Eagles

The New York Knicks have high hopes for the 2024-25 season after a series of offseason moves to bolster their roster. Boasting a revamped starting lineup of Jalen Brunson, Josh Hart, Mikal Bridges, OG Anunoby, and Karl-Anthony Towns, Coach Tom Thibodeau has leaned heavily on this five-man unit by relying on their defensive versatility and scoring prowess to carry the team night after night. Yet this dependency raises questions about sustainability, with risks of fatigue, injuries, and late-game breakdowns looming over a long NBA season.&nbsp;
The Knicks&rsquo; starting five are logging heavy minutes early in the season. Jalen Brunson, in particular, is averaging over 35 minutes per game as the team&rsquo;s primary playmaker and scorer. Meanwhile, Mikal Bridges and OG Anunoby are also averaging significant playing time, tasked with balancing offensive responsibilities while handling tough defensive assignments on opposing wings. Towns, who is crucial on both ends by providing floor spacing on offense and size on defense, is also averaging close to 35 minutes per game. These players are giving their all each night, but the mileage can add up as the season moves along.
NBA history shows that overextending starters early in the season can lead to burnout, and Thibodeau is no stranger to this trend. In his previous coaching stints, especially with the Chicago Bulls and Minnesota Timberwolves, Thibodeau&rsquo;s teams experienced both early success and, ultimately, the cost of fatigue and injuries. During those stints, key players who logged high minutes often missed time later due to injuries or wore down in critical playoff moments.
The Knicks&rsquo; reliance on their starters has led to noticeable fatigue in the fourth quarter. The high-minute load impacts shooting accuracy, defensive effectiveness, and overall energy levels down the stretch. In recent games, the Knicks&rsquo; fourth-quarter stats reflect a slight decline in scoring efficiency, with players missing more shots and committing more fouls late in the game. This is particularly concerning in close matchups, where even minor drops in performance can shift the game&rsquo;s outcome. Opposing teams, with fresher players, often capitalize on the Knicks&rsquo; tired legs, exploiting gaps on defense and taking control in the final minutes.
If the Knicks are to reach their potential, Thibodeau may need to expand his rotation to preserve the health and effectiveness of his starters.
A balanced rotation could alleviate these issues. However, it doesn&rsquo;t help that starting center Mitchell Robinson is still yet to come back from an injury, as well as regular contributor Precious Achiuwa. The Knicks&rsquo; bench is shallow as of the moment with only Cameron Payne, Miles McBride, and at times Jericho Sims as players who can step in to relieve starters and bring fresh energy. Rookies Tyler Kolek, Pacome Dadiet, and Ariel Hukporti have had good summer league performances and showed something interesting in the preseason, but Coach Thibs has yet to commit to trusting rookies during the regular season. However, by giving a little bit more minutes on their reserves, the Knicks would have the flexibility to keep their starters fresh, reducing the risk of late-game lapses and helping maintain energy throughout the season.
High minutes also correlate with an increased risk of injury, a risk that only compounds as the season progresses. For players like Brunson and Anunoby, who play physically demanding roles, the toll of heavy minutes can lead to strains and nagging injuries. Towns and Bridges, though durable, have histories of minor injuries, and prolonged wear could increase their risk as well. If any starter were to miss time, it could disrupt the team&rsquo;s chemistry and potentially derail their season.
The Knicks have already invested heavily in this core, both financially and strategically, so ensuring their health and longevity is critical. Coach Thibodeau&rsquo;s emphasis on conditioning may help, but even the best-conditioned athletes can fall prey to injuries when overworked.
One solution lies staggering the starters with the bench guys. An expanded rotation would also provide versatility and unpredictability, as the Knicks could mix lineups to create favorable matchups and keep opponents off-balance.
Last season, teams with deep rotations generally fared better in the later months and into the playoffs. The Denver Nuggets, for example, leaned on a nine-man rotation that kept players fresh and ready for postseason intensity. The Knicks have the personnel to replicate this approach, but it requires a willingness to let the bench play through mistakes and grow into their roles.
The Knicks&rsquo; high-minute starters have impressive stats, but the numbers suggest potential pitfalls. Brunson and Towns lead the team in points, yet their fourth-quarter shooting percentage has dropped as games wear on. Hart, Bridges, and Anunoby rank among the league leaders in defensive metrics, but all three have seen dips in effectiveness late in games. These stats underline the wear on the Knicks&rsquo; starting five, and without adjustments, the team could face challenges maintaining performance over the long haul.
Thibodeau&rsquo;s strategy has yielded early success, but balance is the key to a sustainable season. By trusting his bench and managing his starters&rsquo; minutes, he can preserve the team&rsquo;s health and performance for the playoffs. The Knicks have the depth to make this adjustment, and doing so would likely pay dividends as they aim for a deep postseason run. In a grueling 82-game season, longevity and resilience are paramount, and a balanced rotation could be the key to the Knicks realizing their potential.

Heavy minutes for the Knicks’ starting five could lead to fatigue, injuries, and late-game struggles.

Knicks’ Overreliance on Starting 5 a Double-Edged Sword

The Memphis Grizzlies have seen significant contributions this season from two unexpected sources in guard Scotty Pippen Jr. and center Jay Huff. Once teammates on the Los Angeles Lakers&rsquo; bench and in the G League, Huff and Pippen Jr. have now found a place to thrive in Memphis, proving to be reliable pieces for the Grizzlies off the bench.&nbsp;
Jay Huff, a 7-foot center, first made his mark at the University of Virginia. Known for his shot-blocking abilities and efficient shooting from the outside, Huff helped anchor Virginia&rsquo;s defense, contributing to their reputation as one of the toughest defensive teams in the NCAA. Despite these strengths, he went undrafted in 2021, eventually signing a two-way contract with the Los Angeles Lakers. Huff spent much of his time with the Lakers&rsquo; G League affiliate, the South Bay Lakers, where he continued to develop his rim protection and shooting touch. He also spent some time with the summer league team of the Orlando Magic, where he had a solid outing that led Memphis to pick him up in the offseason.
Scotty Pippen Jr., son of Hall of Famer Scottie Pippen, also found his path through the G League after going undrafted out of Vanderbilt. At Vanderbilt, he displayed his playmaking skills, leading his team in scoring and assists. However, like Huff, he wasn&rsquo;t initially picked in the NBA draft and signed with the Lakers on a two-way contract, also playing for the South Bay Lakers.&nbsp;
Both players took full advantage of their time in the G League, honing their skills and awaiting a chance to make a larger impact in the NBA. However, both sides did not pan out and LA chose to release both guys.
Now with the Memphis Grizzlies, both Huff and Pippen Jr. are seizing their opportunities. Huff&rsquo;s defensive presence has been particularly impactful, providing Memphis with a much-needed shot-blocker off the bench. His ability to protect the paint has been a welcome addition, especially with injuries affecting some of Memphis&rsquo;s key frontcourt players. Huff&rsquo;s height and defensive instincts make him a tough matchup in the paint, where he averages close to 2 blocks per game (1.9). 
He&rsquo;s also shown an impressive shooting efficiency, both from the field and beyond the arc, allowing Memphis to space the floor even with a big man on the court. Huff is a scorching hot 48 percent on his threes, as he became one of the best shooting big men in the league this early into the season. One of his standout performances included an 18-point game, underscoring his scoring potential when given the opportunity.
Pippen Jr., meanwhile, is thriving in his role as a playmaker and secondary ball-handler. His passing has helped stabilize Memphis&rsquo;s second unit, and he has displayed the ability to score in bursts when needed. Recently, he logged a double-double, finishing with 11 points and 11 assists&mdash;a testament to his growth as a floor general. Pippen Jr. is averaging career highs across the board with 12.1 points, 4.2 rebounds, and 6.5 assists. His court vision, combined with his knack for finding open teammates, has made him an essential part of Memphis&rsquo;s bench rotation, providing valuable relief minutes and keeping the offense fluid while the starters rest.
Both Huff and Pippen Jr. have found in Memphis what they couldn&rsquo;t quite establish in Los Angeles&mdash;a defined role that plays to their strengths. Huff&rsquo;s defensive skill set and shooting from the 5 position complements Memphis&rsquo;s hard-nosed, physical style on defense and a driving, paint-oriented style on offense as he spaces the floor well, while Pippen Jr.&rsquo;s playmaking and scoring ability off the bench provide depth to the Grizzlies&rsquo; backcourt. This fit speaks to the patience and persistence both players exhibited in the G League and in limited NBA minutes until their breakthrough moments arrived.
Their success also highlights the value of the G League as a development pipeline. Both Huff and Pippen Jr. used their time in the G League to fine-tune their skills and stay prepared for NBA call-ups. Now that they have regular minutes, they are proving that their time in the development league wasn&rsquo;t wasted; it prepared them to thrive when the moment finally came. Huff&rsquo;s ability to anchor the paint and contribute scoring when needed, along with Pippen Jr.&rsquo;s floor leadership, are assets Memphis has needed this season.
Their journeys reflect the resilience and adaptability required to break through in the NBA, going from college standouts to the G League, and now to productive roles in the league. They found themselves fighting for recognition, and have now established themselves as reliable and effective pieces in Memphis&rsquo;s rotation. This is a reminder of how hard work can translate to real NBA success. For the Grizzlies, Huff and Pippen Jr. are proving that sometimes, the best additions come from players who just needed a chance to shine.

