San Antonio Spurs

It&rsquo;s 2024, and teams led by Stephen Curry and LeBron James are once again near the top of the Western Conference. The Warriors have surged to a 6-1 record, placing them tied for 2nd, while the Lakers aren&rsquo;t far behind, holding the 5th spot in a jam-packed situation with several other teams with a 4-3 start. These strong beginnings reflect the impact of both veteran leadership and tactical innovation from new coaching staff.&nbsp;
At the center of it all are James and Curry. The two will always be intertwined after all those years of squaring off in the Finals, even more so now after being the de facto faces of the league. Despite some rocky performances, both Steph and LeBron remain the league's gold standard for sustained excellence.
The Warriors have been on fire to start the season, and they&rsquo;re doing it through defense. They are first in the league in deflections through 7 games played, disrupting opposing teams&rsquo; schemes. More than their high-octane offense, it's their defense that&rsquo;s had a noticeable jump from last year and it&rsquo;s showing up early in the standings.&nbsp;
At the heart of the Warriors&rsquo; offense though is the generational talent in Steph. Curry's impact on the game remains unmatched &ndash; his consistent scoring and playmaking are invaluable and he commands the respect of defenses while creating scoring opportunities for his teammates.
Draymond Green&rsquo;s defensive influence has anchored Golden State&rsquo;s early success. Even without Curry for three games, the Warriors have continued their winning streak and Draymond was leading the pack with their leader sidelined. His energy and presence bring stability to the defensive end, setting the tone for the entire team. Green&rsquo;s communication and hustle provide a roadmap for the younger Warriors, exemplifying what&rsquo;s expected in terms of effort and awareness on defense.&nbsp;
Younger players like Jonathan Kuminga and Moses Moody have brought depth and energy. Kuminga&rsquo;s athleticism and refined shot selection have given the Warriors a scoring boost, while Moody&rsquo;s steady hand and court vision have added depth.&nbsp;
Under head coach Steve Kerr and his new assistants Terry Stotts and Jerry Stackhouse, the Warriors&rsquo; dynamic rotations leverage both the experience of seasoned stars and the energy of rising talent.&nbsp; With a more reliable bench this season, head coach Steve Kerr has even more flexibility in his rotations. The team signed free agents Buddy Hield, Kyle Anderson, and DeAnthony Melton &ndash; all solid role players that have contributed to their cause.&nbsp;
Along with second year players Brandin Podziemski and Trayce Jackson-Davis, the Warriors&rsquo; depth is crucial as it allows the team to maintain intensity and momentum when the starters rest. Each player is clear on their role, which keeps the Warriors competitive in all game situations and allows Kerr to implement strategic adjustments without compromising the team&rsquo;s flow.
The Lakers are also enjoying a strong start to the season despite recent disappointing losses. With new head coach JJ Redick bringing a fresh perspective and strategic shift to the team, the Lakers look an entirely different team from a year ago. Redick&rsquo;s emphasis on ball movement and three-point efficiency has provided the Lakers with an offensive boost, allowing their shooters to maximize space and versatility. His experience as a former player gives him a strong rapport with the team, allowing him to instill a confident and cohesive approach.
LeBron James and Anthony Davis remain crucial, with LeBron&rsquo;s court vision and leadership guiding the Lakers&rsquo; offense while Davis continues to dominate defensively and in the paint. Their veteran presence is balanced by young players like Austin Reaves, who has stepped up as a consistent scoring and playmaking option, enhancing the Lakers' depth.
Why LeBron and Steph, Lakers and Warriors, being good is great for the NBA
With James and Curry&rsquo;s teams on top, the NBA benefits from a renewed excitement to their teams. Both the Lakers and Warriors lead in national TV appearances this year &ndash; with 39 and 36 respectively &ndash; underscoring the pull of their megastar leaders.&nbsp;
These two franchises add a level of intrigue that fans and the league can&rsquo;t get enough of. In a landscape with younger stars emerging, LeBron and Steph&rsquo;s presence at the top underscores their lasting impact and broad appeal&mdash;creating a formula for success and driving fan engagement everywhere.
The simultaneous resurgence of both the Warriors and Lakers is not only exciting for their fans but also beneficial for the NBA. These two franchises, with storied rivalries and legacies, bring added viewership and energy to the league.&nbsp;
Their renewed competitiveness boosts the Western Conference&rsquo;s intrigue and sets up the potential for classic matchups in the playoffs, reigniting a rivalry that has captivated fans for years.&nbsp;
As the season unfolds, the Warriors and Lakers are proving that their presence at the top is essential for keeping the NBA as thrilling as ever.

It’s 2024, and teams led by Stephen Curry and LeBron James are once again near the top of the West --- it’s great for the game.

The Warriors and Lakers could be back, and it’s great for the NBA

In the NBA, every season tells a new story. While some players soar, others face setbacks&mdash;whether it's injuries, poor performance, or unfortunate circumstances that leave them struggling to make an impact. But basketball is also a game of redemption, and with every new season comes a chance for a comeback. This year, several NBA players who faced adversity last season or from the past few years are determined to remind the league of their talent and value. As the stage is set for the 2024 season, these players are primed for a revenge season as they are eager to bounce back and prove they still belong among the NBA's elite. Let&rsquo;s break down who these players are and why they&rsquo;re poised for a resurgence.
Lonzo Ball, Guard, Chicago Bulls
Out for the entirety of two and a half seasons or about three years worth of basketball with a knee injury, Ball&rsquo;s absence was sorely felt by the Bulls. The two-way playmaker had been evolving into an elite perimeter defender and three-point shooter before the setback. If healthy, he has the skills to transform the Bulls' fortunes as they try to contend again. They recently acquired young guard Josh Giddey and now the Bulls will have Ball&rsquo;s services back again. His ability to initiate the fast break and command the offense could be vital for a Bulls team hungry for playoff success.
Ben Simmons, Guard/Forward, Brooklyn Nets
Ben Simmons&rsquo; struggles have been highly publicized. Once regarded as an All-Star, his decline, marred by back injuries and confidence issues, has been drastic. But with a new season comes a chance for redemption. In Brooklyn, without the weight of high expectations and with a roster that&rsquo;s more role-player-centric, Simmons could thrive by doing what he does best: defense, playmaking, and transition offense. A rejuvenated Simmons can be a critical asset to the Nets&rsquo; success. It remains to be seen if Simmons can come back from the level he used to play at Philadelphia &ndash; using his uncanny combination of size and speed to terrorize opponents in transition &ndash; but being healthy is the first step of Simmons to show the world again what he is capable of.
Jordan Poole, Guard, Washington Wizards
After a breakout season in Golden State that culminated in a championship, Poole's form dipped over the last two years due to locker room tensions and inconsistency. Now with entering his second full season with the Wizards, Poole will have more freedom to dominate the ball and score now that Tyus Jones signed with the Suns. Poole will now be the Wizards&rsquo; lead guard and main playmaker and he&rsquo;s in a prime position to elevate his game as Washington&rsquo;s primary scoring option. This could lead to career-best numbers and renewed confidence for Poole as he aims to remind everyone of his career resurgence.
Gabe Vincent, Guard, Los Angeles Lakers
After coming off basically an off year last year with the Lakers following a lingering injury on his leg/knee, Gabe Vincent&rsquo;s journey is one of perseverance. Now in his second season with Los Angeles after signing that free agent contract last year, Vincent has an opportunity to shine on a larger stage and be a role player that could help LeBron James and Anthony Davis. Vincent is known for his shooting and tough defense and he can provide valuable backcourt depth alongside established stars. If he continues to grow and adapt to his new role, he could be a pivotal piece for the Lakers in their title aspirations.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
Which player do you think will bounce back and have a revenge season? 🤔 <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/NBA?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#NBA</a> <a href="https://t.co/HHA92LNyJ0">pic.twitter.com/HHA92LNyJ0</a>
&mdash; BasketballNews.com (@basketbllnews) <a href="https://twitter.com/basketbllnews/status/1845849068238745680?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 14, 2024</a></blockquote>

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These players are primed for a revenge season as they are eager to bounce back and prove they still belong among the NBA's elite.

NBA Players Poised for a Comeback: Who Will Shine in 2024?

Stephen Curry has signed a one-year, $62.6 million extension with the Golden State Warriors in what is the largest single-season contract in NBA history to date, <a href="https://x.com/wojespn/status/1829193411787903446">according to ESPN&rsquo;s Adrian Wojnarowski.</a>&nbsp;
With this new extension, Curry will join LeBron James and Kevin Durant as the only $500+ million earning NBA players in history.
ANALYSIS: Curry&rsquo;s new contract now aligns with Draymond Green&rsquo;s, running through the 2026-2027 season. It remains to be seen if head coach Steve Kerr, whose contract runs through the 2025-2026 season, will also sign a one-year extension with the team to align his contract with stars Green and Curry.
Even entering his age-37 season, Curry remains formidable as ever. The Golden State Warriors superstar point guard has had a fruitful summer, winning an Olympic gold medal with Team USA with an iconic performance in the gold medal game against hosts France.&nbsp;
Golden State enters the new NBA season with a new group around Curry. They lost Warrior legend Klay Thompson in free agency to the Dallas Mavericks. The Warriors replaced Thompson with capable surrounding pieces in Kyle Anderson, DeAnthony Melton, and Buddy Hield as they try to contend in the tough Western Conference.&nbsp;

Stephen Curry has signed a one-year, $62.6 million extension with the Golden State Warriors according to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski.

