Hoyas

They are the five letters no No. 1 NCAA Tournament seed ever wants to see: Upset.
Thursday marks the five-year anniversary of University of Maryland-Baltimore County &mdash; the tiny school few fans had ever heard of, let alone picked in their bracket &mdash; pulling off the biggest upset in college basketball history by beating the tournament&rsquo;s top seed in Virginia.
UMBC&rsquo;s lasting legacy became this: If you don&rsquo;t watch out, No. 1 can mean one-and-done.
While there were some close calls before 2018, No. 1 seeds had gone 135-0 before UMBC routed Virginia 75-54 at Charlotte&rsquo;s Spectrum Center. Now they are 1-147. Like the men, the women&rsquo;s side of March Madness has seen only one 16 knock off a 1: Harvard over Stanford in 1998.
On Thursday, three more No. 1 seeds &mdash; Alabama, Kansas and Houston &mdash; take the court looking to avoid what the Cavaliers endured five years ago, while their respective opponents Texas A&amp;M-Corpus Christi, Howard and Northern Kentucky look to capture that &ldquo;One Shining Moment&rdquo; and etch their name in history alongside the Retrievers.
Ryan Odom, the Retrievers coach that season, said after the game &ldquo;these are the moments that you dream of.&rdquo; while his players celebrated in a cramped locker room after shocking the world. Diminutive 5-foot-8, 140-pound guard KJ, Maura and his teammates joked about there being &ldquo;no more perfect brackets&rdquo; and possibly becoming the focal point of a future ESPN &ldquo;30 for 30&rdquo; episode.
Some players struggled to process the enormity of the moment, hugging each other long and hard.
&ldquo;It felt like my soul left my body, man,&rdquo; UMBC guard Jourdan Grant said that day.
Odom, now the head coach at Utah State, a No. 10 seed in this year&rsquo;s tourney, said Wednesday it was &ldquo;a memory that will last a lifetime.&rdquo;
&ldquo;Will a 16 ever beat a 1 again? I have no idea,&rdquo; Odom said. &ldquo;It takes a special group. It takes a lot of luck in order to have a chance to win any game in the NCAA Tournament.&rdquo;
Former UMBC guard Joe Sherburne said it remains the single greatest day of his life.
&ldquo;You can measure my life by this: before that day, and after that day,&rdquo; Sherburne said Wednesday. When friends introduce him to people, the first thing they say is &ldquo;Joe played for UMBC.&rdquo;
Sherburne, who works as a financial adviser, remembers the day well.
As UMBC&rsquo;s lead over Virginia grew to double digits in the second half he sensed something special, something miraculous was happening. He struggled to concentrate on the next play call while sitting on the bench during TV timeouts: &ldquo;I felt like I was in shock.&rdquo;
Could this really be happening? Could a 20 1/2-point underdog really beat the No. 1 team in the nation in the NCAA Tournament?
But it happened &mdash; and everyone suddenly wanted to know their story.
Sherburne stayed at the arena until 1 a.m. doing interviews before returning to the team hotel where he was greeted by overwhelmed fans, friends and family members. He and his teammates watched &ldquo;Sports Center&rdquo; on repeat and ate pizza, basking in the moment.
&ldquo;We were all still running on adrenaline,&rdquo; Sherburne said. &ldquo;I couldn&rsquo;t eat or drink. I can usually eat a whole Domino&rsquo;s pizza by myself, but I couldn&rsquo;t that night. I might have had two or three slices.&rdquo;
Sherburne still wishes the celebration had gone on for days longer, but UMBC lost a close second round loss to Kansas State two days later.
Still, there will always be the satisfaction of accomplishing something that had never been done before. Sherburne is hoping it stays that way for awhile.
After the final 16 seed lost in last year&rsquo;s NCAA Tournament, he toasted UMBC&rsquo;s legacy with a shot of whiskey.
Two years ago, he attended Game 6 the 2016 NBA Finals where he watched former Virginia big man Mamadi Diakite win a championship ring. Diakite was one of six Virginia players from that team to play in the NBA; UMBC had none.
&ldquo;I&rsquo;m sitting in the arena that night, in the second row from the top, thinking to myself, &rsquo;You know, just a couple of years ago I was making this guy and his teammates cry,&rsquo;&rdquo; Sherburne said.
UMBC players haven&rsquo;t had an in-person reunion, but Sherburne said players remain in touch on group texts.
Last week, Odom opened one of those texts to find players and assistant coaches reminiscing about star guard Jairus Lyles&rsquo; buzzer-beater to beat Vermont in the 2018 America East Conference Tournament championship game &mdash; a dramatic win that earned the Retrievers an automatic bid to the Big Dance.
Odom&rsquo;s eyes swelled up with tears as he scrolled through the comments and pictures.
&ldquo;Each team that we&rsquo;re fortunate enough to coach has one life to live,&rdquo; Odom said. &ldquo;That particular team lived a great life. The joy that that team experienced was unlike any other. Certainly the memories that we&rsquo;ll all take from that particular season will last a lifetime. This is what all coaches and players want: they want to be a part of March Madness and the upset.&rdquo;.

Thursday marks five years since the University of Maryland-Baltimore County had the biggest upset in college basketball history.

UMBC’s legacy: No. 1 can mean one-and-done in March Madness

A list of 12 of the top talents in modern NBA history to have never appeared in an All-Star Game.

The 12 best modern-history players to never make an NBA All-Star team

LAWRENCE, Kan. (AP) &mdash; Shahada Wells scored 17 points as No. 14 TCU beat No. 2 Kansas 83-60 on Saturday in one of the worst losses in Bill Self&rsquo;s 20-year coaching career with the Jayhawks.
The loss snapped a 16-game winning streak at home for Kansas and was the second-largest home loss under Self. The Jayhawks (15-3, 5-2 Big 12), who lost 83-82 in overtime at Kansas State on Tuesday, had not lost consecutive games in the state since 1989 &mdash; against K-State and Missouri.
Kansas trailed by 10 at halftime and never closed the gap within single digits. TCU extended the lead to as many as 24 points. The Jayhawks shot only 32.1% in the second half.
TCU (15-4, 4-3 Big 12), which shot 54.4% (31 of 57) from the field, got 15 points from Mike Miles Jr. and 11 from Damion Baugh.
NO. 4 ALABAMA 85, MISSOURI 64
COLUMBIA, Mo. (AP) &mdash; Noah Clowney and Mark Sears each scored 17 points, and Alabama remained undefeated against unranked teams this season.
Freshman Brandon Miller added 15 points and eight rebounds for Alabama (17-2, 7-0 Southeastern Conference), and reserve Jahvon Quinterly scored 13 points. Clowney also had 14 rebounds, and Sears finished with eight rebounds and three steals.
Isiaih Mosley led Missouri (14-5, 3-4) with 19 points. Mohamed Diarra had eight points and 12 rebounds.
NO. 11 ARIZONA 58, NO. 5 UCLA 52
TUSCON, Ariz. (AP) &mdash; Oumar Ballo scored 16 points, Azuolas Tubelis had a double-double and Arizona withstood a late rally to end UCLA&rsquo;s 14-game winning streak.
The Wildcats (17-3, 5-3 Pac-12) took a 56-44 lead on Ballo&rsquo;s alley-oop dunk with 2:07 left. But the Bruins (17-3, 8-1) fought back, creating four straight turnovers to pull within 56-52. UCLA then blocked consecutive shots but couldn&rsquo;t convert on two shots of its own. Arizona&rsquo;s Pelle Larsson hit two free throws with 0.9 seconds to close it out.
Tyger Campbell led the Bruins with 13 points and Jaime Jaquez Jr. added 12 with 11 rebounds.
NO. 6 GONZAGA 99, PACIFIC 90
STOCKTON, Calif. (AP) &mdash; Drew Timme scored 24 of his career-high 38 points in the second half, including 18 straight points during one stretch, and Gonzaga pulled away in the closing minutes.
Timme made 17 of 23 shots and almost all of them within a couple feet of the rim. Anton Watson added 16 points and 13 rebounds for Gonzaga (17-4, 6-1 WCC). Rasir Bolton added 16 points for the Bulldogs, who had won their previous three road games in conference play by a combined eight points, and Julian Strawther had 15.
Jordan Ivy-Curry led five Pacific players in double figures with 17 points. Nick Blake scored 16 before fouling out. Keylan Boone finished with 15, Luke Avdalovic added 13 and Judson Martindale finished with 12. Pacific (10-12, 3-4) made eight 3-pointers in the first half and was tied at 47 at halftime, but the Tigers were just 1 of 8 from deep in the second half.
NO. 7 TEXAS 69, WEST VIRGINIA 61
MORGANTOWN, W.Va. (AP) -- Marcus Carr scored 19 of his 23 points in the second half to lead Texas.
Dylan Disu added 13 points before fouling out, and Christian Bishop and Tyrese Hunter scored 11 apiece for the Longhorns (16-3, 5-2 Big 12), who bounced back from a double-digit loss at No. 12 Iowa State on Wednesday.
The Mountaineers (11-8, 1-6) had several players in early foul trouble. Kedrian Johnson had a career-high 22 points, but his teammates fell flat in the second half against the Longhorns.
NO. 8 XAVIER 95, GEORGETOWN 82
CINCINNATI (AP) &mdash; Zach Freemantle tied a career-high with 30 points and Colby Jones had 20 as Xavier handed Georgetown its 29th straight Big East loss.
Adam Kunkel scored 14 points to help the Musketeers (16-4, 8-1 Big East) bounce back from a 73-72 loss at DePaul on Wednesday.
Primo Spears scored a career-high 37 points and Akok Akok had 14 for the Hoyas (5-15, 0-9 Big East), who have lost 10 straight. Spears&rsquo; previous high was 34 against LaSalle on March 5, 2022.
NO. 9 TENNESSEE 77, LSU 56
BATON ROUGE, La. (AP) &mdash; Josiah-Jordan James scored a season-high 22 points and Tennessee defeated LSU, which has lost six straight.
James, who missed eight games in November and December due to injury, made his second straight start for the Volunteers (16-3, 6-1 Southeastern Conference). Playing 31 minutes, James was 9-of-16 from the field and matched his career-high with four 3-pointers.
Tennessee point guard Zakai Zeigler had 12 points and 10 assists, which tied his career high. Julian Phillips and Tyreke Key each had 10 points.
KJ Williams led LSU (12-7, 1-6) with 16 points. Trae Hannibal added 10 points. The Tigers committed 19 turnovers which resulted in 33 Volunteers points.
NO. 10 VIRGINIA 76, WAKE FOREST 67
WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. (AP) &mdash; Armaan Franklin scored 18 of his 25 points during the first half and Virginia survived blowing nearly all of a 19-point lead to beat Wake Forest.
Kihei Clark added 12 points despite getting into foul trouble for the Cavaliers (15-3, 7-2 Atlantic Coast Conference). But it was a day of wild swings for Virginia, who went from missing its first eight shots to suddenly being unable to miss to go up 34-15 &mdash; only to see the Demon Deacons push back to within a single point with 8 1/2 minutes left.
Damari Monsanto had a career-high 25 points for the Demon Deacons (14-6, 6-3), highlighted by making 7 of 15 3-pointers.
OKLAHOMA STATE 61, NO. 12 IOWA STATE 59
STILLWATER, Okla. (AP) &mdash; Avery Anderson scored 18 points, including the go-ahead free throws, and Oklahoma State defeated Iowa State for its first win over a ranked team this season.
Kalib Boone added 13 points for the Cowboys (11-8, 3-4 Big 12), who won their second straight game.
Osun Osunniyi scored 15 points and Gabe Kalscheur added 14 for Iowa State (14-4, 5-2), which had won seven of its last eight games. Cyclones sharpshooter Caleb Grill spent most of the second half on the bench wearing a back brace and wasn&rsquo;t in the game in the closing minutes.
NO. 13 KANSAS STATE 68, TEXAS TECH 58
MANHATTAN, Kan. (AP) &mdash; Markquis Nowell had 23 points, eight rebounds and five assists in Kansas State&rsquo;s win over Texas Tech.
Keyontae Johnson had 15 points and 11 rebounds for the Wildcats (17-2, 6-1 Big 12), who won for the 11th time in 12 games. Ismael Massoud scored 12 points.
Pop Isaacs and De&rsquo;Vion Harmon each scored 13 points for Texas Tech (10-9, 0-7), which shot 32.4% (23 for 71) from the field.
NO. 16 AUBURN 81, SOUTH CAROLINA 66
COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) &mdash; Johni Broome had a season-high 27 points and 11 rebounds as Auburn took control late in the opening half to run past struggling South Carolina.
Broome&rsquo;s performance helped the Tigers to their fifth straight win and offset a career-best 30 points from Gamecocks&rsquo; freshman Gregory &ldquo;GG&rdquo; Jackson II.
The 6-foot-10 Broome took full advantage of South Carolina&rsquo;s undersized interior for the Tigers (16-3, 6-1 Southeastern Conference). He hit 12 of his 17 shots in 30 minutes for his sixth double-double this season and fifth against an SEC opponent.
Meechie Johnson was the only other player for South Carolina (8-11, 1-5) in double figures with 11 points.
DUKE 68, NO. 17 MIAMI
DURHAM, N.C. (AP) &mdash; Kyle Filipowski had 17 points and 14 rebounds and Jeremy Roach scored 14 points in his first game in more than two weeks to lift Duke over Miami.
Tyrese Proctor had 11 points and Dariq Whitehead added 10 points for the Blue Devils (15-4, 5-3 Atlantic Coast Conference), who played their first game of the season without a national ranking.
Jordan Miller&rsquo;s 19 points and Nijel Pack&rsquo;s 18 were tops for Miami (15-4, 6-3), which has lost three of its last five games.
NO. 18 CHARLESTON 87, NORTHEASTERN 61
BOSTON (AP) &mdash; Ben Burnham scored 15 points, Pat Robinson III added 14 and Ryan Larson had 12 to lead Charleston to its 20th win in a row.
The Cougars (21-1, 9-0 Colonial Athletic Association) scored 13 straight points in the first half to pull away and extend the longest active winning streak in the nation. They have not lost since the second game of the season, to then-No. 1 North Carolina on Nov. 11, climbing to their highest ranking in The Associated Press Top 25 since 1999.
Chris Doherty had 11 points and 13 rebounds and Jared Turner also scored 11 for Northeastern (8-11, 4-4). The Huskies haven&rsquo;t beat a Top 25 team since 2015.
NO. 19 CLEMSON 51, VIRGINIA TECH 50
CLEMSON, S.C. (AP) &mdash; Hunter Tyson&rsquo;s 3-pointer with 12 seconds left lifted Clemson to a dramatic victory over Virginia Tech.
Tyson caught a pass just left of the key, took a look at at the basket and let it fly. The crowd exploded as the ball went through and the Tigers (16-4, 8-1 Atlantic Coast Conference) continued their unexpected run atop the ACC.
PJ Hall led Clemson with 20 points and eight rebounds.
Grant Basile led the Hokies (11-8, 1-7) with 13 points.
NO. 20 MARQUETTE 74, SETON HALL 53
NEWARK, N.J. (AP) &mdash; Kam Jones scored 22 points, Oso Ighodaro had 18 on 7-for-7 shooting and Marquette beat Seton Hall.
Marquette (16-5, 8-2 Big East) shot 54% (29 for 54) from the field in its second straight win since an 80-76 loss to Xavier last weekend.
Kadary Richmond led Seton Hall (12-9, 5-5) with 10 points and five assists. The Pirates committed a season-high 26 turnovers.
NO. 21 BAYLOR 62, OKLAHOMA 60
NORMAN, Okla. (AP) &mdash; Jalen Bridges scored 11 points and hit a trio of game-turning 3-pointers in the final five minutes as Baylor rallied to hold off Oklahoma.
Adam Flagler had 16 points and five assists, and Keyonte George added 11 points as Baylor (14-5, 4-3 Big 12) won its fourth straight game after opening conference play with three straight losses and briefly dropping out of The Associated Press Top 25.
Jalen Hill had 17 points and nine rebounds, while Tanner Groves added 16 points, nine rebounds and three blocked shots for the Sooners (12-7, 2-5).
NO. 22 PROVIDENCE 75, DEPAUL 64
PROVIDENCE, R.I. (AP) &mdash; Noah Locke had a career-high 29 points, including seven 3-pointers, to help Providence fend off DePaul.
Bryce Hopkins added 20 points and 11 rebounds as the Friars (15-5, 7-2 Big East) snapped a two-game losing skid and improved to 11-0 at home. They are 2-2 without point guard Jared Bynum, who missed his fourth consecutive game with a torso injury.
The Blue Demons (9-11, 3-6) came in fresh off a home victory over eighth-ranked Xavier. But they dropped their sixth straight road game and are now 0-4 in conference games away from home. Umjoja Gibson had 16 points and five assists for DePaul and Da&rsquo;Sean Nelson added 13 points.
NO. 24 FLORIDA ATLANTIC 67, UTEP 59
EL PASO, Texas (AP) &mdash; Johnell Davis scored 20 points on 6-for-9 shooting and Florida Atlantic extended its program record for consecutive wins to 18.
Davis hit 2 of 3 attempts from 3-point distance and was perfect on six shots from the line for FAU (19-1, 9-0 Conference USA). Vladislav Goldin finished with 11 points, six rebounds and three blocks for the Owls.
Calvin Solomon finished with 16 points and 10 rebounds, and Tae Hardy also scored 16 points for UTEP (11-9, 4-5). Mario McKinney Jr. added 11 points, seven rebounds and two steals.
NO. 25 ARKANSAS 69, OLE MISS 57
FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. (AP) &mdash; Anthony Black scored 17 points, reserve Joseph Pinion had 13 and Arkansas snapped a four-game losing streak by topping Mississippi.
Only nine teams in Division I had made fewer 3-pointers than Arkansas (13-6, 2-5 Southeastern Conference) this season, but the Razorbacks tied a season high by making eight from beyond the arc. They led by as many as 21 points.
Pinion and Devo Davis each made three 3s. Davis had 16 points and Jordan Walsh finished with 13.
Ole Miss (9-10, 1-6) committed 17 turnovers. The Rebels had six giveaways in the first six minutes of the second half, helping Arkansas extend its three-point halftime lead to 11 at the first media timeout after the break.

