Nembhard has been solid alongside Haliburton, Bennedict Mathurin has been a spark off the bench, and Aaron Nesmith&rsquo;s development as a 3-and-D wing adds much-needed versatility. Still, the question remains: can they win when the pace slows and every possession becomes a grind?</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Indiana is fun, fast, and fearless. But deep playoff success often requires more grit than style &mdash; and this postseason will test how much of both they truly possess.</span></p>
<p><strong>Milwaukee Bucks &ndash; How lethal can the Giannis-Dame combo be?</strong></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">It&rsquo;s been a bumpy road for the Bucks since pairing Giannis Antetokounmpo and Damian Lillard, but they enter the playoffs with renewed hope. Injuries limited their time together but when both were on the floor, Milwaukee looked like a top 4 team in the East. The potential for a dominant inside-out attack remains, even as questions swirl around their chemistry and late-game execution.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Giannis put up another MVP-caliber campaign (30.4 PPG, 11.9 RPG, 6.5 APG) on 60.1% shooting, while Lillard added 24.9 points and 7.1 assists per game, albeit with a slight dip in efficiency (44.8 FG%, 37.6 3P%). Their pick-and-roll tandem has shown flashes of brilliance, especially with spacing provided by their teammates. But Milwaukee&rsquo;s defense remains a glaring concern, particularly at the point-of-attack.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Much of that responsibility falls on new head coach Doc Rivers, who took over midseason and has spent much of his tenure reshaping the defensive schemes. The team has shown better connectivity lately, but consistency is key. If the Bucks can get solid two-way contributions from Brook Lopez, Taurean Prince, and Kyle Kuzma, their ceiling rises considerably.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">This postseason is the first true test of the Giannis-Dame partnership after a failed one last year. Can it deliver in crunch time and carry Milwaukee back to the Finals?</span></p>
<p><strong>Detroit Pistons &ndash; Can they win a playoff series?</strong></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">One of the most surprising stories of the season, the Detroit Pistons went from dead last in 2024 to securing the No. 6 seed in 2025 with a 44-38 record. It&rsquo;s a dramatic turnaround fueled by internal growth, better health, and the emergence of Cade Cunningham as a legitimate star. Cunningham averaged 26.1 points, 9.1 assists, and 6.1 rebounds, and improved his shooting splits across the board &mdash; including a respectable 35.6% from three.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Head coach J.B Bickerstaff deserves credit for stabilizing the young roster. Jaden Ivey (despite being out for the year to injury), Ausar Thompson, and Jalen Duren have all taken steps forward in their roles, and the addition of veterans Malik Beasley, Tim Hardaway Jr., and Tobias Harris has added much-needed floor spacing and leadership. The Pistons ranked 10th in defensive rating at 112.5 &mdash; a massive leap from their abysmal finish last season</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Still, playoff basketball is a different animal. Detroit lacks experience, and their margin for error will be slim. Can Cunningham carry the offense when defenses trap him? Can their shooters hit timely shots? And can Duren hold his own against seasoned playoff bigs?</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Winning a series would be monumental for the franchise &mdash; and a sign that Detroit&rsquo;s rebuild is truly behind them.</span></p>
<p><strong>Orlando Magic &ndash; Can their offense hold up?</strong></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">There&rsquo;s no questioning the Magic&rsquo;s defensive pedigree. They finished second in defensive rating (109.1) and boast a switch-heavy scheme built around length, versatility, and discipline. But the big question entering the playoffs: can they score enough? Orlando ranked just 27th in offensive rating (108.9), and the loss of Jalen Suggs and Mo Wagner due to injuries further thins their already-limited shot creation.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Paolo Banchero and Franz Wagner carry the bulk of the offense, but both have faced inconsistent stretches. Teams often sag off sub-par shooters like Cory Joseph or Jonathan Isaac, daring Orlando to hit perimeter shots &mdash; something they&rsquo;ve struggled to do all year. Against Boston&rsquo;s elite defense, those issues could be magnified.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Orlando will try to control tempo, force turnovers, and win the possession battle. They&rsquo;ve been excellent in close games, but whether they can consistently generate efficient halfcourt looks remains uncertain.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Defense may win championships, but the Magic need buckets to even stay in the fight.</span></p>
<p><strong>Miami Heat &ndash; Will they be able to replicate the Heat playoff magic this year?</strong></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The Heat have built a reputation as a team you never want to face in the playoffs &mdash; especially as a lower seed. In 2023, they made the Finals as an 8-seed. In 2024, they made the Celtics work despite key injuries. But can they pull off another surprise run this year? The roster remains largely intact, but injuries, aging stars, and inconsistency have clouded their outlook.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Without Jimmy Butler, Bam Adebayo must step up on offense while anchoring the defense. Tyler Herro&rsquo;s scoring punch is much needed, and the role players should contribute as well. But questions linger around depth and chemistry within their lineups after a shaky year.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The Heat finished just 21st in offensive rating (112.4) and 9th in defensive rating (112.0), a sign that the margins are tighter than ever. Still, if any team knows how to punch above its weight class, it&rsquo;s this one. Erik Spoelstra will maximize every mismatch, he always finds a way to manipulate the opposing team.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Don&rsquo;t count them out just yet but don&rsquo;t expect the same magic to happen each and every time as well.</span></p>
<p><br style="font-weight: 400;" /><br style="font-weight: 400;" /></p>

Breaking down the biggest question facing each team in the 2025 NBA Eastern Conference Playoffs.