Stephen Curry signs massive $62.6 million extension with Warriors

The USA Men&rsquo;s National Basketball Team did not break a sweat as it dominated Brazil by 35 points, 122-87, to book a semifinals ticket at the 2024 Paris Olympics.&nbsp;
Team USA led from start to finish as they played their first game in Paris at the Bercy Arena after playing their first 3 group stage games 150 miles north of the French capital in Lille at the Pierre de Mauroy stadium. The Americans were welcomed by a sold-out crowd in Paris this time and did not disappoint.&nbsp;
Team USA unleashed a barrage of threes led by Devin Booker, who had 18 points with 5 threes made. Team USA also went up and ran the floor, causing havoc on the open floor with their vaunted defense to get some easy buckets on the other end.&nbsp;
Joel Embiid, a crowd favorite in Paris, played perhaps the best game in a Team USA jersey with 14 points including 3/3 from downtown. He scored on an and-one in the 2nd quarter and had fun time hyping up fans that were booing him, celebrating on a dx chop gesture made famous in the WWE.
LeBron James was his usual captain self as he manned the team with 12 points and a team high 9 assists. James went to the locker room in the 3rd quarter after getting hit inadvertently at the side of the head, and according to head coach Steve Kerr, needed four stitches. James ended up back on the bench in the 4th quarter as he watched his fellow Americans cruise to the victory.&nbsp;
Kevin Durant, Team USA&rsquo;s Captain America, made history by becoming the federation&rsquo;s all-time leading scorer in history both in men&rsquo;s and women&rsquo;s by scoring 11 points. He also had his 26th straight game of scoring 10 or more which is 2 more games off the mark of Pau Gasol, who has the record at 28 games straight.&nbsp;
Birthday boy Anthony Edwards who just turned 23 had himself a fun game, scoring 17 points and getting up the shots he wanted to take off the bench.&nbsp;
Everybody else played their role and this Team USA still looks invincible 4 games in, with possibly 2 more games to go before winning that coveted 5th straight Olympic gold medal.
Bruno Caboclo showed up for Brazil with 30 points on 13/20 shooting, which marked his 2nd straight game scoring 30 or more. Caboclo scored 33 points in their win vs Japan.
Up next for Team USA is a rematch with Serbia in the semifinals. Team USA notably beat the Serbians by 26 in group stage play, and Serbia should have something on their shoulders ahead of that colossal semis matchup for a chance to play for gold.

The USA Men’s National Basketball Team did not break a sweat as it dominated Brazil by 35 points, 122-87, to book a semifinals ticket.

Team USA dominates Brazil to book Olympics semis ticket

The USA Men&rsquo;s National Basketball Team continued to rack up wins in their Olympic journey, this time beating South Sudan, to go up 2-0 in pool play and secure their quarterfinal spot at the Pierre de Mauroy Stadium in Lille, France.&nbsp;
After a near scare in their USA Basketball Showcase Game in London where they just won by just a point, Team USA did not let up against this South Sudan team armed with length and shooting. The Americans used every bit of advantage that they have, including all the talent in the world to create separation from the rising South Sudanese. The win essentially made Team USA the top seeded team in Group C with one game to go against Puerto Rico.&nbsp;
The big storyline of this game however went to the benching of superstar center Joel Embiid, who did not see any minutes at all. When asked post-game what went to the decision, Team USA head coach Steve Kerr iterated the need to match up to South Sudan&rsquo;s quickness and length on the wings. Kerr started Anthony Davis in this game in place of Embiid then he put Jayson Tatum in the starting lineup after not playing him at all against Serbia. Tatum started the game in place of Jrue Holiday to go along with Steph Curry, Devin Booker, and LeBron James.&nbsp;
The move went so well as Team USA started off strong with its transition offense as well as an all-switching lineup on defense prevented South Sudan from creating any noteworthy advantages all game long. Team USA also hounded South Sudan&rsquo;s lead guard Carlik Jones who had a triple-double in the exhibition game they played in London.
Bam Adebayo top scored for the Americans with 18 points off the bench while also grabbing 7 rebounds. Kevin Durant, Anthony Edwards, and LeBron James backed him up with 14, 13, and 12 points respectively.&nbsp;
According to ESPN&rsquo;s Brian Windhorst, this will not be the last time Steve Kerr is going to change his starting lineup as Team USA will continue to experiment and treat it as matchup-basis in determining the starters. Moreover, Windhorst says Embiid should be back in the starting lineup in Team USA&rsquo;s last game vs Puerto Rico.

The USA Men’s National Basketball Team continued to rack up wins in their Olympic journey, this time beating South Sudan.

Team USA goes up 2-0 in Group C after defeating South Sudan

The USA Men&rsquo;s National Basketball Team passed its second test after beating Australia, 98-92, in the USA Basketball Showcase in Abu Dhabi.&nbsp;
In part of their preparation for the Paris Olympics, Team USA looked to be in cruise control after leading by 20 over the Boomers. However, Australia unleashed a huge run in the 4th quarter, even cutting the lead down to just 4, 94-90, with 15 seconds to go.
Phoenix Suns&rsquo; superstar guard Devin Booker took over from there as he hit 4 clutch free throws to keep the rushing Australians at bay and win the game.
Anthony Davis once again had a double-double to lead the US with 17 points and 14 rebounds while Booker added 16 points of his own. Both came off the bench for the Steve Kerr-manned squad.
Main takeaways:
STEVE KERR PLAYING 4 GUARD LINEUP AT THE END
With Australia playing fast and wreaking havoc on the wings, Kerr opted for an interesting lineup to close the game with Tyrese Haliburton, Jrue Holiday, Anthony Edwards, and Devin Booker all on the floor &ndash; a 4-guard lineup &ndash; alongside Miami Heat big man Bam Adebayo. It could be argued that the lineup almost cost Team USA the game with the Boomers attacking the paint relentlessly against a relatively smaller Team USA lineup. However, it could also be argued on the other way that Kerr utilized the lineup to have more decision-makers on the floor, making reads, and moving the ball. Nonetheless, it was an interesting decision considering the personnel Kerr has at his disposal.&nbsp;
JOEL EMBIID GETTING ESTABLISHED ON OFFENSE
For the second straight game, no one from the opposing team could guard the NBA&rsquo;s MVP straight up. Joel Embiid had a better game vs Australia after fouling out vs Team Canada, scoring 10 points with 5 rebounds. He established his presence on the post, drawing out double teams. At times, Embiid attacked the man in front of him and scored twice on an and-ones. He also dished out assists to the open man when Australia came to double. Overall a good game from Embiid as Kerr has mentioned about Team USA wanting to establish the big man early on offense.&nbsp;

The USA Men’s National Basketball Team passed its second test after beating Australia, 98-92, in the USAB Showcase in Abu Dhabi.

Team USA defeats Australia in USA Basketball Showcase 98-92

The 2024 NBA Free Agency underway. Here's everything you need to know about the makings and the moves around the NBA.

2024 NBA Free Agency Tracker: All the signings and deals in the offseason

For the first time since awards have been handed out to NBA players, all-rookie, all-defensive, and all-NBA teams are now positionless, paving the way for the best five players to make up a team regardless of position.
And for the league&rsquo;s All-Defensive teams list for this year, 4 bigs have been dominant throughout the regular season and have made the all-defensive first team &ndash; making up 4 of the 5 spots &ndash; an unprecedented turn of events in the NBA&rsquo;s awarding space.
Defensive Player of the Year Rudy Gobert, his runner-up and Rookie of the Year Victor Wembanyama, Defensive Player of the Year finalist Bam Adebayo, and Anthony Davis have been named to the NBA&rsquo;s All-Defensive First Team, the league announced Tuesday night.&nbsp;
All four, who play the center position, have been the most dominant defensive players during the regular season and have rightfully deserved a spot in the team. The 5th and only player that was not a big man was forward Herb Jones of the New Orleans Pelicans.
Gobert got all 99 1st place votes, Wembanyama had 86 1st place and 12 2nd place votes, Adebayo had 73 and 22, Davis had 60 and 31, and Jones had 66 and 27.&nbsp; Wembanyama became the first rookie in NBA history to make the first team, as several other rookies made the second team.
Making up the All-Defensive Second team were four guards Boston Celtics&rsquo; Jrue Holiday and Derrick White, Orlando Magic&rsquo;s Jalen Suggs, Chicago Bulls&rsquo; Alex Caruso, and a forward in Minnesota Timberwolves&rsquo; Jaden McDaniels.
Among the noticeable snubs from the 10-man rookie list that could have been awarded were the Portland Trailblazers&rsquo; Scoot Henderson (3rd overall), Detroit Pistons&rsquo; Ausar Thompson (5th overall pick), and Golden State Warriors&rsquo; Trayce Jackson-Davis (57th overall pick).
Check out the full results here:
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
The 2023-24 NBA All-Defensive First Team: ▪️ Bam Adebayo ▪️ Anthony Davis ▪️ Rudy Gobert ▪️ Herb Jones ▪️ Victor Wembanyama The 2023-24 NBA All-Defensive Second Team: ▪️ Alex Caruso ▪️ Jrue Holiday ▪️ Jaden McDaniels ▪️ Jalen Suggs of ▪️ Derrick White Who got snubbed? <a href="https://t.co/Uft0NYQS0F">pic.twitter.com/Uft0NYQS0F</a>
&mdash; BasketballNews.com (@basketbllnews) <a href="https://twitter.com/basketbllnews/status/1793049284755030413?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 21, 2024</a></blockquote>

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For the first time ever, winners of all-rookie, all-defensive, and all-NBA teams are now positionless: first-team all-defense has 4 bigs.