A roundup of Saturday's top-25 action in men's college basketball includes a TCU rout of the second-ranked Jayhawks on the road.

No. 14 TCU blows out No. 2 Kansas in Allen Fieldhouse

Dating back to when he was 9 years old, Malcolm Brogdon has made plenty of trips to Africa, a place he <a href="https://www.nba.com/pacers/news/brogdon-helps-bring-clean-water-joy-east-african-communities" target="_blank" rel="noopener">truly loves and is passionate about</a>. This past week marked yet another visit with the NBA for Basketball Without Borders, where he along with several players and coaches from around the league played a part in grooming the next generation of basketball youngsters &mdash; on and off the floor.
&ldquo;I just have a heart for it over here, a heart for the continent and developing these guys and giving them a real opportunity,&rdquo; Brogdon told Basketball News via Zoom.&nbsp;
&ldquo;I think it's always an amazing opportunity when I get to come over here and work with the young talent, because there's a wealth of it in Africa. They don't have the resources and they don't have the nutrition and the development that we have, but once they do, these kids are gonna take off. So I definitely applaud the NBA for being over here and giving them an opportunity.&rdquo;
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(Photos via NBA Africa)
Held in Cairo, Egypt, for the first time since the program expanded into Africa, Basketball Without Borders returned after a brief hiatus. (The last event occurred in Dakar, Senegal, in 2019, which Brogdon also participated in at the time.) BWB Africa 2022 brought together over 60 of the top men and women&rsquo;s prospects under the age of 18 to learn and compete.
The camp featured a variety of activities, including movement efficiency drills, offensive and defensive skill stations, three-point contests and 5-on-5 games, plus sessions about life skills and leadership development. In addition, everybody involved was able to explore the country &mdash; most notably seeing the pyramids and going to the National Museum of Egyptian Civilization.
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Finding himself coaching for the second consecutive time, Brogdon quips that such a responsibility &ldquo;is a whole different monster than playing.&rdquo; With that being said, the 29-year-old envisions he&rsquo;ll continue to be involved in developing the future talent that comes from Africa.
&ldquo;It's up to guys like myself in the NBA that have a platform and have a name that can come over [to] encourage these guys, shine some light in their life, work with them and learn from them, and allow them to learn from you,&rdquo; Brogdon said.
With BWB Africa coming to a close on Wednesday, Basketball News spoke with Brogdon about his foundation, the Boston Celtics&rsquo; upcoming season and more.
You&rsquo;ve long talked about how important your platform as an NBA player is and how it can be used to help people. Could you speak about your clean water initiative in East Africa and your <a href="https://www.brogdonfamilyfoundation.org/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Brogdon Family Foundation</a> that started two years ago?
Brogdon: "For sure. I have a foundation, the Brogdon Family Foundation. It focuses on two things. One side is education domestically and the other side is clean water internationally. Especially on the clean water side, we've seen a lot of progress over the last couple of years. We're building clean water wells in East Africa &mdash; Tanzania and Kenya. We have over 20-to-25 wells in the ground in those two countries. We're doing a lot of really good work and really impacting people's lives."
<img src="https://cdn.basketballnews.com/images/story/body/brogdon1.png" alt="" width="560" height="448" />
It&rsquo;s got to be cool to be able to spend time with Grant Williams out there, especially now that you&rsquo;re teammates with him. Have you gotten the chance to get to know him better and talk ball?
Brogdon: "Yeah, we've talked a lot of basketball. We've spent a lot of time together. We've talked business, we've talked life. I got to meet his mom, she's here. Grant's a great guy. He's a smart guy. He takes the game serious, takes life serious. He's an impressive guy, so I've really enjoyed my time with him."
I&rsquo;m sure you&rsquo;re stoked for camp to start in a few weeks. You seem thrilled to be playing in Boston now. What makes that organization stand out to you?
Brogdon: "Their history, right? I mean, they're the most winning organization in the league, and I think they're more hungry to win than anybody. You can see that with the move they made for me and [Danilo] Gallinari. They want to improve. They want to win a championship. It's all about Banner 18 for 'em. Now that's all it's about for me as well, and I'm excited to be a part of that."
Have you had the chance to talk to Gallo after <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/danilo-gallinari-diagnosed-with-meniscus-tear-no-ligament-damage" target="_blank" rel="noopener">his injury</a>?
Brogdon: "I reached out to him. I sent him a text that just said, 'Hey man, praying for you. Get healthy, we need you this year.' He said, 'I appreciate it, brother.' It was short. When you get injured, it's frustrating. You want people to check on you, but a lot of the time, you don't want to talk a lot about it, so I just sent a text out to let him know I was thinking about him and I was praying for him."
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How do you feel you can complement Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown best?
Brogdon: "I think I can just relieve pressure. Whether that's touching the paint, getting 'em easy shots. Whether that's guarding players that they need a break on the defensive end [against] so they can focus on offense.
"But [mostly], being a steady presence on the floor that can help control the end of games, that can help control the flow of the game to make sure that they're getting the ball in their spots, [so] they're never having to overdo it to get a look or run their bodies into the ground. I want to be that guy that can create for 'em."
You're joining a guard room with Marcus Smart, Derrick White and Payton Pritchard. It feels like the lineup combinations could be very fun.
Brogdon: "Yeah. We're talented, we're deep. A year ago, people were talking about, 'The Celtics didn't have depth.' Well, that's not gonna be an issue. I think this year we'll have a wealth of talent coming off the bench, and I'm excited about it. I'm excited. I think we've got smart, more-than-capable guys coming off the bench that are versatile on both sides of the ball, and we can really be dangerous."
What do you admire most about Ime Udoka? What have your conversations with him been like?
Brogdon: "I admire his authenticity, his realness. He's a straight shooter, he's very direct. There's not a lot of gray area with him. You can have coaches that don't want to tell you the truth, that sorta beat around the bush. He's far from that, so I really appreciate that about him. It's hard to find. I've had maybe two conversations with him. I can tell he's a player's coach. He was in the league for a while, he knows how to talk to you, he knows how to relate to you, but he also knows how to coach."
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Background on Basketball Without Borders Africa
<ul>
<li aria-level="1">The first Basketball Without Borders Africa camp took place in Johannesburg, South Africa, in 2003.</li>
<li aria-level="1">In total there have been 18 BWB Africa camps, with the most recent camp taking place in Cairo, Egypt, from Aug. 28-31, 2022.</li>
<li aria-level="1">More than 1,400 men and women from more than 30 African countries have participated in BWB Africa.</li>
<li aria-level="1">Camps have been attended and supported by more than 150 NBA and WNBA coaches, players and NBA team personnel.</li>
<li aria-level="1">BWB Africa camps have been conducted in South Africa (2003-2009; 2011-2015; 2017-2018), Senegal (2010, 2019), Egypt (2022) and Angola (2016).</li>
<li aria-level="1">Twelve former BWB Africa campers have been drafted into the NBA: Khalifa Diop (BWB Africa 2018), Christian Koloko (BWB Africa 2017), Pascal Siakam (BWB Africa 2012), Joel Embiid (BWB Africa 2011), Kostas Antetokounmpo (BWB Africa 2015), Chukwudi Maduabum (BWB Africa 2010), Gorgui Dieng (BWB Africa 2009), Christian Eyenga (BWB Africa 2005), Hamady N'diaye (BWB Africa 2004), Solomon Alabi (BWB Africa 2004), Mouhamed Saer Sene (BWB Africa 2004), Luc Mbah a Moute (BWB Africa 2003)</li>
</ul>
Background on Basketball Without Borders
<ul>
<li aria-level="2">Basketball Without Borders (BWB) is the NBA and FIBA&rsquo;s global basketball development and community outreach program that was launched in 2001.</li>
<li aria-level="2">The first-ever BWB camp took place in Europe in July 2001: Vlade Divac (Serbia) and Toni Kukoc (Croatia), together with former teammates from the Yugoslavia national team, reunited in Treviso, Italy, to work with 50 children from the former Yugoslavia.</li>
<li aria-level="2">The NBA and FIBA have staged 65 BWB camps in 40 cities across 30 countries on six continents.&nbsp;</li>
<li aria-level="2">BWB has hosted more than 3,800 participants from 133 countries and territories.</li>
<li aria-level="2">More than 310 current and former NBA/WNBA players have joined more than 240 NBA team personnel from all 30 NBA teams to share their expertise and knowledge with participants.</li>
<li aria-level="2">The NBA typically hosts four regional BWB camps over the summer (Africa, Europe, Asia, Americas), and in 2015 created the BWB Global camp, which is held annually at NBA All-Star for the top prospects from the previous summer&rsquo;s camps</li>
<li aria-level="2">There have been 105 former BWB campers drafted or signed by NBA or WNBA teams, including a record 41 players on opening-night rosters last season.
<ul>
<li aria-level="2">Notable former BWB campers include Deandre Ayton, Josh Giddey, RJ Barrett, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Lauri Markkanen, Joel Embiid, Danilo Gallinari, Marc Gasol, Rui Hachimura, Jonas Valanciunas, Jamal Murray, Nicolas Batum, Pascal Siakam and Awak Kuier.</li>
</ul>
</li>
</ul>

Spencer Davies chats with Malcolm Brogdon about his involvement with BWB Africa, his foundation, next year's Celtics and more.