Former Lakers Jay Huff and Scotty Pippen Jr. are making an impact off the bench for the Grizzlies, excelling in defined roles.

Former Lakers Huff, Pippen Jr. thriving in roles at Memphis

The Oklahoma City Thunder has made NBA history this season, becoming the first team to open 7-0 with an average winning margin exceeding 10 points. This impressive start has been fueled by a groundbreaking defensive strategy: an innovative 5-guard lineup. This approach prioritizes speed, versatility, and relentless switching, allowing the team to disrupt opponents in ways that go against traditional defensive methods.
One key factor in OKC&rsquo;s early dominance has been their exceptional play in the fourth quarter. The Thunder are not just building leads; they&rsquo;re closing games in commanding fashion. Across their seven wins, they&rsquo;ve consistently outperformed their opponents in the final period. In several games, they&rsquo;ve maintained or extended leads in the fourth quarter with clutch defensive plays and quick scoring bursts. 
For instance, in a recent victory over the Atlanta Hawks, the Thunder outscored their opponents by 21 points in the final quarter, sealing a 128-104 win. This ability to finish games has allowed OKC to consistently earn their double-digit margins of victory.
The defensive intensity ramps up at times in game, as the Thunder bring their unique 5-guard defensive setup into high gear, forcing turnovers and pushing the pace, leaving little room for opponents to make a comeback.
The foundation of OKC's success lies in their creative defensive scheme, where size is replaced with speed and agility. The 5-guard defense allows the Thunder to switch on nearly every play, minimizing mismatches that often arise from pick-and-rolls. Without traditional big men occupying the paint, the Thunder focus on positioning, quick rotations, and high basketball IQ. Alex Caruso, known for his defensive prowess, plays a key role as a perimeter stopper, using his length and quick hands to disrupt opposing offenses.&nbsp;
Cason Wallace and Jalen Williams also thrive in this system, as they both possess long wingspans and the ability to guard multiple positions. Williams is particularly effective at disrupting passing lanes and using his quickness to stay in front of ball handlers. Aaron Wiggins, another versatile guard, rounds out the lineup, providing both perimeter defense and additional length. Together, these four guards, along with the defensive-minded Lu Dort and superstar Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, create a defensive wall that is difficult to penetrate, especially in transition.
OKC&rsquo;s defense isn&rsquo;t just about stopping opponents&mdash;it&rsquo;s about creating offense from their defensive stops. The Thunder are among the league leaders in fast-break points, capitalizing on turnovers to get out on the break before defenses can set. With players like Gilgeous-Alexander, Caruso, and Wallace leading the charge, the Thunder can push the ball upcourt quickly and attack before opposing teams can recover. This high-speed transition game has been a critical factor in their 10+ point average margin of victory, as they use turnovers and missed shots to fuel easy scoring opportunities.
The ability to turn defense into offense has allowed OKC to put pressure on opposing teams throughout the game, not just when the score is close. Their quick strikes in transition often lead to open 3-pointers or alley-oops, and their ball movement creates wide-open looks on the perimeter.
Furthermore, the Thunder&rsquo;s guards play with an aggressive edge that allows them to make up for any potential rebounding shortcomings, often by crashing the boards as a unit and using their length to block or alter shots.
Of course, one of the biggest reasons for the Thunder&rsquo;s impressive defense to start the season is because of Chet Holmgren. The second-year player has provided rim protection, currently averaging 3 a game. His quickness and high defensive IQ allow OKC to disrupt offensive schemes, as well as his well-timed rotations to close out on shooters and contest shots in the paint.
The Thunder&rsquo;s defensive scheme is only going to get stronger with the eventual return of Isaiah Hartenstein. Although he has yet to play this season due to an injury, Hartenstein&rsquo;s presence in the paint will give the Thunder another body at center, which adds vital depth to the team&rsquo;s frontcourt. His size, rebounding ability, and shot-blocking will provide a crucial safety net for the Thunder&rsquo;s defense. 
Once he is cleared to play, Hartenstein will be able to contribute both in the post and in helping to protect the rim, giving OKC more flexibility in how they approach matchups with larger lineups. His return will bolster an already strong defense and add another dimension to their overall game plan, with two-big lineups with Holmgren already being schemed upon.

The Thunder has made NBA history this season with their defense and this has been fueled by an innovative 5-guard defensive lineup.

OKC Thunder’s defense powers historic 7-0 start

Minnesota Timberwolves superstar Anthony Edwards has reached an exclusive list even the greatest shooter of all time Stephen Curry was not able to do early in his career.
On Saturday night, Edwards became the youngest player in NBA history to hit 800 three-pointers in their career. At just 23-years-old, Edwards' game has evolved from the time he was drafted in 2020 with his high-flying antics and rim-soaring dunks. Now in his 5th NBA season, Edwards has become a respectable shooter, and a hotshot at that as he gains more reps into his shot.
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youngest player in <a href="https://twitter.com/NBA?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@NBA</a> history to make 800 threes. that's our <a href="https://twitter.com/theantedwards_?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@theantedwards_</a>. 🐜🐜🐜 <a href="https://t.co/3mAzbLaGLh">pic.twitter.com/3mAzbLaGLh</a>
&mdash; Minnesota Timberwolves (@Timberwolves) <a href="https://twitter.com/Timberwolves/status/1850634826090524699?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 27, 2024</a>
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Edwards has made it a point to shoot more threes this season. Over the Wolves&rsquo; first three games, Edwards has been 21-45 from three, shooting at a 39% clip.
Edwards has been making his threes in a variety of ways. There have been times he hits threes on the move, off the dribble, stepbacks and on some catch and shoot opportunities. This has highlighted his shotmaking and has been a main source of Minnesota&rsquo;s offense to start the year.
According to Wolves&rsquo; media Dane Moore, Edwards has more than 50% of his shots from three, something that he&rsquo;s increased this year. Last season, only 30% of his shots were from three, this year it&rsquo;s up to 58% to start the season.
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Through 2.5 games, Anthony Edwards has taken 60 shots, and 35 of them have been 3s. That's 58% of his shots. Last season 30% of his shots were 3s. <a href="https://t.co/FyEgJZMs8A">pic.twitter.com/FyEgJZMs8A</a>
&mdash; Dane Moore (@DaneMooreNBA) <a href="https://twitter.com/DaneMooreNBA/status/1850347919251042524?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 27, 2024</a>
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Moreover, Edwards joined Curry and Kemba Walker as the only players in NBA history to hit 5+ 3PT in three straight games to start a season, <a href="https://x.com/StatMamba/status/1850366050308690045?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1850366050308690045%7Ctwgr%5E78ba9d628247b21d3ac56c3d1dadad80a8e28fd1%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&amp;ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.si.com%2Fnba%2Fwarriors%2Fnews%2Fanthony-edwards-makes-nba-history-joins-steph-curry-on-exclusive-list-01jb5y1c17pc">per Stat Mamba on X</a>. The 6-foot-4 guard scored his 7,000th point in their game against the Toronto Raptors.
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7,000 career points and counting. 🐜 <a href="https://t.co/Wb8oWY23Y4">pic.twitter.com/Wb8oWY23Y4</a>
&mdash; Minnesota Timberwolves (@Timberwolves) <a href="https://twitter.com/Timberwolves/status/1850362817079062547?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 27, 2024</a>
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Edwards has had a good start to his NBA career, and he&rsquo;s one of the young players being groomed as one of the next faces of the league.

