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Trail Blazers

Game 1 of the 2022 NBA Finals will be played on Thursday, June 2. Remarkably, that date is the exact one-year anniversary of the Boston Celtics' announcing Brad Stevens had stepped away from head coaching duties to assume the role of president of basketball operations in place of the departing Danny Ainge.
Let's have a look back at what has been an extraordinary and almost unimaginable 12 months&hellip;
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During his eight seasons on the sidelines in Boston, Stevens was viewed as one of the league's better head coaches. He was regarded as an elite tactician and considered an important part of the Celtics' sustained success. Under his stewardship, Boston advanced to the Eastern Conference Finals three times in four years.
So when the club announced that its long-time top executive in Ainge was retiring and that Stevens would be promoted to team president last June, it came as a shock to most. Would Stevens be able to replicate the regular-season success he enjoyed as head coach? Could Boston get over the hump and advance all the way to the NBA Finals?
Although Ainge left a roster stocked with a budding superstar in Jayson Tatum, his All-Star caliber sidekick in Jaylen Brown, veteran stalwart Marcus Smart and a few promising youngsters, Stevens took control at a precarious juncture. Boston entered last summer capped out (with a directive from ownership not to incur a costly luxury tax bill) and lacking excess draft capital.&nbsp;
Stevens' first order of business was parting ways with Kemba Walker and his cumbersome contract. With two years and $73 million remaining on his deal, Walker was the team's highest-paid player. When healthy, the four-time All-Star Walker was highly productive on the offensive end for the C's, but his balky left knee had robbed him of his quickness. Some suggested the Celtics sit tight, hoping that an entire offseason of rest would allow Kemba to re-establish himself as a quality starter. If Boston wanted to trade Walker, Stevens would have to get creative.
The week before the 2021 NBA Draft, Stevens dealt Boston's first-round pick (16th overall) and a 2025 second-round draft pick to the Oklahoma City Thunder for Al Horford and a 2023 second-rounder.&nbsp;
At the time, Stevens' first significant move as team president was considered highly questionable.&nbsp;
Following the 2019-20 season, when Horford posted career-worst numbers for the Philadelphia 76ers after signing a monstrous four-year, $109 million pact, the veteran big man's contract was viewed as one of the worst in the league. In December 2020, the Sixers were forced to attach a future first-round pick and the draft rights to Vasilije Micic (who just won his second EuroLeague Final Four MVP) in a trade with OKC just to get out from under Horford's contract.
During his lone season in Oklahoma City, Horford appeared in just 28 games for the Thunder. After the trade deadline passed in February 2021, the Thunder shut him down for the rest of the season. At the time, it felt like Stevens was trading for a potentially washed-up 35-year-old center with two years and $53.5 million left on his contract ($41 million of it guaranteed).
But after struggling at times to find his groove in the regular season, Horford has been a crucial cog in the Celtics' run to the Finals. During these playoffs, he is averaging 11.9 points, 9.6 rebounds, 3.5 assists, 1.9 three-pointers,1.6 blocks and 0.9 steals per game, all while shooting 50.0% from the floor, a scorching 43.2% from downtown, and 83.3% from the free-throw line.
Per Basketball-Reference, Horford is just the third player in NBA history (joining Draymond Green and Rasheed Wallace) to average more than 1.5 blocks and more than 1.5 made treys in a postseason (minimum 15 games played). Horford is also the first player ever over the age of 35 to tally more than 25 blocks and more than 25 three-pointers in a single postseason.
To say the Walker/Horford trade has worked out well for Boston would be a dramatic understatement.&nbsp;
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After acquiring Horford, Stevens' next critical decision would be choosing a new head coach. After interviewing several candidates, Stevens zeroed in on Ime Udoka and officially hired him in late June. Udoka was a bit of a gamble, as he had never been a head coach, having spent the previous nine seasons as an assistant with San Antonio (2012-13 to 2018-19), Philadelphia (2019-20) and Brooklyn (2020-21).&nbsp;
Udoka's job was made that much more difficult when the C's stumbled out of the gates this season. By the turn of the new year, there was some finger-pointing in the locker room with the Celtics losing too many winnable games. Three weeks into January, Boston was still below .500 with a 23-24 record.
However, Udoka remained stoically stern, providing a calm and reassuring presence in the locker room and on the sideline. His ability to outcoach opponents and his command of the X's and O's gained him the trust of his team. Over the second half of the season, Boston ranked in the top three in Defensive Efficiency, and led the league in Offensive Efficiency (122.6) and Net Rating (plus-12.7) by a wide margin.
Udoka earned Coach of the Month honors on multiple occasions, and would go on to finish fourth in the NBA Coach of the Year voting. The league-wide respect he's garnered has only increased as he's helped guide his team to the championship series.&nbsp;
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When the free agency frenzy commenced in July 2021, Stevens had to decide what to do with shooting guard Evan Fournier. Ultimately, Boston opted to let Fournier leave for New York.
The Celtics' only free-agent addition of note last summer was inking Dennis Schroder to a team-friendly, one-year deal for $5.9 million. However, Stevens signed Marcus Smart (four years, $76.5 million) and Robert Williams III (four years, $48 million) to lengthy extensions.
The Smart signing, in particular, looks genius in retrospect.&nbsp;
It had been rumored that Ainge was seriously considering trading away Smart in different deals in years past. However, Stevens made it clear that he was committing to Smart for the long term. Just as importantly, Stevens let it be known he would entrust Smart with the team's primary point guard duties. This may seem like an easy decision with the benefit of hindsight, but it's important to point out that entering this season, Smart had started in just 228 of the 449 games he had appeared in. And a large percentage of those starts were alongside point guards such as Kemba Walker, Kyrie Irving and Isaiah Thomas.&nbsp;
The C's flourished with Smart installed as the floor general, especially on the defensive end. Smart, as we know, would be named NBA Defensive Player of the Year, becoming the first guard to win the award since Gary Payton in 1996.
Starting in each of the 71 regular-season games he played, Smart finished the season ranked seventh in the NBA in steals per game (1.68), ranked fifth among all guards with a Defensive Rating of 105.2, and led the NBA with 1.1 loose balls recovered per contest. He was also near the top of the league in deflections, charges drawn and defensive rebounds. On the offensive end, he averaged a career-high 5.9 assists per game and posted an Effective Field Goal percentage above 50% for the first time.
Had Stevens not locked up Smart last summer, he would undoubtedly have been one of the most highly sought-after players on the free-agent market next month.&nbsp;
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Before being sidelined by a knee injury late in the season, Williams had also been enjoying a breakout 2021-22 campaign, averaging career-highs in points (10.0), rebounds (9.6), blocks (2.2), steals (0.9), field-goal percentage (73.6%) and free-throw percentage (72.2%). Like Smart, Williams' value now exceeds his salary.&nbsp;
In February, Stevens recognized Boston's backcourt needed an upgrade. Hence, he sent Josh Richardson and Romeo Langford and a top-four-protected 2022 first-round pick to the San Antonio Spurs in exchange for Derrick White at the trade deadline. Udoka, who was familiar with White having spent time as an assistant in San Antonio, asked him to sacrifice some of his offense. White would serve as a reserve, which meant fewer field goal attempts and fewer minutes. White embraced the role, supplied solid defense on the perimeter and knocked down a handful of big buckets during Boston's run to the Finals.
Ironically, of all the trades and signing Stevens has made over the past 12 months, arguably the most important and impactful are the ones he did NOT agree to. It sounds outlandish now because the C's are four wins away from the franchise's 18th championship, but plenty of pundits and fans in New England had been calling for the Celtics to break up the duo of Brown and Tatum.
While there was no denying their collective talent, many argued the roster was unbalanced, and that the skill sets Tatum and Brown brought to the table were a bit duplicitous. Thus, some folks contended that the best path forward was trading Brown (possibly in a package with Smart) for a pure point guard (such as Damian Lillard).
Pressure and the corresponding rumors reached a fever pitch in the dark days of December and January.&nbsp;
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Damnit I&rsquo;m holding everybody in Boston accountable, from the front office, to the coaching staff and down to Jaylen and Tatum. It&rsquo;s time to break them up! Carry on&hellip; <a href="https://twitter.com/FirstTake?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@FirstTake</a> <a href="https://t.co/2fNHMFavfd">pic.twitter.com/2fNHMFavfd</a>
&mdash; Kendrick Perkins (@KendrickPerkins) <a href="https://twitter.com/KendrickPerkins/status/1479494503765524483?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 7, 2022</a></blockquote>

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As noted above, Boston was below .500 for much of the season. On Jan. 15, the Celtics had a worse record than both the Knicks and Washington Wizards. Boston was 11th in the East, on the outside of the Play-in Tournament looking in.&nbsp;&nbsp;
But Stevens never budged, trusting in the roster he helped construct. And the results speak for themselves. Twelve months after he was hired, Stevens's squad is preparing for the NBA Finals.&nbsp;
Earlier this month, the NBA announced Memphis Grizzlies General Manager Zach Kleiman as the winner of the 2021-22 Basketball Executive of the Year Award. Stevens came in sixth, receiving only one first-place vote. However, that award is based on regular-season accomplishments.
Given how well Boston has performed in the playoffs, there is little doubt about which executive's moves have looked best in the postseason.&nbsp;
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Tommy Beer reviews Brad Stevens' first season as Celtics president with his one-year anniversary coinciding with NBA Finals Game 1.

Brad Stevens deserves massive credit for the Celtics' success

Nekias Duncan breaks down the 2022 NBA Finals between the Celtics and Warriors from a multitude of angles.