Malcolm Brogdon Q&A: Fit with Celtics, BWB Africa experience

NEW YORK &ndash; The National Basketball Association (NBA) today unveiled its lineup of newly designed NBA All-Star trophies in celebration of the league&rsquo;s 75th Anniversary Season. &nbsp;Designed in partnership with artist Victor Solomon, the trophies will be presented for the first time during NBA All-Star 2022 in Cleveland. &nbsp;The lineup of hardware is headlined by The Kobe Bryant Trophy, which will be awarded to the Kia NBA All-Star Game MVP on Sunday, Feb. 20 at 8 p.m. ET on TNT.
&ldquo;As the NBA celebrates its 75th Anniversary Season, this collection of All-Star trophies represents the continued growth and evolution of our game,&rdquo; said Christopher Arena, Head of On-Court and Brand Partnerships at the NBA. &nbsp;&ldquo;Through our collaboration with Victor Solomon, these trophies incorporate deep storytelling, reimagining our previous All-Star trophies in a modern aesthetic, and now serve as the new standards of excellence that future generations of All-Stars will strive to reach each year.&rdquo;
Solomon&rsquo;s work in this space includes his &ldquo;Literally Balling&rdquo; project, where he explores the icons and symbols of basketball as a platform for conceptual storytelling. &nbsp;His art has detailed the high process techniques involved in creating and designing stained glass basketball backboards, crystal basketballs and cast ceramic basketballs reconstructed with a Kintsugi process, and has been exhibited in New York, Los Angeles, Paris and Shanghai.
&ldquo;For the past few years, the NBA and I have proudly and tirelessly worked to reconsider what a trophy is, has been and could be,&rdquo; said Victor Solomon. &ldquo;Redesigning the All-Star trophies gave us a special opportunity to create event awards worthy of the energy and excitement the moment creates, while introducing the full collection&rsquo;s visual, aesthetic language. The occasion also gave us the privilege and responsibility to develop an entirely new silhouette worthy of being named &lsquo;The Kobe Bryant Trophy&rsquo; for the Kia NBA All-Star MVP for which, in the spirit of its namesake, we threw out all conventions and challenged ourselves to reorient how we thought about &lsquo;the game.&rsquo;&rdquo;
TNT will unveil the All-Star Game reserves (seven players from each conference), as selected by NBA head coaches, and showcase the new NBA All-Star trophies tonight at 7 p.m. ET on TNT NBA Tip-Off presented by CarMax.
Commemorating the league&rsquo;s most notable achievements at NBA All-Star, each trophy boasts an elevated design, fit with intricate elements symbolizing the milestone that each award represents. &nbsp;The NBA All-Star trophies include:
The Kobe Bryant Trophy &ndash; Awarded to the Kia NBA All-Star MVP
As previously announced by NBA Commissioner Adam Silver in 2020, the NBA All-Star Game MVP trophy has been permanently named for the late Kobe Bryant, an 18-time All-Star who won a record-tying four Kia All-Star Game MVP awards. &nbsp;

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The new Kobe Bryant Trophy further celebrates its namesake, with intricate details holding dual meanings, both for NBA All-Star and Bryant&rsquo;s legendary career, which include the following:
<ul>
<li>Base Dimension: The eight-sided base represents the eight decades of NBA All-Star Games and is a nod to Bryant&rsquo;s No. 8 jersey number. The 18 stars around the trophy represent his 18 All-Star selections.&nbsp; The base height of 2 inches is a nod to Bryant&rsquo;s 2002 Kia NBA All-Star MVP.</li>
<li>Level 1: The 24 stars represent each All-Star in the game and Bryant&rsquo;s No. 24 jersey number. The 7-inch height is a nod to Bryant&rsquo;s 2007 Kia NBA All-Star MVP.</li>
<li>Level 2: The 10 stars represent the All-Star Game starters and Bryant&rsquo;s USA Basketball No. 10 jersey. The 9-inch height is a nod to Bryant&rsquo;s 2009 Kia NBA All-Star MVP.</li>
<li>Level 3: The five stars represent the unity of an NBA team and Bryant&rsquo;s five NBA championships. The 11-inch height is a nod to his 2011 Kia NBA All-Star MVP.</li>
<li>Level 4: A single star represents the star of stars and Bryant winning The Maurice Podoloff Trophy for the 2007-08 Kia NBA MVP. The 2-inch height of the final star represents Bryant&rsquo;s two Bill Russell Trophies as the NBA Finals MVP (2009-2010).</li>
</ul>
NBA All-Star Events:
In addition to The Kobe Bryant Trophy, the following NBA All-Star events will crown their respective champion or MVP with a newly designed trophy:
<ul>
<li>AT&amp;T Slam Dunk Champion</li>
<li>MTN DEW&reg; 3-Point Contest Champion</li>
<li>Taco Bell Skills Challenge Champion</li>
<li>Clorox Rising Stars MVP</li>
</ul>
These trophies take inspiration from the gold-basketball All-Star trophies that had been previously awarded to the event champions, infusing nostalgia from the past trophies and spinning them forward with a new, innovative approach.
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In addition to The Kobe Bryant Trophy, the following NBA All-Star events will crown their respective champion or MVP with a newly designed trophy: AT&amp;T Slam Dunk Champion MTN DEW&reg; 3-Point Contest Champion Taco Bell Skills Challenge Champion Clorox Rising Stars MVP <a href="https://t.co/t0LzP552yF">https://t.co/t0LzP552yF</a> <a href="https://t.co/kDhYJlAYmO">pic.twitter.com/kDhYJlAYmO</a>
&mdash; NBA Communications (@NBAPR) <a href="https://twitter.com/NBAPR/status/1489254418931339271?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 3, 2022</a></blockquote>

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Each trophy is composed of the following:
<ul>
<li>A 14-inch crystal star-shaped column.</li>
<li>A 24-karat gold basketball embedded within the column, which is surrounded by orbiting text of the respective event and honor.</li>
</ul>
NBA All-Star Game Rings:
As is custom since 1983, NBA All-Star rings are awarded to players in recognition of their selection to the game. &nbsp;
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More... NBA All-Star Game Rings: As is custom since 1983, NBA All-Star rings are awarded to players in recognition of their selection to the game. Clorox Rising Stars Champions: The winning team of the Clorox Rising Stars will receive medals. <a href="https://t.co/jsOqZHzaBa">https://t.co/jsOqZHzaBa</a> <a href="https://t.co/XBnlYJZifS">pic.twitter.com/XBnlYJZifS</a>
&mdash; NBA Communications (@NBAPR) <a href="https://twitter.com/NBAPR/status/1489256842869960710?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 3, 2022</a></blockquote>

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Design details of the latest rings include:
<ul>
<li>The ring&rsquo;s frame resembles a basketball seam.</li>
<li>The NBA All-Star host city and year is etched on the side of the band.</li>
<li>A crystal ball is embedded in the ring seam, with the All-Star host city and year magnified underneath.</li>
<li>The crystal ball is surrounded by 22 stars and 22 diamonds, in reference to the current All-Star year.</li>
</ul>
Clorox Rising Stars Champions:
The winning team of the Clorox Rising Stars will receive medals that are elevated by basketball seams, with &ldquo;Champions&rdquo; and stars engraved in the center. &nbsp;In addition, two players from each Rising Stars team will compete in the Clorox Clutch Challenge, with the winning team set to receive a 10-inch crystal disc.
Ruffles NBA All-Star Celebrity Game MVP:
The Ruffles NBA All-Star Celebrity Game will award an MVP trophy fit for the game that features stars across film, television, music, sports and more. &nbsp;The trophy will consist of the following:
<ul>
<li>A 250-millimeter faceted crystal ball.</li>
<li>&ldquo;MVP&rdquo; is 3D laser etched and suspended in the ball&rsquo;s center.</li>
</ul>

The NBA has unveiled its lineup of newly designed NBA All-Star trophies in celebration of the league’s 75th Anniversary Season.

NBA unveils reimagined Kobe Bryant Trophy for 2022 All-Star Game MVP

Moke Hamilton reacts to the BasketballNews.com staff's picks for the 2022 NBA All-Star Game and explains his selections.

Selecting the 2022 NBA All-Star reserves

It turns out that hoarding assets and a ton of "almost trades" may not be the best approach to build a franchise. The Boston Celtics are in the midst of suffering the ramifications of such an approach.&nbsp;
Boston has played the third-most games that come down to "clutch time," just one behind the Los Angeles Lakers and two behind the Milwaukee Bucks. They have won just 9 of those 26 games. Their .346 win percentage in clutch situations is only better than the Indiana Pacers, Orlando Magic and San Antonio Spurs; three teams you do not want to be in the same company as this season if you have serious playoff hopes.
It is hard to imagine that a team with Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown, two undeniable stars, could be currently a half-game from not even making the Play-In Tournament. The Cs still have Marcus Smart with an emerging Robert Williams for their defensive needs, but the rest of the roster just does not make sense.
<a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/news/authors/bryan-fonseca" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Bryan Fonseca</a> <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/the-case-against-and-for-separating-jayson-tatum-and-jaylen-brown" target="_blank" rel="noopener">took a dive into the Tatum-Brown pairing</a>, and he'll join me on this quest to solve this riddle that is the currenly-spiraling Boston Celtics. I will explore the need for a point guard in Part I, while <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/part-two-what-fours-best-fit-beside-jayson-tatum-and-jaylen-brown" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Bryan addressed the frontcourt in Part II</a>.
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Dennis Schroder and the Celtics were a marriage of neccesity rather than pure desire. Schroder bet on himself, leaving the best he ever had to look for even better, only to find out he made a mistake. Swiping through NBA Free Agency Tinder, the Celtics and Schroder matched because they both had a void to fill. After trading Kemba Walker to the Oklahoma City Thunder for a reunion with Al Horford, newly-named president Brad Stevens had only Smart and Payton Pritchard on the roster to run the point.
Boston had an All-Star point guard for three straight seasons, and then, last year, Walker was often injured, which led to his departure. Going from big-name point guards to unproven floor generals, the Celtics gave Schroder a prove-it deal. But all it has proved so far is that he is not a fit to lead this team at the point position.
As a matter of fact, Schroder is not really fit to be the lead point guard on any team. The best seasons of his career arguably came as a backup to Jeff Teague in Atlanta. Once the Teague era ended, the Hawks, and Schroder's value, fell off a cliff.&nbsp;
In 2015-16, the final year of Teague, Schroder carried a plus-7.5 Net Rating along with his career-best Defensive Rating of 95.9. In those two following seasons as the lead guard in Atlanta, Schroder was an overall minus-8.2 with an average DRTG of 109.3.
When Schroder returned to backup duty in Oklahoma City for both Russell Westbrook and Chris Paul, his NET jumped up to plus-3.6 and plus-5.5 respectively.
Looking from the lens of plus-minus, 4 of his 5 worst seasons are his rookie campaign and every year he was the primary point guard. The evidence is there: He's not built to lead a team that way.
Through trial and error, the Celtics now know that, and are reportedly open to moving him (<a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/celtics-have-been-extremely-active-in-trade-talks-ahead-of-deadline" target="_blank" rel="noopener">and other veterans</a>) elsewhere to open up time for their young guys. So where/who do they turn to? Smart at the point alongside Brown, Tatum, Al Horford and Williams is a plus-17.6 NET with 324 total possessions per Cleaning the Glass. But can the group get it done in the fourth quarter?
If Ime Udoka and Stevens believe they can, then moves should be made to ensure the team's depth on the bench. If not, the Celtics need grab a floor general off the trade market. Here are some scenarios:
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Memphis Grizzlies
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Tyus Jones is arguably the best backup point guard in the NBA and the current leader in Assist-to-Turnover ratio among qualified players (5.40). The Grizzlies are who they are in large part due to his ability to run the bench unit, but also hold the fort down if Ja Morant misses time.&nbsp;
So, why would Memphis do this? Well, the Grizzlies are not pressured to win the title this year. General manager Zach Kleiman has danced to the beat of his own drum, and will not accelerate his timeline simply because the team is ahead of schedule. Morant is due a rookie-scale max extension, and the Grizzlies will almost certainly have to fork over a near max to Desmond Bane when that time comes. On top of that, Jaren Jackson Jr. is already on the books for a $100 million extension, so money is tight in Memphis.
Kleiman is all about cashing in his assets; Memphis can't afford to pay Jones, so he could very well seek compensation now rather than let him walk in the offseason for nothing. Tyus will almost certainly be a starting point guard for someone next season, so Boston should look here first.
Memphis gets some expiring money back and a protected first-round pick for a player that would significantly help Boston's post season push. (It should be noted that Memphis may also try to get a hometown discount with Jones and keep him this offseason.)
Houston Rockets
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Speaking of the Grizzlies, they once traded Chandler Parsons to the Atlanta Hawks for Solomon Hill and Miles Plumlee. A genius financial move by Memphis. Kleiman broke down the Parsons contract into two easier-to-move contracts to get Parsons off the books.
The motivation for Houston here would be similar. Schroder is an expiring deal that the Rockets could buy out immediately, while Horford could be shipped to a third team to be broken down even further.&nbsp;
This issue with this trade on the Celtics' side is that Josh Richardson has been good for them, and while you upgrade the point guard position, the wing depth takes a hit. This is an all-in move for Boston that would most certainly be followed by either a trade for another wing or picking up a wing on the buyout market.
What does John Wall look like? Does he fit with Tatum and Brown? These are the questions that must be answered for this idea to even be kicked around. It's a rather unlikely scenario, but the market for quality point guards is quite dry.&nbsp;
San Antonio Spurs
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Here is your home-run swing. Bryan and I could not think of another available point guard (Malcolm Brogdon is ineligible to be moved) for Boston to pursue, so he mentioned this as a big swing. It may very well take more than two protected first-round picks &mdash; whether that is more picks or someone like Aaron Nesmith. The Spurs most likely have no interest in moving Murray this season, but for the right price, who knows.&nbsp;
This would be a massive deal for the Celtics. They would get a perfect point guard to play alongside Tatum, Brown and Smart, as well as a veteran in Thaddeus Young, who is <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/spurs-thad-young-frustrated-about-role-this-situation-is-not-ideal" target="_blank" rel="noopener">still waiting to pounce on an opportunity to play</a> after a <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/thaddeus-young-was-blindsided-by-spurs-trade-bulls-said-hed-be-back" target="_blank" rel="noopener">solid year in Chicago</a>. Young is almost certainly going to be moved, and if the Celtics could land him with Murray, Boston &mdash; while not becoming title favorites &mdash; could fight its way out of the Play-In Tournament.
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Danny Ainge is no longer at the helm, so what will Stevens do in his first season running the show? This roster clearly needs an immediate makeover, and it starts with repairing the point guard position.&nbsp;
Read <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/part-two-what-fours-best-fit-beside-jayson-tatum-and-jaylen-brown" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Part II of this series</a>, where Bryan Fonseca addressed the Celtics' frontcourt options in the trade market. 
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Justin Lewis looks at Boston's point guard dilemma and potential trade ideas for the Celtics in Part I of his series with Bryan Fonseca.