On Saturday night, Edwards became the youngest player in NBA history to hit 800 three-pointers in their career.

Anthony Edwards makes NBA history as youngest player to hit 800 three-pointers

After five previous tries, the New York Liberty have finally climbed the mountaintop of the WNBA.
New York outlasted the Minnesota Lynx 67-62 Sunday night at the Barclays Center to claim the 2024 WNBA championship &ndash; the first in franchise history.&nbsp;
The Liberty have made WNBA Finals appearances in 1997, 1999, 2000, 2002, and most recently a season ago in 2023, but they have come up short each time around.
This was 28 years in the making as one of the WNBA&rsquo;s original franchises since its inception, finally winning a league title.
Minnesota struck first early in the 1st quarter, building a 10-point lead after the Liberty&rsquo;s cold shooting in the quarter. New York tried to make a run in the second quarter but was still down by 7 at the half.
It was a nip-and-tuck affair in the second half from there as both teams showed their grit and determination to win it all. The series was one of the best in WNBA Finals history with two overtime games over the 5 games played, and Game 5 was one of them.
Minnesota had a chance to win the game in regulation but Kayla McBride missed her game-winning three-point attempt at the buzzer with the score tied at 60.
New York capitalized on Minnesota&rsquo;s turnovers and their bench scoring in overtime to come away with the victory.
Sabrina Ionescu, who was the hero in Game 3 after that heart-stopping game winning three, struggled mightily from the field in the game with only 5 points on a brutal 1-19 shooting. Ionescu tried to affect the game in other ways though with 7 rebounds and 8 assists, making crucial passes and hustle plays in the 4th quarter and overtime.
To pick up her slack, Breanna Stewart had 13 points and 15 rebounds while rookie Leonie Fiebich had 13 including hitting a crucial three in OT.&nbsp;
Jonquel Jones was named Finals MVP for her incredible series and her 17 points (led the team) and 6 rebounds proved to be essential for the Liberty.
New York would not have won the game if it weren&rsquo;t for the efforts of Nyara Sabally, who scored 13 points and grabbed 7 rebounds. Sabally was not playing that many minutes in the series but when her number was called in this game she delivered, providing energy off the bench and toughness on defense.
Napheesa Collier and Kayla McBride led Minnesota&rsquo;s losing effort with 22 and 21 points respectively but it was not enough for Minnesota to break the tie for most championships in WNBA history.

After five previous tries, the New York Liberty have finally climbed the mountaintop of the WNBA.

CHAMPS AT LAST: Liberty outlast Lynx to win 2024 WNBA Finals

Oklahoma City Thunder&rsquo;s offseason acquisition Isaiah Hartenstein has suffered a minor injury and will be re-evaluated in 5-6 weeks, according to ESPN&rsquo;s Shams Charania.&nbsp;
The 7-foot, 250 lb center who signed with the Thunder after his stint with the New York Knicks last season suffered a small, non-displaced fracture in his left hand in Tuesday&rsquo;s preseason game in Denver.&nbsp;
ANALYSIS: This could potentially be a game changer for the Thunder after looking good with Hartenstein in the preseason. OKC have been practicing the big man duo of Hartenstein and their young star Chet Holmgren, often running big-to-big dribble handoffs and pin down screens.&nbsp;
Now OKC will have to start the new season playing Holmgren as the sole big man again. Although they found success in the regular season last year with the same setup (1st seed and 57-25 record), Hartenstein&rsquo;s loss to start the season could make or break the Thunder&rsquo;s early record in the tough and deep Western Conference.

OKC Thunder center Isaiah Hartenstein has suffered a minor injury and will be re-evaluated in 5-6 weeks.

New OKC Thunder acquisition Isaiah Hartenstein suffers minor injury, out for 5-6 weeks

PASAY CITY, PHILIPPINES &ndash; After their early season look at Philippine teams in their first EASL meetings, international coaches Garrett Kelly and Song Young-Jin had some nice things to say about the home teams&rsquo; basketball and the quality of their recruited foreign players.
Song and the Suwon KT Sonicboom of Korea were impressive in their first win after <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/easl-suwon-kt-sonicboom-beat-home-team-san-miguel-to-start-20242025-campaign-strong">beating Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) Commissioner&rsquo;s Cup champions San Miguel Beermen </a>while Kelly and the Macau Black Bears <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/easl-home-team-meralco-bolts-stun-visiting-macau-black-bears-">were stunned by the PBA Philippine Cup titlists Meralco Bolts.</a> Although their teams had contrasting results, both Song and Kelly were impressed.
&ldquo;Obviously, the [Philippines] is known for its great fan base of basketball, and it got the team [San Miguel] going by feeding off their energy,&rdquo; Song said through a translator. &ldquo;We got over it and got the win today so it&rsquo;s good, but before we got here we watched a lot of films. They [SMB] are very skilled and they got a lot of shooters, so we prepared a lot before we came here.&rdquo;
Despite the loss, the Beermen&rsquo;s American reinforcement EJ Anosike balled out with 34 points, which Song acknowledged with the Sonicboom having a hard time containing him.
&ldquo;He [Anosike] got us in a tough situation [scoring all those points], so we had to put another man on him in the second half,&rdquo; Song added.
For Kelly and Macau, Meralco&rsquo;s American import Allen Durham was the one that gave them the most problems after being a force in the paint all game long. Durham had 17 points, 11 rebounds, and 4 assists in a double-double effort as the Bolts took a 12-point win over the much bigger Black Bears team.
&ldquo;Allen Durham is &ndash; he&rsquo;s a bully,&rdquo; recalled Kelly in the post-game press conference. &ldquo;The guy is built like one of the Ninja Turtles. You can&rsquo;t get around him. He puts his shoulder on you, he&rsquo;s gonna score &ndash; on his right or left hand. He also made his jump shots tonight &ndash; I know he can make them &ndash; but we kind of gambled on that. We said let&rsquo;s just live with those [Durham&rsquo;s jump shots] and try to box them out and get the rebounds. But that whole group [Meralco], as a whole, has been together for a while now.&rdquo;
Kelly further lauded the Bolts&rsquo; chemistry and their familiarity with each other that led to their win as the PH team had every answer to the Black Bears&rsquo; defensive scheme.
&ldquo;That group &ndash; you can tell. They got into new situations where we zoned them, and they reacted. We ran them, we pressed them, we ran some different sets, we had some different things, and we moved around &ndash; and they just responded and just kept moving. They&rsquo;re a well-conditioned team, a well-coached team, well-run organization by everything I can see &ndash; they&rsquo;re just really sharp,&rdquo; Kelly said.

After their early season look at Philippine teams, intl' coaches Garrett Kelly and Song Young-Jin share their thoughts on PH basketball.