2022 NBA Finals Scouting Report: How the Celtics and Warriors match up

The Oklahoma City Thunder came out of last Tuesday&rsquo;s NBA Draft Lottery as the night&rsquo;s runner-up, taking home the No. 2 overall pick.&nbsp;
The Thunder have never received the first-overall pick in their franchise history, which technically goes back to 1967 when they were still the Seattle Supersonics. They have selected second on two occasions though, and both worked out really well (Kevin Durant in 2007 and Gary Payton in 1990).
The Thunder have a war-chest of draft picks in the coming years, but those picks are meaningless if they don&rsquo;t select a franchise-altering talent. Fortunately, the No. 2 pick should provide an opportunity to do so. The 2022 draft class features a few &ldquo;can&rsquo;t-miss&rdquo; prospects, including Auburn&rsquo;s Jabari Smith, Gonzaga&rsquo;s Chet Holmgren and Duke&rsquo;s Paolo Banchero. All three have their pros and cons, but adding any of them to the existing core of Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Josh Giddey should work out beautifully.
In the 2021 NBA Draft, the Thunder made six selections, but they traded three of those players. They added Giddey (who was named to the 2021-22 All-Rookie Second Team), Tre Mann and Aaron Wiggins &ndash; none of whom are bigs. The Thunder did trade for a seven-footer in the 2020 draft (Aleksej Pokusevski), but he&rsquo;s still extremely raw and is not the same caliber of player as the top-three prospects.
Of course, there is still a lot of work to be done through the scouting process to effectively evaluate all three of this draft's most-coveted prospects, but a look back at the last 10 NBA drafts reveals a murkier history than one might assume. After <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/examining-the-success-of-teams-selecting-first-in-the-nba-draft" target="_blank" rel="noopener">examining the success of teams selecting No. 1 in the NBA Draft</a> last week, let's look at how recent No. 2 overall picks have fared.&nbsp;
2012 NBA Draft: Michael Kidd-Gilchrist, Charlotte Bobcats/Hornets
The Hornets bombed with the second pick in 2012. Kidd-Gilchrist had a fine career, averaging 12.3 points and 7.9 rebounds per game across eight seasons in the NBA. The thing is, Bradley Beal was selected third and Damian Lillard was selected fifth, and both of those guys are All-NBA-caliber players annually. Comparatively, that&rsquo;s a huge miss for Charlotte.
Verdict: Failure.
2013 NBA Draft: Victor Oladipo, Orlando Magic
The Cavaliers certainly surprised many of us by picking Anthony Bennett with the first overall pick, but the Magic stuck to the script. Oladipo was universally seen as a top-three player in this draft, and he became the second-best player in the class before knee and quad injuries derailed his career.
As much as injuries have robbed much of what Oladipo was, he is still an intriguing player, and he&rsquo;ll probably command some decent free-agent offers this offseason. Obiously, CJ McCollumn (selected 10th) and Giannis Antetokounmpo (selected 15th) are better players, but neither was being considered by the Magic. Considering that Oladipo is a two-time All-Star, an All-Defensive selection and a one-time All-NBA selection, I&rsquo;d say the Magic did a fine job in picking Oladipo.
Verdict: Success
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2014 NBA Draft: Jabari Parker, Milwaukee Bucks
The 2014 draft was a weird one. Neither the first nor the second pick ended up being the best player from this draft class. Andrew Wiggins found a good role, even if he is far less successful than most thought he&rsquo;d be, but Jabari Parker really underwhelmed. Granted, Parker stuck around in the league for eight seasons, including some of the current one, but his career simply never materialized even if it&rsquo;s not his (nor Milwaukee&rsquo;s) fault.
Parker tore his ACL twice. He looked like he was becoming a pretty darn good player (even if he was a defensive liability) before the second ACL injury, averaging 20.1 points and 6.2 rebounds per game in 2016-17. However good Parker could have been, the fact of the matter is that Joel Embiid was intriguing enough as of draft night to be taken one pick later, and that stings.
Verdict: Failure
2015 NBA Draft: D&rsquo;Angelo Russell, Los Angeles Lakers
Here&rsquo;s an instance where a player actually was worth a top-three pick. The problem is that the Lakers had the second pick, and there&rsquo;s a big difference between Karl-Anthony Towns or Devin Booker and Russell. Making matters worse, the Lakers sent Russell to Brooklyn before he matured. His immaturity was part of the reason he was traded, but that doesn&rsquo;t change the fact that the Lakers picked him and moved on very quickly. Russell may or may not end up being a franchise-altering talent, but he hasn&rsquo;t realized his full potential yet, and he clearly won&rsquo;t do so for the Lakers.
Verdict: Failure
2016 NBA Draft: Brandon Ingram, Los Angeles Lakers
Ingram is one of the best No. 2 picks in the last 10 drafts. He&rsquo;s a true number one option on a playoff team, a career 18.5 points-per-game scorer and a one-time All-Star. It&rsquo;s debatable that Jaylen Brown (selected third) and/or Jamal Murray (selected seventh) are as good or better players, but both have played alongside more talented teammates throughout their careers.
Ingram has been the best player on the New Orleans Pelicans for a few years now, and we shouldn&rsquo;t take for granted the fact that Ingram led a playoff team this season. Sure, the Lakers didn&rsquo;t cash in on him specifically, but he was part of the package that led to Anthony Davis landing in Los Angeles. So, it worked out for them too.
Verdict: Success
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2017 NBA Draft: Lonzo Ball, Los Angeles Lakers
The Lakers picked second overall again in 2017. They weren&rsquo;t as successful this time around. First, there&rsquo;s Jayson Tatum to consider. Tatum was selected third and is the best player in the 2017 draft class. Being selected by the Lakers wouldn&rsquo;t have changed that, and that should be enough. But there&rsquo;s also Ball&rsquo;s rough shooting mechanics to consider. Sure, he&rsquo;s grown into a good shooter, but the Lakers didn&rsquo;t benefit from that. It&rsquo;s hard to categorize Ball&rsquo;s selection as an outright failure because like Ingram, he helped facilitate Davis to the Lakers. Still, it's tough to classify his selection a success.
Verdict: Push
2018 NBA Draft: Marvin Bagley III, Sacramento Kings
Bagley might be the worst second pick in the last 10 years. The 2018 NBA Draft will forever be remembered as the Luka Doncic class. The Kings could have drafted Doncic, as he was still on the board, but they chose to go with Bagley instead. Bagley isn&rsquo;t even on the Kings any longer, and his time in Sacramento was not memorable.
Bagley is a sub-par defender and three-point shooter. He&rsquo;s scored the ball at a decent pace, averaging 19.5 points per-36 minutes, but he&rsquo;s never earned a big enough role to demonstrate what he can really do, and he&rsquo;s exclusively been on losing teams. Comparatively, Doncic and Trae Young (selected No. 5 in 2018) have turned their franchises around.
Verdict: Failure
2019 NBA Draft: Ja Morant, Memphis Grizzlies
Ingram was the best second pick in the last 10 years, until 2019. Morant stole that made-up accolade almost immediately in his rookie season. The thing is, the 2019 NBA Draft was supposed to be all about Zion Williamson. However, unlike Williamson, Morant has backed up all the hype and then some. So, while Williamson has dealt with injuries for much of his young career, Morant has brazenly become the face of his draft class.
Morant is drawing comparisons to numerous superstars, and he was named to the 2021-22 All-NBA Second Team. No one selected after him comes close to making the Grizzlies think twice about their decision.
Verdict: HUGE success
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2020 NBA Draft: James Wiseman, Golden State Warriors
Unlike his brother Lonzo, LaMelo Ball was deserving of the second pick in 2020. Instead, the Golden State Warriors went with James Wiseman, though the logic behind the pick is clear, even in retrospect. The Warriors already had two All-NBA guards. The thing is, Jordan Poole looks pretty good alongside Steph Curry and Klay Thompson, doesn&rsquo;t he? So, it&rsquo;s feasible to assume that Ball would have fit too.
After two seasons, Ball is a significantly better player, but he&rsquo;s also had plenty of opportunity to demonstrate that fact. Wiseman has had terrible health-related luck. He played in 39 of the Warriors' first 53 games in 2020-21, but he tore his meniscus in Golden State&rsquo;s 53rd&nbsp;game of the season and hasn&rsquo;t been seen since. Wiseman could still be a serious contributor, as his per-36 numbers were impressive for a rookie (19.3 points, 9.7 rebounds, 1.6 blocks and 1.1 assists on .542/.316/.628 shooting). This is one we&rsquo;ll have to continue monitoring.
Verdict: Unclear
2021 NBA Draft: Jalen Green, Houston Rockets
Basing the success of a pick on only a rookie season is tough. Green posted an impressive rookie campaign, but his defensive deficiencies were clear. That&rsquo;s an understandable flaw for a rookie. Green was the assumed second-best player in the class. Having the luxury of hindsight, we now know that Scottie Barnes (selected fourth) and Evan Mobley (selected third) translated to the NBA incredibly well. But wing scorers have a tougher time making the jump, as they must shoot deeper three-pointers and compete against far more athletic competition. Green&rsquo;s floor may be lower than that of Barnes and Mobley, but I'd argue that his ceiling is still higher. Let&rsquo;s give him a little more time.
Verdict: Unclear&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;
In the last 10 drafts, the second overall pick has clearly been one of the best players in the draft class just three times (2013, 2016 and 2019).&nbsp;
A deeper examination of No. 2 overall picks reveals a limited number of franchise-altering talents. For every Kevin Durant, Jason Kidd, Gary Payton, Earl Monroe and Bill Russell, there are a number of players who didn't live up to expectations. Sometimes, there isn't a generational player on the board; other times, the team picking No. 2 overall just overthinks it or goes in the wrong direction. Either way, No. 2 hasn&rsquo;t produced as many all-time greats as you might expect, but there have been quite a few significant contributors.
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Oklahoma City will pick No. 2 in the 2022 draft. A look back at the last 10 drafts reveals that there are no guarantees for No. 2 picks.

Examining the success of teams selecting No. 2 in the NBA Draft

Warriors guard Gary Payton II (elbow fracture) is expected to return in the NBA Finals, according to <a href="https://twitter.com/shamscharania/status/1530230860859023364?s=21&amp;t=g44FfKjhOlvueYNzWJKQqw" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Shams Charania of The Athletic</a>.
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Warriors guard Gary Payton II (elbow fracture) is expected to return in the NBA Finals, sources say. Here's how soon: <a href="https://t.co/6TaaQri0Wc">pic.twitter.com/6TaaQri0Wc</a>
&mdash; Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) <a href="https://twitter.com/ShamsCharania/status/1530230860859023364?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 27, 2022</a></blockquote>

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ANALYSIS:&nbsp;Gary Payton II's return should help the Warriors because of the defense and energy he brings to the team. Now that they're in the NBA Finals, they'll need as many bodies as they can get. Hopefully, Payton will be 100 percent when he returns to the floor.

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Shams Charania reports that Gary Payton II should make his return during the 2022 NBA Finals.

Shams: Gary Payton II to return in the NBA Finals

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) &mdash; Luka Doncic was dominating, yelling in celebration and flexing his arms in Stephen Curry&rsquo;s house.
Then Curry and the Golden State Warriors delivered one of those signature third-quarter flurries that have defined so many of their postseason runs &mdash; with this one being sparked by Kevon Looney.
Just like that, they&rsquo;re two wins away from getting back to another NBA Finals.
Curry scored 32 points with six 3-pointers and eight more rebounds, Looney had a career-high 21 points and 12 rebounds and the Warriors rallied past the Dallas Mavericks 126-117 on Friday for a 2-0 lead in the Western Conference finals.
&ldquo;I feel honored just to be a part of the ride,&rdquo; Looney said.
Doncic scored 42 points and the Mavericks led most of the way before the Warriors took their first lead of the night on Otto Porter Jr.&rsquo;s 3-pointer 18 seconds into the fourth.
Doncic had 18 points in the first quarter &mdash; two shy of his 20-point Game 1 total. His 3-pointer with 13 seconds before halftime &mdash; the Mavs&rsquo; 15th of the first half &mdash; made it 72-58 at the break and gave him 24 points.
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&ldquo;Against someone that good you&rsquo;re just trying to limit some of the easy stuff,&rdquo; Warriors coach Steve Kerr said.
Doncic even got a Twitter shoutout from&nbsp;<a class="" href="https://twitter.com/MCHammer/status/1527835832458960898" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Oakland&rsquo;s own MC Hammer</a>: &ldquo;Ok young Luka &hellip; We see you.&rdquo;
But Golden State answered with a 25-13 third quarter to pull to 85-83 going into fourth &mdash; coming out of halftime with a performance reminiscent of those thrilling third quarters of past.
&ldquo;We know how good they are as a third-quarter team,&rdquo; Dallas forward Reggie Bullock said. &ldquo;It&rsquo;s just something that slipped away from us as the game continued to go on.&rdquo;
Doncic shot 12 for 23 and shined in a game of brilliant shotmaking &mdash; the Warriors finished 56.1% from the floor. In the first half alone, Dallas edged Golden State 52.3% to 51.2%, including a remarkable 55.6% to 53.3% from 3-point range.
The series shifts to Dallas for Game 3 on Sunday. Golden State is two wins from a return to the NBA Finals for the first time since making five straight trips from 2015-19.
&ldquo;We&rsquo;re on the road against one of the best teams in the league. It happens. They held serve,&rdquo; Mavs coach Jason Kidd said. &ldquo;We&rsquo;ve seen this in Phoenix so now we have to go back and just focus on Game 3.&rdquo;
Jordan Poole scored 23 points off the bench, Andrew Wiggins had 16 and Klay Thompson &mdash; held scoreless in the first half of the series opener &mdash; added 15 points for a second straight game. Golden State scored 62 points in the paint.
Jalen Brunson scored eight of the first 14 Dallas points on the way to 31. The Mavericks didn&rsquo;t have to see as much of Draymond Green, who picked up his fifth foul with 6:01 left in the third, then returned with 6:33 left before fouling out with 2:25 to go.
The teams tangled with 8:03 left in the second quarter in front of the Dallas bench. Warriors reserve Damion Lee closed out as Davis Bertans hit a 3-pointer from the corner and Bertans tripped Lee and sent him in a flip hard to the floor. Lee had to be held back by official Eric Lewis.
The players were issued double technicals.
In Game 1 two days earlier, Doncic faced smothering defense from Wiggins and shot just 6 for 18 and 3 of 10 from deep. Kidd expected a far better outing in Game 2.
Golden State continued to push the pace and committed 16 turnovers after 15 in the opener.
RELIABLE LOONEY
Moved back into the starting lineup for the clinching Game 6 of the semifinals against Memphis, Looney shot 10 for 14 after making all five of his field goals in Game 1.
He notched his second career postseason double-double.
&ldquo;Tonight was my night to make a big difference and I just stepped up,&rdquo; Looney said.
TIP-INS
Mavericks: Dallas led by as many as 16 in the opening quarter. ... The Mavs were outrebounded again at 43-30 after a 51-35 disadvantage in Game 1. They committed one fewer turnovers with 12 after Doncic had seven in the series opener. &ldquo;We&rsquo;ve got to take care of the ball because the Warriors once you turn the ball over, they&rsquo;re gone, and a lot of times it&rsquo;s an open 3,&rdquo; Kidd said beforehand.
Warriors: G Gary Payton II &mdash; who broke his left elbow on a hard foul when Memphis star Dillon Brooks clobbered him May 3 on a fast break for a Flagrant 2, ejection and one-game suspension &mdash; is doing light individual work on court that includes shooting with his non-dominant right hand and will be re-evaluated in a week. ... F Andre Iguodala missed his ninth straight game with a disc injury in his neck is continuing his rehab with physical therapy and training in the weight room with some light on-court work. The Warriors said they will provide an update when he&rsquo;s cleared to practice. ... Golden State improved to 8-0 at home this postseason and is 18-5 in Game 2s dating to the 2015 title run. ... Green was voted to the NBA All-Defensive Second Team.
QUOTABLE
&ldquo;Steph is the best-conditioned athlete in this game, he never stops moving.&rdquo; -- Kidd
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The Golden State Warriors rallied from an early deficit to take their second straight win in the Western Conference Finals.