Broken in Boston: Retooling the spiraling Celtics — Part I

With hubris, he declared victory before the first battle.&nbsp;
Intoxicated by his hopes and aspirations, on that day in Miami, LeBron James defiantly counted, laughing at five and scoffing at six.&nbsp;
With Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh flanking him, he envisioned two hands worth of championship rings and predicted that the actual games would be &ldquo;the easy part.&rdquo;&nbsp;
Eventually, though, the young King would learn the valuable lesson that many of his predecessors did: assembling the talent is the easy part. Convincing Lady Luck and Father Time to bless you at the same time &mdash; that&rsquo;s the true challenge.
The Brooklyn Nets are learning that, firsthand.
It&rsquo;s been a long 30 months since Kyrie Irving walked across the Brooklyn Bridge with Kevin Durant in tow. Remarkably, it&rsquo;s already been a full year since James Harden found his way to Barclays Center to join them.
And just as remarkable is the fact that the trio has played together a grand total of just 15 times &mdash; eight times during the 2020-21 season, five games in last year&rsquo;s postseason and a grand total of twice in 2021-22.
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It&rsquo;s not exactly a good sign.
Whether it be a busted Achilles, a hamstring, an ankle, an MCL or refusal to get vaccinated, Brooklyn simply hasn&rsquo;t been able to consistently field its trio.&nbsp;
In pro basketball, chemistry and the ability to work together is just as important as talent. Maybe the tide will turn and Durant, Irving and Harden will have the opportunity to develop the cohesion necessary to thrive and accomplish something great. But it&rsquo;s far from a given at this point; there just always seems to be something standing in their way.
The latest bump in the road is a sprained MCL suffered on the part of Durant, who the team has only declared to be out &ldquo;indefinitely.&rdquo; While it&rsquo;s entirely possible that Durant could return to action soon, it&rsquo;s equally possible that he could be sidelined for as many as six weeks, according to <a href="https://nypost.com/2022/01/17/nets-have-no-timeline-on-kevin-durants-knee-injury/">the New York Post</a>. And considering Durant&rsquo;s age and the Nets&rsquo; conservative approach with its star, we&rsquo;d be wise to take the over.
Six weeks from the day Durant suffered the injury would bring us to Feb. 26, the date on which the Nets coincidentally happen to be in Milwaukee to take on Giannis Antetokounmpo and his Bucks.
Including that game, the Nets will have just 10 road games remaining. That&rsquo;s obviously important considering Irving remains ineligible for home games because of his vaccination status. And he&rsquo;s not any closer to getting jabbed now than he was at the beginning of the season.
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Said differently, it&rsquo;s entirely possible that Brooklyn&rsquo;s Big 3 will enter the 2021-22 postseason having played together about 25 times, and that&rsquo;s essentially a best-case scenario based on what we currently know.&nbsp;
At this point in their partnership, we&rsquo;re somehow still able to easily keep count of the number of games that they&rsquo;ve played together, and teams that end up winning championships don&rsquo;t typically have that problem. If anything, it&rsquo;s the opposite.
Sure, there will always be teams like the 2008 Boston Celtics, but most other teams who manage to win-out are teams like the Bucks, the Toronto Raptors and the pre-Durant Golden State Warriors. Champions typically are built, brick-by-brick and one day at a time. Guys don&rsquo;t typically show up to the gym, build a bomb squad and then achieve at the highest level. It just doesn&rsquo;t usually work like that. Teams scratch and claw their way to championships.
The Nets are trying to glide their way there.
Obviously, Brooklyn has enough talent to buck the trend, but the other things that are required &mdash; chemistry, cohesion, synergy and good fortune &mdash; have simply been missing from their equation. And it&rsquo;s a shame.&nbsp;
Through the first half of the 2021-22 season, Kevin Durant has somehow managed to make us all forget that he&rsquo;s human. At 33 years old, with the mileage on his odometer and an injury that&rsquo;s caused the sun to set on his predecessors, he&rsquo;s had no problem helping us forget.
Ironically, as he, Harden and Irving have been cycled in and out of the lineup, Sean Marks has managed to find difference-making supporting players. Whether it be Jarrett Allen and Caris LeVert or Joe Harris and Nicolas Claxton, the Nets always seem to have the infantry ready. They&rsquo;ve been missing the captains.
Perhaps what&rsquo;s most frustrating is the fact that no amount of basketball talent will carry you through if the stars don&rsquo;t align for you. And after so long, it&rsquo;s fair to wonder whether they&rsquo;ll ever align in Brooklyn. Especially as Durant heals and Irving and Harden each play out what could be &mdash; in theory &mdash; their final season in Brooklyn.
When it was all said and done for LeBron in Miami, the Heat had won the Eastern Conference four consecutive times and had two championships to show for it.&nbsp;
It wasn&rsquo;t seven, but on the route from pre-championship pep rally in Miami back to Cleveland, LeBron learned a valuable lesson: winning in the NBA is no accident. Getting talented teammates is the easy part.&nbsp;
Everything else &mdash; including the things you can&rsquo;t control &mdash; is what makes it really tough.
Sadly, through the lens of Kevin Durant and his star-crossed union with Kyrie Irving and James Harden, the Brooklyn Nets are learning that firsthand.

Moke Hamilton discusses the fortune (or lack thereof) of the Brooklyn Nets' Big 3, who can't manage to stay on the court.

Star-crossed: In Brooklyn, good fortune remains missing ingredient

The NBA&rsquo;s trade season usually ramps up on draft night and intensifies on the first day of free agency. So far this offseason, we&rsquo;ve seen Lonzo Ball and DeMar DeRozan traded to the Chicago Bulls, Spencer Dinwiddie dealt to the Washington Wizards and Russell Westbrook moved to the Los Angeles Lakers.
Teams are always discussing possible trades and doing their due diligence &ndash; seeing who&rsquo;s available around the league and gauging interest in their own players. Every now and then, these talks lead to a major trade that shakes up the power structure of the NBA. Other times however, for various reasons, the talks fizzle out, leaving fans to dream about what could have been.
So with that being said, let&rsquo;s examine five of the biggest trades in NBA history that almost happened.
HONORABLE MENTION
Amar&rsquo;e Stoudemire to the Golden State Warriors &ndash; This one is really more of a Steph Curry trade, but Curry hadn&rsquo;t yet played a game as of the rumors, so we&rsquo;ll file it away as a Stoudemire trade. The deal would have sent Stoudemire and the 14th pick in the 2009 draft to Golden State in exchange for the rights to Curry. Had this deal happened, Curry and then-Suns general manager Steve Kerr would have found themselves working together far sooner, but it would have undone the Warriors&rsquo; dynasty. This one would have rocked the league.
Scottie Pippen to the Toronto Raptors for Tracy McGrady &ndash; The Chicago Bulls have received a lot of bad press since &ldquo;The Last Dance&rdquo; aired in 2020, and it became public knowledge that they tried to trade Pippen, and rightfully so. The less explosive of the two deals was this one, a 1997 draft-day deal that would have sent Pippen to Toronto in exchange for McGrady. According to McGrady, Michael Jordan ultimately nixed the deal. In a vacuum, this one wouldn&rsquo;t have been that bad for Chicago, but in reality it could have led to Jordan retiring or leaving Chicago sooner and, thus, leaving a championship on the table.
Chris Paul to the Golden State Warriors &ndash; This one is another Curry near-trade, and it was allegedly instigated by Golden State. In 2011, the Warriors tried to package Curry and Klay Thompson in exchange for Paul. The Warriors planned to also add Tyson Chandler to create a quasi-super-team. Imagine that? Some people close to the Warriors still deny this rumor, as they should. Either Curry trade happening probably wouldn't have resulted in Golden State winning a championship, but it also probably would've pushed Kevin Durant to either remain in Oklahoma City or sign elsewhere. Who knows how far the butterfly effect reaches?
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5. Charles Barkley to the Los Angeles Lakers
Los Angeles Lakers to receive: Charles Barkley and Ron Anderson
Philadelphia 76ers to receive: James Worthy and Elden Campbell
This one is interesting because of the immediate impact it had on Barkley once it was clear it wasn&rsquo;t going through. According to Barkley in a conversation with Zach Lowe on <a href="http://www.espn.com/espnradio/podcast/archive/_/id/10528553" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The Lowe Post</a>, Barkley responded to a call from his agent alerting him of the deal by celebrating over drinks with friends. Later that day, Barkley received another call from his agent, letting him know that the deal wasn&rsquo;t going through. &ldquo;And I&rsquo;m drunk as [expletive] and we got a game that night,&rdquo; Barkley said.
Ultimately, Barkley was dealt to the Phoenix Suns later that season. He led the Suns to the NBA Finals the following year. Comparatively, the Lakers&rsquo; roster was relatively barren by 1992, so it probably worked out better for Barkley that he wasn&rsquo;t dealt to Los Angeles. Still, it resulted in one of the weirder trade-related stories in NBA history. And just imagine Barkley in Los Angeles&hellip;
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4. Scottie Pippen to Seattle for Shawn Kemp
Seattle SuperSonics to receive: Scottie Pippen
Chicago Bulls to receive: Shawn Kemp and Ricky Pierce
The Pippen-for-McGrady rumor was in 1997. Pippen-for-Kemp was a rumored draft-day deal in 1994, shortly after Pippen refused to go back into Game 3 of the Eastern Conference semifinals against the New York Knicks &mdash; and long before Pippen, Jordan, and the Bulls reconnected for the second three-peat. It&rsquo;s a good thing that this never went through. According to <a href="https://www.espn.com/nba/halloffame10/columns/story?columnist=adande_ja&amp;page=100812-pippen" target="_blank" rel="noopener">ESPN&rsquo;s J.A. Adande</a>, when asked if he would have returned to the Bulls with Kemp, Jordan said, &ldquo;Probably not. I could have played with Shawn, but I wouldn't have been as comfortable as I was with Scottie."
Had this deal been approved, does Jordan return to the NBA? If he doesn&rsquo;t, is he still widely regarded as the best ever (with just three championships)? Or does he stick with baseball? Thankfully, we&rsquo;ll never know.
3. Kevin Garnett to the Los Angeles Lakers
Los Angeles Lakers to receive: Kevin Garnett
Minnesota Timberwolves to receive: Lamar Odom and Andrew Bynum
This one&rsquo;s pretty straight forward. Garnett wanted out of Minnesota, and the Timberwolves subsequently began accepting bids for Garnett&rsquo;s services. Timberwolves owner Glen Taylor told Lakers owner Jerry Buss that he&rsquo;d like to make the swap with the Lakers, but he needed Minnesota's general manager at the time, Kevin McHale, to sign off.
According to an <a href="https://bleacherreport.com/articles/2445357-kg-the-oral-history-part-2-glory-in-boston-quirky-traits-and-returning-home" target="_blank" rel="noopener">oral history of Garnett&rsquo;s career</a> from Bleacher Report&rsquo;s Howard Beck, Taylor &ldquo;&hellip;didn&rsquo;t know if I wanted [KG] in the West&rdquo; &ndash; so who knows how close this was to going down. On <a href="https://twitter.com/alexkennedynba/status/1305612441796120577" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The Posecast</a>, Ray Allen said that Garnett to Los Angeles was looking likely, and that KG was leaning toward joining the Lakers, but he ultimately changed his mind once Boston acquired Allen. Had this trade happened, the impact could have been tremendous, robbing Boston of the 2008 championship and probably gifting at least one more title to Kobe Bryant and the Lakers.
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2. Chris Paul to the Los Angeles Lakers
Los Angeles Lakers to receive: Chris Paul
New Orleans Pelicans to receive: Lamar Odom, Kevin Martin and Goran Dragic
Houston Rockets to receive: Pau Gasol
While Paul was nearly dealt to the Warriors for Curry and Thompson, this deal is higher profile because of the drama surrounding it. This deal was done. Paul was set to join Kobe Bryant in Los Angeles. Instead, NBA commissioner David Stern vetoed the trade on behalf of the Hornets because the deal didn&rsquo;t return adequate value to New Orleans, a franchise that was being run by the league due to former owner George Shinn&rsquo;s unprecedented move to sell the team to the NBA. If you weren&rsquo;t an NBA fan in 2011, you missed a hell of a situation.
Ultimately, this one may have robbed a championship from the Lakers, too. The deal would have enabled Los Angeles to keep Kobe Bryant and Andrew Bynum while adding Paul. The team lost to the Oklahoma City Thunder in the second round (4-1), but would the addition of Paul have given the Lakers enough firepower to overcome the Thunder (and LeBron James and the Miami Heat)? We&rsquo;ll never know.
1. Kobe Bryant to the Chicago Bulls
Chicago Bulls to receive: Kobe Bryant
Los Angeles Lakers to receive: Luol Deng, Tyus Thomas, Ben Gordon Joakim Noah
In 2007, Kobe Bryant was nearly traded to the Chicago Bulls. Why? Bryant was incredibly frustrated with the inactivity of the Lakers&rsquo; management. It escalated to the point where, according to Bryant, he and his family were looking at houses and schools in the Windy City. When some fans asked Bryant if he was staying in Los Angeles, he <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2007/06/29/sports/basketball/29kobe.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">told them</a> to &ldquo;buy a Bulls uniform.&rdquo;
Back in 2018, BasketballNews.com&rsquo;s Alex Kennedy spoke with Bryant <a href="https://hoopshype.com/2018/06/12/free-agents-lebron-john-williams-oscar-shaq-chicago-bulls/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">on The HoopsHype Podcast</a> about how the trade would have impacted his career.&nbsp;
&ldquo;Ah, yeah, it would&rsquo;ve changed things a lot,&rdquo; Bryant said. &ldquo;I believe we still would&rsquo;ve won championships in Chicago. That&rsquo;s what I think, but I do feel like everything happens for a reason. Honestly, the biggest shock to me was that Shaq didn&rsquo;t know that [I wanted to be traded]. That was the biggest surprise to me, that he was unaware of that! I think had he known how serious I was about going someplace else, he never would&rsquo;ve demanded a trade [from the Lakers]. But when he got traded, that stopped me from going anywhere else, because there was no way that Jerry Buss was going to lose Shaq and me in the same summer. So if he had known how serious I was about leaving, I don&rsquo;t think he ever would&rsquo;ve demanded a trade.&rdquo;
Ultimately, the timing worked out in Bryant&rsquo;s favor. Shaquille O&rsquo;Neal was traded to the Miami Heat in 2004, which led to Bryant working things out with management. And things worked out just fine for Bryant professionally, as he went on to win two more championships in Los Angeles and he remained with the Lakers for the rest of his career.
***
Trade rumors captivate sports fans more than anything. Most don&rsquo;t come to fruition, and that&rsquo;s fine. They captivate us, distract us and allow us to imagine ideal outcomes for our favorite teams, even if they were never really that close to happening.
Each of the deals mentioned above would have shaken up the league, leading to far different outcomes for a number of franchises.