EASL: International coaches heap praise on PH basketball, imports

PASAY CITY, PHILIPPINES &ndash; PH team Meralco Bolts blew out the visiting Macau Black Bears, 97-85, in the second game of the East Asia Super League&rsquo;s (EASL) tip-off event at the Mall of Asia Arena here on Wednesday night.
The San Miguel Beermen lost earlier in the day to Suwon KT Sonicboom, 87-81.
The home squad relied on a balanced attack that saw 4 players score double digits, led by main man Chris Newsome&rsquo;s 18 points as they took the win and defended their home turf.
American imports David Kennedy and Allen Durham both posted 17 points with the latter grabbing 11 rebounds while the former had an all-around game with 9 rebounds and 7 assists. Chris Banchero scored 14 points as the Bolts&rsquo; third import Ange Kouame contributed a solid 9-point, 9-rebound game.
William Artino and Jeantal Cylla paced the Black Bears with 23 points each but Macau was dominated on the boards by Meralco, 52-39. Cylla shot just 5 of 22 for the entire game in an abysmal shooting from the field.&nbsp;
Bolts coach Luigi Trillo lauded his players for their efforts but insisted there&rsquo;s much work to be done.&nbsp;
&ldquo;We definitely think that we can win this thing. But starting off, we have to at least win 4 games in our group and secure that top 2 spot, and then we can go from there,&rdquo; Trillo said.&nbsp;
&ldquo;We&rsquo;re taking it one game at a time and we&rsquo;re definitely aiming for that [Final Four spot], so we&rsquo;ll see how it goes,&rdquo; Newsome added.
With the win, Meralco has equaled their win total from the last EASL season and now they&rsquo;re looking forward to eclipse that when they clash with Japan&rsquo;s Ryukyu Golden Kings in Okinawa next week, October 16.
As for Macau, a newly-added team this season as part of EASL&rsquo;s expansion, they will try to grab their first win as a member of the league when they face the Ryukyu Golden Kings on October 30 on their home floor.

PH team Meralco Bolts blew out the visiting Macau Black Bears, 97-85, in the second game of the East Asia Super League Tip-Off event.

EASL: Home team Meralco Bolts stun visiting Macau Black Bears

Former NBA MVP Derrick Rose has announced he will be retiring from the NBA, as reported first by The Athletic&rsquo;s Shams Charania.&nbsp;
Rose made the announcement official on his social media pages and also by placing ads in newspapers for each of the cities he played for in his NBA career: Chicago, New York, Cleveland, Minnesota, Detroit, and Memphis.
The youngest MVP in the history of the league at just 22 years old finishes a career full of ups and downs, experiencing the highest of highs and lowest of lows.
Rose was selected by his hometown Chicago Bulls as the no.1 overall pick out of Memphis in the 2008 NBA Draft and then subsequently won Rookie of the Year honors.&nbsp; In his early prime with the Bulls, Rose made three straight all-star teams, won MVP in 2011 in just his 4th season in the league, and then capped it off by making the Eastern Conference Finals that same season (yet the Bulls eventually lost to the Miami Heat).
However, a devastating injury in the 2012 Playoffs in Chicago&rsquo;s first-round matchup vs the Philadelphia 76ers derailed Rose from fully achieving his potential, and he was unable to come back to that same level early in his career. Rose went on to play for the Bulls until the 2015-2016 season before Chicago ended up trading him to the New York Knicks.&nbsp;
The 6-foot-3 point guard bounced around teams like the Cleveland Cavaliers, Minnesota Timberwolves, and the Detroit Pistons, often to try and find his groove and mojo back. He was a reliable piece off the bench as he scored on the opposing team&rsquo;s benches, but then again Rose never found that MVP level again. Instead, Rose served as a leader and a veteran voice for these teams, beloved by the organization, players, and fans alike.
His last stop was with the Memphis Grizzlies after signing with the team last season before getting waived this year. Before his official announcement, Rose posted a cryptic video hinting at his retirement from the game, and he made it official the day afterward.
&ldquo;The next chapter is about chasing my dreams and sharing my growth. I believe true success comes from becoming who you were created to be, and I want to show the world who I am beyond basketball,&rdquo; Rose said. &ldquo;Whether good or bad, everyone has a &lsquo;What if&rsquo; story in their life. Even if I could, I wouldn&rsquo;t change anything in mine, because it&rsquo;s what helped me find real joy.&rdquo;

Former NBA MVP Derrick Rose has announced he will be retiring from the NBA.

Derrick Rose retires from the NBA after 16 seasons

SINGAPORE INDOOR STADIUM, SINGAPORE &ndash; After a dominant showing all tournament long, Spanish squad Unicaja Malaga got the job done as they beat the NBA G League United 75-60 in the FIBA Intercontinental Cup 2024 title game Sunday night here.
Unicaja were phenomenal throughout the entirety of the FIBA ICC, having an average winning margin of 21 points per game. They defeated Angola&rsquo;s Petro de Luanda and Lebanon&rsquo;s Al Riyadi Beirut in the group stages before finishing off the Americans in the championship match.
The Spanish side started out strong, converting on all of their shot attempts, to jump out on an early lead in the first quarter. Dylan Osetkowski got going early, and ended up finishing with 15 points to lead his team in scoring. Four players scored in double figures for Unicaja as they distributed the ball well leading to 25 total assists to GLU&rsquo;s 16.
For his efforts, Osetkowski was named the MVP of the Tournament.
&ldquo;As you see in all three games, I think there&rsquo;s multiple guys in double figures; there&rsquo;s multiple guys shooting threes and driving to the basket. We play a very team-oriented game of basketball offensively &ndash; everybody&rsquo;s touching the ball, everyone has an opportunity to score ,&rdquo; Osetkowski said to BasketballNews.com in the post-game press conference when asked about the way Unicaja plays. &ldquo;Everybody can play a role and have an opportunity to be the top scorer &ndash; for this tournament it was myself, you replay the tournament maybe it could be somebody else. So, we have a very deep team that has the ability to play the game of basketball which is team oriented.&rdquo;
&ldquo;The main key of this team is the team chemistry,&rdquo; Unicaja coach Ibon Navarro added. &ldquo;One day Dylan [Osetkowski] can shine, then the next one it could be anyone, so it&rsquo;s not easy to choose one star or MVP from our team because we got many players that give their best to make their team win.&rdquo;
Despite the final score, both teams went back and forth in the first half, the two teams, trading make after make. The first quarter ended up 22-17 with Unicaja leading by 5 and 38-32 at the half, still Unicaja with the lead.
However, a furious start to the third quarter by the Spanish had them erecting a lead to as large as 18, 52-34, halfway through &ndash; unleashing a 14-2 run that United wasn&rsquo;t able to overcome in the end.&nbsp;
NBA GLU tried to mount one last comeback attempt with just two minutes to go but it was not enough as they ran out of time.
Still, it was a great effort for the United, who were just formed just two weeks before the tournament. G League United coach Paul Hewitt lauded Unicaja for outplaying them.&nbsp;
&ldquo;I thought we had enough talent to win this whole thing even with our minimal preparations. I think they [Unicaja] are well-drilled. They just played better than us tonight. There have been shots we missed in the first half, that could&rsquo;ve really tightened the game up and maybe given us the lead going into the locker room, but like I said our guys played well but they played better.&rdquo;
A late Keisei Tominaga moment was a bright spot in United&rsquo;s tough loss as he stole the show with under a minute left &ndash; and the crowd roared to the delight of his first made three-pointer in the game.
Tominaga, a rising Japanese star who just recently joined Curry Brand, struggled from the field for NBA GLU with just 1/5 shooting from three.
The Spanish side proved to be too much to handle as they ran away with the lead in the 4th quarter, and clinched the title. According to FIBA, it was Europe&rsquo;s 23rd championship overall in the intercontinental meet between the champions of each continent, 11 of which were produced by teams from Spain.
Earlier in the day, Australia&rsquo;s Tasmania JackJumpers won the bronze medal match against Al Riyadi Beirut, 80-75. They made history by becoming Oceania&rsquo;s first ever medallists in the history of the tournament.
Petro de Luanda, Africa&rsquo;s champion, closed out their campaign strong by winning against South America&rsquo;s champion Quimsa from Argentina, 70-64, to clinch 5th place in the tournament.
The final standings from this year&rsquo;s FIBA Intercontinental Cup:
<ol>
<li> Unicaja (Spain)</li>
<li> NBA G League United (USA)</li>
<li> Tasmania JackJumpers (Australia)</li>
<li> Al Riyadi Beirut (Lebanon)</li>
<li> Petro De Luanda (Angola)</li>
<li> Quimsa (Argentina)</li>
</ol>

After a dominant tournament, Spanish squad Unicaja Malaga got the job done as they beat the NBA G League United to claim the FIBA ICC championship Sunday night at the Singapore Indoor Stadium.