Steph Curry, Warriors rally past Mavs for 2-0 lead in West finals

Over the years, I like to think I&rsquo;ve learned a lot about the game of basketball.&nbsp;
And while I still have a lot to learn, I think I have a pretty solid formula for how one should go about learning about the game of basketball.
It&rsquo;s simple, you watch it (obviously), look through stats, read about it, listen to podcasts about it (like <a href="https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-dunker-spot/id1547857052" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The Dunker Spot</a>), and most importantly, you take notes. (It doesn't stop after school!)
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And with that being said, let's sift through some of my game notes from Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Finals!
Ball-Screen Coverages
As we are all aware by now, the <a href="https://youtu.be/6pwt3k8PzhU" target="_blank" rel="noopener">ball-screen</a> has become an essential cog in the machine that is modern-day NBA offenses. So, it would stand to reason that the coverages deployed against this play type are paramount to the structure of today&rsquo;s defenses.&nbsp;
Boston continued riding the wave from Game 7 against Milwaukee, opting to start the series in a drop against Miami. By doing this, the Celtics were also taking a page from their former coach, Doc Rivers.&nbsp;
As Couper Moorhead <a href="https://www.nba.com/heat/news/heat-76ers-make-miss-spoelstra-rivers-butler-harden-embiid">pointed out</a>, the Philadelphia 76ers chose to guard ball-screens 2-on-2 with Embiid in a drop, which, in turn, allowed their ancillary defenders to tighten up on shooters and avoid forfeiting open three-pointers. (The Heat lead the league in percentage on <a href="https://www.nba.com/stats/teams/shots-closest-defender/?Season=2021-22&amp;SeasonType=Regular%20Season&amp;CloseDefDistRange=4-6%20Feet%20-%20Open&amp;sort=FG3_PCT&amp;dir=1">open threes</a> in the regular season).&nbsp;
Jimmy Butler and Tyler Herro both <a href="https://streamable.com/172a3w" target="_blank" rel="noopener">burned</a> this configuration at times. But for now, I would continue mixing that formation in with switches until the Heat prove they can consistently bury pull-up threes while also fielding a competent defensive lineup.&nbsp;
Meanwhile, Miami came out the gates switching screens pretty often, and with little resistance. This led to favorable matchups for the Celtics&rsquo; ball-handlers, who cashed in on these opportunities by way of paint touches and lay-down passes to their newly reincarnated big man, Robert Williams III.
<div style="width: 100%; height: 0px; position: relative; padding-bottom: 56.250%;"><iframe style="width: 100%; height: 100%; position: absolute;" src="https://streamable.com/e/mfsttw" width="100%" height="325" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen" data-mce-fragment="1"></iframe></div>
In the second half, the Heat continued switching when appropriate, but they also started sending two to the ball more often. And that &mdash; coupled with their tenaciousness and supreme length &mdash; led to a lot more turnovers (16 compared to 7 in the first half).&nbsp;
An interesting wrinkle to this is that Boston did a great job of <a href="https://twitter.com/stevejones20/status/1526737206836183041?s=20&amp;t=KodKp7IPvGdsRt1Ph53OPg" target="_blank" rel="noopener">parking good three-pointer shooters</a> one pass away from its ball-handlers (something the Brooklyn Nets struggled doing in their first-round matchup against the Celtics). So, the natural adjustment for Boston to make in Game 2 should be having the blitzed initiator slow down and survey his options to find that open shooter when the help comes to him.
Off-Ball Matchup Hunting
When most of us think about matchup hunting, the image that most likely comes to mind is that of Luka Doncic demanding a ball-screen from a teammate being shadowed by a relatively weak defender. Said defender then switches onto Doncic, and the Slovenian begins to play with his food a bit before swallowing that matchup whole.
The problem with this tactic is, if the defense doesn&rsquo;t immediately concede the switch, you're forced to re-screen until the team finally waves the white flag. This tug of war eats up precious seconds from the shot clock. And eventually, if they can get the shot clock to under 10 seconds, even the most matador-esque defender has a solid chance of inducing a suboptimal shot.
A more natural/cohesive way of exploiting weak points is by setting up these mismatches off-ball.
In this <a href="https://twitter.com/matissa15/status/1527265386034614272?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw" target="_blank" rel="noopener">linked clip</a>, you see Boston going at Max Strus. To his credit, he&rsquo;s at least a solid defender. He&rsquo;ll serve as their version of a Pat Connaughton &mdash; an occasional victim of the C's attack. Their real target moving forward (the Grayson Allen of this operation) will be Herro.&nbsp;
(*Whispers from the back corner* Notice how Herro was on the bench for the entirety of the Heat&rsquo;s 22-2 run in the third quarter. Coincidence? I think not...)
Boston did some nice things in this department, but the Heat were the true masters of the dark arts in Game 1. Miami spent a bulk of the second half going at the likes of Derrick White and Payton Pritchard by using Butler as a screener whenever one of them was matched up with the ball-handler (particularly when that person was <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/appreciating-gabe-vincents-game-one-performance" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Gabe Vincent</a>).
<div style="width: 100%; height: 0px; position: relative; padding-bottom: 56.250%;"><iframe style="width: 100%; height: 100%; position: absolute;" src="https://streamable.com/e/lqy2ag" width="100%" height="325" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen" data-mce-fragment="1"></iframe></div>
Butler used these opportunities to build up steam going downhill (he commandeered an Embiid-ian 18 free throw attempts) or to operate in isolation with an empty corner.&nbsp;
He was magnificent in Game 1, but it's worth pointing out that Pritchard saw 30-plus minutes in this game. With Marcus Smart <a href="https://www.nbcsports.com/boston/celtics/celtics-injury-updates-marcus-smart-probable-game-2-al-horford-doubtful" target="_blank" rel="noopener">listed as probable for Game 2</a>, it will be interesting to observe these actions unfold with the Defensive Player of the Year patrolling the battlefield.&nbsp;
Unorthodox Rim Protection
As we mentioned earlier, the Celtics manufactured a ton of dribble penetration in the first half, leading to 42 points in the paint on 21-of-26 shooting.
In the second half, Boston was relegated to 6 points on 3-of-16 shooting from that area of the floor.&nbsp;
What gives?
Well, the Heat aren&rsquo;t blessed with a basketball-swatting machine like Williams IIIl; they finished dead last in the league in blocks per game during the regular season. So to compensate, they turned to less traditional means.&nbsp;
This all started with their decision to send two defenders at the ball, which led to fewer defensive breakdowns in the restricted area. They also <a href="https://streamable.com/e3g4ta" target="_blank" rel="noopener">ICE'd</a> a few ball-screens to further enforce that "no middle" philosophy.&nbsp;
Bam Adebayo and <a href="https://theanalyst.com/na/2022/04/how-p-j-tucker-is-impacting-the-miami-heat-at-age-36/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">PJ Tucker</a> did an admiral job of denying entry passes into the paint, and when those passes did find a way through, the Heat used their length and great hands to swipe at the ball and create turnovers.&nbsp;
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-theme="dark">
One of the more subtle adjustments in the 2nd half from Miami was the decision to try and preemptively swipe down on the ball rather than contest shots at the rim vertically. If you don't have the firepower to meet them at their apex, you may as well not let them even get there. <a href="https://t.co/55GskSOess">pic.twitter.com/55GskSOess</a>
&mdash; Mat Issa (@matissa15) <a href="https://twitter.com/matissa15/status/1527326345080246273?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 19, 2022</a></blockquote>

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That was one of the most crucial adjustments the Heat made in the second half. In the first half, Williams III was making a killing because no one on Miami could match his insane verticality. However, great defenders know (or at least figure out quickly) that when you can&rsquo;t challenge a shot straight up, you need to prevent the shot from taking place altogether. And you do this by getting your hands on it while it's still down by the defender&rsquo;s waist. It&rsquo;s safe to say the Heat have a ton of smart defenders.
Oh, and it also helped that Bam decided to <a href="https://streamable.com/zgpu4a" target="_blank" rel="noopener">catapult a few shots into the spacetime continuum</a>.&nbsp;
See, taking notes is important! Look how much you can digest from making notes about things while you watch and read about a game.
Now, get your pen and paper (or reMarkable) out for Game 2 on Thursday.&nbsp;
<div class="mceNonEditable"><spike>&nbsp;</spike></div>
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Mat Issa shares his observations from Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Finals.

NBA Eastern Conference Finals notebook: Heat-Celtics Game 1

Steve Kerr is out of the NBA's health and safety protocols and preparing to coach the Golden State Warriors in the Western Conference finals after missing the last three games of the semifinal round against Memphis with COVID-19.
Kerr said his symptoms were mild with a cough and congestion but his biggest concern was not to get anyone around him sick. He departed less than two hours before tipoff of Game 4 against the Grizzlies last Monday after arriving at Chase Center and testing positive.
&ldquo;It really wasn't too bad,&rdquo; Kerr said Sunday.
Associate head coach Mike Brown, who last weekend became the next coach of the Sacramento Kings, filled in for Kerr as Golden State wrapped up the series with a 110-96 win in Game 6 on Friday night.
Guard Gary Payton II said everyone is thrilled to have Kerr back in the building and locker room.
&ldquo;Just good to see him,&rdquo; Payton said. &ldquo;We're glad that he made it out OK, made it good, came back healthier.&rdquo;
Kerr encouraged Brown &ldquo;to follow his gut. He couldn't sit there and think, &lsquo;What would I do?&rsquo;&rdquo; and that led to the Warriors staff starting Kevon Looney in the clincher. Then he went out and grabbed 22 of Golden State's 70 rebounds.
The Warriors are hopeful forward Otto Porter Jr. will be available for Game 1 on Wednesday night after missing the previous two games with soreness in his right foot. In addition, Payton is recovering well from a broken left elbow and might be fine to play at some point during this round, Kerr said.
Payton was injured when he fell hard after driving for a layup and getting struck on the head by Dillon Brooks in Game 2, with Brooks receiving a Flagrant 2 foul, ejection and one-game suspension.
&ldquo;Time, it's going to take time,&rdquo; said Payton, who is left-handed and is regaining strength in his dominant arm doing daily tasks such as brushing his teeth.
Payton said he couldn't catch himself when he went down, saying, &ldquo;Things happen, but it's past me. I'm just trying to work and continue to strengthen my arm and get it back ready and come back and help my team.&rdquo;
He did speak to Brooks.
&ldquo;We talked, it's all good, it's a basketball play,&rdquo; Payton said. &ldquo;I know he didn't mean it. No hard feelings, no bad blood. It's all good, it's playoff basketball.&rdquo;
Golden State had one group of scouts preparing for Dallas and another for Phoenix and presented a game plan to the Warriors at practice Monday afternoon. An advanced scout watched every game of the Mavs-Suns series, too. (Editor's note: The Warriors will face the Mavericks in the Western Conference Finals beginning on Wednesday.)

Steve Kerr is out of the NBA's health and safety protocols and preparing to coach the Warriors in the Western Conference Finals.

Warriors welcome back coach Steve Kerr from COVID protocols

&ldquo;Pomp and Circumstance&rdquo; played as Stephen Curry stepped up to the podium after practice Monday as he prepared with the Golden State Warriors for the Western Conference Finals.
A playful, makeshift moment <a href="https://twitter.com/JanieMcCAP/status/1526332742983557122">to honor his new status as college graduate</a>.
Curry completed his Bachelor of Arts degree in sociology to join the Davidson College class of 2022, even if he couldn't be there to walk for the commencement ceremony Sunday but watched on video.
He fulfilled a promise to mother Sonya that he would receive his degree. She had been bragging for the past decade that two of her children &mdash; son Seth and daughter Sydel &mdash; had college degrees.
&ldquo;It's cool to kind of relive the sights and sounds of school and campus and all that,&rdquo; Curry said. &ldquo;This is a long time coming, obviously. Since I left campus it was a goal to finish. Just obviously a sense of accomplishment but a promise I made to my mom and Coach (Bob) McKillop when I left after my junior year. It was pretty special, they had the Fathead (cutout) over on campus in my honor.&rdquo;
This marks another important accomplishment to add to a list that includes three NBA championships, two MVPs and a pair of scoring titles. Curry will receive his diploma at a later date. He completed his coursework 13 years after leaving Davidson a year early following his junior season, then was drafted by the Warriors seventh overall.
Next up is Gary Payton II, who said Sunday he is close to earning his degree from Oregon State in a month or so.
&ldquo;It doesn't surprise me. We have guys who are really conscientious about the world beyond basketball and their impact in their communities. Also, Steph is a really curious guy, he's constantly trying to expand his horizons and getting his college degree was really important to him,&rdquo; coach Steve Kerr said. &ldquo;I think it's fantastic, and same with Gary. It's wonderful when you see guys go back and finish up.&rdquo;
Curry also worked toward his major during the 2011 lockout then re-enrolled for this spring's semester.
His thesis was focused on advancing gender equity through sports and he even did a research project about tattoos and got his teammates who have ink involved by asking them about the meaning behind their choices and other details such as how they feel about the tattoos now.
&ldquo;My guys helped me out on that research project,&rdquo; Curry said.
He credited a half-dozen people for helping him get it done, including a former professor from Davidson now at UC Santa Cruz, another Davidson professor in collaboration with one at Stanford and even Davidson athletic director Chris Clunie.
Payton, one player who contributed to the tattoos project, congratulated Curry on Sunday. Curry watched the ceremony over live stream and was announced as &ldquo;Wardell Stephen Curry II.&rdquo;
&ldquo;I told him that's huge, a big relief off his shoulders I can imagine,&rdquo; Payton said. &ldquo;So, yeah, I'm proud of 30 getting that done. It took a couple years after but it doesn't matter as long as you get the paper, that's all that matters. I'm proud and excited for 30.&rdquo;
___
More AP NBA: https://apnews.com/hub/nba and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

Stephen Curry completed his Bachelor of Arts degree in sociology to join the Davidson College Class of 2022.

Stephen Curry earns sociology degree from Davidson College

Klay Thompson knocked down eight 3-pointers on the way to 30 points, Stephen Curry scored 29 with six 3s, and the Golden State Warriors advanced to the Western Conference finals by beating the Memphis Grizzlies 110-96 in Game 6 on Friday night.
Curry found his shooting touch late and made two straight baskets late in the third for a 78-77 lead entering the final 12 minutes. Draymond Green contributed 14 points, 16 rebounds and eight assists. Kevon Looney grabbed 22 rebounds and Andrew Wiggins scored 10 of his 18 points in the fourth with a pair of timely 3s.
Golden State &mdash; eliminated by Memphis in the play-in tournament last year &mdash; withstood a testy series to advance to the conference finals for the first time since 2019, when the franchise reached its fifth straight NBA Finals before losing to Toronto in the deciding Game 6.
The third-seeded Warriors will face the Phoenix-Dallas winner in the conference finals. Game 7 of that series is Sunday in Phoenix.
&ldquo;Whoop that trick!&rdquo; the delighted, raucous home crowd chanted in the waning moments, the fans&rsquo; steal away from Memphis.
Dillon Brooks scored 30 points with a career-best seven 3-pointers but picked up his second flagrant foul of the series. Desmond Bane added 25.&nbsp;
Curry checked back in for the final 8:21 and delivered a 3 with 5:45 remaining off a beautiful bounce pass by Green. Looney found Green for an easy dunk the next time down, capping a decisive 10-0 run.
After Wednesday&rsquo;s 134-95 debacle on the Grizzlies&rsquo; home floor in which they trailed by as many as 55 , the Warriors were determined to do everything better, especially cutting down on the 22 turnovers leading to 29 points.
Bane scored the first two baskets of the game before the Warriors ran off 10 consecutive points, with a pair of layups by Green and a 3 by both Curry and Thompson.
Looney started after Jonathan Kuminga had the previous three games following the injury to guard Gary Payton II. He broke his left elbow in an awkward fall after being hit over the head by Brooks in Game 2 that earned Brooks a Flagrant 2 foul and one-game suspension.
He was booed loudly again at every chance by the sellout crowd at Chase Center. When Payton was shown on the big screen during a first-quarter timeout he received a rousing ovation and touched his hand to his heart before encouraging them to get louder.
Memphis again played without All-Star guard Ja Morant, who missed his third straight game with a bone bruise in his troublesome right knee that the Grizzlies blamed on Jordan Poole pulling on the knee while going for a loose ball in Game 3.
Center Steven Adams limped off gingerly on his right ankle and headed to the locker room 3:23 before halftime but returned. At the same time, Brooks received a Flagrant foul 1 for taking down Curry and the Grizzlies forward and Thompson were hit with double technicals.
THOMPSON&rsquo;S TOUCH
Thompson, back shining in the playoffs after his 2 1/2-year absence with a pair of serious injuries, notched his fourth career postseason game with eight 3s &mdash; tying Ray Allen, Curry, and Damian Lillard for most in NBA history.
TIP-INS
Grizzlies: Brooks had three flagrant points and finished one from an automatic one-game suspension. ... Memphis missed its final 10 shots of the second quarter. ... The Grizzlies held a 55-37 rebounding advantage in Game 5.
Warriors: Curry was 6 for 17 from deep. ... Looney&rsquo;s 11 first-quarter rebounds are a career high for any quarter and they match a Warriors playoff record in the team&rsquo;s West Coast era also accomplished by Larry Smith on May 12, 1987, on the road vs. the Lakers. ... F Otto Porter Jr. was out with soreness in his right foot. ... Veteran Andre Iguodala, still sidelined with a left cervical disc injury, is scheduled to be re-evaluated again later next week.
FRIDAY THE 13TH
The Warriors had a playoff game on Friday the 13th for just the second time in franchise history, previously when they beat the Bucks 100-86 on April 13, 1973, in Game 6 of the Western Conference semifinals to clinch the series 4-2, according to Elias. Kareem Abdul-Jabbar scored a game-high 27 points and led the Bucks with 14 rebounds. Jim Barnett scored 26 for the Warriors.