2024 NBA All-Defensive Teams: Bigs dominate the field

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

The Boston Celtics and the Miami Heat renew their playoff rivalry when they meet yet again in the playoffs. The two teams have faced each other three times (2020, 2022, 2023) over the past four postseason actions, with Miami having the advantage overall (2-1).
This year, the Celtics come in as the no.1 overall seed in the East while the Heat match them up as the no.8 seed. However, coming into these playoffs, there will be no expectations for Miami after learning their superstar Jimmy Butler would be out for at least several weeks following his knee injury in their play-in game against the Philadelphia 76ers.
They will be up against a dominant Celtics team that finished the regular season with a 64-18 record and the third-highest net rating of all time at 11.8, just behind the legendary Chicago Bulls teams led by the one and only Michael Jordan.
The Heat have faced the Celtics multiple times over the years and they now probably know some ways to effectively stop them, having schemes to try and limit their offensive executions as well as throwing some counters on offense to have their defense off-balanced.
Without Butler, this would be an uphill climb for Miami after what has been a roller coaster season for them and now facing their rivals who have become overwhelming favorites in this series.
However, there might be some things the Heat could do to make the dominant Celtics bleed a little for them to win some games (or even eventually win the series). Here&rsquo;s a look at those moves:
Duncan Robinson should play more
Along with Butler, Miami is coming into the series also without guards Terry Rozier and Josh Richardson due to their respective injuries. Without those three, the Heat&rsquo;s guard rotation has taken a significant hit with Tyler Herro, Delon Wright, and even forward Caleb Martin having to take a much bigger load offensively.
Enter Duncan Robinson.
Despite his usual suspect defense that has him riding the bench in the playoffs, coach Erik Spoelstra and the Heat could use his gravity as a shooter against the Celtics. Robinson has also steadily improved his playmaking this season, averaging a career-best 2.8 assists for the year. A better effort defensively has also made him a passable team defender, and he can hold his own against some players.
Gone are the days when the only option for Robinson was dribble handoffs for his threes as he has now shown the ability to attack off the catch and even developed the ability to make plays out of those dribble handoffs. Robinson is not the same player that he was before, expanding his game from being just more than a shooter to now being a secondary or third playmaker.
To further hide his defensive deficiencies and lessen the possible mishaps when he&rsquo;s on the floor, Robinson can be set up to match some of the Celtics&rsquo; easiest covers like Sam Hauser for both of their minutes. Robinson could come in at the same time as Hauser to match him up shot for shot, match his production from the three-point line, and try to see it from there.
The Heat should matchup-hunt and punish the Celtics&rsquo; average at-best defenders&nbsp;
Another thing that the Heat could do to tarnish the Celtics&rsquo; seemingly impenetrable team is to target their average-at-best defenders Payton Pritchard, Sam Hauser, and Luke Kornet. The Heat should hunt for Pritchard and Hauser on switches when they&rsquo;re on the floor and make them near to unplayable. They should also ask for switches on the high pick and roll with Kornet to leave him on an island at the top of the key. If they do this, the Heat could create two on-the-ball advantages that would be very useful in getting other guys open.
Miami has lineups that can exploit these players. Rookie Jaime Jaquez Jr., a prolific post-up player, could hunt Pritchard for post-ups, and then the Heat could surround him with shooters and short-roll decision-makers. If Boston sends two to the ball to help, it is an easy kick out to the open man and now the Heat have a chance to hit their wide-open looks.
If these players do end up getting played off the floor, the Celtics&rsquo; rotation will shrink and their top six guys will have to work as much as they can, exerting more effort than they should and usually do, and then maybe they&rsquo;ll tire out &ndash; which could be largely beneficial for the Heat in the long run. This is when the Heat&rsquo;s depth could come in handy &ndash; when Boston would need to rely only on their top six guys to win games.
Jaime Jaquez would need to be big
Despite being a rookie, Jaquez is about to shoulder a bigger load than he should be, and even with the daunting expectations, he should &ndash; or at least he needs to &ndash; match them.&nbsp;
Will he be able to exceed expectations and perform what&rsquo;s expected of him? That remains to be seen. But if there&rsquo;s any indication from this season with the way he played and carried himself throughout the year, this rookie would step up to the plate.&nbsp;
In the final play in vs Chicago, Jaquez had 21 points on 6 rebounds and 6 assists, leading the Heat to the 8th seed. He scored in a variety of ways, including threes, hard drives to the rim, post-ups, and fadeaway jumpers &ndash; reminiscent of Butler&rsquo;s game.
However, without Butler, Jaquez would have to carry a much bigger load as he will be asked to be one of the main threats. Last year Butler&rsquo;s masterclass saved them vs the much-favored Bucks and Celtics, but now that they don&rsquo;t have him, the Heat would need production from everyone in this series with little to no room for errors or any mental mistakes.&nbsp;
It might be too much to ask for a rookie to handle these kinds of situations, but Jaquez should be equipped and ready for the challenge as Miami enters this series vs Boston.

There will be no expectations for Miami after learning Jimmy Butler would be out for at least several weeks following his knee injury.