FIBA Intercontinental Cup 2024: Spain’s Unicaja defeats NBA G League United to claim title

The success of men&rsquo;s basketball in the 2024 Olympics has opened the eyes of many fans to the fact that there are great teams and players across the planet. While Team USA swept to the <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/team-usa-defeat-hosts-france-to-claim-olympic-gold-medal">gold medal</a> with a win over France in the final, maybe you were impressed by some of the tournament&rsquo;s best non-NBA players and wondered whether they might end up in the American league.
<h2>Willy Hernangomez - Spain</h2>
&nbsp;
At 7-foot tall, this center is an imposing physical presence in the Spanish team. He broke through at Real Madrid and joined the Philadelphia 76ers in the 2015 NBA draft before being traded to the New York Knicks. His time playing at Madison Square Garden appeared to start well and was Eastern Conference Rookie of the Month early in his career as he led rebounding for newcomers to the league. He ended his first season in the NBA All-Rookie First Team.
Willy then bounced around a few American teams without realizing his obvious potential. In 2023, he signed a three-year deal with Spanish team FC Barcelona. He was recently reported to be dissatisfied with his role at Barcelona and will have been disappointed that the highly-rated Spanish team dropped out of the Olympics in the qualifying round. Will Willy return to the NBA at some point? After seven years in the American league, he stated that he was happy with the <a href="https://basketnews.com/news-197125-willy-hernangomez-havent-felt-this-much-support-in-all-my-years-in-nba.html">support he received</a> on his return to Spain, so it seems unlikely at the moment.&nbsp;
<h2>Bruno Caboclo - Brazil</h2>
This 28-year-old power forward from Brazil started his career with Pinheiros before joining the Toronto Raptors in the 2014 NBA draft. This selection is still best remembered for Fran Fraschilla saying that he was "two years away from being two years away" when reporting it. Bruno never quite made the breakthrough expected of him in the NBA and returned to Brazil, where he was more successful.
After moving around a few teams in different countries, he joined Partizan Belgrade of the Serbian League in 2023. He averaged 9.4 points over the 2023-24 season, which was ultimately unsuccessful for the team. Given his globe-trotting career to date, it would be easy to imagine Bruno being interested in a move back to the US, but the latest news reports suggest that he is <a href="https://www.nbamaniacs.com/en/nba-rumors/bruno-caboclo-receives-an-offer-from-israel/">considering an offer</a> from Israeli team Hapoel Tel Aviv. At the Olympics in Paris, his 33 points vs Japan was one of the top individual performances.
<h2>Wenyen Gabriel - South Sudan</h2>
Wenyen was born in Sudan but moved to the US as a youngster. His college basketball was played for the Kentucky Wildcats, and he was one of the country&rsquo;s most highly-ranked young players at one point. Despite this, he went undrafted in 2018 but then joined the Sacramento Kings to play in the Summer League. After briefly joining the Portland Trail Blazers, Wenyen moved to the New Orleans Pelicans followed by the Brooklyn Nets and other US teams.
He then went to Puerto Rico with the Vaqueros de Bayam&oacute;n and it was recently announced that he&rsquo;s signed for Maccabi Tel Aviv to play in the Euroleague and the Israeli Basketball Premier League. If you want to follow his career, you can now easily find online content for foreign basketball leagues and stream games. You might also want to check the current <a href="https://www.bodog.eu/sports/basketball">basketball odds</a> for leagues around the world. You&rsquo;ll see live betting odds as well as the numbers for upcoming games. Choose from options like moneyline, spread, and total bet when looking for games to bet on in the Euroleague and elsewhere.
<h2>Carlik Jones - South Sudan</h2>
Carlik was born in the US and grew up in Ohio, becoming one of the highest-rated college players while performing for the Radford Highlanders and then the Louisville Cardinals. He went undrafted in the 2021 NBA draft but then joined the Dallas Mavericks to play in the NBA Summer League. After moving around a few teams, he was named as the NBA G League&rsquo;s Most Valuable Player in 2022 while playing for the Chicago Bulls.&nbsp;
The point guard played in China and was rumored to be moving to Maccabi Tel Aviv this season but surprised everyone by signing for Partizan Mozzart Bet of the Serbian league instead. Carlik revealed after the World Cup that he had some offers from the NBA but that the move to Serbia felt right and that Partizan appears to be the ideal team for him. At 26 years old, he might still have time to move back to the American league in the future.
<h2>Summary</h2>
At the moment none of the non-NBA players who performed well in the 2024 Olympics seems set to join the American basketball league. Yet, some of them have already played here before heading abroad to try their luck elsewhere, so it wouldn&rsquo;t be a major surprise to see one or more players from this list reaching the NBA at some point. &nbsp;

The success of men’s basketball in the 2024 Olympics has opened the eyes of many fans that there are a lot of great teams and players.

Which Olympic Basketball Stars Could Join the NBA?

Reigning World champion Germany and hosts France will square off once again but this time in a bigger stage as the heavyweight matchup draws another chapter in the Paris 2024 Olympic Games.&nbsp;
The Germans and the French have faced each other in the group stage over at Group B where Germany won handily, 85-71. NBA duo Franz Wagner and Dennis Schroder led the way for Germany as they stifled a France team eager to play in front of their home fans in Lille. The Germans punished the French on both ends of the floor in that game, capitalizing on misses and converting on easy transition points in the fastbreak.&nbsp;
That led to Germany finishing first in the group and facing Greece in the quarterfinals, winning 76-63. France ended up taking second in the group and matched up against a tougher Canada side with an NBA-laden roster. However, with the help of an active and energetic crowd in Paris, France rode the momentum to upset the Canadians 82-73 and set up a rematch against Germany.
This French crowd may just be the difference for France in this rematch vs Germany.&nbsp;
Key storylines to watch out for
<ul>
<li aria-level="1">Victor Wembanyama&rsquo;s bounce back game</li>
</ul>
Victor Wembanyama played an ugly game vs Canada with his usual standards, only having 7 points on just 2/10 FG and 0/6 from three. Wemby struggled to find his offense all game long, missing mostly on wide open shots that he usually makes. He did, however, make a crucial defensive play with under 3 minutes to go by blocking a shot which eventually turned into an Evan Fournier dagger from 40 ft to push France&rsquo;s lead to 10. That is usually where Wembanyama&rsquo;s excellence is ramified &ndash; on the defensive end of the floor. Much is to be said for the highly-touted French phenom, but he absolutely cannot play like he did against Canada if France wants to win vs the reigning world champions. That said, it can be expected Wemby bounces back big-time one way or another.&nbsp;
<ul>
<li aria-level="1">Rudy Gobert&rsquo;s minutes</li>
</ul>
In a bold move, France head coach Vincent Collet opted to bring the NBA center off the bench for better matchups against Canada &ndash; and it worked superbly well. Guerschon Yabusele started in Gobert&rsquo;s place and eventually earned the player of the game honors with 22 points. Yabusele was the driving force of France&rsquo;s attack as he attacked the paint with his aggressiveness. His added scoring punch compared to Gobert&rsquo;s playing style helped France get the lead early and never relinquished it until the end.
Against Germany, it will be interesting to see how Gobert acclimates himself and makes himself usable. The Germans have a strong frontline that fits well with each other alongside Franz Wagner and Schroder&rsquo;s relentless attacking of the rim. Perhaps Gobert will make himself valuable on the defensive side of the floor as France will need all the help they can get on defense with Germany&rsquo;s incredible offense.
<ul>
<li aria-level="1">Germany against Paris, France, and the world</li>
</ul>
Despite being the reigning world champions, pressure will be on against Germany to perform on the biggest stage in front of a hostile crowd in Paris. The French will have the crowd on their side and it could be the difference in a game like this. This would be Germany&rsquo;s first-ever Olympic semifinal appearance in the nation&rsquo;s history, so it will be interesting to see if they can hold off the pressure and perform with the highest stakes. They will need every bit of Franz Wagner, Dennis Schroder, and the rest of the world champion-winning roster to stave off a tough challenge from Victor Wembanyama and France, who are also looking to enter the gold medal match as hosts in these Olympics.&nbsp;

Reigning World champion Germany and hosts France will square off once again but this time in a bigger stage.