Klay Thompson knocked down eight threes on the way to 30 points, Stephen Curry scored 29 with six threes and the Warriors advanced.

Curry, Thompson send Warriors into Western Conference Finals

Memphis&rsquo; chances of staving off elimination are even tougher now.
The Golden State Warriors put the Grizzlies on the brink of the offseason after they rallied late in Game 4 on Monday night to grab a 3-1 series lead as Memphis star Ja Morant sat out with a sore right knee.
Morant is doubtful for the remainder of the postseason after an MRI and further evaluation revealed a bone bruise on his injured knee, the team announced Tuesday night. The NBA&rsquo;s Most Improved Player winner and All-Star guard had been averaging 38.3 points a game.
The Warriors now head to Memphis needing one victory to advance to the Western Conference finals for the first time since 2019 &mdash; when they lost in the NBA Finals before missing the last two postseasons.
That&rsquo;s been a long wait for a franchise that won three championships in the last decade.
&ldquo;Wednesday is going to be the hardest one yet,&rdquo; Warriors guard Klay Thompson said. &ldquo;It always is, the closeout. We have to put this behind us and put together a good game plan.&rdquo;
Even without Morant, Memphis still led for all but 45.7 seconds of Game 4 before Golden State rallied for a 101-98 victory. It was the first time Memphis had been held under 100 points this postseason.
&ldquo;We&rsquo;re back home,&rdquo; Grizzlies forward Jaren Jackson Jr. said. &ldquo;We&rsquo;ve got our fans. It&rsquo;s going to be loud, so we&rsquo;re excited to get back home and go play again, man. We have another chance to play. They&rsquo;re a good team. We obviously know how the game went. Yeah, we get another chance at it.&rdquo;
And that &ldquo;it&rdquo; is pushing this series back to San Francisco for Game 6 on Friday.
In the Bucks-Celtics series, Boston's Al Horford has tapped into a level of his game during the playoffs that many thought he&rsquo;d lost at age 35.
His play reached a new height in Game 4 during the Celtics&rsquo; 116-108 win over the Bucks on Monday night. The five-time All-Star scored 16 of his playoff career-high 30 points in the fourth quarter to help Boston tie the Eastern Conference semifinal series with the defending NBA champions at two games apiece.
Equally important, the Celtics have reclaimed home-court advantage as the series shifts back to Boston for Game 5 on Wednesday.
After spending a challenging season in Oklahoma City last year, Horford was packaged in the Thunder&rsquo;s trade for Kemba Walker, returning Horford to where he last earned All-Star honors in the 2017-18 season.
Horford said he feels like he&rsquo;s experiencing the fruits of an offseason in which he focused on being ready to play meaningful games again. He has gone from averaging 10.2 points and 7.7 rebounds during the regular season to 15.9 points and 9.4 rebounds in the postseason.
&ldquo;That&rsquo;s from sitting at home,&rdquo; Horford said. &ldquo;That&rsquo;s from watching the playoffs, not knowing what my future was holding and really just hoping to have an opportunity to be in this type of environment.&rdquo;
The resurgence has coincided with Boston needing someone to step up after big man Robert Williams III was sidelined for the second time this postseason, sitting out Game 4 with soreness in his surgically repaired left knee. He is questionable for Game 5.
After missing an opportunity to take a 3-1 series lead, Bucks guard Wesley Matthews said there&rsquo;s no time to sulk.
&ldquo;If it was easy to get to the semis, every team would get to the semis. It&rsquo;s hard. It&rsquo;s hard as hell,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;At the same time, you can&rsquo;t hold your head too high, can&rsquo;t hold your head low at all, and you&rsquo;ve got to bounce back.&rdquo;
Wednesday&rsquo;s games:
BUCKS AT CELTICS
Series tied 2-2. Game 5, 7 p.m. EDT, TNT
&mdash; NEED TO KNOW: After dropping the series opener at home, Boston is back at TD Garden with a chance to put the defending champion Bucks on the brink of elimination. The Celtics are 3-1 at home this postseason and continue to find ways to frustrate Giannis Antetokounmpo late in games.
&mdash; KEEP AN EYE ON: Milwaukee in the fourth quarter. The Bucks were outscored in the final 12 minutes in three of the four games, including 43-28 in Game 4. The only time it didn&rsquo;t cost them was their 103-101 win in Game 3.
&mdash; INJURY WATCH: The Celtics said Williams is questionable with left knee soreness &hellip; Bucks forward Khris Middleton (sprained left knee) remains out. George Hill (abdominal soreness) is listed as probable.
&mdash; PRESSURE IS ON: The Bucks. With no reinforcements coming in the form of Middleton returning, Antetokounmpo will need the best from his remaining supporting cast to avoid going down 3-2.
WARRIORS AT GRIZZLIES
Series tied 3-1. Game 5, 9:30 p.m. EDT, TNT
&mdash; NEED TO KNOW: Golden State is 43-24 all-time in series-clinching games and 19-8 since 2015. The Warriors also are 12-3 since 2015 in Game 5s. The Grizzlies are 3-11 when facing elimination.
&mdash; KEEP AN EYE ON: Jordan Poole. Dillon Brooks heard boos from Warriors fans in Game 4 after returning from a one-game suspension for his flagrant foul that sidelined Gary Payton II with a broken left elbow. Now Poole figures to be the target of Grizzlies fans after his involvement in the play that sent Morant to the sidelines.
&mdash; INJURY WATCH: Warriors coach Steve Kerr, who missed Game 4 after testing positive for COVID-19 and being placed in the league&rsquo;s health and safety protocols, will remain out for Game 5. Associate head coach Mike Brown will again coach in his place. ... With Morant out, Tyus Jones (19 points, six rebounds, five assists in Game 4) is expected to start again.
&mdash; PRESSURE IS ON: Brooks. He is just 8 of 35 from the floor and 4 of 18 from 3-point range in this series, with questionable shot selection. He missed a 26-footer that could&rsquo;ve padded Memphis&rsquo; lead in the final minute, possibly helping the Grizzlies pull out a gritty win.
___
AP Sports Writers Janie McCauley, Teresa M. Walker, Steve Megargee and AP freelance writer Jim Hoehn contributed to this report.

The Warriors have a chance to close-out on the road in Memphis, while the Celtics have regained home-court advantage on the Bucks.

Pivotal Game 5s on tap for Bucks-Celtics, Warriors-Grizzlies

Stephen Curry converted eight free throws over the final 45.7 seconds on the way to 32 points, leading the Golden State Warriors&rsquo; fourth-quarter comeback for a 101-98 victory over the Memphis Grizzlies on Monday night and a 3-1 lead in the Western Conference semifinals.
Curry also dished out eight assists and grabbed five rebounds as Golden State rallied to win without coach Steve Kerr after he tested positive for COVID-19 less than two hours before tipoff.
Curry took charge just like he has so many times on the playoff stage and now his Warriors are one win from a trip to the Western Conference finals for the first time since 2019. He tied it at 90 on a fall-away baseline jumper with 3:25 to go and his two free throws with 45.7 seconds to go gave the Warriors a 94-93 lead, their first of the night.
Tyus Jones had 19 points, six rebounds and five assists as Memphis missed injured All-Star Ja Morant. Dillon Brooks returned from a one-game suspension and struggled mightily, missing a 3-point try with 53 seconds left and finishing 5 for 19 with 12 points, eight assists and five rebounds.
Andrew Wiggins had 17 points and 10 rebounds and Klay Thompson scored 14 points despite missing all seven of his 3-point attempts for the cold-shooting Warriors, who didn&rsquo;t have to contend with do-everything Morant this time. The Grizzlies guard missed the game with soreness in his right knee after Jordan Poole grabbed him while going for a loose ball late in Game 3 &mdash; leading Morant and Memphis coach Taylor Jenkins to question Poole&rsquo;s intentions.&nbsp;
It remained unclear whether Morant would be back for Game 5 on Wednesday in Memphis.
Brooks sat out Game 3 as a penalty by the league for his Flagrant 2 foul that injured Gary Payton II in Game 2, when Brooks hit the Golden State guard over the head on a driving layup attempt and Payton fell hard and broke his left elbow. Kerr called it a &ldquo;dirty&rdquo; play and said Brooks had broken an NBA code of conduct.
Brooks was booed nearly every time he touched the ball, fouled or when he checked back into the game.
Golden State trailed 69-62 going into the fourth quarter after Desmond Bane&rsquo;s 32-foot 3-pointer beat the third-quarter buzzer. However, both teams struggled all night to make their 3s.
Kerr was replaced by associate head coach Mike Brown, who agreed Sunday to become the Sacramento Kings new coach after this postseason run.
Poole scored 14 off the bench for the Warriors as they survived a nail-biter following a postseason-record point total in Saturday&rsquo;s 142-112 Game 3 blowout.
CURRY&rsquo;S KICKS
Curry sported special edition pair of orange Curry 9 Flow sneakers with colorful decorations to honor the late TNT broadcaster Craig Sager and his impact on the NBA.
Curry will autograph the shoes for auction on Wednesday on the NBA auction website with all proceeds going to the SagerStrong Foundation. The two-time MVP changed to lavender-colored sneakers in the second half.
TIP-INS
Grizzlies: C Steven Adams, who returned from the health and safety protocols to play six minutes in the waning moments of Saturday&rsquo;s blowout, started and contributed 10 points and 15 rebounds as Memphis did a better job staying with the Warriors on the boards &mdash; outrebounded 54-48. ... The Grizzlies were 9 of 35 on 3s.
Warriors: The Warriors committed 11 first-half turnovers and 16 total. ... Golden State started 0 for 15 from deep before Otto Porter Jr. connected 3:24 before halftime. Thompson missed all seven of his 3s and Curry his initial five before becoming the first player in NBA history to make 500 postseason 3-pointers when he connected 46.2 seconds before halftime. ... The Warriors were the first team to go 0 of 15 from long range to start a game since the 2011 Thunder were 0 for 16 against Dallas in Game 3 of the Western Conference finals, according to Elias. ... The Warriors had no immediate additional positive COVID tests, the team said.&nbsp;

Stephen Curry converted eight free throws over the final 45.7 seconds on the way to 32 points, leading the Warriors’ comeback.

Curry, Warriors rally past Grizzlies 101-98 for 3-1 lead

In Game 2 of the Western Conference Semifinals between the Memphis Grizzlies and Golden State Warriors, Dillon Brooks committed a flagrant foul that caused Gary Payton II to fall and fracture his left elbow. Brooks was ejected and suspended one game, and Warriors head coach Steve Kerr blasted Brooks after the game.
&ldquo;I don&rsquo;t know if it was intentional, but it was dirty,&rdquo; Kerr said. &ldquo;There&rsquo;s a code that players follow. You never put a guy&rsquo;s season or career in jeopardy by taking someone out in mid-air and clubbing him across the head and ultimately fracturing Gary&rsquo;s elbow... He broke the code. Dillion Brooks broke the code."
Now, after a Ja Morant injury in Game 3, the Grizzlies have accused the Warriors of breaking the very same code.
Morant had to exit Game 3 with a knee injury, and the replay showed Jordan Poole grabbing and pulling Morant&rsquo;s knee. Is that what ultimately caused Morant's injury? Ja seems to think so, as Morant tweeted (and later deleted) the following video with the caption, &ldquo;broke the code."
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-theme="dark">
Ja Morant reacted to Jordan Poole grabbing his knee. (via <a href="https://twitter.com/JaMorant?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@JaMorant</a>) <a href="https://t.co/9XhvkPfYxG">pic.twitter.com/9XhvkPfYxG</a>
&mdash; SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) <a href="https://twitter.com/SportsCenter/status/1523148192551899136?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 8, 2022</a></blockquote>