2024 NBA Playoffs: How the Heat could make the Celtics bleed

This article is part of a two-part series preview for the upcoming 2023-2024 NBA Playoffs.
With the 2023-2024 NBA Playoffs starting, all eyes will be on all teams competing for the championship as fans and players look on for a taste of postseason action. As eight playoff teams in each conference gear up for what promises to be an intense battle for the title, each team faces its own set of unique challenges. In this article, we take a closer look at the biggest question facing each Western Conference team heading into the playoffs, from injuries and roster changes to key matchups and strategic decisions.
<h3>Oklahoma City Thunder - How far can their youth and inexperience take them in the playoffs?</h3>
The Thunder got away through the regular season with historic from MVP frontrunner Shai Gilgeous Alexander, an impressive rookie season by Chet Holmgren, a star sophomore leap by Jalen Williams, and a coaching masterclass in a genius coach Mark Daigneault.
However, the playoffs as we know it is a different beast &ndash; will Mark Daigneault be able to sustain the good coaching he has done with his team throughout this regular season?
How much of this youth and inexperience be a factor for them to advance deeper in the playoffs; will they be able to use it to their advantage? Or will it be a hindrance against other experienced teams when they face each other in these tight situations? Most of the time, these situations require patience and discipline &ndash; teams with playoff experience have shown over time and have done it time and time again on their way to a deep playoff run.
<h3>Denver Nuggets - Can they go back to back?</h3>
There&rsquo;s really no other question for a team like the Nuggets at the peak of their powers: Can they win back-to-back titles? There has not been a back-to-back champion in the NBA for the past 5 years, with the last one coming in 2017 and 2018 when the Warriors won it all.
Like Boston, it is a title or bust status with Denver as of now. They have been fairly healthy throughout the regular season, have a mostly intact roster that won it all last year, and have the best player in the world in Nikola Jokic in his absolute prime. Denver this year has again all the necessary pieces to win &ndash; the right amount of shooters, defensive guys, scoring in the paint &ndash; which are all the makings of a championship team.
A couple of questionable factors though would be how much of an impact the loss of Bruce Brown would have in these playoffs. Brown was arguably the 5th, or 4th best player in their championship run last year &ndash; maybe even the 3rd in some games. He was essential on offense and defense, guarding the opponent&rsquo;s best perimeter threats while providing off-ball scoring and cuts that fit perfectly with Jokic.
Second, they&rsquo;ll be facing championship-caliber teams with hunger and drive to defeat them, and all have been competitive with the Nuggets this season. The Lakers, although the Nuggets swept them last year in the Western Conference Finals, still have LeBron James and Anthony Davis, and they won&rsquo;t take that lightly &ndash; likely coming back with a vengeance.
The Suns have won the season series with the Nuggets 2-1 and they pose a threat to the Nuggets with their formula of having three elite shotmakers that can explode anytime &ndash; which the Nuggets may not cover all at the same time.&nbsp; The Wolves, who perhaps have the best lineup suited to defeat them, are lurking in the same bracket waiting to pounce on them at sight.&nbsp;
These are all challenges a defending champion must go through to achieve a rare feat because the playoffs are supposed to be hard.
<h3>Minnesota Timberwolves -&nbsp; Will they finally break through after years of heartbreak?</h3>
This has already been a win of a season for the Timberwolves, achieving their second most wins in franchise history (56) since 2004 when they won 58 wins and reached the conference finals.
However, this has not stopped them from wanting more, and the wolfpack is not satisfied nor contented with just this achievement &ndash; they want more.
Minnesota wanting to go win that first playoff series like a hungry pack of wolves has been evident since trading for 3-time Defensive Player of the Year Rudy Gobert. Although they fell short last season due to untimely injuries to key players, the Wolves ran it back and have proven their little experiment with two bigs in star Karl Anthony Towns and Gobert would work.&nbsp;
Led by their resurgent young superstar Anthony Edwards equipped with the best defense in the league, Minnesota certainly hopes this team would be the one &ndash; the one to end the longest playoff series win droughts in the league for quite some time now.
<h3>Los Angeles Clippers - Will they be able to meet the expectations this time around?</h3>
The Clippers trading for James Harden signaled one thing for the franchise: They are going all in with Kawhi Leonard and Paul George and surrounding them with all the help they can get. They are far from a perfect team, but the Clippers want to have the best possible results this season before transferring to their new arena next year.
The Clippers have only appeared in the conference finals once in the Leonard-George era after being plagued by several injuries during their different playoff runs. Due to that, people haven&rsquo;t been able to see what the team is capable of when their two stars are fully healthy in a playoff run.
However, this year might just be their year. Their core of Harden, George, and Leonard have been mostly healthy all season long. The front office has also surrounded them with complementary pieces to help them win. LA now has usable bigs in Zubac, Plumlee, and Theis; they have Terrance Mann as their designated stopper; Norman Powell being the sixth man off the bench microwave scorer; a 3-and-D wing in Amir Coffe; and Russell Westbrook as the spark plug that gives them the boost and the energy off the bench.
After being just the &lsquo;second team in LA&rsquo; and &lsquo;that other team in LA&rsquo; for years, the Clippers aim to prove the doubters wrong and change the perception that surrounds the team as they pivot into a new era of Clippers basketball.&nbsp;
<h3>Dallas Mavericks - Will Luka finally fulfill the promise he has been showing so far in his career?</h3>
Throughout his young NBA career, Luka Doncic has had one of the best starts since LeBron James statistically. He has been in constant range of breaking or matching LeBron&rsquo;s records in points scored, triple-doubles, assists, and rebounds. However, this has not always translated into wins with Doncic just appearing in just one conference finals in the first six years of his career. But that might change this season.&nbsp;&nbsp;
This year, the Mavericks have put up arguably the best roster on paper that Luka has had in his career &ndash; arguably even better than the 2022 team that made the conference finals.
Alongside Doncic&rsquo;s MVP act is a true partner in crime in Kyrie Irving; shot-blocking and rim-rolling vertical threats in Daniel Gafford and Lively; rugged forwards that can shoot in PJ Washington, Dante Exum, Josh Green, and Derrick Jones; a microwave off-the-bench scorer in Tim Hardaway Jr; and veteran bigs that have been in Dallas for quite some time now and you can count on in always with Maxi Kleber and Dwight Powell.
Can Luka finally overcome the Clippers? This season was one for the books with an MVP caliber and worthy year by averaging close to 34 points a game with 9 rebounds and 9 assists per game. Doncic has taken his game to another level in the regular season &ndash; this time, can he take his playoff game to another level as well?
All great young players have to go through someone as the stepping stone to reach newer heights &ndash; and Luka has lost to this Kawhi Leonard and Paul George-led Clippers team twice already in his career in the playoffs.
LeBron had to go through the Celtics, Jordan had to go through the Pistons. Could it be Luka&rsquo;s turn to get through this Clippers team that has tormented him for two playoff series?
<h3>Phoenix Suns - Will this new formula take them over the top?</h3>
The Suns have experienced substantial playoff success over the past three years by having a Finals appearance and reaching the conference semifinals twice. However, those groups fell short, with the feeling of something lacking or something missing that could take them over the top.
So lo and behold, Phoenix scrapped it and took a different approach this season &ndash; ditching the point guard spot and getting a rugged and physical big that could set screens and not demand the ball much on offense.
In its place came through as the Suns traded for Bradley Beal &ndash; going with a new formula by having three shot creators and shotmakers on the floor at the same time &ndash; pairing him with Kevin Durant and Devin Booker. They also traded away former no.1 overall pick DeAndre Ayton for Jusuf Nurkic, a wide-bodied center whose job is to set screens, rebound, and get their three creators open in the lane or for jump shots.
They added an elite shooter in Grayson Allen to space the floor alongside those three, or sometimes Royce O&rsquo;Neale comes in for more defense against the opposing perimeter threats.
The Suns&rsquo; new approach and formula to the game make it incredibly hard to defend because you have to have three elite defenders to contain those three shot-creators, who can explode and get buckets at any point in the game. Although their defense is still suspect at times, the main point of this lineup is not to outscore &ndash; but to out-create teams and have a variety of options to dissect and defeat defenses.
If this new strategy works and could take the Suns to the promised land in these playoffs remains to be seen.
<h3>Los Angeles Lakers - Will they have enough this time around?</h3>
Despite a strong run to the Western Conference Finals as a 7th seed, the Lakers fell short last year vs the Nuggets after being swept 4-0. Throughout the season, the Nuggets&rsquo; dominance of the purple and gold continued, and now they have lost eight straight games against this Denver team.&nbsp;
However, there is optimism that the Lakers will turn it around and have a different result vs the Nuggets. Superstar LeBron James, even at 39 years old, looks to prove that he still has something left in the tank. Although they got outplayed and outcoached last in that series by the Nuggets, James can make those adjustments being the cerebral and high IQ player that he is.
James is perhaps one of the best if not the best tactically sound players of all time, so it would make sense &ndash; if they were to defeat Denver, he needs to be able to outsmart Nikola Jokic and the Denver Nuggets this time around. Superstar tandem Anthony Davis will also be vital to the series having to defend the &lsquo;Joker&rsquo; and producing buckets himself.
The Lakers will also feature some new bench pieces this year that could be difference makers in the series Taurean Prince, Spencer Dinwiddie, and Gabe Vincent, all of whom could defend and hit those spot-up threes if needed.
Then there&rsquo;s a hungry D&rsquo;Angelo Russell who had a bad series vs Denver last year raring to bounce back along with an always-solid Austin Reaves to be the stabilizer.
<h3>Pelicans - How will they fare without Zion Williamson?</h3>
The New Orleans Pelicans start and end with their young star Zion Williamson. After going out with what is to be believed a left hamstring strain, everything now hinges on his health.&nbsp;
The Pelicans obviously need him no matter what and whether or not he&rsquo;s healthy for their first-round series vs the Thunder will likely be the answer if they win it or not.
We&rsquo;ve seen what Williamson is capable of doing, scoring 40 points and grabbing 11 rebounds in his first taste of postseason action in their play-in game vs the Lakers. The burly forward bullied the Lakers&rsquo; defense and he showed his once generational type of body and scoring prowess come together after finally being healthy for a full season in his five years in the NBA.
New Orleans has fallen short a lot of times in the playoffs, either failing to make it or to win a series, and it is clear that Zion is the difference that separates them from winning or losing a playoff series.

s eight playoff teams in each conference gear up for what promises to be an intense battle for the title, each team faces its own set of unique challenges.