Drew Maresca examines five blockbuster trades that almost happened, and how they would've altered NBA history.

5 blockbuster trades that almost changed NBA history

As the final seconds ticked off on a season that lasted far longer than anyone expected, the crowd rose to its feet to salute the home team.
The Atlanta Hawks sure earned the cheers.
Making an improbable turnaround from what looked like another lost year, the Hawks <a href="https://apnews.com/article/atlanta-hawks-washington-wizards-new-york-knicks-nba-sports-2396183616449b68485403a291785c61" target="_blank" rel="noopener">earned a spot in the playoffs</a> for the first time since 2017, knocked off the top-seeded team in the East, and made it all the way to the conference finals.
The Cinderella run finally ended Saturday night with <a href="https://apnews.com/article/atlanta-hawks-phoenix-suns-milwaukee-bucks-nba-finals-nba-86a45418b2bf41ffcd7e53a00e0f7044" target="_blank" rel="noopener">a 118-107 loss</a> to the Milwaukee Bucks, who won the series 4-2 and advanced to the NBA Finals to take on the Phoenix Suns.
But the disappointing finish did nothing to dampen the enthusiasm of a long-downtrodden franchise that seems poised for more long-term success than at any time since moving to Atlanta in 1968.
&ldquo;This is the beginning,&rdquo; Trae Young said. &ldquo;We have the city excited and we want to keep it like that.&rdquo;
The Hawks will likely bring back largely the same cast next season, though they do have two major issues to address: power forward John Collins&rsquo; contract status and the interim tag on Nate McMillan&rsquo;s coaching title. Each boosted his value with the team's improbable postseason run.
&ldquo;Obviously it's something I feel like I&rsquo;ve voiced my opinion about a lot, saying I want to be here,&rdquo; Collins said Sunday. "I&rsquo;ve tried to be the best professional I can and let the business side be the business side.
&ldquo;We&rsquo;re going to have to come to a decision very soon, but hopefully the best one for me and the one that keeps me here.&rdquo;
Veteran backup Solomon Hill said Sunday he expects McMillan to return unless another team &ldquo;gave him a zillion dollars and some ownership stake.&rdquo;
&ldquo;He&rsquo;s doing the things he has to do to take care of himself and his family, just like anybody and everybody else would do,&rdquo; Hill said. &ldquo;But Nate is our coach. He&rsquo;s just waiting to get the final details and all that stuff. Like I said, unless the Orlando Magic came in and gave him a hundred million a year or something crazy, Nate McMillan is going to be our coach.&rdquo;
McMillan and Young led the young team on a memorable postseason run.
With Young turning in one dominant performance after another, Atlanta romped past the resurgent New York Knicks in the opening round, then stunned the top-seeded Philadelphia 76ers in the conference semifinals, <a href="https://apnews.com/article/pa-state-wire-ga-state-wire-philadelphia-76ers-atlanta-hawks-los-angeles-clippers-ee1e636c2c3bfa3257fb1975c5b452ac" target="_blank" rel="noopener">winning Game 7</a> on the road.
The Hawks finally met their match against Milwaukee. They were left to wonder how things might've turned out if Young had not been injured in a freak accident in Game 3 when he stepped on an official's foot along the sideline and twisted his right ankle.
Young missed the next two games with a bone bruise and, even though he was cleared to play Game 6, he clearly wasn't at his best. The charismatic point guard finished with just 14 points on 4-of-17 shooting.
&ldquo;I just wanted to battle and try to fight through it as much as I could, try to be out there for my team,&rdquo; Young said. &ldquo;But it was definitely frustrating not being healthy and not being able to give my full 100%.&rdquo;
After <a href="https://apnews.com/article/wa-state-wire-new-york-knicks-atlanta-hawks-nba-sports-72cdc51061aa60e1cd2e7d87340da28c" target="_blank" rel="noopener">struggling in the playoffs</a> in his previous coaching stops, McMillan showed that he's capable of leading a team to postseason success.
There was nothing exciting about the Hawks the past three seasons. They endured lots of losing while rebuilding the roster around a string of bountiful drafts that brought in Young, Collins, Kevin Huerter, De&rsquo;Andre Hunter and Cam Reddish.
Flush with cash and finally ready to make a push in the standings, the Hawks spent big in the free-agent market last fall to bring in Bogdan Bogdanovic and Danilo Galinari, giving the team a much-needed veteran presence.
But when the Hawks approached the All-Star break with a 14-20 record, it looked like more of the same. Lloyd Pierce was fired as coach after less than three seasons on the job, the team turning to McMillan as the interim boss in hopes he could spark a turnaround.
Boy, did he ever.
With McMillan instilling a newfound toughness that paid off in the fourth quarter of close games, the Hawks played as well as any team in the league the rest of the season &mdash; a 27-11 mark that gave them the No. 5 seed in the Eastern Conference playoffs.
Atlanta general manager Travis Schlenk, who has seemingly made all the right moves in building the roster, is clearly not sure if he wants to tie up so much money on Collins &mdash; especially when it's clear that Young is the face of the franchise and will soon be getting a huge deal of his own.
Young is eligible for a max extension.
&ldquo;I&rsquo;m a big live in the moment type of person,&rdquo; Young said Sunday. &ldquo;Hopefully it comes. We&rsquo;ll have to wait and see when it happens.&rdquo;
Even if the Hawks decide to part ways with Collins, they will go into next season viewed with a whole new respect by the rest of the league.
Reddish is 21. Young and Huerter are 22. Hunter is 23. Clint Capela, who led the NBA in rebounding and became <a href="https://apnews.com/article/ny-state-wire-new-york-knicks-philadelphia-76ers-atlanta-hawks-nba-d70d45d938fd5b24e11e33dae66411c3" target="_blank" rel="noopener">the bulwark</a> of the Hawks' defense, is 27. Bogdanovic is 28.
And don't forget the most recent first-round pick, center Onyeka Okongwu, who had a promising rookie campaign at age 20.
Collins, who is just 23, would love to be part of the mix, as well.
&ldquo;We're not done yet,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;We&rsquo;re still hungry.&rdquo;
They appear ready to reap the rewards for years to come.
&ldquo;We&rsquo;ll be back!&rdquo; Young yelled to the crowd on his way off the court.
&ldquo;I meant that with my whole heart,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;It&rsquo;s been a special season and I&rsquo;m excited about what&rsquo;s to come.&rdquo;

“This is the beginning,” Trae Young said of the Atlanta Hawks' run. “We have the city excited and we want to keep it like that.”

Hawks look to bright future after surprising playoff run

Chris Paul is now favored to win the NBA Finals MVP award, one day after he and Devin Booker of the Phoenix Suns were co-favorites in the legalized U.S. sports gambling market.
Both were 2-1 (+200) on Friday, but on Saturday, the market had shifted with Paul going to +175 and Booker to +230 at DraftKings Sportsbook. Deandre Ayton is the only other Phoenix player with odds lower than 100-1, sitting on DraftKings&rsquo; board at +2500.
The start date of the NBA Finals is not yet known because we still must learn whether the Milwaukee Bucks can finish off the Atlanta Hawks in Game 6 tonight or whether the series will return to Milwaukee for a Game 7 on Monday night. Atlanta is favored by 2 points despite Trae Young being listed as questionable. Giannis Antetokounmpo of the Bucks is out with a hyperextended knee.
It is unknown whether Antetokounmpo will even be able to play again this postseason after injuring his knee in Game 4, yet he is the third choice on the Finals MVP wagering board at +400, followed by teammates Khris Middleton at +700 and Jrue Holiday at +1200.
Young is +1600, and no other players are lower than 100-1 at DraftKings.
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Paul has accounted for 25% of the handle and 15% of the bets at DraftKings, said spokesman Stephen Miraglia. Booker&rsquo;s percentages are 10% of handle and 12% of bets; Antetokounmpo&rsquo;s percentages are 8 and 6; Young&rsquo;s are 7 and 5, Middleton&rsquo;s are 6 and 6 and Ayton&rsquo;s are 3% of handle and 5% of bets.
So, the way the sportsbooks see it, only six or seven guys have a chance at the award. Somewhere in America, Andre Iguodala is rolling his eyes. So, too, perhaps, are Cameron Johnson, Bobby Portis and P.J. Tucker, all of whom are 500-1 at DraftKings. The longest odds anywhere are +12500 on Lou Williams, Onyeka Okongwu, Tony Snell and Solomon Hill at Bet MGM, which has Giannis listed at only +275.
The last five NBA Finals MVPs (LeBron James twice, Kevin Durant twice and Kawhi Leonard once) have averaged at least 25.0 points per game in the postseason. However, six years ago, Iguodala averaged only 7.8 points and still won the award for his defense against James, a four-time Finals MVP. Nobody had ever won the award before with a scoring average in single figures.
It is notable that Ayton is taking 5% of the bets, because his price is enticing.
When the Suns played the Bucks during the regular season, Ayton had 17 points on 7-for-10 shooting in the first game, a 125-124 Phoenix victory. In their second meeting, he had 20 points on 8-for-11 shooting with 13 rebounds in a 128-127 Suns overtime victory.
When the Suns played the Hawks, Ayton had 13 points and 14 rebounds in a 117-110 victory, and then 7 points and 8 rebounds in a 135-103 loss to the Hawks in Atlanta. (Clint Capela shot 8-for-11 and had 18 points in that second game with 10 rebounds, so it should be noted that his odds for Finals MVP are +25000 at BetMGM and FanDuel.)
<div class="mceNonEditable"><spike>&nbsp;</spike></div>
But first things first, which is getting to the NBA Finals.
The Bucks and Hawks are still not there yet, and if Atlanta wins tonight, we have to prepare for an epic Game 7 on Monday. That is a lot of time for the odds to move, and given the popularity of Paul, his odds may get even shorter.
No matter who comes out of the East, it is worth noting that Jae Crowder, who would draw the defensive assignment on Antetokounmpo if the Suns play the Bucks, is not even on the board at DraftKings Sportsbook and FanDuel Sportsbook. BetMGM.com has Crowder listed at +12500 and Brook Lopez listed at +6600.
DraftKings and Fan Duel both have Lopez at +10000. If he continues shooting 93%, that is not a bad bet.

Chris Paul is now favored to win the NBA Finals MVP award. He has accounted for 25% of the handle and 15% of the bets at DraftKings.