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Poole told reporters that he hadn&rsquo;t gotten a chance to see the replay. After watching the video, he defended himself.
&ldquo;Yeah, it was a basketball play when we doubled him, and I hit the ball and I was going for the ball,&rdquo; Poole said. &ldquo;I mean, obviously you don't want to see anybody get hurt. I'm not even that type of player. I respect everybody. So I mean, obviously, hopefully he gets better, and we can see him out there next game. I don't even play like that, for real. That's not my type of game.&rdquo;
When asked specifically about Morant&rsquo;s &ldquo;broke the code&rdquo; tweet, Poole refused to engage.
&ldquo;We've got another game on Monday,&rdquo; he said.
Some Grizzlies players and coaches were frustrated and felt this was a dirty play.
&ldquo;We just watched the replay: He was going after a dribble and Jordan Poole actually grabbed his knee and yanked it, which kind of triggered whatever happened, so I'm actually going to be very curious to see what happens after that,&rdquo; Grizzlies head coach Taylor Jenkins said. &ldquo;There was a grab. I'm just curious what happened.&rdquo;
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&ldquo;It's unfortunate. Ja is obviously having a great series,&rdquo; Desmond Bane added. &ldquo;For something like that to happen, something that is somewhat controllable... Jordan Poole reached out and grabbed his knee and kind of put him in an awkward position. It's unfortunate.&rdquo;
Jaren Jackson Jr. brought up &ldquo;the code,&rdquo; just like Kerr did following Payton&rsquo;s injury.
&ldquo;We're going to ride for our own. You know our mentality&hellip;&rdquo; Jaren Jackson Jr. said. &ldquo;It's unfortunate. You never want to see that type of stuff. No one is out here [playing] dirty. No one is out here like that. But it's just unfortunate. You know the code. We&rsquo;ll talk about the code all series at this point.&rdquo;
The Warriors argued that the play wasn&rsquo;t intentional or dirty, with Klay Thompson even laughing when asked about Morant&rsquo;s tweet (and taking another shot at Brooks).
&ldquo;That's playoff talk,&rdquo; Thompson said. &ldquo;Me personally, I've been through a tough knee injury, and I don't think there's any malicious intent from Jordan. I don't even think he's strong enough to affect somebody's knee. But we're not out there trying to hurt people or trying to club people in the back of the head on a fastbreak. We play the game the right way and I'm going to have his back.&rdquo;
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If you think Poole&rsquo;s tug is what caused Ja&rsquo;s knee injury, stop. Not nearly enough force to cause it &amp; seconds prior Poole&rsquo;s knee hits the outside of Ja&rsquo;s which can cause medial (inner) stress on the knee. That&rsquo;s where Ja &amp; the training looked to be examining.
&mdash; Dr. Rajpal Brar, DPT (@3cbPerformance) <a href="https://twitter.com/3cbPerformance/status/1523153717553352707?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 8, 2022</a></blockquote>

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&ldquo;It's unfortunate that that's a conversation right now because obviously nobody wants to see anybody get hurt,&rdquo; Stephen Curry added. &ldquo;But there's nothing malicious about what Jordan did. There's no comparison to what Dillon did or Draymond [did], nothing in that vein. So it's not a joking matter that Ja is hurt, but all the rest it is total BS in terms of the conversation right now. I remember <a href="https://www.nbcsports.com/bayarea/warriors/steve-kerr-jokes-about-nbas-hot-stove-contact-ruling-steph-curry" target="_blank" rel="noopener">that term they came up with</a>: &lsquo;hot-stove contact.&rsquo; That's what it felt like. Keep it moving.&rdquo;
Draymond Green thought they bumped knees, then added: &ldquo;No, [we&rsquo;re] not going to sit here and go tit-for-tat. We've got a basketball game to try to win on Monday.&rdquo;
Morant has been incredible during this series, averaging 38.3 points, 8.3 assists, 6.7 rebounds, 4.3 threes and 3.0 steals on .518/.451/.797 shooting splits. If he&rsquo;s forced to miss any time, that would be a huge blow to the Grizzlies.
However, Memphis is a very well-rounded, deep team that managed to go 20-5 without Morant this season. His teammates know that he&rsquo;s going to do whatever he can to take the court on Monday night.
&ldquo;I mean, we've seen Ja, he's like Wolverine out there,&rdquo; De&rsquo;Anthony Melton said. &ldquo;He could be limping one day, the next day be fine. He's a warrior. He's a competitor. He's just a hooper. Who knows what his level of injury is at? He understands his body, and he understands what the team needs, so he'll make the best decision.&rdquo;
&ldquo;He's good,&rdquo; Jackson added after speaking to Morant. &ldquo;He's going to do whatever he's got to do. War mentality. He has the same mentality he always has. Yeah, we'll bounce back, play great. We've got to finish the game.&rdquo;
Game 4 between the Grizzlies and Warriors is tomorrow at 10 p.m. ET. Golden State leads the series 2-1.
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Did Jordan Poole try to hurt Ja Morant by grabbing his knee in Game 3? The Grizzlies and Warriors shared their thoughts after the game.

Did Jordan Poole 'break the code' and hurt Ja Morant in Game 3?

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) &mdash; Stephen Curry scored 30 points, Klay Thompson had 21 and nine rebounds and the Golden State Warriors shut down Ja Morant's supporting cast to embarrass the Memphis Grizzlies 142-112 on Saturday night for a 2-1 lead in the Western Conference semifinals.
Morant's 3 just before the halftime buzzer got the Grizzlies to 64-57 at the break and gave him 17 of his 34 points after a 47-point performance in Game 2. But Morant couldn't do it alone for Memphis, and he was done after rubbing his tender right knee and limping off with 6:19 to play before heading to the locker room.
Still bothered by Dillon Brooks' hard foul in Game 2 that sidelined Gary Payton II, Draymond Green and Golden State kept cool from the opening tip &mdash; methodically running away with it. Instead, Memphis forward Kyle Anderson got ejected with 6:19 left for arguing an offensive foul.
Brooks was suspended for his Flagrant 2 foul in the first quarter Tuesday when he pounded the head of a driving Payton, who landed awkwardly and fractured his left elbow. He will be sidelined indefinitely, also with ligament and muscle damage.
Coach Steve Kerr said the play was &ldquo;dirty&rdquo; and broke an NBA &ldquo;code&rdquo; injuring someone and threatening his career, while Memphis coach Taylor Jenkins and his Grizzlies players defended their hard-nosed style as not dirty at all.
Brooks will be back for Game 4 on Monday night at Chase Center, where the raucous sellout crowd included two women holding signs of Payton's face insisting the <a href="https://twitter.com/JanieMcCAP/status/1523082755487109120">Warriors &ldquo;Win it for Gary.&rdquo;</a>
Golden State did so with a balanced attack and energy on both ends after Green called for the offense to do more to better the defense.
Jordan Poole scored 27 points off the bench and Andrew Wiggins added 17 points for Golden State, which used a 10-0 run out of halftime to take command for good.
Rookie Jonathan Kuminga provided a spark starting in Payton&rsquo;s place, while Ziare Williams was in for Brooks.
Curry missed his initial two shots then scored his first points of the game by making a big 3 with 0.9 left in the first as the Warriors trailed 28-26.
Morant hit a 31-foot 3-pointer midway through the first and Williams dunked shortly after for a 21-8 lead and Memphis made 6 of 9 shots to start the game. But the Grizzlies went cold and made only 3 of the next 12 and watched the Warriors close the quarter with an 18-7 burst.
THOMPSON'S TOUCH
Thompson shot 8 for 13 with four 3-pointers in a solid shooting night.
He had been 11 for 38 from the floor, including 5 of 22 on 3-pointers, so far in the series before finding a better groove. Kerr figured it would happen soon enough.
&ldquo;Klay has been in a little bit of a rush. He's trying too hard to get himself going and he just needs to be a little more patient,&rdquo; Kerr said. "He&rsquo;s had some good looks, but he&rsquo;s also forced some others. He hasn&rsquo;t really gotten into a good rhythm, so that&rsquo;s hopefully something we can accomplish tonight.&rdquo;
ADAMS' ABSENCE
Grizzlies center Steven Adams was available to play for the first time this series series after coming out of the league health and safety protocols but the big man didn't play until the game was out of hand.
TIP-INS
Grizzlies: G Desmond Bane's troublesome back was sore during Game 2 but has improved. &ldquo;His back is progressing. I don't think he's at full strength like he was in the regular season but he&rsquo;s the ultimate competitor,&rdquo; coach Taylor Jenkins said. Bane had 16 points in 29 minutes. ... Memphis shot 6 of 11 from 3-point range in the opening quarter.
Warriors: The Warriors outrebounded the Grizzlies 21-14 in the first half and 53-37 overall. ... Golden State is 4-0 playing at home during this postseason and 49-11 dating to the 2015 title run that ended with the franchise's first championship in 40 years.

Led by Steph Curry's 30 points, the Golden State Warriors routed the Memphis Grizzlies in Game 3.

Curry, Thompson lead Warriors past Morant, Grizzlies 142-112

The quirks of scheduling for the NBA playoffs created three-day breaks between games in the Boston-Milwaukee and Memphis-Golden State series.
In this case, the teams don&rsquo;t mind the delays too much. They have used the time off to get healthier and deal with unexpected roster changes.
&ldquo;It&rsquo;s beneficial in a lot of ways,&rdquo; Celtics coach Ime Udoka said.
Both series are tied heading into Game 3s on Saturday at Milwaukee and San Francisco. These four teams haven&rsquo;t played since Tuesday.
NBA teams rarely get such long layoffs. For example, the Grizzlies had three off days between games just once during the regular season, aside from the All-Star break.
Bucks coach Mike Budenholzer said he would have preferred to have two days between games rather than three. But he felt players could benefit from having time for a mental break amid a grueling series.
&ldquo;There&rsquo;s definitely positives,&rdquo; Bucks center Brook Lopez said. &ldquo;It is helpful to recover. It&rsquo;s helpful because you can watch film, you can go over what the other team&rsquo;s doing, what you&rsquo;re doing, learn a lot of stuff. But we&rsquo;re all definitely itching to play as well. Maybe that&rsquo;s because we lost the last game, but we&rsquo;re definitely ready to get back out there.&rdquo;
The longer break gave players time to heal.
Ukoda said NBA Defensive Player of the Year Marcus Smart is probable for Saturday after missing Game 2 with a bruised right thigh. Memphis center Steven Adams cleared health and safety protocols and should play Saturday after missing the first two games against the Warriors.
&ldquo;I&rsquo;m glad Steve-O&rsquo;s back,&rdquo; Grizzlies forward Jaren Jackson said. &ldquo;He looks great.&rdquo;
Bucks forward Khris Middleton remains out for at least the next two games with a sprained left medial collateral ligament, but the longer this series goes, the more likely he gets to play in this round.
The Grizzlies and Warriors also got accustomed to working without guys who will be missing when the series resumes.
Golden State&rsquo;s Gary Payton II is out indefinitely with a broken left elbow after taking a flagrant foul from Memphis&rsquo; Dillon Brooks, who received a one-game suspension.
&ldquo;Just having some time at home to get some rest in and get some good practices in and really lock in on the game plan is always going to be good for us,&rdquo; Warriors center Kevon Looney said. &ldquo;We have a veteran team and it&rsquo;s given us a chance to make some adjustments and figure out and learn from our last loss.&rdquo;
They like having that extra time, even though it&rsquo;s out of the ordinary.
&ldquo;I&rsquo;ve been in the playoffs where we play every other day,&rdquo; Celtics forward Al Horford said. &ldquo;And when that&rsquo;s the case, you&rsquo;re wishing and hoping, &lsquo;Man, I hope we get an extra day.&rsquo; Now in this case, it&rsquo;s a &lsquo;When are we playing again?&rsquo;-type thing. At the end of the day, this is the way it is. The scheduling works out this way. We have to make sure we stay ready no matter what it is.&rdquo;
CELTICS AT BUCKS
Series tied 1-1. Game 3, 3:30 p.m. EDT, ABC.
&mdash;NEED TO KNOW: The Celtics bounced back from a 101-89 loss in Game 1&nbsp;by trouncing the defending champion Bucks 109-86 in Game 2. The Bucks have an 88-44 edge in paint points through the first two games of this series, while the Celtics have outscored Milwaukee 114-45 from 3-point range.
&mdash;KEEP AN EYE ON: Milwaukee&rsquo;s 3-point shooting. Since going 10 of 20 on 3-point attempts in the first half of Game 1, the Bucks have shot just 5 of 32 from beyond the arc.
&mdash;INJURY WATCH: Middleton remains unavailable and will miss a sixth straight playoff game. Smart expects to play Saturday. Bucks G George Hill, who hasn't played yet this postseason due to an abdominal strain, is listed as probable.
&mdash;PRESSURE IS ON: Bucks F Giannis Antetokounmpo. As long as Middleton remains out, Antetokounmpo is going to have to be at his absolute best for the Bucks to win. The two-time MVP is averaging 26 points in this series, but he&rsquo;s shooting 38.5% (20 of 52) from the floor.
GRIZZLIES AT WARRIORS
Series tied 1-1. Game 3, 8:30 p.m. EDT, ABC.
&mdash;NEED TO KNOW: The Grizzlies won 106-101 in Game 2 to tie the series after falling 117-116 in Game 1. Memphis&rsquo; Ja Morant is averaging 40.5 points, 9 assists and 8.5 rebounds through the first two games. The Warriors are shooting just 27.6% (21 of 76) from 3-point range in this series. They went 7 of 38 in Game 2.
&mdash;KEEP AN EYE ON: Warriors F Jonathan Kuminga. The 6-foot-7 rookie likely will play more with Payton sidelined.
&mdash;INJURY WATCH: The Warriors will be missing F Andre Iguodala as well as Payton. Iguodala remains out with a disk injury in his neck that has caused him to miss Golden State&rsquo;s last three playoff games. Adams should return for the Grizzlies after missing three games.
&mdash;PRESSURE IS ON: Adams. He was essentially benched in the first round but could have a major role in this series as the Grizzlies try to regain their regular-season form on the glass. Memphis led the NBA in offensive rebounding, total rebounds and second-chance points during the regular season but has been outrebounded by the Warriors in each of the first two games. Adams had an NBA-leading 4.6 offensive rebounds per game this season.
___
AP Sports Writers Janie McCauley and Teresa M. Walker contributed to this report.

The quirks of scheduling for the NBA playoffs created three-day breaks between games in Celtics-Bucks and Grizzlies-Warriors.