2024 Western Conference Playoffs: Each team’s biggest question heading into the playoffs

Views are the author&rsquo;s and do not necessarily reflect the views of the website.
The 2023-2024 NBA season has wrapped up and the race for the league&rsquo;s annual awards has officially ended. Here&rsquo;s a look at my picks of the NBA's award winners.
Most Improved Player: Tyrese Maxey, Philadelphia 76ers
(Runner-ups: Coby White, Jalen Johnson)
Notes: In the end, Tyrese Maxey takes the award with the amount of burden and responsibility in a Philadelphia team reeling from the loss of James Harden to become a true No. 2 option behind reigning MVP Joel Embiid. White improved a lot this year, increasing his averages both numbers and his shooting percentages. Johnson, like White, has also increased his usage and averages by a lot, featuring as the third option behind DeJounte Murray and Trae Young, or even as the second option without one of those two. A jumbo playmaking forward, Johnson showed improvements in his playmaking as well as his ability to score and had increased numbers in shooting as well. Ultimately, Maxey wins this award out because he was a guy who increased his usage and his role while playing most of the season without Embiid.
Sixth Man of the Year: Naz Reid, Minnesota Timberwolves
(Runner-ups: Malik Monk, Bobby Portis)
Notes: Naz Reid has been the best player off the bench this season with the way he has been an offensive spark plug for the Timberwolves this season. He&rsquo;s had a phenomenal season, and he had to start and fill in for Karl-Anthony Towns when he went down while still being an efficient scorer as he is. If you factor in all the stuff for these awards, you could actually make a case for Monk, for Portis, maybe even guys like Norman Powell for the Clippers and Bogdan Bogdanovic for the Hawks. But with Minnesota going 56-26 and having the second most wins in franchise history &ndash; ultimately ending up atop the three best teams in the West, this gives a little bit of boost to Naz Reid due to his importance to the team.
Defensive Player of the Year: Rudy Gobert, Minnesota Timberwolves
(Runner-ups: Victor Wembanyama, Anthony Davis; Honorable mention: Bam Adebayo)
Notes: One of the hardest awards to figure out. Minnesota had the best defense in the league for a reason, and based on that Rudy Gobert would be a deserving winner of the award. When he&rsquo;s off the floor, the team does not perform defensively the way it does when Gobert is on the floor. This was hard because Wembanyama had a legitimate case, being the generational defender that he was. Davis also had a strong case with how he carried single-handedly the Lakers&rsquo; defense, while Adebayo had the immense burden of playing all the defensive schemes in Miami. Ultimately, it ended up with Gobert with the way he lifted a good defensive team to the best in the league, manning that paint and being that anchor that holds all of the pieces together.
All-Defensive Team:
1st Team - Rudy Gobert, Victor Wembanyama, Anthony Davis, Bam Adebayo, Herb Jones
2nd Team - Derrick White, Jalen Suggs, Jaden McDaniels, Alex Caruso, Jonathan Isaac
Notes: Starting this year, the NBA&rsquo;s All-NBA teams and defensive teams were positionless so I had to cheat a little bit here, putting 4 bigs in the 1st team. Gobert, Wembanyama, Davis, and Adebayo are no-brainers considering their defensive impact for each of their teams, while Jones takes the last spot in the 1st team for his ability to disrupt offenses as well as guarding each team&rsquo;s best player night in and night out for the Pelicans.&nbsp;
The second team features White (most blocks for a guard), Suggs and Isaac (best defensive players for the 4th best defense in the league, helping to lead the Magic back to the playoffs), McDaniels (best wing defender for the best defense in the league), and the perennial all-defense player Caruso who brings it in defensively every game.
Rookie of the Year: Victor Wembanyama, San Antonio Spurs
(Runner-up: Chet Holmgren)
Notes: Despite Holmgren having far and away the better team success, there&rsquo;s no denying Wembanyama&rsquo;s greatness in his rookie year. The French phenom has transcended the game both figuratively and on the eye test &ndash; he is simply a generational talent who is going to take over the league soon. Holmgren got off to a hot start in the first two months of the season but since January, Wembanyama has locked up the award for himself with out-of-the-world numbers for a rookie. He was dubbed as the best prospect since LeBron James and now he is well on his way to being one of the greatest of all time if he remains healthy after a historic rookie season.
All-Rookie Team:
1st Team - Victor Wembanyama, Chet Holmgren, Brandon Miller, Jaime Jaquez Jr., GG Jackson
2nd Team - Ausar Thompson, Amen Thompson, Keyonte George, Brandin Podziemski, Trayce Jackson-Davis
Notes: There were several names to choose from here, and it felt hard to cut some of them here. Jordan Hawkins of the Pelicans has had a good start to the year when the team had all those injuries paving the way for him to play early into the season but has seen the bench since as NOLA got healthier and players came back; Cason Wallace had such a good shooting year off the bench for the No.1 seeded Thunder despite shooting being labeled by scouts as his biggest weakness coming into the NBA; Dereck Lively II being center that Luka Doncic needed and fit well with by catching all those lobs and helping the Mavs&rsquo; defense this season big time; No.2 overall pick Scoot Henderson had a good close to his rookie year.
All in all, these 10 rookies have felt like the best rookies in terms of production, opportunity, and narratives surrounding them. Of course, Wembanyama and Holmgren are automatic locks; Miller has been the best player in Charlotte without LaMelo Ball and Mark Williams; Jaquez is a vital piece off the bench for Erik Spoelstra&rsquo;s playoff-bound Heat team; and GG Jackson becoming a legit NBA scorer despite being the youngest player in the league to round out the first team.
The Thompson twins have just been defensive monsters ever since stepping foot in the league; George playing point guard at Utah has turned some heads and he has stepped up with the opportunity given to him; while Podziemski and Jackson-Davis have arguably been rotational pieces to the Warriors despite being rookies and has contributed a lot to them finding a way to fit in a complex team.
Coach of the Year: Mark Daigneault, Oklahoma City Thunder
(Runner-ups: Chris Finch, Jamahl Mosley)
Notes: There have been so many good coaches this season that have elevated their teams to good records, say Ime Udoka of the Houston Rockets and Tom Thibodeau from the New York Knicks. But my Coach of the Year pick goes to Mark Daigneault of the OKC Thunder because this award tends to favor the expectations set for a team before the start of the season. The Thunder weren&rsquo;t supposed to be this good this season, but Daigneault catapulted them into one of the best teams not just in the West but the entire NBA. The evidence is written on the wall: No.1 in the West despite being the second youngest team in the league; having a top 5 ranking on both offense and defense and no.2 overall net rating. Finch and Mosley take the runner-up spots with the work they had to lift both the Timberwolves and the Magic to being top 4 seeds in their conferences as well as having top-rated defenses in the league.
Clutch Player of the Year: Stephen Curry, Golden State Warriors
(Runner-ups: DeMar DeRozan, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander)
Notes: Another tough and close race, but ultimately it goes to Curry. Despite the Warriors&rsquo; so-so record, Curry had the most clutch time points, shot 50% from the field, and 46% from three in clutch time. Curry had the most threes than anyone in crunch time &ndash; being just the incredible clutch-time performer that he is &ndash; and always been.
All-NBA Team:
1st Team - Nikola Jokic, Luka Doncic, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Giannis Antetokounmpo, Jayson Tatum
2nd Team - Jalen Brunson, Kevin Durant, Anthony Davis, Anthony Edwards, LeBron James
3rd Team - Stephen Curry, Domantas Sabonis, Kawhi Leonard, Devin Booker, Tyrese Haliburton
Notes: With Jalen Brunson carrying the Knicks to a second seed in the East playing without Julius Randle since January, it was incredibly hard to leave him off the 1st team. However, by the slightest of margins, I gave the nod to Tatum for being the best player on the best team in the league by a wide margin.
All the other picks were pretty explanatory, with the top 4 in the MVP race in Jokic, Doncic, SGA, and Giannis all expected to be first-teamers. The second team kind of got tougher besides Brunson, with legends Durant and James making the list because of the seasons they had leading their team as well as playing their most regular season game in years. Rounding out the second team were Edwards and Davis, two stars with the biggest impacts on their teams in the tough Western Conference.
The third team is actually a toss-up with a lot of good cases from the league all around, but ultimately I went with Curry, Sabonis, Leonard, Booker, and Haliburton.
Most Valuable Player: Shai Gilgeous-Alexander&nbsp;
(Runners-up: Nikola Jokic, Luka Doncic; Honorable mention: Giannis Antetokounmpo)
Perhaps the closest race out of all the awards, all three players here are each deserving with their narratives and the numbers that support each of their cases. You can never go wrong picking one over the other, so it came down to personal opinion on who I thought had the strongest case this season. His case?
-Leading the second youngest team in the league to No.1 in the West
-3-1 series vs Denver
-3-1 series vs Dallas
-First player since Steph and MJ to average 30/5/5 in a season with 2+ steals
-Second in defensive net rating for guards
One could make the argument for Nikola Jokic being the best player in the world having better numbers than his two MVP seasons while Luka Doncic had one of the best seasons statistically in all facets of the game, but there&rsquo;s no denying SGA&rsquo;s strong case as well given the expectations for this young Thunder team.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is my MVP.

The 2023-2024 NBA season has wrapped up and the race for the league’s annual awards has officially ended.

OPINION: Picking the 2023-2024 NBA Awards winners

Let the world be warned: &lsquo;The Avengers&rsquo; are coming.
USA Basketball has officially unveiled its roster featuring several NBA superstars and this generation&rsquo;s best basketball players in preparation for the 2024 Paris Olympics.
The 12 players to be part of the exclusive list include:&nbsp;
<ul>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">LeBron James</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">Stephen Curry</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">Kevin Durant</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">Kawhi Leonard</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">Joel Embiid</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">Jayson Tatum</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">Devin Booker</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">Jrue Holiday</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">Anthony Davis</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">Bam Adebayo</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">Anthony Edwards&nbsp;</li>
<li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">Tyrese Haliburton</li>
</ul>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
The Stars Align in the City of Light. 🇺🇸 <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/USABMNT?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#USABMNT</a> <a href="https://t.co/RV1tIGoxXa">pic.twitter.com/RV1tIGoxXa</a>
&mdash; USA Basketball (@usabasketball) <a href="https://twitter.com/usabasketball/status/1780604665505149074?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 17, 2024</a>
<script src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js"></script>
</blockquote>
Barring any unforeseen circumstances or injuries, these 12 men will be flying to Paris in July. Team USA officials headed by managing director Grant Hill have reportedly notified those players who have been selected (and those who have not) from the <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/usa-basketball-announces-player-pool-for-team-usas-2024-mens-national-team">original 41-man pool</a> revealed earlier this year. Those selected have been visited by USAB officials to be presented with &lsquo;special Team USA Olympic jerseys.&rsquo;
Team USA is set to defend again its Olympic gold medal in men&rsquo;s basketball after winning it for the past 4 iterations of the quadrennial event.&nbsp;
Leading the team are James, Curry, and Durant, who are arguably the game&rsquo;s biggest stars over the past decade or so.
James will play in his 4th Olympics after winning bronze in Athens 2004 and gold in Beijing 2008 and London 2012. Curry, a winner of two FIBA World Cup medals in the past, will be playing in his 1st Olympics. Durant, the Americans&rsquo; all-time leading scorer, is looking for his 4th Olympic gold medal (won in 2012, 2016, and 2020) to break a tie with Carmelo Anthony (won in 2008, 2012, and 2016) for the most ever.
Supplementing its three-headed monster are Tatum, Booker, and Holiday &ndash; members of the gold medal-winning squad in Tokyo 2021. Reigning NBA MVP Joel Embiid and two-time NBA Finals MVP Kawhi Leonard, who have never played in any international competition in their careers, will each be making their debuts in Paris.
Previous Olympic gold medal winners Davis and Adebayo add additional size to the roster while Edwards and Haliburton, who emerged as USA&rsquo;s best players in the World Cup last year, round out the team.
Coaching this vaunted USA roster is Curry&rsquo;s NBA coach Steve Kerr, who also coached Team USA in the World Cup.&nbsp;

USA Basketball announces its official roster for the 2024 Paris Olympics featuring the best the NBA has to offer.