Paris 2024 semifinals preview: Hosts France take on World champs Germany

Behind a raucous crowd at the Bercy Arena in Paris, Hosts France played a great game to grab a huge win over Canada, 82-73, and book a spot in the semifinals at the 2024 Paris Olympics.&nbsp;
The French fed off the high intensity and energy inside the Bercy Arena to deny the Canadians, who coming to the game, were in huge favorites. Canada did not lose a single game in pool play despite being in the so-called &lsquo;Group of Death&rsquo;. They were flawless and were looking to claim the hosts as their next victim on their way to pursue a gold medal, however, France had other plans in mind.&nbsp;
To counter Canada&rsquo;s speed and strength with their guards, France and head coach Vincent Collet opted to start Guerschon Yabusele at the 4 alongside French phenom Victor Wembanyama at the 5 instead of Rudy Gobert. This was an effort to have a faster lineup, and it paid dividends for France. Yabusele feasted on a smaller Canadian frontline, leading the team in scoring with 22 points. He pounded the ball inside and was aggressive looking for his shot, providing the extra scoring punch France needed. Matthias Lessort also did the same thing off the bench as he scored 14 points of his own off of similar actions like Yabusele.
Wembanyama struggled to find his offense as he finished just 2/10 from the field good for 10 points, but he provided perhaps the biggest play of the game when he blocked a shot in the 4th quarter as Canada was mounting their comeback. Wembanyama&rsquo;s block effectively sealed the deal for France before Evan Fournier knocked in a deep three to strike the dagger into the Canadians&rsquo; hearts.
NBA superstar Shai Gilgeous-Alexander once again led Team Canada with 27 points, 5 rebounds, and 4 assists however teammate Jamal Murray struggled yet again with just 7 points on 3/13 shooting.&nbsp;
Canada went down early up to as much as 20 points in the first half after a barrage of highlight plays and crowd-hyping moments inside the Bercy Arena. It was as loud as its ever been with the home team playing, and it became the energy that France needed to take the win vs Canada.
The Canadians attempted to make one last push for a comeback in the 4th when RJ Barrett hit a huge three to come within 6 points, 61-55. However, that was the closest the Canadians could go in the 4th as France kept hitting shots to keep Canada away.
Up next for France is a rematch between reigning FIBA World Champions Germany in the semifinals for a slot in the gold medal game. France lost to Germany in the group stage to finish 2nd in the group, so they should be eager to win the game as payback.

Behind a raucous crowd at the Bercy Arena in Paris, Hosts France played a great game to grab a huge win over Canada, 82-73.

Hosts France cruise to a resounding win over Canada

Day 2 of the 2024 NBA Summer League saw the sophomores dominate the games for their respective teams, showing their improvement from last season. Here are some players who stood out on the 2nd day of action in Las Vegas.
Stephon Castle, San Antonio Spurs
Castle looked every bit of the point guard he was billing himself into after a strong first showing for the Spurs. Castle looked comfortable attacking in the pick-and-roll, making reads and playmaking. The rookie from UConn was putting defenders in jail, doing the rocker step to get by opponents, and dishing it out to corner guys. In the end, Castle put up 22 points, 5 rebounds, and 4 assists as the Spurs beat the Blazers.
Brandon Miller, Charlotte Hornets
The No. 2 overall pick from last year&rsquo;s draft looked stronger than ever, benefiting from a Team USA Select Team just a week ago. Miller has been steadily improving his shot, decision-making, and playmaking, en route to scoring 23 points and 8 rebounds for the Hornets in their win vs the Knicks.
Jaime Jaquez Jr., Miami Heat
Jaquez looked like he did not belong in the summer league, not because he was bad or struggled, but because he was too good to be playing in the tournament. Jaquez churned in 29 points, 11 rebounds, and 4 assists as the Heat won a nailbiter over the Celtics.
Cody Williams, Utah Jazz
The younger brother of OKC&rsquo;s Jalen Williams, Cody impressed in his Las Vegas Summer League debut with an efficient night of scoring from the field. In a win by the Jazz vs the Mavs, Williams scored 21 points on 9-15 FG and 3-6 from the field, making his case early as one of the best rookies in this draft class.

Day 2 of the 2024 NBA Summer League saw the sophomores dominate the games for their respective teams.

2024 NBA Summer League: Day 2 Standouts

The Boston Celtics became the winningest franchise in NBA history after capturing their 18th championship title by slaying the Dallas Mavericks at home in Game 5 of the 2024 NBA Finals on Day 42 of the 2024 NBA Playoffs on Monday night.
The Celtics led from start to finish behind a raucous Boston crowd who were ecstatic to win on their home floor. Jrue Holiday provided the early muscle and grit using his trademark defensive abilities and then sneaking in for the Celtics&rsquo; first three baskets.
From then on, it was all Celtics with each player chipping in with dunks, threes, and layups. Payton Pritchard provided perhaps the biggest play of the game that seemingly sucked the souls of the Mavericks when he hit a half-court buzzer-buzzer beating shot to put the Celtics up by 21 at the half.
After stretching the lead to as big as 26, the Mavs fought back for a bit but only cut the lead to as short as 18 points as the Celtics cruised to the victory.
It was a sweet ending for a lot of Celtics players, giving them vindication for all they&rsquo;ve been through over the years. Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown, who have been with the team the longest and have been the team&rsquo;s core pieces, now finally have a title to show for 7 years they&rsquo;ve been together. It&rsquo;s been a symbol of patience and dedication for both Tatum and Brown and Boston as a whole for sticking with the duo and giving them a chance to finally win a title.&nbsp;
For his efforts, Brown was named the Finals MVP.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
Jaylen Brown is the 2024 <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/NBAFinals?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#NBAFinals</a> MVP 🏆 📊 20.8 PPG | 44% FG | 5 APG | 5.4 RPG | 1.6 SPG <a href="https://t.co/zue6AFWgQx">pic.twitter.com/zue6AFWgQx</a>
&mdash; BasketballNews.com (@basketbllnews) <a href="https://twitter.com/basketbllnews/status/1802903292961607812?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 18, 2024</a>
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</blockquote>
This has been the 2023-2024 NBA season, ending with the Boston Celtics as the 2024 NBA World Champions. Check out our recap here:
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
THE BOSTON CELTICS ARE YOUR 2024 NBA CHAMPIONS! ☘️🏆 This marks the Celtics' 18th NBA title, breaking the tie with the Lakers for the most championships in NBA history 👏🏽 <a href="https://t.co/lZUYNHwb0l">pic.twitter.com/lZUYNHwb0l</a>
&mdash; BasketballNews.com (@basketbllnews) <a href="https://twitter.com/basketbllnews/status/1802896392966549589?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 18, 2024</a>
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</blockquote>

The Boston Celtics became the winningest franchise in NBA history after capturing their 18th championship title in the 2024 NBA Finals.