Long breaks between NBA playoff games give teams time to heal

Ja Morant had one of those nights. His 47 points, 8 rebounds and 8 assists led the way for a young Grizzlies team fighting to avoid a 2-0 series deficit versus the Golden State Warriors in the second round. He was, in a word, invincible out there on Tuesday evening.
That said, it'd be a disservice not to mention that Golden State lost its best Morant defender, Gary Payton II, due to an elbow injury within the first three minutes of the game. That's more than just a small footnote; 'GPII' is one of the best point-of-attack defenders in the sport, a helacious screen sniffer-outer with the speed and physicality to stay epoxied to players of Morant's ilk as they bob and weave into the paint. There was a reason Payton II was promoted to Steve Kerr's starting lineup for each of the first two games. His job was to defend Morant at all costs.
Payton's injury left Golden State high and dry without any reliable options for the superstar Grizzly guard. Golden State's primary scheme versus pick-and-rolls is to simply switch assignments, so Morant went deep into his bag by targetting weaker Warrior options on PnR switches for a steady diet of downhill isolations.
Jordan Poole got the worst of it, diced up like a smoothie in a Ninja blender in a highlight that made rounds on social media almost instantaneously. Poole just doesn't have the experience nor the diligence to stick with Morant's wide array of moves&mdash;the fake-spins, the earth-shaking crossovers and through-the-legs dribbles&mdash;and was regularly left stumbling on his heels. Per NBA matchup stats, Morant went 3-for-5 when guarded by Poole, and the most shocking part about this stat is that he actually missed twice.
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Andrew Wiggins was Morant's primary defender, and while he did fare better than Poole by holding Morant to 33.3% shooting, Morant scored what ended up being the game-sealing floater by driving full force and then tapping his brakes to decelerate and get to his preferred right hand. Speed and change of pace appear to be Morant's most notable attributes when guarded by Wiggins. He basically Thanos-snapped the All-Star wing into dust with a helacious drive to close the third quarter.
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Golden State also gave Klay Thompson some reps against Morant, which, um... didn't go well. Morant shot a perfect 4-for-4 when guarded by Thompson, who very much looked like a player attempting to reclaim his former two-way greatness while coming off a two-year injury absence. It's probably too early to say Thompson has lost a step after ACL and Achillies tears in back-to-back seasons, but Tuesday night didn't necessarily help dispel that notion. Meanwhile, his backcourt buddy Steph Curry might be Golden State's best option going forward with Payton II on the mend. Not only did Curry record the game-sealing block against Morant in Game 1, he also held him to just 1-of-4 shooting in Game 2. Even on Morant's solo bucket, Curry does a nice job sending Morant to his weaker left hand before cutting off the driving lane. Ja just hits a ridiculous bank-shot through contact.
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Looking ahead, what are Golden State's options when attempting to contain this Tazmanian Devil of a power-guard? For one, disallowing Morant from attacking ill-suited defenders in isolation is certainly an idea worth exploring. Trapping pick-and-rolls by sending two defenders Morant's way just to get the ball out of his hands and forcing his teammates to finish possessions would also make sense. Per The Ringer's <a href="https://www.theringer.com/2022/5/4/23056681/ja-morant-grizzlies-warriors-nba-playoffs">Kevin O'Connor</a>, the Warriors trapped just one Grizzlies pick-and-roll, which eventually resulted in a three-pointer from a sub-32% shooter, Ziaire Williams.
Here's the problem: Late in the fourth quarter, Memphis may have already stumbled upon a possible counter should Golden State start blitzing pick-and-rolls.
Below, the Grizzlies run pick-and-roll by having Williams initially approach the left side of Wiggins' body to generate a drive going right for Ja Morant. Knowing this, Jordan Poole jumps in front of Williams to be in position to either switch or hedge the ball screen.&nbsp;
But it's all a ruse. At the last second, Williams flips his ball-screen to the right side of Wiggins' body, and because Poole was so eager to thwart Morant's preferred right-handed drive, he's now positioned poorly. Morant gladly takes the free lane to the basket down the left side of the floor for a gorgeous&nbsp;hanging layup.&nbsp;
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This wasn't the first time that Memphis preyed on Poole's inability to mask his intentions when guarding the pick-and-roll. Just one minute later, the Grizz went to the same action&mdash;this time with De'Anthony Melton faking and flipping his screen&mdash;and Poole is once again woefully out of position when he jumps out to contain the right-handed drive.
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These same principles of flipping ball screens could be applied if and when Golden State starts trapping pick-and-rolls. Imagine if, in each of the two clips above, Poole had taken a few steps higher to blitz the ball-screen from the right side of the floor. Williams would still have had a small window to set a screen on Wiggins' hip to send Morant left for the drive. It's worth mentioning that Morant is in that rarified class of athletes with a monstrous first step to beat traps with regularity.
Flat screens could also be something the Grizzlies could tinker with in lieu of the threat of a blitzing defense. Flat pick-and-rolls are when the screener sets the pick with his back completely parallel to the baseline. Because he isn't setting the screen on either side of the ball-handler defender's body, it makes it tough for the defense to tell which direction the ball-handler intends to go. It'd be at Morant's discretion to go left or right depending on which way the trapping defense was leaning.
(A brief tangent: Memphis could also experiment with snug pick-and-rolls should Golden State sag deep into the paint and dare Morant to shoot, a la Russell Westbrook. Snug pick-and-rolls, or PnRs closer to the basket, were how the Miami Heat countered the Los Angeles Lakers' paint-packed defense versus Jimmy Butler in the 2020 Finals. Setting screens closer to the rim puts the defense in a perilious situation with less time to recover, and all an explosive guard like Ja Morant needs is a slight advantage to take a few leaps and bounds to the rim to bust out his breathtaking athleticism.)
In Game 2, 21 of Ja Morant's 47 points came off drives, with most of those downhill attacks in isolation against grusomely underprepared Golden State defenders. It'll be interesting to see how Golden State responds. If the Dubs do indeed go the trapping route, Memphis already has displayed a few counters of their own with even more in their back-pocket. But ultimately, it all comes down to just how special of a driver Ja Morant is. He's fully equipt to beat aggressive schemes with pure athleticism. It turns out things get a lot easier when you boast the best downhill player of the last half-decade.
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Ja Morant single-handedly flipped the script in the Grizzlies-Warriors series, so how will Golden State respond defensively?

How the Grizzlies flipped the script on the Warriors

During the Miami Heat&rsquo;s first-round dispatching of the Atlanta Hawks, Bam Adebayo showcased precisely why he finished among the top-five in Defensive Player of the Year voting this year. His perimeter mobility, length and wide-ranging ground coverage walled off drives for Trae Young and rendered a top-three regular-season offense untenable.&nbsp;
In three of those contests though, Adebayo took nine or fewer shots, including two games with a combined 11 shots and 15 points. Miami didn&rsquo;t encounter much trouble coasting past Atlanta, but Adebayo surely wasn&rsquo;t casting his holistic All-Star-caliber imprint upon the series.
Against the Philadelphia 76ers, Adebayo has been the series&rsquo; best player en route to a pair of blowout victories. Through two games, the 24-year-old is tallying 23.5 points, 10.5 rebounds, 3.5 assists and 1.5 steals on 80% True Shooting. He&rsquo;s averaging 10.5 shots and 9.5 free throws, notable leaps from the 8.4 shots and 4.4 free throws he averaged during Round 1.&nbsp;
With Joel Embiid sidelined, the Sixers&rsquo; other options at center &mdash; DeAndre Jordan, Paul Reed, Millsap and Tobias Harris &mdash; are ill-equipped to contain Adebayo offensively. Some are too slow to track him (Jordan, Millsap). Others are too small (Millsap, Harris). Another is too inexperienced as he garners his first extended trial of playoff basketball (Reed).&nbsp;
Jordan&rsquo;s idle nature as a drop defender exposes him in pick-and-rolls. Harris lacks the length to alter the Heat center&rsquo;s finishes. Reed, prone to overzealous tendencies, has fallen for quite a few pump-fakes and has sent Adebayo to the foul line. Together, they&rsquo;ve all proven incapable of neutralizing or slowing his interior scoring prowess.&nbsp;
Adebayo isn&rsquo;t doing anything radically different to generate these heightened scoring numbers. He&rsquo;s just flourishing against a greatly beneficial matchup and amplifying Miami&rsquo;s leading perimeter duo of Jimmy Butler and Tyler Herro.
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His timing and discretion as a roller have been crucial too. He routinely picks the optimal angle or path from which to begin his dives and sets hulking screens. Butler, Herro, Gabe Vincent and Max Strus have all been recipients of his excellent screening, and his keen understanding of when to migrate toward the rim eases the burden for ball-handlers.&nbsp;
With seven screen assists through two second-round duels (per NBA.com), only Deandre Ayton (10), Giannis Antetokounmpo (10) and Dwight Powell (8) have more. Scoff at that statistic to your heart&rsquo;s desire, but there&rsquo;s a degree of utility in it. Adebayo&rsquo;s screening is integral to the prosperity of Miami&rsquo;s half-court offense, which is not flooded with standstill creators and requires him to aid perimeter scorers in their quest for space.
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He&rsquo;s also snagged six offensive boards in two games while also occupying the attention of defenders to spring free teammates to gobble up second chances instead. Not only is Adebayo excelling in the glamor category of scoring, he&rsquo;s checking the boxes of grunge-work like screening and rebounding.&nbsp;
The Sixers likely want nothing to do with him the rest of the series. While they can&rsquo;t control how he imposes himself offensively, they&rsquo;ve quickly made evident their intention to avoid him defensively.&nbsp;
Among the sporadic instances in which he&rsquo;s directly involved in a possession, the way he vibrantly and aggressively embraces switches has flustered Philadelphia. He&rsquo;s erased driving angles numerous times and omnisciently roamed in help. Tyrese Maxey has struggled to attack downhill against him (though Maxey, with 34 points, was stellar in Game 2). Adebayo consistently obstructs assignments from turning the corner against him.
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The All-Star&rsquo;s brightest defensive superlative in this series has been his deterrence. Philadelphia&rsquo;s clear preference is to exclude him from the action altogether. According to NBA.com, he&rsquo;s been a primary defender for ~184 possessions, and those players have only attempted 17 shots against him. As a team, the Sixers have scored 155 points, good for 84.2 points per 100 possessions.&nbsp;
Most often, when Adebayo switches onto someone, they hardly even look to create and remain far removed from any threatening scoring position. As such, he can retreat to a free safety role, complicating passing windows and disincentivizing driving lanes.&nbsp;
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Whether it&rsquo;s Jordan, Reed, Millsap or Matisse Thybulle, Philadelphia is playing someone (or multiple someones) that Miami feels comfortable disregarding to suppress whatever Maxey, Harris or James Harden are looking to do. Adebayo is the man often tasked as a helper to further suppress those efforts.
During Adebayo&rsquo;s 67 minutes in this series, the Heat have outscored the Sixers, 166-125. During his 29 minutes on the pine, Philadelphia has outscored Miami, 70-59. He&rsquo;s the biggest (available) differentiator between a competitive pair of games and two double-digit wins for Miami.&nbsp;
Embiid&rsquo;s unfortunate absence pervades across various angles of this matchup. But it&rsquo;s perhaps been most pronounced in Adebayo&rsquo;s play, given the multifaceted manner in which he&rsquo;s overwhelming the Sixers. Until or if the big fella returns, these problems will likely persist for Philadelphia and continue to behoove Miami.&nbsp;
With Adebayo at the heart of everything, the Heat are in control, two wins away from their second conference finals appearance in three seasons.
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Bam Adebayo has been a difference-maker for the Miami Heat in Round 2, and Jackson Frank explains precisely why.

Bam Adebayo stands at the core of the Heat's second-round dominance

Memphis Grizzlies star Dillon Brooks has been suspended for one game without pay by the NBA for making &ldquo;unnecessary and excessive contact&rdquo; that resulted in a fractured elbow for Golden State's Gary Payton II in Game 2 of the the Western Conference semifinals.
The league announced the penalty Thursday, so Brooks must sit out Saturday's Game 3 with the series shifting to Chase Center in San Francisco tied at one game apiece.
Payton was injured with 9:08 left in the first quarter when Brooks clobbered him on the head and the guard fell awkwardly on his left arm. <a href="https://apnews.com/article/memphis-grizzlies-golden-state-warriors-nba-sports-draymond-green-b49c8d89dc667ca4734df9bcb42c9621">Brooks received a Flagrant 2 foul and was ejected</a>.
The Warriors said Thursday that journeyman Payton also sustained ligament and muscle damage on the play that coach Steve Kerr called &ldquo;dirty&rdquo; and said &ldquo;broke the code&rdquo; of NBA conduct. Payton underwent an MRI exam in the Bay Area on Wednesday and will be re-evaluated again in two weeks.
The NBA also announced Thursday that Warriors forward Draymond Green was fined $25,000 for directing an obscene gesture at the Grizzlies fans. He flipped them off with both hands while going to the locker room to be examined for an injury in the first quarter of Golden State&rsquo;s 106-101 loss Tuesday.