‘Here come the Avengers’: USA Basketball announces roster for 2024 Paris Olympics

There has been a level of dominance the Boston Celtics have had this season that not a lot of teams in the history of the league have reached or come close to. The team&rsquo;s mixture of star power, depth, and chemistry within the tight-knit group of guys has been the source of power for the historically dominant regular season team.&nbsp;
In their March 17 game vs Washington, Jayson Tatum, Jrue Holiday, and Al Horford combined to destroy the Wizards, 130-104. Bench player Sam Hauser, who started the game, led the team in scoring with 30 points built on 10 three-point shots.&nbsp;
Then on their next game, in came Jaylen Brown, Derrick White, and Kristaps Porzingis, who then annihilated the Detroit Pistons 119-94 on the second night of a back-to-back. Another bench player, Payton Pritchard starred with 23 points and 7 assists as the Celtics earned yet another win.&nbsp;
This speaks to their depth as a team as well as the adaptability of each player to play with either of their core six guys with relative ease and without skipping a beat. The Celtics are a machine that keeps going with pieces and parts that are versatile enough to keep their brand of basketball going no matter who you sub in or slot onto the floor whenever someone is out.
With their dominant regular season coming down to a close, one question awaits the rest of the league as the playoffs arrive.&nbsp;
Who is stopping the Boston Celtics?&nbsp;
The guys in green have been far away the best team in the league by a wide margin, racing past ahead of all the other teams.
The Celtics just speedrun through everything, especially in the East, where they were far away the best team and are just cherry-picking to wait and see whoever will finish second behind them. The only disappointment thus far was not winning the In-Season Tournament title, which probably wasn&rsquo;t the championship they wanted to win anyway.
They have the league&rsquo;s best record at 64-18 and they never lost more than two straight throughout the year. They blew out three teams by 50 or more points and they have only lost four games at the Boston Garden, and have only just lost to an Eastern Conference team at home for over a year &ndash; since March of 2023. The only team to win two and claim the season series over Boston are the defending champions Denver Nuggets, which makes sense considering they&rsquo;re the team all teams in the NBA are chasing after.
The Celtics will be the only team that will finish in double-digits in plus/minus efficiency (+11.3) and they rank 1st in offensive rating (120.4) and 5th in defensive rating (110.5) in the entire league. This level of dominance in the regular season makes it one of the most impressive ones in recent NBA history.
The Boston Celtics might go all the way this year and take that coveted 18th championship title, but what makes them so good?
'The Jays' superstar duo: Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown&nbsp;
The Celtics start and end with their star forward duo. They would not be near where they are right now without these two. The way they complement each other and play off of each other has been spectacular, and their chemistry has been built since 2016-2017 when Boston drafted both guys back to back with the no.3 pick. With the Celtics having two dynamic two-way guys in Tatum and Brown, they have the foundation to allow them to surround the team with guys that complement their skills, which president Brad Stevens and coach Joe Mazzulla have done an incredible job of doing so over the past couple years.
Roster construction
After trading away mainstays Marcus Smart, Robert Williams, and Grant Williams this season, Brad Stevens built the roster with some awesome replacements in Kristaps Porzingis and Jrue Holiday.
Porzingis just fits the Celtics&rsquo; scheme so much as he gives them a stretch big that can space the floor for their 5-out offense. On defense, his towering 7&rsquo;3 frame can alter and block shots. Porzingis is also the perfect Al Horford replacement who has been key to the lineups the Celtics run in the previous years. Although Horford is now 37 and is nearing the end of his career, he's still bringing that veteran leadership and the floor spacing to give the Celtics more options on offense.
Holiday&rsquo;s transition into the team has been seamless, filling in the place of Smart. A 2022 champion with the Milwaukee Bucks, Holiday brought the championship mindset along with his trademark defensive versatility and a plug-and-play offensive repertoire that has elevated the Celtics&rsquo; play all season long.&nbsp;
Around Tatum and Brown and their new acquisitions Porzingis and Holiday, the ever-consistent Derrick White and the ageless Al Horford come into place to complete their starting five and their fearsome six-man lineup. Solid bench pieces led by Payton Pritchard and Sam Hauser provide quality backup minutes to ensure Boston does not lose a single step whenever their mainstays rest during the games. Depending on the matchup, big men Xavier Tillman and Luke Kornet will see some minutes and both have proven they can play the style of basketball the Celtics need to win. Overall, this team is arguably the best the Celtics have in years, and they have all the makings to have a deep playoff run.
However, Boston knows the job is not done yet and the real test is at hand. No matter how good they have been in the first six months of the year, it all comes down to how they will perform and execute in the season&rsquo;s final three months when it matters the most. And they certainly hope they can reach the pinnacle again and this time, come out on top in June.
To further strengthen that point, it isn&rsquo;t a guarantee to win all the time, especially in the playoffs. Although it is an indication of good habits built throughout the season, the playoffs are a different beast. According to NBA.com, only five teams in the last 20 years had the best record winning the title that season. The last best-record champions were the 2016-17 Warriors as teams deal with a variety of challenges throughout the postseason.&nbsp;
As the road to the 18th banner looms close, the Celtics have themselves as their biggest obstacle &ndash; only they can stop themselves from achieving their full potential.&nbsp;

As the road to the 18th banner looms close, the Celtics have themselves as their biggest obstacle.

Who’s stopping Boston? Dissecting the Celtics’ juggernaut after their dominant season

Golden State Warriors head coach Steve Kerr has agreed to a two-year, $35 million contract extension with the team, <a href="https://x.com/wojespn/status/1761223795459719581?s=20">according to ESPN&rsquo;s Adrian Wojnarowski.</a>
A four-time champion coach with the Warriors, Kerr&rsquo;s extension will make him the highest-paid coach in the history of the NBA. He will surpass the likes of the San Antonio Spurs Gregg Popovich and <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/erik-spoelstra-inks-8year-extension-with-heat-becoming-tpaid-coach" target="_blank" rel="noopener">recently-extended Erik Spoelstra of the Miami Heat</a> by making $17.5 million a year.
Kerr&rsquo;s current contract was set to expire by the end of this season and this extension allows him to align with Warriors superstar Stephen Curry, who has two years left on his contract.&nbsp;
ANALYSIS: This new deal more or less guarantees Kerr will ride off into the sunset with Curry alongside Draymond Green and possibly Klay Thompson (if he signs a new deal in the offseason). The quartet has been one of the winningest groups of all-time, winning four championships in six trips to the Finals.&nbsp;
The Warriors have been rejuvenated since the NBA trade deadline by sticking to what they have. Kerr, Curry, Green and Thompson <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/strength-in-numbers-the-golden-state-warriors-way" target="_blank" rel="noopener">have been at the forefront of it all.&nbsp;</a>

Golden State Warriors head coach Steve Kerr has agreed to a two-year, $35 million contract extension with the team.