2025 NBA Eastern Conference Playoffs: Each team’s biggest question in the playoffs

<p>Many people were pleasantly surprised to hear the news that Michael Jordan opened his fourth free health clinic in his home state of North Carolina. <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/in-this-trump-era-michael-jordans-free-health-clinics-are-very-much-needed-">This new clinic, established in collaboration with Novant Health, focuses on providing care to uninsured and underinsured patients.</a>&nbsp;</p>
<p>This is a stark contrast to the overall perception of Michael Jordan as the athlete who doesn&rsquo;t care about his community or anything outside of himself.&nbsp;</p>
<p>I figured it was a good time to revisit an interview i conducted with Athlete Activist Legend Craig Hodges for <a href="https://www.akashicbooks.com/catalog/police-brutality-and-white-supremacy-the-fight-against-american-traditions/">my book Police Brutality And White Supremacy &ldquo;The Fight Against American Traditions."</a></p>
<p>Here is an excerpt of our interview in which Craig Hodges goes back to 1991 when the Rodney King beating happened and he was frustrated that Michael Jordan and Magic Johnson in particular were reluctant to make a public statement during the NBA Finals.&nbsp;</p>
<p>During the interview, I made the correlation to the movie &ldquo;One Night In Miami&rdquo; in which Malcolm X was frustrated with Sam Cooke, but was proud to see the eventual maturation and realization of the power of his voice. This was really a powerful discussion. I condensed the interview for the purposes of this article.</p>
<p>Etan: What were your thoughts after you first saw the Rodney King beating ?&nbsp;</p>
<p>Craig Hodges: The biggest part was just the shock. Seeing four or five policemen pummeling the brother mercilessly with their night sticks. And the manner in which they did it was just left me speechless. It was beyond brutality. I looked at it and said regardless to what the Brotha did, no human being deserves to be beaten like that. You had 4 or 5 cops surrounding him, he was on the ground, there are measures you can take to subdue him without beating him like that. But unfortunately, this has been the mentality of policing in America for generations and nothing has changed but with Rodney King that was one of the first times everyone could see it happening in real time. And the fact that someone was smart enough to tape it brought it to America.</p>
<p><img src="https://cdn.basketballnews.com/images/story/body/2-etan-thomas-2_690w.jpeg" alt="" width="745" height="477" /></p>
<p>Etan: I remember being in middle school and the first thing I thought was they wouldn&rsquo;t treat a dog like this.</p>
<p>Craig Hodges: Exactly, and this happened right at the beginning of the NBA Finals and some athletes were speaking about it others weren&rsquo;t but I was like, any and everybody should be able to speak to this because this could be your brother this could be your father or your uncle. And it was just too obvious and blatant what was going on as far as the racism and the evil of police brutality right there for all of America to see&nbsp;</p>
<p>Etan: It was really horrifying like traumatizing for me seeing that as a kid.</p>
<p>Craig Hodges: It was traumatizing for me as an adult. Things like this is what made me feel the need to have to be vocal while I was playing in the league. I was an athlete but this goes for everyone no matter what your occupation is, you have to be able to stand on truth and for what is right and to call out what&rsquo;s wrong. We as a society have been collectively letting so much slide and we just can&rsquo;t allow it anymore. And we have left a lot on the table for the next generation to fight for, and they are fighting for now. &nbsp;</p>
<p>Etan: The frustrating part is the bar is set so low. We&rsquo;re starting the discussion just fighting for our humanity.</p>
<p>Craig Hodges: We get caught up so much of our differences whether we&rsquo;re Republican, Democrat, Christian, Muslim, all of these different labels that divides us. Yes we are all humans and that&rsquo;s the basis that we should be unified on. Kwame Ture told us it&rsquo;s all about organization and we have to all bring what we can to the table and we all have different strengths and attributes and we have to use all of them for this fight.</p>
<p>Etan Thomas: It&rsquo;s interesting you say that, there is this movie One night in Miami, fantastic movie, that depicts a night in Miami with Malcolm X, Muhammad Ali, Jim Brown, and Sam Cooke. There is a part where Malcolm X and Sam Cooke are having a back and forth and Malcolm X is challenging him, and you&rsquo;re the first person I thought of when I saw this, he&rsquo;s telling Sam Cooke listen, you&rsquo;re the most talented Brotha on earth, your voice can captivate audiences both Black and white, you have all this power, you can play in white venues and be accepted, other musicians can&rsquo;t do that. And then he told him, you&rsquo;re not using the power for good. You&rsquo;re not challenging what is happening to us in society. Malcolm X said to him Black People are dying in the streets and we cannot afford to straddle the fence anymore. We have to pick a side, either you&rsquo;re on the side with us or you&rsquo;re on the side with them. And it was this intense discussion with them. And you know where I&rsquo;m going with this. Did you ever feel that level or frustration in relation to what we&rsquo;re talking about now with Rodney King and everything that was happening to us at that time. And you want to do that recruiting that Kwame Toure was talking about and that unification and strength in numbers but you see some people just not on board with it and thus the frustration.</p>