Suns' Chris Paul is now favored to win NBA Finals MVP

Giannis Antetokounmpo had no problem with his free throws &mdash; or his opponent &mdash; in Game 2.
The Milwaukee Bucks' lopsided victory over the Atlanta Hawks in the Eastern Conference finals overshadowed all the pregame concerns about his lengthy free-throw routine.
Antetokounmpo made three of four free throws and never faced any issues about violations of the 10-second rule in the Bucks' 125-91 runaway win that evened the series at 1-1. Game 3 is Sunday night in Atlanta.
Officials entered the game facing renewed pressure to enforce the 10-second rule. The controversy placed Antetokounmpo, the two-time MVP, further in the spotlight.
He thrived under pressure, scoring 25 points with nine rebounds and six assists.
Antetokounmpo made one of two free throws in his first visit to the line with 3:24 remaining in the first period and both free throws in his only other opportunity late in the first half. He appeared to find a mix between sticking to his routine without taking the full 10 seconds.
He insisted he didn't rush his routine.
&ldquo;No. It was take eight or nine seconds,&rdquo; he said, adding he only speeds up his time at the line when told by his coaches or officials during a game it is necessary.
&ldquo;Then I make an effort to make it a second or two faster,&rdquo; Antetokounmpo said. On Friday night, however, he said his focus was to &ldquo;get my breath and just shoot my shot.&rdquo;
He made 11 of 18 shots from the field while spending most of his time near the basket, especially early in the game.
Antetokounmpo impressed his teammates <a href="https://twitter.com/i/status/1408586892199747592">with an early spin move</a> past Solomon Hill before then moving past Hawks center Clint Capela for a basket and a 9-3 lead.
&ldquo;I had never seen that move,&rdquo; said Milwaukee's Khris Middleton. &ldquo;That&rsquo;s a hell of a move. That&rsquo;s got to be top 10 of all time.&rdquo;
Questions about his free-throw routine gained momentum after the NBA said Antetokounmpo should have been called for 10-second violations on both free throws he shot with 5.3 seconds remaining in the Hawks' <a href="https://apnews.com/article/milwaukee-bucks-atlanta-hawks-nba-sports-83dc76b25e0f5d1367fbfa7716bd0d46">116-113 Game 1 win</a> on Wednesday night. Antetokounmpo made both free throws, trimming the Hawks' lead to 114-113.
Budenholzer predicted before the game his star forward wouldn't be affected by the furor over his routine.
&ldquo;He&rsquo;s got his routine,&rdquo; Budenholzer said. &ldquo;It&rsquo;s been a big topic of conversation. I get it. I understand it. I think he&rsquo;s in a good place."
Budenholzer said the NBA isn't officiated with a stopwatch, whether on a 10-second rule at the free throw line or the 3 seconds players are allowed to be in the paint.
&ldquo;If you took a clock on an out-of-bounds play, how many times would it take more than five seconds if they wanted to put a stopwatch on it?&rdquo; Budenholzer asked.
Antetokounmpo's habit of taking longer than the maximum 10 seconds allowed by NBA rule is not new.
&ldquo;I think the whole league notices it, to be honest,&rdquo; Hawks rookie center Onyeka Okongwu said. &ldquo;Everyone knows Giannis gets 10-second violations at the free throw line. ... Everyone knows it&rsquo;s longer than most people&rsquo;s routine is.&rdquo;
Antetokounmpo has been called for 10-second violations twice during the postseason. He was called for his first with just over a minute left in regulation in the Bucks&rsquo; <a href="https://apnews.com/article/milwaukee-bucks-miami-heat-khris-middleton-nba-sports-3621663bc8134aee7111cb1a09f5ce41">109-107 overtime victory</a> over Miami in Game 1 of the first round. The second came during the Bucks&rsquo; 86-83 Game 3 triumph in their second-round series with Brooklyn.
The league's 10-second rule is clear.
According to the NBA's Rule No. 9, Section 1-a, &ldquo;When a free throw is awarded, an official shall put the ball in play by delivering it to the free throw shooter. The shooter shall be above the free throw line and within the upper half of the free throw circle. He shall attempt the free throw within 10 seconds of controlling the ball in such a way that the ball enters the basket or touches the ring."
&ldquo;It&rsquo;s a rule that we want them to call,&rdquo; Hawks coach Nate McMillan said before the game. &ldquo;The NBA announced that should have been called and we hope if that happens again that it is called.&rdquo;
Some opposing fans have counted past 10 when he stood at the line, the ball still in his hands.
Brooklyn&rsquo;s James Harden appeared to show his displeasure with Antetokounmpo's extended stay at the line on multiple occasions during their seven-game series. Harden was animated as he endured long waits for Antetokounmpo, who sometimes asks a referee to delay giving him the ball so he can practice his form first.
Antetokounmpo was voted MVP in 2019 and 2020. He led Milwaukee with 34 points, 12 rebounds and nine assists in the Game 1 loss.

Giannis Antetokounmpo had no problem with his free throws — or his opponent — in Game 2.

Giannis leads Bucks' runaway win after furor over free-throw routine

MILWAUKEE (AP) &mdash; Trae Young scored 48 points, Clint Capela converted a go-ahead putback with 29.8 seconds left and the Atlanta Hawks beat the Milwaukee Bucks 116-113 on Wednesday night to open the Eastern Conference Finals.
The Hawks improved to 6-2 in road playoff games this year and handed the Bucks their first home loss of the postseason.
Game 2 is Friday night in Milwaukee.
Giannis Antetokounmpo had 34 points, 12 rebounds and nine assists for the Bucks. Jrue Holiday added 33 points and 10 assists.
Young was two points off his career high.
Khris Middleton missed a potential tying 3-pointer in the closing seconds. Although Middleton scored 15 points, he shot 6 of 23 and missed all nine of his 3-point attempts.
Antetokounmpo scored the first six points in a 9-0 run that turned a 98-96 deficit into a 105-98 advantage with 4:18 left. Holiday capped that spurt by sinking a 3-pointer after Antetokounmpo got the rebound on his own missed free throw.
But the Hawks scored the next five points, and the game went back and forth from there.
Middleton missed a pull-up jumper with about 43 seconds left with Milwaukee up 111-110. Young missed a driving layup attempt, but Capela grabbed his 19th rebound and scored to put the Hawks ahead for good.
After Milwaukee&rsquo;s Pat Connaughton shot an air-ball on a 3-pointer, Young made two free throws with 17.3 seconds remaining. Antetokounmpo made a pair of free throws with 5.3 seconds left, but Young brought the lead back to three and closed the scoring by sinking two free throws of his own with 4.6 seconds remaining.
TIP-INS
Hawks: Cam Reddish was available to play for the first time in four months but didn&rsquo;t play. Reddish hadn&rsquo;t played since Feb. 21 due to a right Achilles injury. Hawks coach Nate McMillan had said before the game the Hawks would cautious with Reddish by keeping him behind Tony Snell and Solomon Hill in the rotation. &ldquo;We haven&rsquo;t had the opportunity for him to get in any five-on-five since he&rsquo;s been off,&rdquo; McMillan said. &ldquo;He&rsquo;s been playing the last week or so some two-on-two, three-on-three.&rdquo; &hellip; Atlanta is the third team since 1984 to make the conference finals despite having a losing record at the All-Star break. The others were the 2012 Boston Celtics and the 1984 Phoenix Suns. The Hawks were 16-20 at the break.
Bucks: Bobby Portis came off the bench with 4 1/2minutes left in the first quarter. Portis hadn&rsquo;t played a single minute in the last three games of the Nets series. ... Milwaukee fell to 11-3 in playoff games at Fiserv Forum. &hellip; This is the fifth time the Bucks and Hawks have faced off in the playoffs and their first postseason matchup since the Hawks won 4-3 in a 2010 opening-round series. They&rsquo;ve split the four previous matchups.
___
<a href="https://twitter.com/stevemegargee" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Follow Steve Megargee</a>. <a href="https://apnews.com/NBA" target="_blank" rel="noopener">More AP NBA</a>.

Trae Young scored 48 points and the Hawks beat the Bucks 116-113 on Wednesday night to open the Eastern Conference Finals.