Steve Kerr agrees to a two-year extension with the Warriors

As Klay Thompson comes off a flare screen from Kevon Looney, rookie Brandin Podziemski delivers a bounce pass at the block to Jonathan Kuminga to run their patented split-action. Podziemski sets another screen at the wing and Kuminga delivers a pass right on the money to a curling Thompson. He sets his feet, lets one defender chasing him fly by and shoots a three right over the help defender.
Splash. Nothing but the bottom of the net, just like the old days. The Warriors are comfortably up after the third quarter against the Utah Jazz after Thompson hits his third-straight three and score his 35th point as he came off the bench for the first time since 2012. Although the Jazz had a big fourth quarter to keep the game close, the Warriors eked out with a win to continue playing their best basketball of the season.
The Warriors are fun again, so it seems.
After a tumultuous season filled with ups and downs, the Dubs are 8-2 over their last 10 games right before the All-Star break and preparing for another playoff push with their aging dynastic core.
What makes their run so special is the fact that they rediscovered a winning formula despite making zero moves at the NBA trade deadline on Feb. 8. Rumors were swirling, but they decided to stick with this group for the rest of the season &ndash; and possibly for seasons to come.
&ldquo;We did win a championship, in case people forgot, a year and a half ago,&rdquo; said Warriors head coach Steve Kerr when asked if he believes this isn't the last dance for the Warriors' Big Three. &ldquo;I believe in my guys, I love those guys, and we're going to keep fighting."&nbsp;
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
"We did win a championship, in case people forgot, a year and a half ago...I believe in my guys, I love those guys, and we're going to keep fighting." - Steve Kerr when asked if he still believes this season is not a "Last Dance" for the Warriors' Big 3 (via <a href="https://twitter.com/WillardAndDibs?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@WillardAndDibs</a>). <a href="https://t.co/0x1cmOmyqf">pic.twitter.com/0x1cmOmyqf</a>
&mdash; 95.7 The Game (@957thegame) <a href="https://twitter.com/957thegame/status/1747438806557712848?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 17, 2024</a></blockquote>
Despite a seemingly lost season, the Warriors took a gamble by choosing to stand pat and stick with the core that won them a title two seasons ago, while trusting this new set of role players to fill in the gaps.&nbsp;
The championship core from two years ago is still intact. Steph Curry is still an all-world talent and offensive force even at 35 years old. Draymond Green is back to his usual self. Since returning from his suspension, Green&rsquo;s aggressiveness on offense and ever-reliant ability on defense have energized the team.&nbsp;
Andrew Wiggins and Kevon Looney started the season with bad slumps, but are slowly getting back into their groove, while Gary Payton II continues to work his way back to being 100% healthy. Thompson has struggled as of late, but he can still be lethal scoring in spurts with just his mere shooting prowess.
The young guys are coming into their own as contributors and finding their identity within the team. Podziemski has been a revelation, serving as a connector on offense and earning Steve Kerr&rsquo;s trust to start games and play with the closing lineup over Thompson. Kuminga is developing into a capable scoring option, which gives the Warriors another dimension.
Lately, the Warriors look like themselves again. Their in-game swagger is back and the vibes are immaculate. These are the Warriors of old, winning while having fun.
Given their recent success, they are confident that they still have at least one more run in them.
&ldquo;This is a story that&rsquo;s still kind of unfolding, and it&rsquo;s important that we see it all the way through until it&rsquo;s proven that we can&rsquo;t win,&rdquo; Curry said in <a href="https://www.theringer.com/nba/2024/2/12/24070258/golden-state-warriors-steph-curry-steve-kerr-draymond-green-klay-thompson" target="_blank" rel="noopener">an interview with The Ringer&rsquo;s Logan Murdock.</a>
The Warriors are determined to win, and they want to do it their way. And perhaps that&rsquo;s the point.
This team was built from the ground up, with a collective effort from a group of players who were drafted and developed by the franchise. After all, it was the &ldquo;Strength in Numbers&rdquo; mantra that started it all, and it's only fitting to end their journey the same way they started: with a team that was built the right way.
The Warriors have won four championships in the last decade by using this formula, and they believe this same approach will lead them to another Larry O'Brien trophy. After doing it all these years, Thompson believes that they have what it takes to succeed once again by trusting their process.
&ldquo;You see Steph Curry, you see Draymond Green, you see our playoff record when we are together,&rdquo; Thompson proclaimed. &ldquo;I&rsquo;ll always believe.&rdquo;

The Warriors are 8-2 over their last 10 games and preparing for another playoff push with their aging dynastic core.

Strength in numbers: The Golden State Warriors' way

LeBron James, Stephen Curry and Kevin Durant have become synonymous with the sport of basketball, serving as the gold standard for this generation of players and drawing in fans from all over the world.
Aside from 2021 and 2023, every NBA Finals series since 2011 has featured one of James, Curry or Durant. The trio have a combined 44 All-Star appearances, and at the 2024 NBA All-Star Game in Indianapolis, we got to watch them play together on the same team for the first time ever.
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Steph Curry, LeBron James, and Kevin Durant all on the same team for the first time ever tonight 🔥✊ <a href="https://t.co/uUaAKwxaVr">pic.twitter.com/uUaAKwxaVr</a>
&mdash; Guru (@DrGuru_) <a href="https://twitter.com/DrGuru_/status/1759349903652995079?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 18, 2024</a></blockquote>
Seeing the faces of the NBA share the court as teammates was a lot of fun and left fans wanting for more.
Enter Team USA.
The world might witness these three legends team up once again in the coming months &mdash; this time while donning the red, white and blue. in hopes of leading Team USA to a fifth consecutive gold medal at the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris.
While we got a taste of the trio during NBA All-Star Weekend, fans would love to see them in a competitive environment. Curry&rsquo;s otherworldly shooting, James' IQ and playmaking, plus Durant&rsquo;s deadly three-level scoring with extremely high stakes? That would be something to behold.
James, Curry and Durant are all highly intelligent basketball players who complement each other really well, so it would likely be a seamless transition on Team USA.
All three have expressed their interest in playing for the national team and were <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/usa-basketball-announces-player-pool-for-team-usas-2024-mens-national-team" target="_blank" rel="noopener">recently included in the player pool that Team USA announced</a>.
Although the NBA season is still ongoing and a lot can still happen between now and July, but barring injuries or any unforeseen circumstances, the three global basketball icons will likely lead Team USA&rsquo;s pursuit for the gold medal in this year&rsquo;s Olympic Games. This hunt for the gold will coincide with the 50th anniversary of USA Basketball, making their run even more special.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
Beautiful, isn't it? Breaking down our 50th Anniversary logo 👇<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/USAB50?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#USAB50</a> 🇺🇸 <a href="https://t.co/O4F7odCkWY">pic.twitter.com/O4F7odCkWY</a>
&mdash; USA Basketball (@usabasketball) <a href="https://twitter.com/usabasketball/status/1749606150721388855?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 23, 2024</a></blockquote>
The American trio will aim to replicate the success of their predecessors from the original &ldquo;Dream Team&rdquo; in 1992 when NBA superstars Michael Jordan, Magic Johnson and Larry Bird won the gold medal in Barcelona.
James, 39, has won three Olympic medals for Team USA (one bronze and two golds) with the last one coming 12 years ago when he won gold in London. The NBA&rsquo;s all-time leading scorer has expressed interest in suiting up for Team USA once again, and he has been in contact with several other NBA stars to join him including Curry and Durant. James&rsquo; impressive track record for his national team speaks for itself. After serving Team USA for eight years from 2004 to 2012, he is second all-time in games played (24) for Team USA.&nbsp;
The 35-year-old Curry has yet to play for Team USA in the Olympics. Curry already has two FIBA World Championships in his trophy case, which also includes four NBA championships and two NBA MVPs, but winning an Olympic gold medal might be the cherry on top of what has been an illustrious career. Curry has notably shown interest in playing for Team USA in the Olympic Games, and he is very likely to do so this year. With Warriors head coach Steve Kerr also calling the shots for Team USA, it makes a lot of sense for Curry to make his Olympic debut in Paris.
Finally, Durant is arguably the most accomplished Team USA player of all-time. Winning three Olympic gold medals (2012, 2016 and 2020-21) and a FIBA World Championship (2010), Team USA&rsquo;s &ldquo;Captain America&rdquo; is gunning for his record-setting fourth Olympic Gold medal. (He's currently tied with fellow USA great Carmelo Anthony, who also has three gold medals). Durant winning another gold medal would likely solidify him as the greatest Team USA player of all-time (if he isn't already). A two-time NBA champion and Finals MVP, Durant is one of the most lethal scorers the game has ever seen.
Aside from James, Curry and Durant &ndash; the NBA&rsquo;s most recognizable faces &ndash; who else will don the red, white and blue? The other finalists for the 2024 USA Men&rsquo;s national team are Bam Adebayo, Jarrett Allen, Paolo Banchero, Desmond Bane, Scottie Barnes, Devin Booker, Mikal Bridges, Jaylen Brown, Jalen Brunson, Jimmy Butler, Alex Caruso, Anthony Davis, Anthony Edwards, Joel Embiid, De&rsquo;Aaron Fox, Paul George, Aaron Gordon, Tyrese Haliburton, James Harden, Josh Hart, Tyler Herro, Jrue Holiday, Chet Holmgren, Brandon Ingram, Kyrie Irving, Jaren Jackson Jr., Cam Johnson, Walker Kessler, Kawhi Leonard, Damian Lillard, Donovan Mitchell, Chris Paul, Bobby Portis, Austin Reaves, Duncan Robinson, Jayson Tatum, Derrick White and Trae Young.
With James, Curry and Durant leading the way, Team USA will the favorite in Paris. However, they'll face stiff competition from the rest of the world, particularly world-champion Germany and star-studded squads like Australia and Team Canada. Generational international talents like Giannis Antetokounmpo, Nikola Jokic, Luka Doncic, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Victor Wembanyama will look to dethrone Team USA.
This iteration of the Olympics is shaping up to be the hardest challenge the Americans will ever face, and hopefully James, Curry and Durant will be at the forefront of it all. In likely their last dance in international competition, James, Curry and Durant will surely want to ride off into the sunset wearing gold medals around their necks.

The next time LeBron James, Kevin Durant and Steph Curry are playing together, it will be with Team USA during the Paris Olympics.