<p><img src="https://cdn.basketballnews.com/images/story/body/2-etan-thomas-3_690w.jpeg" alt="" width="732" height="732" /></p>
<p>Craig Hodges: Yes I know exactly where you&rsquo;re going with this and to answer your question yes I did. And trying to get someone to see it is one hurdle, but to get someone to feel it is a whole nother mountain to climb. I feel blessed that i was raised the way I was raised so a lot of things, I didn&rsquo;t have to figure out. We&rsquo;re at that point now where there is enough information out for people to be able to easily educate themselves as to what&rsquo;s going on. There&rsquo;s really no excuse right now. You can&rsquo;t say, I didn&rsquo;t know about this anymore because it&rsquo;s everywhere. During the 90s when Rodney King happened, we had great athletes who were similar to Sam Cooke as far as their leverage in white communities and not nation wide but world wide, and the option was, do I make a stand or do I get paid ? And that&rsquo;s what it boiled down to and people were hesitant because they were afraid that it would hamper their ability to earn. And that has been the common denominator in us coming up short. Those who have been in position to really make a difference don&rsquo;t. And what I saw from a lot of athletes was I&rsquo;ll play my career and then come back after and revisit Black people and Black Issues after. And from my standpoint, during the time where you are making the wealth and you have the bully pulpit to speak from, utilize that. You may not be able to be all out Malcolm X with it, but you can definitely have impact. The Rodney King incident really brought to life what Black People have been facing for centuries and that&rsquo;s something that not just athletes, but everyone should be able to speak on.&nbsp;</p>
<p><img src="https://cdn.basketballnews.com/images/story/body/2-etan-thomas-4_690w.png" alt="" width="738" height="414" /></p>
<p>Etan Thomas: And one thing that was great about the movie One Night In Miami was at the end it showed Malcolm&rsquo;s impact on Sam Cooke. He was on this program, and was singing the songs that they liked, and then he said he wanted to sing a song that hadn&rsquo;t been released yet and it was A Change Is Gonna Come. And it was passionate and moving and Sam Cooke dropped a tear at the end and they showed Malcolm X looking and he was smiling and it was beautiful to see because even though they were arguing and they were really arguing like almost came to blows arguing, but you saw that he heard Malcolm X. Now, I want to make this correlation to you and Michael Jordan because people still write it now and say Craig Hodges was talking bad about Michael Jordan and no it wasn&rsquo;t that and it wasn&rsquo;t personal but you saw MJ and the impact he could have had the same way Malcolm X saw the impact Sam Cooke could have had in particular after Rodney King happened.</p>
<p>Craig Hodges: When Rodney King happened it was a galvanizing time. Right before the 91 NBA Finals with Michael and Magic and we can have an impact, we have the whole world watching, all eyes are on us.&nbsp;</p>
<p><img src="https://cdn.basketballnews.com/images/story/body/2-etan-thomas-5_690w.jpeg" alt="" width="729" height="926" /></p>
<p>And to think about how my Mom was organizing in the early 60&rsquo;s, she was having this tremendous impact with no resources, and here we are with all of the resources of the NBA Finals with the two biggest athletes in the game and the impact you can make just from your voice would be amazing. And that&rsquo;s what I was trying to talk to Magic and MJ about especially after Rodney King. And here&rsquo;s the thing, in private, we all were having discussions about what was going on, but then in public, we went quiet and we simply can&rsquo;t be private anymore. And now we&rsquo;re at the point where people outside of our community are feeling our pain. And that&rsquo;s what Malcolm was telling Sam Cooke, hey to talk to them white folks at their clubs and that was my position with MJ on a lot of things. I would say hey, you have the ear of a lot of people that I can&rsquo;t reach. So yea that&rsquo;s a very good comparison.</p>
<p>Etan Thomas: Now I&rsquo;mma make one last correlation, I said how Malcolm X watched Sam Cooke on the program singing A Change Is Gonna Come and he was smiling, did you ever feel that after watching Michael Jordan in the last 10 years or so as MJ has become more vocal, spoken out against police brutality on numerous occasions, he even put together a whole fundraiser for Obama and brought 50 different NBA athletes to join him. That&rsquo;s a long way from &ldquo;Republicans Buy Shoes Too."</p>
<p><img src="https://cdn.basketballnews.com/images/story/body/2-etan-thomas-6_690w.jpeg" alt="" width="730" height="1291" /></p>
<p>Craig Hodges: Oh yes. I love it. People have to understand that everyone grows at different points in their lives and I definitely feel like that (proud) every time I see not only MJ and Magic but all the young athletes like Lebron and this current generation of athletes, it&rsquo;s great to see.</p>

I figured it was a good time to revisit an interview i conducted with Athlete Activist Legend Craig Hodges for my book Police Brutality And White Supremacy “The Fight Against American Traditions."

Beau