Trae Young scores 48 points, Hawks beat Bucks 116-113 in Game 1

I'm not sure who could've predicted this Eastern Conference Finals.
On one side, the Milwaukee Bucks are seeing the fruits of their switch-it-up labor. They've tinkered all year long in preparation of this postseason. They mollywhopped the Miami Heat in round one. They then snatched defeat from the jaws of victory, before snatching victory anyway in a seven-game slugfest against the Brooklyn Nets.&nbsp;
On the other side are the Atlanta Hawks, a team that didn't look playoff bound midway through the season due to injuries, roster instability, and coaching turmoil. The firing of Lloyd Pierce, and the subsequent hiring of Nate McMillan, jumpstarted their turnaround. They proved to be too prolific for the New York Knicks in round one, and too resilient for the Philadelphia 76ers in round two.
And so, here we are. Two teams with unique (and oft-hated) offensive engines. Two teams that have had a microscope on their head coaching jobs for different reasons. Two teams that haven't won a title in decades, both presented with the opportunity to make the Finals.
I&rsquo;m not a coach -- I'm just a pun-loving basketball fan with a hankering for film breakdowns. But instead of a traditional series preview, I decided to go into the basketball trenches and devise gameplans for both teams. The tone of this piece will be a little more informal, but it will still be informative (at least I hope).
Without further ado, let's look at how the Milwaukee Bucks will try to stop the Atlanta Hawks.
Defensive Matchups
Jrue Holiday --&gt; Trae Young
Pat Connaughton --&gt; Kevin Huerter
Khris Middleton --&gt; Bogdan Bogdanovic
Giannis Antetokounmpo --&gt; John Collins
Brook Lopez --&gt; Clint Capela
The core four + PJ Tucker lineup has performed well this postseason (plus-10.3 net rating in 133 minutes), though it may make sense to downsize with Connaughton in this matchup.
That unit has also worked well (plus-8.3 in 38 minutes), and having Connaughton on the floor may make it a little more difficult to hide Young on the other end. Connaughton has some value as a ghost screener, while Tucker is primarily used to space in the corner or lurk around the dunker spot for offensive rebounds.
Top Priority on Defense: Disrupt Early offense
The Hawks aren't a team that wants to play particularly fast. They rank in the bottom third of the league in seconds per possession off of missed shots and turnovers, per <a href="http://stats.inpredictable.com/nba/ssnTeamPoss.php?season=2020&amp;po=0&amp;frdt=2020-12-22&amp;todt=2021-06-20&amp;view=off&amp;sort=aotopdr&amp;order=DESC" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Inpredictable tracking data</a>.&nbsp;
Being okay with grinding down possessions doesn't mean they can't attack early.&nbsp;They'll mix in a variety of looks to keep you off-balance.
A favorite, and one that Bucks fans in particular should recognize: a quick-hitter in which a player receives an off-ball screen in the middle of the floor, then immediately flows into a pick-and-roll. Call it Middleton Action if you want. There's also a built-in hand-back option if the middle screen doesn't gain enough traction.
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"Pistol" action is also a favorite of theirs. Combining a guard screen (and flare) with an empty corner set-up can be incredibly difficult to defend.
<div style="width: 100%; height: 0px; position: relative; padding-bottom: 56.250%;"><iframe style="width: 100%; height: 100%; position: absolute; left: 0px; top: 0px; overflow: hidden;" src="https://streamable.com/e/0ln57h" width="100%" height="325" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen" data-mce-fragment="1"></iframe></div>
Ultimately, the Hawks remain the NBA's preeminent Double Drag team. Young trotting up the court with a pair of screeners waiting for him is a scary sight.
One screener, likely Capela, will dive the basket. The other screener -- mostly Collins, but sometimes the guards get involved -- will pop above the break or flare out to the wing. Young can hit the roller, hit the pop, get downhill for floaters, or make corner skips. It's a nightmare, really.
<div style="width: 100%; height: 0px; position: relative; padding-bottom: 56.250%;"><iframe style="width: 100%; height: 100%; position: absolute; left: 0px; top: 0px; overflow: hidden;" src="https://streamable.com/e/1m9339" width="100%" height="325" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen" data-mce-fragment="1"></iframe></div>
No team ran more "double-pick" plays than the Hawks this season, per Second Spectrum tracking data. They generated a healthy 1.1 points per possession on those looks; that number ballooned to [checks notes] over 1.9 points per possession on 26 direct hookups against the Bucks this season. That is a small sample, but it gives you an idea of how deadly the Hawks can be.
Being able to contain those kind of actions will force&nbsp;the Hawks to play deeper into the clock. No matter the comfort level, that's still a tough diet to live on.
Hawks' Team Stats (and Atlanta's stats vs. Milwaukee)&nbsp;
<ul>
<li>Offensive Rating: 114.3, 9th (113.2)</li>
<li>Half-Court Offensive Rating: 99.2, 9th (108.8)</li>
<li>True Shooting Percentage: 58.1, 10th (58.7)</li>
<li>Assist Percentage: 59.1, 18th (60.3)</li>
<li>Turnover Rate: 13.3, 10th (10.5)</li>
<li>Pace: 98.68, 22nd (98.67)</li>
<li>Free-Throw Attempts: 24.2, 4th (21.3)</li>
<li>Free-Throw Percentage: 81.2, 5th (81.3)</li>
<li>Three-Point Attempts: 33.4, 19th (36.0)</li>
<li>Three-Point Percentage: 37.3, 12th (38.0)</li>
<li>Offensive Rebounds: 10.6, 7th (6.0)</li>
</ul>
Hawks' Play Type Breakdown
<img src="https://cdn.basketballnews.com/images/story/body/screen-shot-2021-06-22-at-12-31-41-am.png" alt="" width="751" height="325" />
Defending Trae Young
How much is there to say about Young at this point?&nbsp;
His blend of scoring and playmaking chops are rivaled by a handful of players in the NBA. He's faced two strong defenses in the postseason, and neither was able to consistently slow him down. It's hard to scoff at 29 and 10, even with the efficiency taking a hit from the regular season (55.3 TS%).
Young struggled in his lone showing against the Bucks this season -- 15 and 9 with six turnovers, while shooting 3-of-17 from the field -- though that was an outlier performance based on the shots he took (and&nbsp; missed). He is absolutely good enough to shape this series in his image if he isn't pressured.
Major Key: Restrict his Airspace
There isn't a good answer for a guy like Young, particularly in ball screens. He's a fearless pull-up threat with range extending to darn-near half-court. The danger levels rise when he gets downhill.
He's the most prolific floater taker (and maker) in the NBA; per Synergy, Young led the NBA in points off floaters (332), edging out second-place Richaun Holmes (226) by 106 points.&nbsp;
Put another way: Young took 345 floaters, while Holmes and third-in-points Luka Doncic took 347 combined.
It's the ultimate Small Guy Weapon, made even more dangerous by the fact that Young's floater looks identical to his lob pass. Backpedaling defenders don't know whether to step to give a moderate contest, or hang back to take away lob passes.
Defending Young in ball-screens will have to be a 2-on-2 endeavor if possible. This may not be a deep-drop series. Young shot 3-of-17 in the regular-season meeting, but he missed a ton of makeable shots that, frankly, he didn't have to work super hard to get.
The gameplan will need to resemble what was seen in the semis against Kevin Durant. Lopez may not have to be above the three-point line like he was against those Durant-Bruce Brown pick-and-rolls near half court. As hot as Young can run as a pull-up shooter, he is not Durant in that regard.
However, the answer probably isn't hanging back a step or two below the free throw line either. Finding that middle ground would allow time for Young's defender (mostly Holiday) to recover.&nbsp;
We talk about "rearview contests" when it comes to point-of-attack defenders in drop coverage. It's important for guys to be able to recover and contest shots from behind, making the ball-handler squirm a bit.&nbsp;
Young has removed that from the table with his ability to stop-and-pop. Quibble about those foul calls if you want, but it's a smart (and legal) way to make him even more difficult to defend. If he gets you on his hip, you're pretty much done for.
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Again, infuriating. But again, smart and legal.&nbsp;
Instead of straight-line recovery paths, taking a different angle to end up on Young's side (instead of his hip) may be the best way to bother him. Peep this rep from Middleton.
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<div class="p-rich_text_section">With that plan, Young would have to go with a super unnatural shooting motion to lean in and draw fouls that way. He still could -- he's that slithery -- but it's at least extra work. That kind of extra work, with his usage, can add up over the course of the series.</div>
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If the deeper drop remains a default, that will not only put strain on Young's defender. It'll also require some extra help off the ball. You can afford to have Lopez deeper in the paint, the last line of defense, if there's someone who can throw off Young's cadence in the intermediate area. Timely digs from the perimeter will be key in this instance.
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Jeff Teague (I would hope there won't be any Teague in this series) gets lost in the sauce early, while Bobby Portis is dropping&nbsp;from&nbsp;the dotted line area. Tucker is able to bridge the gap by showing some help right as Young begins his gather. That can work on occasion; you just have to be weary of Young making kick-outs.
Something to consider: one way to cut off Young's rhythm could be to switch. That will depend on the personnel on the floor, as well as who Young's partner is in ball-screen actions.
(Quietly, this is the case to keeping Tucker in the starting lineup. Switching Young-Bogdanovic or Young-Huerter pick-and-rolls, whichever assignment Tucker draws, could put a dent into Young's mismatch hunting.)
In terms of the partnerships, switching the Young-Collins pick-and-roll should be worth considering. The two generated just 0.94 points per possession when facing a switch, well below their overall efficiency (1.06 PPP) per Second Spectrum.
Forcing Young to shoot over the outstretched limbs of Giannis may be a worthwhile gamble. Collins has been a menace on the block against guards (1.23 PPP), though Holiday is not your ordinary guard (0.88 PPP allowed on post-ups).
Defending the Shooters (Perimeter)
Lou Williams: Soft close-out
<ul>
<li>It seems counterintuitive based on his production. Williams shot north of 44% from three as a Hawk this season, though did so on low volume. The argument is that Williams, even at this stage, is more dangerous getting downhill (and grifting for fouls) than he is as a three-point marksman. Show him you're coming without getting too close to him; that could eliminate some of his pump-and-drive or pump-and-lean-in game.</li>
</ul>
Kevin Huerter: Hard close-out to his right hand
<ul>
<li style="text-align: left;">Huerter is a lights-out shooter, a career 38% marksman with volume and shot versatility. He can drain spot-up shots, convert on pump-and-sidestep looks, and is a willing relocator when the action is flowing elsewhere. Running Huerter off the line makes sense; doing so and forcing him to use his left is the optimal outcome. He already isn't a rim threat, and has oddly shot much worse on pull-ups when driving left.</li>
</ul>
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Bogdan Bogdanovic: Hard, but controlled close-out
<ul>
<li>Bogdanovic is an elite shooter with a high release point. He cares not for your contests; per Synergy, Bogdanovic ranked in the 91st percentile on "guarded" catch-and-shoot looks. That doesn't mean you don't try, but you also don't want to get sloppy. He absolutely has the playmaking chops to beat a rotating defense, and complements that with a more complete scoring arsenal than Huerter. Don't let him get busy.</li>
</ul>
Tony Snell: Hard close-out
<ul>
<li>Snell hasn't shot well this postseason, but he has long earned the pedigree of a high-level spot-up shooter. He also... doesn't do much else with the ball. Force him off the line and make him make decisions.</li>
</ul>
Defending the Shooters (Frontcourt)
Danilo Gallinari: Hard close-out
<ul>
<li>Gallinari can stroke it from deep (career 38.2% shooter on 5.2 attempts), and resides in the cares-not-for-your-contest division. Injuries and age have sapped a lot of his burst off the bounce; running him off the line and forcing him to beat you with drives, pull-ups, and tough turnarounds might be a reasonable bet.</li>
</ul>
Solomon Hill: Let him fire
<ul>
<li>Hill has shot above league average from three once in his career, and even that mark (36.8% in 2019-20) came on relatively low volume (2.9 attempts). He's okay from the corners (career 36.6%), but it's underwhelming considering a majority of those looks have been wide open. Muck up the action elsewhere.</li>
</ul>
John Collins: Soft close-out
<ul>
<li>At a certain point, the scouting report on Collins has to change a bit. We're now two years into Collins becoming a stretch option; he's drilled 40% of his threes over the past two seasons on moderate volume. He's shooting 39% in the postseason. His release is a bit slow so there's no need to blitz him, but he's at least graduated from "tip-your-cap-if-he-beats-us" status.</li>
</ul>
X-Factor: Bogdan Bogdanovic
Bogdanovic has been huge for this Hawks team all season, thriving as a secondary option and completely taking over games when he's rolling. To that point: Bogdanovic dropped 28-6-7 against the Bucks on April 15, then dropped 32 on them on April 25.&nbsp;His shot-making is a perfect complement to, and occasionally a cover for, Young.
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The issue is less about Bogdanovic's playoff mettle, and more about his health. He suffered a knee injury early in Game 6. It didn't keep him out of Game 7, but he was clearly hampered (four points on 2-of-8 shooting in 21 minutes).
This isn't a profound point, but the Hawks will need him to be at or near full strength to have a hope in this series. And to that point, pressuring Bogdanovic will go a long way to stifling Atlanta's half-court attack.
<a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/scouting-report-how-the-hawks-can-stop-the-bucks" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Check out Nekias' breakdown of how the Hawks should defend the Bucks.</a>

Nekias Duncan puts on his amateur coaching hat and puts together a game plan on how the Bucks should defend the Hawks.

Scouting Report: How the Bucks can stop the Hawks

The NBA champion this season will be the last team standing.
Perhaps literally.
Kawhi Leonard of the Los Angeles Clippers missed Game 5 of the Western Conference semifinals with a knee sprain and amid concerns that it could be a far more significant injury. Brooklyn&rsquo;s Kyrie Irving has been sidelined by a badly sprained ankle. Philadelphia&rsquo;s Joel Embiid is playing through a meniscus tear. Atlanta&rsquo;s Trae Young is putting heat packs on his shoulder that appear to be roughly the size of a small vehicle. Brooklyn&rsquo;s James Harden came back despite an ailing hamstring.
Those are big names, All-Star names, all nowhere near their best right now because of injuries, and there were plenty of other top players &mdash; the Lakers&rsquo; duo of LeBron James and Anthony Davis, Denver&rsquo;s Jamal Murray and Miami&rsquo;s Victor Oladipo among them &mdash; that also either limped to the finish of their seasons or saw them end prematurely because of serious injury.
&ldquo;This is the best time of the year for our league and fans but missing a ton of our fav players,&rdquo; <a href="https://twitter.com/KingJames/status/1405236532215095301?s=20">James tweeted on Wednesday.</a> &ldquo;It&rsquo;s insane. If there&rsquo;s one person that know about the body and how it works all year round it&rsquo;s ME! I speak for the health of all our players and I hate to see this many injuries this time of the year. Sorry fans wish you guys were seeing all your fav guys right now.&rdquo;
Consider the 27 players who were selected for the All-Star Game this season. Leonard becomes the eighth of those to have to miss a playoff game this season because of injury, joining Davis, Utah teammates Mike Conley and Donovan Mitchell, Boston&rsquo;s Jaylen Brown, Harden, Irving and Embiid.
Phoenix&rsquo;s Chris Paul might become the ninth on that list. He&rsquo;s not hurt. He&rsquo;s in protocols &mdash; that other thing that the league has had to fight with all season.
Even though the arenas are full and masks are now largely optional, the pandemic is still here and might have a say in how the rest of these playoffs go as well. Paul, who is vaccinated, has entered the protocols presumably because of a positive test &mdash; only one player tested positive this week, and he&rsquo;s the only one in the protocols. As such, his status for Game 1 of the Western Conference finals next week is unknown.
Another All-Star, another curveball from the basketball gods overseeing luck right now.
&ldquo;Our guys are ready for the challenge,&rdquo; Phoenix coach Monty Williams said. &ldquo;Everybody&rsquo;s dealing with it. Look around the league; Philly&rsquo;s got a situation, the Clippers have a situation, Utah&rsquo;s had one for a while. Everybody&rsquo;s dealing with it. So, we don&rsquo;t feel like we&rsquo;re the only ones dealing with a situation when it comes to health and trying to stay healthy. It&rsquo;s what you prepare for as a staff and as a team and we feel like our guys are ready for whatever presents itself.&rdquo;
Some injuries, it can be argued, may have happened because of an accumulation of wear and tear in a compressed 72-game season. Others were simply acute, the bad luck variety. Irving landing on Giannis Antetokounmpo&rsquo;s foot and twisting his ankle had nothing to do with the Nets playing a bunch of back to backs this season. James labored through a high ankle sprain for the rest of the season after getting crashed into by Atlanta&rsquo;s Solomon Hill. More bad luck.
And it should be mentioned that injuries also played a role in last season&rsquo;s playoffs, and probably have in every season&rsquo;s playoffs. Miami was without Goran Dragic and Bam Adebayo for much of the NBA Finals last fall against James, Davis and the Lakers; the Heat lost that series in six games.
But there's no denying that this regular season was dominated by the pandemic and by injuries. It's unfortunate, though weirdly fitting, that the playoffs are following suit.
A month or so from now, the NBA will have a new champion. Odds are, it'll be the team that stays the healthiest the rest of the way.
___
More AP NBA: https://apnews.com/hub/NBA and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

The NBA champion this season will be the last team standing...perhaps, literally.