2024 NBA Playoffs Day 44 Recap: Boston completes historic season, win 18th championship

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

The 2024 NBA Draft combine is underway at the Wintrust Arena in Chicago, Illinois and aspiring prospects are going to be showcasing what they&rsquo;ve got in front of hundreds of NBA scouts in attendance.
Here&rsquo;s a look at the early assessments of players and some head-turning stats and capabilities.&nbsp;
<ul>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">Bronny James, son of LeBron James, has been listed at 6-foot-1 without shoes.&nbsp;</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">40.5 vertical leap (4th highest among prospects)</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">Shot 19/25 in the 3-point Star Drill (2nd overall)</li>
</ul>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
Bronny James jumped 40.5 inches high at the NBA Draft Combine 👀 (🎥 <a href="https://twitter.com/krystenpeek?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@krystenpeek</a>)<a href="https://t.co/G1O2hTl61B">pic.twitter.com/G1O2hTl61B</a>
&mdash; BasketballNews.com (@basketbllnews) <a href="https://twitter.com/basketbllnews/status/1790165729335222548?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 13, 2024</a></blockquote>

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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
Bronny James with the smooth stroke on his 3PT shooting 🤌🏽🎯 (🎥 <a href="https://twitter.com/DraftExpress?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@DraftExpress</a>)<a href="https://t.co/742749YDYF">pic.twitter.com/742749YDYF</a>
&mdash; BasketballNews.com (@basketbllnews) <a href="https://twitter.com/basketbllnews/status/1790170582862237974?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 14, 2024</a></blockquote>

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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
Bronny James en fuego 🔥 Didn't miss a single shot 👀<a href="https://t.co/GwBTY1pIE8">pic.twitter.com/GwBTY1pIE8</a>
&mdash; BasketballNews.com (@basketbllnews) <a href="https://twitter.com/basketbllnews/status/1790179718559621429?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 14, 2024</a>
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<ul>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">Projected no.1 overall pick Alex Sarr out of France showing his shooting stroke</li>
</ul>
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Projected No. 1 pick Alex Sarr 3-point shooting drill at the NBA draft combine (🎥 <a href="https://twitter.com/DraftExpress?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@DraftExpress</a>)<a href="https://t.co/qlBfp1UE7H">pic.twitter.com/qlBfp1UE7H</a>
&mdash; BasketballNews.com (@basketbllnews) <a href="https://twitter.com/basketbllnews/status/1790169579928645784?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 13, 2024</a>
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<ul>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">Purdue 7-foot-4 behemoth Zach Edey showing some shooting skills with a Jokic-like release</li>
</ul>
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Zach Edey shows off his 3PT shooting in the NBA draft combine 🎯 Got that Jokic release 👀 (🎥 <a href="https://twitter.com/DraftExpress?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@DraftExpress</a>)<a href="https://t.co/lePmsICuyc">pic.twitter.com/lePmsICuyc</a>
&mdash; BasketballNews.com (@basketbllnews) <a href="https://twitter.com/basketbllnews/status/1790167049194582477?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 13, 2024</a>
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<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">Kentucky&rsquo;s Reed Sheppard and Providence&rsquo;s Devin Carter both recorded the highest vertical leap jumps of the day at 42 inches</li>
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Reed Sheppard &amp; Devin Carter (42-inch) are tied for the highest max vertical leap at this year's draft combine ⬆️<a href="https://t.co/kozGnvMWxG">pic.twitter.com/kozGnvMWxG</a><a href="https://t.co/EYyod9YDDv">pic.twitter.com/EYyod9YDDv</a>
&mdash; BasketballNews.com (@basketbllnews) <a href="https://twitter.com/basketbllnews/status/1790171352261095578?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 14, 2024</a>
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Article to be updated with more details from the 2024 NBA Draft Combine.
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A look at the early assessments of players and some head-turning stats and capabilities at the 2024 NBA Draft Combine.

2024 NBA Draft Combine early assessments: Prospects start their NBA dream

Team USA players came inside the Kerry Sports basketball facility one by one, each sporting their preferred and comfortable gear from the blazing heat of the Philippine weather they were not so accustomed to. They were about to hold their first practices in Manila for the FIBA World Cup 2023, the sport&rsquo;s world championship meet.
Anthony Edwards was one of the last ones to enter the gym along with fellow NBA no.1 overall pick Paolo Banchero. He had his Adidas Adilette comfort slides put on with black Team USA jogger pants and an Adidas triple-colored hoodie. Edwards was fixated on his phone, walking past whispering reporters onto the team&rsquo;s huddle at center court, clearly being the center of attraction for the young Team USA squad.
&ldquo;That&rsquo;s who they call the Ant-Man.&rdquo;
Once upon a time, Edwards&rsquo; name was held in a much lower regard. The 22-year-old is considered to be one of the best and brightest young players in the league but has yet to establish himself as one of the staples and premier superstars with an iconic and deep playoff performance that cements him in that tier.
Until these playoffs.
Edwards has separated himself from the pack of young superstars leading their teams and entered the upper echelon of basketball royalty in the NBA. With the league anticipating the &lsquo;changing of the guard&rsquo; as current faces LeBron James, Stephen Curry, and Kevin Durant eventually diminish their shining glories as the league&rsquo;s best of the best, Edwards comes in as one of the hopefuls to take the mantle when that inevitable day comes.
&ldquo;I&rsquo;ve been saying that he (Edwards) is the face of the league but he hates it when I say it &ndash; but it&rsquo;s true. The future&rsquo;s so bright you gotta put the sunglasses on when you&rsquo;re walking around him,&rdquo; Karl-Anthony Towns said, in their post-game interview after their first-round series with the&nbsp;Phoenix Suns.
Edwards glanced briefly at Towns, who was beside him at the podium. He had that little smile on his face while bowing down his head as his teammate praised him in front of the listening reporters. He looked at Towns again, this time shaking his head in disbelief, but it had the element of confidence. There was obviously a focus on what Towns was talking about but with Edwards&rsquo; elite level-headedness through it all.&nbsp;
&ldquo;You&rsquo;re a young superstar in the league and you have to face it,&rdquo; the statement emphasized on Edwards as he&rsquo;s trying to soak it all in.
Ever since Edwards has been adamant about not calling himself anything until he wins in the playoffs. Now that his Wolves beat the Suns to win the franchise&rsquo;s first playoff series since 2004, Edwards certainly has all the right in the world to give himself even the tiniest bit of praise.
He thought for a good three seconds, glancing at the reporter and the horizon for a moment. He was just asked if he was now able to give himself some grace in that regard when people call him that &lsquo;young superstar&rsquo; label. A small grin emerged onto his face, clearly oozing with confidence albeit a controlled one. He looked back with that smile on his face while nodding, he said:
&ldquo;Nah, not yet a man. Not yet.&rdquo;
Behind this usual brash, confident, and charismatic Edwards is a hungry side that never gets contented and satisfied until he achieves his ultimate goal: winning a championship. Maybe he&rsquo;ll have the guts to call himself one when they reach the Finals and end up going all the way. But that remains to be seen.
He&rsquo;s got the swagger, the personality, and the charisma to be marketable by the league. Edwards mentioned wanting to go kill everybody that&rsquo;s in front of him, and boy, he did.&nbsp;
Edwards swept the Suns featuring his childhood idol and favorite player of all time Kevin Durant, who he has been jawing back and forth at several times in the series. This was him going at his childhood hero, taking on the challenge and never backing down. However, the play of the series happened in Game 4 when Minnesota was trying to put the nail in the coffin for Phoenix.&nbsp;
With 2:18 left on the clock in the 4th quarter, Edwards blew by Beal and rose through the air as high as he could. Durant made the right business decision by not going up together with a rampaging bull as he should For a brief moment, he looked like the second coming of a certain Michael Jordan &ndash; yet again &ndash; after he&rsquo;s been labeled as such throughout the course of the season after each jaw-dropping spectacular play. Edwards threw down a ferocious poster slam dunk that might have literally blown the roof over the Footprint Center as the play signaled the beginning of the end for the Suns.
Durant and Edwards will play together in Team USA in August for the Paris Olympics, and these two for sure would go head to head making their practice sessions much more interesting. &ldquo;It&rsquo;s definitely a good feeling because he&rsquo;s my favorite player of all time, and I can tell him that I was the one who sent him home. It&rsquo;s gonna be a fun summer for sure,&rdquo; Edwards said.
First game of the Western Conference Finals and up against the Nuggets, Edwards scored a playoff career-high 43 points. He dissected their entire defense, scoring in all types of ways imaginable for a superstar. Edwards hit threes, blown by some of the toughest defenders in the NBA Aaron Gordon, and hit fadeaway mid-range jumpers reminiscent of Jordan. More importantly, Edwards displayed the level of maturity a superstar has to make in the playoffs &ndash; playing off of your teammates and playmaking for the entire team. He has done it so far with relative ease and that&rsquo;s why the Timberwolves have found their early success in this postseason.
He&rsquo;s doing it against supposedly their biggest challenge &ndash; the defending champions &ndash; who sent them home a year ago. &ldquo;Last year we didn&rsquo;t have Jaden (McDaniels) and Naz (Reid) against them so it was quite frustrating. Now that we have both I think we can definitely do better,&rdquo; Edwards said about their biggest thing in this rematch series vs Denver is being healthy.
Before the season started, Edwards was this up-and-coming 22-year-old star leading his nation at the World Championships for a chance at glory. Although the Americans ended up not medalling after losing to eventual world champions Germany in the semifinals and to neighboring Canada in the third-place game, Edwards was clearly the best player on the team filled with young American talent. He led Team USA in scoring, and at 22 years old, this was only the start of a big year ahead.
Edwards then was the clear-cut best player for the third-best team in the West, with Minnesota having a 56-26 record. Those 56 wins were the most since 2004 when they had 58 and went to the Western Conference Finals. They were led back then by legend Kevin Garnett but that was also their last time seeing the playoffs.&nbsp;
20 years later, Edwards is now shouldering all the burden by taking this Wolves team back to relevance, basking in all the glory he&rsquo;s worked so hard to attain. He&rsquo;s one of the bonafide young rising superstars in the league, and he intends to take them all the way.
Edwards&rsquo; huge season and ascension to superstardom could be attributed back to something you see coming even from a mile away. And it all started in that summer lengthy yet productive summer in 2023.
While most players use their summers to recuperate, have a vacation somewhere, and spend time with families and loved ones, Edwards took a privileged yet opportunistic route: play with the National Team at the FIBA World Cup. Usually, NBA superstars all express their willingness to play with the National Team at the Olympics. For no definite reason, somehow the FIBA World Cup does not seem appealing to play for the older/senior superstar guys, so it&rsquo;s usually the juniors/young guys who represent Team USA. Anthony Edwards took up that challenge and became the best player for the team and in turn, he&rsquo;s reaping the benefits of it in the playoffs.
&ldquo;I&rsquo;ve put in work this summer. Big shoutout to the USA team, man. They got me ready for the season.&rdquo;
That killer mentality that Edwards has is something that&rsquo;s never seen often and has been with only a select few in the history of the game, particularly Jordan and Lakers great Kobe Bryant. Behind all that bold and tough personality, however, is a side of himself that genuinely enjoys playing with his teammates.
When asked about the prospect of having his Wolves&rsquo; teammates, the first thing out of his mouth was how he was excited to meet them while playing for their respective countries (Rudy Gobert for France, Karl-Anthony Towns for Dominican Republic, Kyle Anderson for China, and Nickeil Alexander-Walker for Canada). He looked forward to playing against them, citing how much fun he would have once it happened.
Despite his clear burgeoning superstardom, however,&nbsp; Edwards still deflected every credit thrown towards him. When asked what he feels as one of the guys being billed as one of the next faces of the league, Edwards dismissed the idea faster than a Math teacher dispersing students after giving out a tough assignment due &ndash;&nbsp; immediately answering without hesitation that he does not make anything of it.&nbsp;
&ldquo;I&rsquo;m just gonna keep working, man. I make nothing of it, yeah. I just hope that I keep getting better.&rdquo;
It was clear all along among all the people in the gym that fateful day: Edwards had the most aura out of them all. It was just oozing, something you can feel when you&rsquo;re around certain people. It&rsquo;s kind of intimidating, but only to a certain extent. You can just feel the energy brewing and that certain look when you come across one of the ones. The underlying factor before the season was Minnesota only having five national TV games all season long. With most of their games out of the eyes of the majority, Edwards assured one thing going into the season sternly and convincingly.
&ldquo;We just gonna try to keep playing, man. We&rsquo;re not really worried about the national TV games. As long as we win, we&rsquo;ll be on TV when we make it into the playoffs. The world will know about us.&rdquo;
As their playoff mantra suggests, the Timberwolves have been waiting for this moment since 2004. From the annals of the great Kevin Garnett&rsquo;s era to ushering this new one paved by superstar-in-the-making, young Anthony Edwards, the Minnesota Timberwolves have arrived.