The league announced Brooks' penalty Thursday,

Grizzlies' Brooks suspended one game for flagrant on Payton

Even though the NBA Playoffs present the highest stakes in basketball, the postseason is still akin to its own set of laboratories.
Within a seven-game series, teams are tinkering with strategies and toggling the risk-versus-reward dials on points of emphasis. They also have more data at their disposal, which means more information to sway decisions &mdash; and make those decisions more complicated.
We're onto Game 3 of the Eastern Conference semifinals between the Boston Celtics and Milwaukee Bucks after two of the more radically divergent results of the postseason so far. But one thing hasn't changed: Boston, through its own creation and the Bucks' defensive scheme, is letting the three-ball fly.&nbsp;
The Celtics have attempted a whopping 93 three-pointers across the first two games in this series. They hoisted up 50 in Game 1 and 43 in Game 2; those totals rank second and seventh among all 2022 playoff games to this point. A mammoth 45 of those 93 perimeter tries (48.4%) have been categorized as "wide open" by Second Spectrum, meaning no defender is within 6 feet of the shooter.
Digging deeper, those 45 wide-open threes make up 27.4% of Boston's overall field goal attempts &mdash; the highest frequency of any team in the second round. (For some context, only 18.8% of the team's shots were wide-open threes during the regular season.)
That frequency is second among all NBA playoff series so far. Not coincidentally, it's just barely behind Milwaukee's first-round opponent, the Chicago Bulls (27.7%).
This isn't some playoff crumbling. The Bucks allowed a league-high 20.3 wide-open threes to opponents in the regular season. They've ranked in the top two for most such shots allowed in each season since Mike Budenholzer took over as head coach in 2018-19. But Milwaukee tailors what it allows opponents to take, hoping to funnel those threes to the most volatile shooters. It worked during the regular season; teams shot 36.3% on wide-open threes against the Bucks, tied for the third-worst percentage in the NBA. Chicago didn't make them pay either, knocking down just 30.4% of those shots.
However, against the Celtics, we've seen the double-edged sword to this approach.
Milwaukee lives with these three-point shots because it wants to fortify the paint with its lineup of big, long, physical defenders. The help defense is so aggressive because the Bucks want to keep Jayson Tatum, Jaylen Brown and Marcus Smart from establishing any kind of momentum getting to the basket. Driving lanes are a pillar of today's NBA offenses, and I highly recommend you read <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/offensive-organics" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Mark Schindler's recent piece</a> that explains how drives make the league much more than a game of twos and threes.
The Celtics have made a mind-numbing 20% of their shot attempts on drives to the basket this series, per Second Spectrum. They have attempted 40 shots within 5 feet of the rim and finished just 50% of those looks, which is last among the second-round teams. Boston is also bottom-two in shot volume and efficiency from the 5-to-9-foot range and 10-to-14 feet. Milwaukee appears to have built a fortress.
Such an emphasis on paint protection means the Celtics have plenty of three-point chances. This isn't to say the Bucks don't care &mdash; one, that's not how NBA defense works, and two, they have several great recovery defenders on the roster. If Boston moves the ball with purpose, its players can find openings. However, they might be just the players Milwaukee wants firing away.
Here's a breakdown of Boston's three-point shooting volume by rotation player, and the frequency of wide-open looks with data from the NBA's stats site. No efficiency rates yet.
(Scroll right to view full table on mobile)
<table style="border-collapse: collapse; width: 100%; height: 198px;" border="1">
<tbody>
<tr style="height: 44px;">
<td style="width: 23.1682%; height: 44px;">Player</td>
<td style="width: 17.0894%; height: 44px;">Total 3PA/Game</td>
<td style="width: 21.8959%; height: 44px;">Wide-Open 3PA/Game</td>
<td style="width: 20.4272%; height: 44px;">% of 3PA Wide Open </td>
<td style="width: 17.3251%; height: 44px;">Wide-Open 3P%</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 22px;">
<td style="width: 23.1682%; height: 22px;">Jayson Tatum</td>
<td style="width: 17.0894%; height: 22px;">9.5</td>
<td style="width: 21.8959%; height: 22px;">2.0</td>
<td style="width: 20.4272%; height: 22px;">21.1%</td>
<td style="width: 17.3251%; height: 22px;">50.0%</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 22px;">
<td style="width: 23.1682%; height: 22px;">Jaylen Brown</td>
<td style="width: 17.0894%; height: 22px;">9.5</td>
<td style="width: 21.8959%; height: 22px;">3.0</td>
<td style="width: 20.4272%; height: 22px;">31.6%</td>
<td style="width: 17.3251%; height: 22px;">16.7%</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 22px;">
<td style="width: 23.1682%; height: 22px;">Al Horford</td>
<td style="width: 17.0894%; height: 22px;">7.0</td>
<td style="width: 21.8959%; height: 22px;">6.5</td>
<td style="width: 20.4272%; height: 22px;">92.9%</td>
<td style="width: 17.3251%; height: 22px;">30.8%</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 22px;">
<td style="width: 23.1682%; height: 22px;">Grant Williams</td>
<td style="width: 17.0894%; height: 22px;">6.5</td>
<td style="width: 21.8959%; height: 22px;">4.0</td>
<td style="width: 20.4272%; height: 22px;">61.5%</td>
<td style="width: 17.3251%; height: 22px;">87.5%</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 22px;">
<td style="width: 23.1682%; height: 22px;">Marcus Smart (1 game)</td>
<td style="width: 17.0894%; height: 22px;">6.0</td>
<td style="width: 21.8959%; height: 22px;">3.0</td>
<td style="width: 20.4272%; height: 22px;">50.0%</td>
<td style="width: 17.3251%; height: 22px;">0.0%</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 22px;">
<td style="width: 23.1682%; height: 22px;">Payton Pritchard</td>
<td style="width: 17.0894%; height: 22px;">6.0</td>
<td style="width: 21.8959%; height: 22px;">2.5</td>
<td style="width: 20.4272%; height: 22px;">41.7%</td>
<td style="width: 17.3251%; height: 22px;">40.0%</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 22px;">
<td style="width: 23.1682%; height: 22px;">Derrick White</td>
<td style="width: 17.0894%; height: 22px;">3.5</td>
<td style="width: 21.8959%; height: 22px;">2.5</td>
<td style="width: 20.4272%; height: 22px;">71.4%</td>
<td style="width: 17.3251%; height: 22px;">40.0%</td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
The big numbers that stand out: Al Horford, Derrick White and Grant Williams have found a&nbsp;lot of open three-point attempts. Meanwhile, Tatum and Brown have captured the attention, and Payton Pritchard has garnered the defense's respect to a lesser extent.
Importantly: This isn't the Bucks simply leaving Horford, Williams and White open without any closeouts. Boston has worked to find these players on the perimeter, and speficially made adjustments in Game 2 that helped these three get in position. <a href="https://theathletic.com/3292733/2022/05/04/celtics-beat-bucks-game-2/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Jared Weiss of&nbsp;The Athletic</a> wrote a fantastic postgame analysis of what changed, so keep it in mind.
The point is that the Bucks have not locked a target on Horford or Williams when they move around off the ball, and it's come with mixed results. Horford actually made 4 of his 9 three-point attempts in the Game 1 loss, but went 1 of 5 from long range in Game 2. Williams, meanwhile, has been on a heater in the series and made 6 threes en route to a career-high 21 points in the Celtics' blowout win.&nbsp;
All of these numbers comprise a miniscule two-game sample size though. What can fans reasonably expect from the Celtics' shooters if things stayed the same? Here's how the non-Jay rotation players fared in desirable settings during the regular season.
(Scroll right to view full table on mobile)
<table style="border-collapse: collapse; width: 100%; height: 132px;" border="1">
<tbody>
<tr style="height: 22px;">
<td style="width: 19.1094%; height: 22px;">Player</td>
<td style="width: 17.2402%; height: 22px;">Wide-Open 3P%</td>
<td style="width: 20.0439%; height: 22px;">Catch-and-Shoot 3P%</td>
<td style="width: 13.3685%; height: 22px;">Corner 3P%</td>
<td style="width: 21.112%; height: 22px;">Above-the-Break 3P%</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 22px;">
<td style="width: 19.1094%; height: 22px;">Al Horford</td>
<td style="width: 17.2402%; height: 22px;">35.6%</td>
<td style="width: 20.0439%; height: 22px;">32.8%</td>
<td style="width: 13.3685%; height: 22px;">39.7%</td>
<td style="width: 21.112%; height: 22px;">31.0%</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 22px;">
<td style="width: 19.1094%; height: 22px;">Grant Williams</td>
<td style="width: 17.2402%; height: 22px;">44.6%</td>
<td style="width: 20.0439%; height: 22px;">41.7%</td>
<td style="width: 13.3685%; height: 22px;">46.9%</td>
<td style="width: 21.112%; height: 22px;">35.2%</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 22px;">
<td style="width: 19.1094%; height: 22px;">Marcus Smart</td>
<td style="width: 17.2402%; height: 22px;">38.9%</td>
<td style="width: 20.0439%; height: 22px;">35.2%</td>
<td style="width: 13.3685%; height: 22px;">37.1%</td>
<td style="width: 21.112%; height: 22px;">31.7%</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 22px;">
<td style="width: 19.1094%; height: 22px;">Payton Pritchard</td>
<td style="width: 17.2402%; height: 22px;">44.0%</td>
<td style="width: 20.0439%; height: 22px;">42.3%</td>
<td style="width: 13.3685%; height: 22px;">57.1%</td>
<td style="width: 21.112%; height: 22px;">37.6%</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 22px;">
<td style="width: 19.1094%; height: 22px;">Derrick White</td>
<td style="width: 17.2402%; height: 22px;">28.8%</td>
<td style="width: 20.0439%; height: 22px;">30.8%</td>
<td style="width: 13.3685%; height: 22px;">42.3%</td>
<td style="width: 21.112%; height: 22px;">27.4%</td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
My takeaways: It's pretty clear that Williams is a certified sharpshooter at this point and capable of killing the Bucks if he keeps receiving these open shots. The same goes for Pritchard, though the Bucks seem to know it already. Meanwhile, Horford appears to make more sense as a perimeter gamble, as do Smart and White.
However, let's not forget the importance of location. Just look the stark differences in efficiency from... well, everyone, when they shot from the corners vs. above the break in the regular season. Milwaukee has done its homework. The Celtics have put up 12.5 corner threes per game in the series, shooting a scorching 56.0%. But it's outweighed by their 33.0 above-the-break attempts per game, which have fallen just 34.8% of the time.
The Bucks recognize that eliminating paint chances means dampening the playmaking chops of Tatum, Brown, Smart, White and Robert Williams III. The Celtics understand that they have to bet on their shooters, which can open up close-out attacks, extra passes and more open shots &mdash; as we saw in Game 2.
It's a game of risk analysis within a game of prioritization within a game of tendencies, and that's what makes the NBA Playoffs so captivating.
THE OUTLIERS (a.k.a. other random interesting numbers I found in the void):
<ul>
<li>Staying in the vein of team-wide shot creation, here's an SIS Hoops graphic detailing which remaining squads are getting what most would categorize as ideal attempts:</li>
</ul>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-theme="dark">
The value of rim attempts and threes is widely understood, but not all shots within those buckets are created equal. Here&rsquo;s a look at which remaining playoff teams produce the most &ldquo;high-quality&rdquo; shots at the basket and from beyond the arc: <a href="https://t.co/4735x1mF5T">pic.twitter.com/4735x1mF5T</a>
&mdash; SIS Hoops (@SIS_Hoops) <a href="https://twitter.com/SIS_Hoops/status/1521889891809865728?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 4, 2022</a></blockquote>
<ul>
<li>Go read this thread from Div, who expertly explains why the analytics stereotype has already been left in the dust by today's actual NBA:</li>
</ul>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-theme="dark">
Really interesting chart. But I think a better way to frame this might be - MoreyBall already won, and so the easy gains from it are already baked in for every team. /mini-thread <a href="https://t.co/wO3W8Yz8H2">https://t.co/wO3W8Yz8H2</a>
&mdash; Div B (@statcenter) <a href="https://twitter.com/statcenter/status/1521488176644304897?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 3, 2022</a></blockquote>

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

<ul>
<li>Nekias Duncan whipped out a ton of eye-popping stats in his <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/there-are-no-good-answers-for-the-chris-pauldeandre-ayton-duo" target="_blank" rel="noopener">analysis of the Chris Paul-Deandre Ayton pairing</a>, but it's perhaps best captured with this one:&nbsp;</li>
</ul>
<blockquote>
During the regular season, defenses surrendered a shade under 1.22 points per possession (PPP) to them on direct plays. That isn't just the best mark in the NBA among high-volume pairings (min. 300 picks); they're over 5 points per 100 possessions better than second place (Atlanta's Trae Young-Clint Capela, 1.16 PPP). That Paul-Ayton number has gone up during the postseason (1.24 PPP), a remarkable feat considering they've run 48 more&nbsp;picks against drop than any other duo.
</blockquote>
Definitely go read his breakdown.
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The Bucks have been content to let the Celtics shoot threes, but is this strategy too risky to maintain?

NBA Stats Notebook: The Celtics and Bucks' three-point standoff

Kevon Looney had never missed a game before he came to Golden State. Not one.
He figures that's a couple of thousand consecutive games, all the way back to youth basketball as a boy in Milwaukee.
Looney's time with the Warriors has been far different, so it's no surprise how badly he wanted to play all 82 games this season to prove to himself and everyone else that he is healthy again. He promised coach Steve Kerr he would be honest if his body ever needed a break.
<a href="https://twitter.com/warriors/status/1513379503933833216">&ldquo;Iron Man Loon," as they call him, beamed when he received the game ball from</a> the Warriors' 128-107 victory at New Orleans on April 10 that wrapped up the regular season and the big man's quest to play the full 82. Only four other players in the NBA did so this season.
"It was just good for my psyche, good for my confidence,&rdquo; said Looney, who gifted the ball to mother Victoria. &ldquo;... I wanted to put that in my head that I&rsquo;m putting all the injury stuff in the past, that I made it to this point, that I can play every game, I feel good and I don&rsquo;t have to be playing in fear.&rdquo;
Looney's emergence as a model of consistency was something these Warriors desperately needed with stars Stephen Curry, Draymond Green and Klay Thompson all missing significant time &mdash; and veteran Andre Iguodala sitting out for stretches with various injuries.
That durability could become even more critical in the Warriors' physical series with the Grizzlies. Golden State has already lost Gary Payton II, who <a href="https://apnews.com/article/memphis-grizzlies-golden-state-warriors-nba-sports-draymond-green-b49c8d89dc667ca4734df9bcb42c9621">suffered a broken left elbow early in Game 2 on Tuesday after a hard foul by Dillon Brooks</a>. Game 3 is Saturday in San Francisco, with the series even at one game apiece.
Looney's interior defense and rebounding have been keys to Golden State's latest playoff run.
For five games in the first round, he muscled in the paint with reigning MVP Nikola Jokic of the Denver Nuggets. Looney realizes his role changes this round with smaller lineups used against the Grizzlies and he is coming off the bench, vowing to &ldquo;stay ready.&rdquo;
That's how he always did it during that remarkable run of playing every game before reaching the NBA.
There were approximately 1,015 AAU games over 10 years starting in second grade. Another 20 for Samuel Morse Middle School and 100 more at Alexander Hamilton High. Then, Looney played all 36 games during his lone season at UCLA in 2014-15, when he had an NCAA freshman-best 15 double-doubles and helped the Bruins reach the Sweet Sixteen.
Early on as a pro, Looney endured his share of hard luck. He underwent surgeries on both of his hips as a rookie in 2015-16 and played just five games.
&ldquo;Missing that first season for him was tough,&rdquo; said Looney&rsquo;s longtime youth coach, Shelby Parrish, who can't even recall a single missed practice &mdash; and he served on the high school staff, too.
Looney came back for his second professional season to appear in 53 NBA games for Golden State.
A hurt hamstring kept later him out of training camp and the preseason in 2019-20, then he returned only to be sidelined again with a nerve issue. In May 2020, Looney had surgery on an injured core muscle.
Through it all, Looney longed to shed this label he felt he owned as being the injured guy. He has done that.
&ldquo;He came into the league at 18, 19, back-to-back hip surgeries to start his career,&rdquo; Kerr said. &ldquo;He&rsquo;s worked like crazy to get himself in this position and his durability this year was a key to our regular season for sure.&rdquo;
Kerr, who still takes great pride in playing all 82 games over four straight years in his career, came close to resting Looney at Toronto on Dec. 18, but the 6-foot-9 center pushed to play. Each time thereafter, Looney reassured Kerr and Rick Celebrini, vice president of player health and performance: &ldquo;I feel great."
&ldquo;I told them I wouldn't push it and be stupid about it,&rdquo; Looney said. &ldquo;They gave me that trust and I appreciate them for that.&rdquo;
Curry, who has come close on a handful of occasions to playing all 82, witnessed Looney's determination day after day.
&ldquo;Only he can probably tell you some of those games he woke up in the morning and was probably feeling it more than others and had to really drag himself to the level of availability that he wanted," Curry said, "but the fact that he accomplished that goal is so impressive."