The NBA playoffs have entered survivor mode

John Collins already has seen what playoff success has done to raise the hometown excitement for the Atlanta Hawks.
Collins is eager for the opportunity to build more enthusiasm now that the Eastern Conference semifinal series against the top-seeded Philadelphia 76ers has shifted to Atlanta.
With the series tied 1-1, Game 3 will be played on Friday.
There is less heading into Friday's Game 3 matchup between Phoenix and Denver. The Suns hold a 2-0 lead over the Nuggets in their Western Conference semifinal in a series that Phoenix seems to be in total control.
In Atlanta, the Hawks announced a sellout on Thursday for Game 3 and said only a few seats remain for Monday's Game 4.
The Hawks have won 13 consecutive home games, the longest active streak in the NBA. The streak includes two home wins as Atlanta <a href="https://apnews.com/article/new-york-knicks-atlanta-hawks-nba-sports-9b40f664f13b0e4d7d018ad92f53542e">beat the New York Knicks</a> in five games in the first round.
Collins said he found evidence of Atlanta's playoff fever at his neighborhood gas station.
&ldquo;I go into the same gas station I would go into every single time and the dude working the desk wouldn&rsquo;t know me until we beat New York and now I come in there and his face is lit up, you know what I mean?&rdquo; Collins said Thursday.
&ldquo;To me it was a small example of how deep we&rsquo;re touching the city. ... I&rsquo;d like to see more of that.&rdquo;
Collins, the power forward in his fourth season, and third-year point guard Trae Young are in the playoffs for the first time.
&ldquo;I can&rsquo;t speak for Trae but just watching him I can tell he just loves being in these type of moments," Collins said. "He loves the big stage and thrives in it.&rdquo;
Young has averaged 28.9 points in seven playoff games.
76ERS AT HAWKS
Game 3, 7:30 p.m., ESPN
&mdash; NEED TO KNOW: Young had 35 points with 10 assists in Atlanta&rsquo;s Game 1 win but made only one of seven 3-pointers while scoring 21 points in the 76ers&rsquo; <a href="https://apnews.com/article/philadelphia-76ers-atlanta-hawks-shake-milton-milton-nba-8841cfdf5414737f5eaf27fc891c5811">118-102 Game 2 win</a> on Tuesday. The 76ers used 6-foot-11 Ben Simmons as the lead defender against Young. Simmons blocked one of Young's shots and likely will be part of the Game 3 defensive plan. Meanwhile, the Hawks will continue to seek ways to provide help for overmatched center Clint Capela against Embiid.
&mdash; KEEP AN EYE ON: Philadelphia center Joel Embiid has a <a href="https://apnews.com/article/pa-state-wire-ga-state-wire-basketball-atlanta-hawks-philadelphia-76ers-04009cd0fac54e5b04f76754ca941a7e">combined 79 points</a> in the first two games against Atlanta. He has answered questions that a cartilage tear in his right knee would limit his production.
76ers coach Doc Rivers said Embiid is Philadelphia&rsquo;s &ldquo;trump card&rdquo; and &ldquo;a guy you can always go to.&rdquo;
&ldquo;The better your other guys are playing, the easier it is for your trump card to be dominant,&rdquo; Rivers said Thursday.
&mdash; INJURY WATCH: The Hawks announced Wednesday De&rsquo;Andre Hunter will miss the remainder of the postseason due to right knee surgery scheduled for Tuesday. Hunter, the team&rsquo;s top perimeter defender, was held out the first two games due to soreness in the knee but he was effective against the Knicks.
&ldquo;It&rsquo;s a big loss for us,&rdquo; coach Nate McMillan said Thursday. &ldquo;He&rsquo;s a big part of what we&rsquo;ve done.&rdquo;
The 76ers are still favored by 1 1/2 points, according to <a href="https://sportsbook.fanduel.com/sports/navigation/830.1/10107.3">FanDuel Sportsbook</a>.
&mdash; PRESSURE IS ON: Solomon Hill started but played only 8 minutes at Hunter's wing position in Game 2. Danilo Gallinari scored 21 points and Kevin Huerter added 20 off the bench.
Hunter could have been an important addition to Atlanta's rotation with his size when defending Tobias Harris. Though Gallinari and Huerter can play important roles, the defensive void left by Hunter's continued absence will be difficult to fill.
SUNS AT NUGGETS
Game 3, 10 p.m. EDT, ESPN
&mdash; NEED TO KNOW: The Nuggets will try to recover from an embarrassing Game 2 blowout loss when the series shifts to Denver. The Suns showed impressive balance by taking a 2-0 lead with their <a href="https://apnews.com/article/co-state-wire-az-state-wire-los-angeles-lakers-denver-nuggets-phoenix-suns-5934ff644911c3682036c9b153d1b6a5"> 123-98 win</a> on Wednesday night. After eliminating the defending champion Los Angeles Lakers in the first round, Phoenix is in command and has left Denver, led by newly named MVP Nikola Jokic, in a must-win position in Game 3. Jokic had 24 points and 13 rebounds in Game 2.
&mdash; KEEP AN EYE ON: At 36, Suns guard Chris Paul seems ageless. He had 17 points, 15 assists and no turnovers in Game 2 and then said &ldquo;I feel really good.&rdquo; That's great news for Phoenix, especially following concerns about his sore right shoulder against the Lakers.
&mdash; INJURY WATCH: Denver swing forward Will Barton scored 10 points off the bench after missing 20 games with a hamstring injury. He played 16 minutes and may have his playing time restricted in Game 3.
&mdash; PRESSURE IS ON: Nuggets forward Michael Porter Jr. After he hurt his back in the first half of Game 1, Porter&rsquo;s shot was off in Game 2 as he made only 3 of 13 shots and scored 11 points. Porter is Denver's second shooting option after Jokic, leaving him in the spotlight to take more of the scoring burden off the MVP in Game 3.
With starting point guard Jamal Murray out for the season with a knee injury, there may be too much pressure on Porter, especially if he's less than full strength.
___
More AP NBA: https://apnews.com/hub/NBA and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

Both Atlanta and Denver are looking for some home cooking coming off their Game 2 losses on the road.

Hawks, Nuggets hope home court provides edge in semifinals

Nekias Duncan breaks down the battles that could swing each first-round series of the NBA Playoffs.

Pressure points: Battles that will decide the first round of the NBA Playoffs

NEW YORK (AP) &mdash; Julius Randle had 40 points and 10 rebounds to lead New York to a 137-127 overtime victory over the Atlanta Hawks on Wednesday night, the Knicks' NBA-best eighth straight win.
Randle&rsquo;s driving layup with eight seconds left in regulation gave New York a 122-119 lead, but Bogdan Bogdanovic hit a 3-pointer with 6.2 seconds left to send the game into overtime.
The Knicks scored the first 10 points of the extra session.
&ldquo;We&rsquo;ve been challenged throughout the season and sometimes they haven&rsquo;t gone our way,&rdquo; Randle said. &ldquo;But right now ,we&rsquo;re finding ways to close games and win games.&rdquo;
Derrick Rose and Immanuel Quickley each scored 20 points for New York. Reggie Bullock added 18 and R.J Barrett had 16. Nerlens Noel had 12 rebounds.
&ldquo;This was a playoff-type atmosphere,&rdquo; Quickley said. &ldquo;As an NBA player, you have to be ready to step up.&rdquo;
Trae Young had 20 points and 14 assists for the Hawks, but left the game with 1:13 remaining in the third quarter after suffering an ankle injury and did not return. X-rays were negative and he is expected to get an MRI on Thursday.
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Chris Capela had 25 points and 22 rebounds for Atlanta. Bogdanovic scored 20 points. John Collins finished with 18 and Kevin Huerta 17.
Atlanta took a game-high 11-point lead, 95-84, when the Knicks&rsquo; Norvel Pelle was called for goaltending on a shot by Onyeka Okongwu with 1:47 left in the third quarter.
Young left the game soon after and the Knicks took advantage, moving into fourth place in the Eastern Conference with the victory.
&ldquo;We were searching tonight to get ourselves going,&rdquo; Knicks coach Tom Thibodeau said. &ldquo;But, we have a true team. As we head down the stretch, we want to be playing our best.&rdquo;
The Knicks pulled within two at 109-107 on the second of Quickley&rsquo;s consecutive 3-pointers with 7:01 remaining, then took their biggest lead of the game at 116-109 on Rose&rsquo;s 3-pointer with 4:46 left.
Lou Williams added 11 points for the Hawks, who had won nine of their last 11 games.
&ldquo;I saw a lot of fight from our guys,&rdquo; Nate McMillan said. &ldquo;We just didn&rsquo;t have enough in overtime to win this game.&rdquo;
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TIP-INS
Hawks: Atlanta&rsquo;s last win at Madison Square Garden (114-107) came on January 21, 2018. ... The Hawks had won five consecutive road games against Eastern Conference opponents.
Knicks: Randle, the reigning Eastern Conference Player of the Week, is the first Knicks player to earn that distinction since February 2017 (Kristaps Porzingis).
IRON MEN
Only one player from each team has seen action in all of his team&rsquo;s games this season. Kevin Huerter has played in all 59 for the Hawks, starting 44. Barrett has played and started in all 60 games for the Knicks. Randle and Solomon Hill have only missed one game each this season.
LOOKING FOR A PLAYOFF PAYOFF
Neither the Knicks nor the Hawks have reached the playoffs for quite a while. Atlanta hasn&rsquo;t seen postseason action since the 2016-17 season, while New York hasn&rsquo;t been in the playoffs since the 2012-13 campaign.
HOW SWEEP IT IS
The Knicks won all three meetings against the Hawks this season. New York had not swept Atlanta since winning all three games during the 2012-13 season.
UP NEXT:
Hawks: Host Miami Heat on Friday.
Knicks: Host Toronto Raptors on Saturday.
___
More AP NBA: https://apnews.com/hub/NBA and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

Julius Randle had 40 points and 10 rebounds to beat the Hawks in OT on Wednesday night, the Knicks' NBA-best eighth-straight win.

Knicks beat Hawks 122-119, win streak at NBA-best 8 games

March Madness is always an exciting time, and this year has been no different with numerous teams with low seeds advancing to the Sweet 16. Not only has it been exhilarating from a college basketball fan&rsquo;s perspective, but also from a talent evaluator&rsquo;s as well, as there have been a handful of NBA Draft prospects that have played well and impacted their stock.
Here are a few of the players that caught my eye:
Miles &ldquo;Deuce&rdquo; McBride: 6-foot-2, 200 pounds | West Virginia | Guard | Sophomore
Game Stats
West Virginia vs. Morehead State: 30 PTS, 6 REB, 6 AST, 3 STL
West Virginia vs. Syracuse: 11 PTS, 4 REB, 7 AST, 3 STL
Known mostly for his defensive intensity and activity, McBride continues to flash his offensive abilities as a playmaker and scorer. He&rsquo;s intelligent, a solid athlete and instinctual on both ends. In the two tournament games, Deuce showed his willingness, and ability, to hit big shots from deep when his team needed them. Don&rsquo;t be surprised if he continues to rise on draft boards as we work through the NBA pre-draft process.
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Jeremiah Robinson-Earl: 6-foot-9, 230 pounds | Villanova | Forward | Sophomore
Game Stats
Villanova vs. Winthrop: 22 PTS, 11 REB, 6 AST, 3 BLK
Villanova vs. North Texas: 18 PTS, 6 REB, 6 AST, 1 BLK
After averaging 16.0 points and 8.3 rebounds per game this season, Robinson-Earl, a 6-foot-9 sophomore from Villanova, is undoubtedly one of the best rebounders in the country. He constantly uses his physicality and motor to dominate the glass. He&rsquo;s also a strong screen setter, passer and high IQ defender, and has shown the ability to stretch the floor in spurts. Also known as &ldquo;JRE," he isn&rsquo;t the flashiest player in the class, but does the little things well and can provide good value to an NBA team.&nbsp;
Neemias Queta: 7-foot, 245 pounds | Utah State | Center | Junior
Game Stats
Utah State vs. Texas Tech: 11 PTS, 13 REB, 7 BLK, 6 AST, 1 STL
Utah State fell to Texas Tech in the Round of 64, but Neemias Queta played well and received praise afterward from Texas Tech head coach Chris Beard. At 7-foot and weighing 245 pounds, Queta is a force to be reckoned with on the glass and as a rim protector. He registered seven blocks against the Red Raiders after averaging 3.3 per game on the season. He raised his free throw and assist percentages for the second year in a row, 70.7% and 18.6% respectively. He could provide value as a backup big at the next level.&nbsp;
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(Photo by Ben Solomon/NCAA Photos via Getty Images)
Quentin Grimes: 6-foot-5, 205 pounds | Houston | Guard | Junior
Game Stats
Houston vs. Cleveland State: 18 PTS, 4 REB, 4 AST
Houston vs. Rutgers: 22 PTS, 9 REB, 2 STL, 1 BLK, 1 AST
After transferring from Kansas, the former McDonald's All-American has finally had the breakout season we had been expecting. Grimes averaged 18 points and 6 rebounds this season, leading Houston to a No. 2 seed in the NCAA Tournament. He has good positional size at 6-foot-5, and through two tournament games has been able to highlight his greatest improvement: three-point shooting. He shot 41.7% on the year from deep and hit 9-of-17 in this latest pair of contests.
Johnny Juzang: 6-foot-6, 210 pounds | UCLA | Guard/Forward | Sophomore
Game Stats
UCLA vs. Michigan State: 23 PTS, 4 REB, 2 AST
UCLA vs. BYU: 27 PTS, 5 REB, 1 BLK
UCLA vs. Abilene Christian: 17 PTS, 3 REB, 1 AST, 1 STL, 1 BLK
Juzang transferred to UCLA after one season at Kentucky, and had a productive season averaging 15 points per game. During March Madness, he has really stepped up in big moments and displayed the level of shooter he can be, creating buzz among some NBA circles. The efficiency hasn&rsquo;t been outstanding, but at 6-foot-6 he showed that he can be a big-time shot-maker at the next level.
<img style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" src="https://basketballnews-media.s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/images/story/body/usatsi_15765179-1_lg.jpg" alt="" />
Isaiah Mobley: 6-foot-10, 235 pounds | Southern California | Forward | Sophomore
Game Stats
USC vs. Drake: 15 PTS, 5 REB, 2 AST
USC vs. Kansas: 17 PTS, 8 REB, 4 AST
Not to be outdone by his younger brother Evan, Isaiah Mobley shot the ball very well from deep in the Trojans' first two tournament games. He is a highly intelligent player with decent physical tools, and has flashed the ability to be a shot-maker; against Kansas, he hit 4-of-5 from deep. Whether or not he&rsquo;ll enter the 2021 NBA Draft is to be determined, but there is a lot to like about his game, making him one to watch during the pre-draft process.
Austin Reaves: 6-foot-5, 206 pounds | Oklahoma | Guard | Senior
Game Stats
Oklahoma vs. Missouri: 23 PTS, 6 AST, 4 REB
Oklahoma vs. Gonzaga: 27 PTS, 2 REB, 2 AST, 2 STL
After playing his first two seasons at Wichita State, Austin Reaves transferred to Oklahoma and has been a terrific scorer for the Sooners. He averaged 17.9 points per game as a senior, and in their two NCAA Tournament games, he was the offensive engine. In the second round, his team fell to Gonzaga, but Reaves' play gave them a fighting chance deep into the second half. The 6-foot-5 guard is effective as a pick-and-roll handler and spot-up shooter, and will look to get an opportunity at the next level.&nbsp;

Derek Murray evaluates who stood out from the opening weekend of the NCAA Tournament and boosted their stock for the next level.