The underlying factor before the season was Minnesota only having five national TV games all season despite having Anthony Edwards.

‘WOLVES BACK’: Anthony Edwards introduces the Timberwolves back to the world

Today, Rolling Loud &amp; The Crew League, announce&nbsp;the premiere of The &ldquo;We Got Next&rdquo; - 3 Point Contest. &nbsp;The Crew League&nbsp;&amp; Rolling Loud partner to present is a first-of-its-kind, unscripted basketball 3 point competition series held backstage on the grounds at&nbsp;Hollywood Park&nbsp;for Rolling Loud California 2024.
Kicking off on Monday, May 6th, the &ldquo;We Got Next&rdquo; 3 pt contest&nbsp;will feature artists from Rolling Loud California&rsquo;s lineup such as, Luh Tyler, Veeze, NLE Choppa, 310babii, 2Rare, Kaliii, That Mexican OT, Jeleel!, Rob49&nbsp;and so many more,&nbsp;along with surprise special guests like AdamW, Jabari Banks, Quincy, Adam22 and so many more, as they compete for bragging rights, a $50,000 cash prize, a custom diamond bracelet designed by Eric the Jeweler &amp; a custom one of one jacket by Jeff Hamilton. &nbsp;
In typical TCL fashion, humor will be at the center of the show. With more than fifty (50+) digestible episodes in the series hosted by comedy star, Ben Da Donnn, &nbsp;music superstar SuperDuperKyle, &amp; Treasure Wilson aka Stat Baby, this competition is sure to entertain all. &nbsp;
Talent List:
<img src="https://cdn.basketballnews.com/images/story/body/tcl-3pt_690w.png" alt="" />
Quotes:
&ldquo;We are excited to partner with Rolling Loud on such a disruptive concept! &nbsp;Most rappers think they can outshoot everyone from the 3pt line&hellip; &nbsp;Now we have a place for them to prove it&hellip; &nbsp;Excited for what's to come from our partnership&rdquo; &nbsp;- Elie Maroun (Commissioner &amp; Co-Founder of The Crew League)
<a href="https://next.frame.io/share/7842e3d2-68b6-4026-8006-6a605bceaa95/view/cc63fa52-0c07-4519-967b-58f435e66252">Check out the video here.</a>
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About Rolling Loud:
Founded by 7-time Billboard Hip-Hop Power Players Matt Zingler &amp; Tariq Cherif as a one-day Miami show, Rolling Loud has grown into a global festival phenomenon, putting on shows on both coasts and in multiple countries across four continents. Rolling Loud is the premier festival brand in hip-hop, known for its expert curation of wide-ranging lineups that reflect the state of the genre. In 2023, Rolling Loud expanded its empire even further, hosting a series of star-studded festivals in all corners of the globe, including debuts in Thailand and Germany, plus its flagship affair, Rolling Loud Miami, which offered its most diverse and wide-ranging lineup to date.
Throughout 2024, Rolling Loud commemorates "10 Years Of Rolling Loud," celebrating the festival's rise from humble origins to world dominance. Since the first Miami festival, Rolling Loud has evolved into a major force in hip-hop, providing a massive stage for rap's biggest names, giving early exposure to future superstars, including Travis Scott, Juice WRLD, and Ice Spice, and inspiring some of the most memorable moments in the genre's recent history. Now, Rolling Loud is hip-hop&rsquo;s biggest stage, with star-studded festivals on four continents and more milestones to come.
Stay tuned for announcements about Rolling&nbsp;Loud's 2024&nbsp;World Tour, including upcoming festivals in Los Angeles, Europe, and more.

The Crew League & Rolling Loud partner to present is a first-of-its-kind, unscripted basketball 3 point competition series held backstage on the grounds at Hollywood Park for Rolling Loud California 2024.