The durability and consistency of "Iron Man Loon" has been, and will be, critical for the Warriors in a physical series with the Grizzlies.

Kevon Looney becomes model of durability for Warriors

Ever since Artūras Karni&scaron;ovas and Marc Eversley took over the Bulls&rsquo; front office two years ago, Chicago has been one of the most aggressive teams in the NBA. Their fingerprints are all over this roster, with notable acquisitions such as DeMar DeRozan, Nikola Vucevic, Lonzo Ball and Alex Caruso.
These moves have translated to on-court success, as the Bulls posted their best winning percentage since the 2014-15 season and ended their four-year playoff drought. This year, Chicago was 46-36 &mdash; more wins than they had in the 2018-19 and 2019-20 seasons combined. (Zach LaVine and Coby White are the only remaining players from that 2019-20 squad).
The Bulls entered the playoffs as the sixth seed in the Eastern Conference while boasting the NBA's 11th-ranked offense (scoring 111.0 points per 100 possessions) and 23rd-ranked defense (allowing 111.1 points per 100 possessions).&nbsp;
While this season marked a step in the right direction, the Bulls&rsquo; first-round series against the Milwaukee Bucks showed that there&rsquo;s still plenty of work to be done. Despite Milwaukee losing their second-best player, Khris Middleton, to a sprained MCL in Game 2, the Bucks completed a gentleman's sweep against the Bulls. Chicago wasn&rsquo;t at full strength either, with Ball sidelined due to a knee injury and LaVine (COVID-19) and Caruso (concussion) each missing Game 5. Still, the reigning champions were a good litmus test.
Entering the offseason, where does Chicago go from here? Are big changes coming?
RE-SIGNING ZACH LAVINE
Entering this offseason, Chicago&rsquo;s top priority should be re-signing LaVine, who is set to hit unrestricted free agency. The 27-year-old has emerged as a perennial All-Star, earning a spot on the Eastern Conference squad in each of the last two seasons.&nbsp;
This year, LaVine averaged 24.4 points, 4.6 rebounds, 4.5 assists and 2.8 threes, while reducing his turnovers to 2.6 per game and shooting 47.6% from the field, 38.9% from three and 85.3% from the free-throw line.&nbsp;
LaVine will certainly expect a maximum contract from the Bulls, which would <a href="https://hoopshype.com/lists/bulls-offseason-preview-zach-lavines-free-agency-nikola-vucevic-extension-more/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">pay him</a> $212.3 million over five years. The most he could receive from another team is $157.4 million over four years. This is a relatively weak free-agent class, so it seems very likely that LaVine will get a max deal from some team.&nbsp;
The Bulls would be wise to re-sign their star shooting guard, as replacing his production would be difficult, and the team would certainly take a step back if LaVine signed elsewhere.
"I plan to enjoy free agency," LaVine said recently. &ldquo;We're going to have to experience A through Z without making any fast decisions. I think that's something me and [Rich Paul] are going to go through and experience."
LaVine was asked if the Bulls are the front-runners to sign him, but he wouldn&rsquo;t say.
"You guys have been a really, really soft spot in my heart," LaVine said to the Chicago media. "I have to do this as a business decision, as a man, to not just be viewed one way and be like, 'I'm automatically coming back,' or, 'I'm automatically leaving.'"
In multiple interviews, LaVine has reiterated that he wants to be paid what he feels he deserves.
"I just want my respect. I think that's the main thing," LaVine <a href="https://www.nbcsports.com/chicago/bulls/zach-lavine-prepares-olympic-quarterfinal-bulls-free-agency" target="_blank" rel="noopener">said</a> last August. "I outplayed my contract; I've been very loyal to Chicago, I like Chicago. I just want my respect."
FREE AGENCY
Aside from LaVine, the bulk of Chicago's core is under contract for the foreseeable future.&nbsp;
The Bulls have $103,181,950 in guaranteed salaries on the books for next season, spread across nine players: DeRozan, Vucevic, Lopez, Caruso, White, Patrick Williams, Javonte Green, Ayo Dosunmu and Marko Simonovic. Projections set next year&rsquo;s salary cap at $122 million and the luxury tax at $149 million.
Derrick Jones Jr.,Tristan Thompson and Matt Thomas will be unrestricted free agents. Tony Bradley has a player option worth $2,036,318, so he could opt out and test the market as well.
The team will have three restricted free agents (assuming Chicago extends a qualifying offer to each): Troy Brown Jr. ($7,228,448 QO), Tyler Cook ($1,576,305) and Malcolm Hill ($1,576,305).
Last year, the Bulls were very aggressive in free agency, making splashy moves left and right. Given their cap situation, it seems unlikely that Chicago will be able to go star hunting, but they&rsquo;ll likely try to improve their depth and add certain specialists. For example, Chicago could use a rim protector, as they averaged just 4.0 blocks per game (which ranked 27th in the NBA). Can they afford Mitchell Robinson? Could they throw an offer sheet at or sign-and-trade for a restricted free agent like Nic Claxton or Mo Bamba? Can they add a veteran like JaVale McGee or Hassan Whiteside?&nbsp;
In addition to a rim protector, it would make sense to add other defensive reinforcements as well (especially if Jones signs elsewhere). Caruso and Ball give Chicago a strong defensive backcourt, but they need some help if the Bulls want to improve their 23rd-ranked defensive rating (113.2). Some of the top defensive role players who are hitting the market include Bruce Brown, Gary Payton II and PJ Tucker. Lu Dort and Jae'Sean Tate each have a team option, but it seems unlikely that either will be available given their bargain contracts.
The Bulls will look to add a contributor or two using the non-taxpayer mid-level exception, which is worth $10,349,000. Last offseason, that is how Chicago was able to sign Caruso to a four-year, $37 million deal, which ended up being a terrific addition. Other players who signed for the non-taxpayer MLE last offseason include McGee (Phoenix Suns), Tucker (Miami Heat), Reggie Bullock (Dallas Mavericks) and Khem Birch (Toronto Raptors).
It will be interesting to see what the Bulls do in free agency. However, keep in mind that some of Chicago&rsquo;s biggest additions in recent years were acquired through trades.
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TRADES
After watching the Bulls&rsquo; front office trade for Vucevic, DeRozan and Ball, fans are understandably thinking big when it comes to Chicago&rsquo;s trade targets entering the offseason.
Myles Turner has been mentioned as a possible target for the Bulls since he could solve their rim-protection issues, but the window on acquiring Turner may have slammed shut as a <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/despite-trade-talks-the-pacers-want-to-keep-myles-turner-longterm" target="_blank" rel="noopener">recent report</a> suggested that the Indiana Pacers are now expected to keep the 26-year-old long-term.
Another dominant shot-blocker who may become available is Rudy Gobert. The Utah Jazz just had another season end in disappointing fashion, and there has already been a <a href="https://twitter.com/realOCsports/status/1521141215411941376" target="_blank" rel="noopener">report</a> that the Jazz will be forced to choose between Gobert and Donovan Mitchell. If Utah opts to keep their young shooting guard, a three-time Defensive Player of the Year and five-time All-Defensive First-Team selection could suddenly be obtainable.
If that happens, the Bulls should at least reach out and start a conversation. Our Evan Sidery recently <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/examining-potential-trade-destinations-for-rudy-gobert" target="_blank" rel="noopener">broke down potential destinations for Gobert</a> and listed Chicago as the top landing spot. Here&rsquo;s what he wrote:
Imagine the possibilities for Chicago with Gobert patrolling the paint with Lonzo Ball and Alex Caruso hawking the perimeter. It&rsquo;s the perfect complement to offensive dynamos Zach LaVine and DeMar DeRozan. Chicago&rsquo;s new starting lineup of Ball, Caruso, LaVine, DeRozan and Gobert would seemingly have no holes in it from a two-way perspective. I absolutely love this idea for Chicago, and they should be blowing up the Jazz&rsquo;s phone this summer if it seems plausible.
Jazz receive: Nikola Vucevic, Patrick Williams, Coby White, draft compensation Bulls receive: Rudy Gobert
It remains to be seen if either side would do this, but it&rsquo;s an intriguing idea.
With that said, if the Bulls are committed to Vucevic and don&rsquo;t want to trade for a new big man, HoopsHype&rsquo;s Yossi Gozlan <a href="https://hoopshype.com/lists/bulls-offseason-preview-zach-lavines-free-agency-nikola-vucevic-extension-more/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">points out</a> that an extension for Vooch could make sense this offseason.
If that happens, perhaps Chicago just looks for a complementary shot-blocker who can play behind Vucevic like one of the free agents we mentioned above or more of a minor trade target such as New York&rsquo;s Nerlens Noel or Minnesota&rsquo;s Jarred Vanderbilt.
It&rsquo;s also worth noting that the Bulls have a $5,000,000 trade exception that expires on July 7, 2022, from their Daniel Theis deal.
DRAFT
The Bulls have the No. 18 pick in the 2022 NBA Draft. In BasketballNews.com's <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/draft" target="_blank" rel="noopener">2022 NBA Mock Draft</a>, our senior NBA Draft analyst Matt Babcock has Chicago selecting Ohio State forward <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/draft/2022-nba-mock-draft/players/ej-liddell" target="_blank" rel="noopener">EJ Liddell</a>.&nbsp;
The 6-foot-7, 21-year-old junior is a well-rounded, NBA-ready player who makes sense for a Bulls team that wants to win now. Last season, Liddell averaged 19.4 points, 7.9 rebounds, 2.5 assists, 2.6 blocks, 1.4 threes and 0.6 steals, while shooting 49.0% from the field, 37.4% from three and 76.5% from the free-throw line.
&ldquo;Although he is a bit undersized for the position, the Buckeyes often used Liddell as a 4 or 5 in their lineups,&rdquo; Babcock noted in his scouting breakdown. &ldquo;He is physical and versatile on both ends of the floor, scoring both inside and out. He appears more comfortable in the mid-range and paint, which works well for his college system but raises questions in regards to his translatability to the NBA. Liddell filled up the box score and played with great effort and toughness. He has certainly carved out a spot for himself in the 2022 NBA Draft.&rdquo;
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Other players who are projected to be available in that range are G League Ignite wing <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/draft/2022-nba-mock-draft/players/marjon-beauchamp" target="_blank" rel="noopener">MarJon Beauchamp</a>, Baylor forward <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/draft/2022-nba-mock-draft/players/kendall-brown" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Kendall Brown</a>, LSU forward <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/draft/2022-nba-mock-draft/players/tari-eason" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Tari Eason</a>, Notre Dame guard <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/draft/2022-nba-mock-draft/players/blake-wesley" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Blake Wesley</a>, G League Ignite guard <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/draft/2022-nba-mock-draft/players/jaden-hardy" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Jaden Hardy</a>, Serbian forward <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/draft/2022-nba-mock-draft/players/nikola-jovic" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Nikola Jovic</a> and Tennessee guard <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/draft/2022-nba-mock-draft/players/kennedy-chandler" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Kennedy Chandler</a>.&nbsp;
If the Bulls aren&rsquo;t interested in any of these prospects, or if Karni&scaron;ovas and Eversley continue to be aggressive on the trade market, Chicago could look to deal the No. 18 pick as part of a win-now move.
It&rsquo;s worth noting that Chicago must forfeit their next-available second-round pick after an NBA investigation revealed that they contacted Ball prior to the start of the NBA&rsquo;s free-agency period. As it stands, the Bulls&rsquo; next-available pick is the team&rsquo;s 2026 second-rounder, but Chicago can&rsquo;t acquire a second-round pick before then because they&rsquo;d have to forfeit it.
***
After a few rough years, the Bulls seem to be back on the right trajectory, and there&rsquo;s no question that this team has the talent to be a perennial playoff squad in the East. Winning 46 games despite trying to get so many new players acclimated is impressive, especially when you factor in the injuries to Ball, Caruso, Williams, etc.
Even if the Bulls bring back largely the same roster, they will benefit from that continuity and improved chemistry. However, given what we&rsquo;ve seen from this front office in recent years, don&rsquo;t be surprised if they look to wheel-and-deal in order to take the roster to the next level.

After winning 46 games and losing in the first round, where will the Bulls go from here? Alex Kennedy previews Chicago's summer.