LeBron James, Steph Curry, Kevin Durant set to team up again — this time for USA

On Tuesday night, the Chicago Bulls tried something new against the Minnesota Timberwolves: starting their two centers, Nikola Vucevic and Andre Drummond, together.
The Bulls normally start Vucevic and surround him with four perimeter players, but head coach Billy Donovan elected to move Vucevic to the four in this game and play Drummond alongside him at the five.
The Bulls started the two big men to counter Minnesota&rsquo;s huge frontline of Karl-Anthony Towns and Rudy Gobert, and the results were rather interesting.
The two-man lineup of Vucevic and Drummong has appeared in just seven games and played 54 minutes together. However, in those seven games, the pairing has the highest offensive rating (130.6) and overall net rating (14.3) Vucevic has had with a teammate this season.
Against the Wolves, Vucevic and Drummond had a net rating of 8.7 and a plus-minus of +3. They shared the floor for 25 minutes, achieving an offensive net rating of 134.7 &ndash; again, the highest of all two-man lineups with Vucevic.
Although there were some spacing issues, the two big men worked their way around it on some offensive sets. The rest of the minutes were then staggered to cater to each big man and have a different playstyle for each when they were on the floor.
Out of Vucevic&rsquo;s 10 baskets, half of those came with Drummond on the floor. Among those were pick-and-pop jumpers (2), fadeaway jumpers from the left wing (2), and a driving floater in the lane.&nbsp;
On Vucevic&rsquo;s two threes, the Bulls utilized the two big men differently. First, Drummond sets a high pick for the ballhandler while Vucevic trails down the floor at the top of the key. Vucevic&rsquo;s man, Naz Reid, helps at the nail on the drive, leaving Vucevic open for the triple.
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Vooch first three <a href="https://t.co/hJwpStBnX4">pic.twitter.com/hJwpStBnX4</a>
&mdash; Mon Anthony Valmoria (@Morval_) <a href="https://twitter.com/Morval_/status/1755466502902624541?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 8, 2024</a></blockquote>

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In the second play, notice how Drummond is slotted at the dunker spot while the ballhandler and Vucevic flow into an empty corner pick-and-pop action for another three.
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Vooch second three <a href="https://t.co/Vr3gsHPIE0">pic.twitter.com/Vr3gsHPIE0</a>
&mdash; Mon Anthony Valmoria (@Morval_) <a href="https://twitter.com/Morval_/status/1755466675661730060?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 8, 2024</a></blockquote>

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What&rsquo;s even more impressive is that the two started practicing the twin-towers combo the day of the game.
&ldquo;We just started practicing it today,&rdquo; Drummong said post-game. &ldquo;That wasn't long either, but we figured it out. He's a smart player, I'm a smart player. I stay out of his way and likewise. We figured it out throughout the game and found good chemistry."
The 12-year veteran thrived against the three-time DPOY Gobert and Minnesota's top-ranked defense. Drummond was backing Gobert down in the paint, pulling off some highlight plays and celebrating with &ldquo;too small&rdquo; gestures after he scored.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-media-max-width="560">
Andre Drummond deep in his celebration bag 👀🔴 <a href="https://t.co/ODxXPH6mWJ">pic.twitter.com/ODxXPH6mWJ</a>
&mdash; Taco Trey Kerby (@treykerby) <a href="https://twitter.com/treykerby/status/1755216956091981988?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 7, 2024</a></blockquote>
With this interesting lineup, the Bulls scored 129 points, which is way more than what the Wolves usually allows (106.8 points per game), as they have the best defensive net rating in the NBA.
Vucevic and Drummond ended up combining for 40 points, and this allowed Coby White to take over in the fourth quarter and overtime. With the Wolves' defense keying in on both bigs, White came up with 21 points in the fourth quarter on 7-of-8 from the field, including 4-of-5 from three. He finished the game with 33 points, 7 assists and 5 rebounds.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-media-max-width="560">
Coby White had the TAKEOVER badge 🔥 33 pts | 11-21 FG | 5 reb | 7 ast <a href="https://t.co/B0wBM3soBa">pic.twitter.com/B0wBM3soBa</a>
&mdash; Chicago Bulls (@chicagobulls) <a href="https://twitter.com/chicagobulls/status/1755085270787969471?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 7, 2024</a></blockquote>

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An Most-Improved-Player frontrunner, White knocked down tough threes late in the game, which has been a big part of his improvement this year.
But the spotlight belonged to Vucevic and Drummond. Even though it was a small sample size, there's excitement about how the pairing can be used against certain matchups going forward.
&ldquo;They got to pick their poison,&rdquo; Drummond said of his pairing with Vucevic. &ldquo;Whether you let me beat you up in the paint or he [Vucevic] can shoot the three or beat you up in the paint too. So, it's a great tandem, for sure.&rdquo;

On Tuesday night, the Chicago Bulls tried something new: starting their two centers, Nikola Vucevic and Andre Drummond, together.

Bulls fought fire with fire against Wolves, earning best win of season

With the Eastern Conference All-Star starters set, let&rsquo;s look at the players who deserve a reserve slot for the East All-Star team this season. <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/picking-the-nbas-western-conference-allstar-reserves" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Check out our Western Conference All-Star reserve picks here</a>.
Guard: Jalen Brunson, New York Knicks
This pick is a no-brainer. Brunson is the head of the snake for a New York Knicks team that&rsquo;s been the best in the NBA since the turn of the calendar, going an NBA-best 14-2 in January. If not for falling short in fan voting (ranking just fifth), he would have been an All-Star starter. The 6-foot-2 guard ranked third and second in player and media voting, respectively, earning the respect of his peers and the media alike due to his ongoing stellar season. He&rsquo;s currently averaging 27 points, 6.5 assists and 4 rebounds per game for the third-place Knicks. Brunson is surefire and deserving All-Star.
Guard: Donovan Mitchell, Cleveland Cavaliers
Equally as deserving as Brunson, Mitchell is the second player (and guard) I'd select as an East reserve. He&rsquo;s averaging 27.7 points, 6.3 assists and 5.5 rebounds per outing and is leading one of the hottest teams in the NBA, as the Cavs recently went on an eight-game winning streak. What makes this recent stretch even more impressive is that Mitchell did this without All-Star backcourt mate Darius Garland and forward Evan Mobley, who have been out with injuries. Despite surfacing in some trade rumors early in the season, Mitchell put his head down and went to work, earning himself an All-Star spot this season.
Forward: Jaylen Brown, Boston Celtics
Celtics forward Jaylen Brown has certainly picked up right where he left off last season after recently signing his lucrative $300 million extension. Brown has been the second-best player on the best team in the NBA, averaging 22.6 points, 5.4 rebounds and 3.7 assists a game. He provides ample support for Celtics teammate and All-Star starter Jayson Tatum and at times carries the offensive load when Tatum is not on the floor. Boston would not be the juggernaut they are without the 6-foot-6 Brown&rsquo;s perimeter defense, dynamic three-level scoring and improved pick-and-roll decision-making.
Forward: Paolo Banchero, Orlando Magic
Blossoming into a true alpha for the Magic this season, Banchero has turned heads with his play. The 2022 No. 1 overall pick is averaging 23 points, 7 rebounds and 5 assists and he has yet to miss a game (47 games played). Banchero is one of only three players with the same numbers this season while shooting 38% from three, with the other two being All-Star starters LeBron James and Luka Doncic. The Magic are in the thick of a tight Eastern Conference playoff race, and Banchero has been a big reason why. The 6-foot-10, 250-pound forward has produced in clutch moments and had a number of dominant performances despite being just a sophomore in this league. Without him, Orlando would be a totally different team.
Center: Bam Adebayo, Miami Heat&nbsp;
Although the Miami Heat have been in a slump as of late, Bam Adebayo has shown up night in and night out while producing the same type of efficiency and numbers he's known for. Adebayo is averaging 20.7 points, 10.5 rebounds, 4.2 assists, 1.1 blocks and a steal while serving as a two-way anchor for the Heat. A lot of Miami's offensive possessions have been initiated by Adebayo, whether it be dribble handoffs, screening actions or him going to work from the free-throw line. He is having a career-year in terms of scoring while still playing at a high level on defense. For a Heat team that's been missing key players all season long, Adebayo has been rock-solid and that will likely earn him another All-Star nod.&nbsp;
Wildcard: Tyrese Maxey, Philadelphia 76ers
A Most Improved Player candidate, Maxey has taken his game to new heights this season. He&rsquo;s bumped up his scoring average from 20.3 to 25.7 points a game, and transitioned into a full-time point guard after James Harden&rsquo;s departure. Maxey has learned to balance his scoring and facilitating, emerging as a perfect No. 2 option alongside reigning MVP Joel Embiid. Their partnership has been lethal, averaging the most combined points by a duo this season. Maxey&rsquo;s ascension to a legit second option this season didn't go unnoticed, as he earned the respect of his fellow players and media, ranking second and fourth, respectively, in their voting ballots. This all adds up to the first All-Star berth for the 6-foot-3 guard.
Wildcard: Trae Young, Philadelphia 76ers
Even though the Atlanta Hawks have been underperforming, it's hard not to notice Young&rsquo;s exploits this season. He is the only player in the league averaging 26 points and 10 assists, and he has the most 30-point, 10-assist games (13). Although Young finished second in fan voting among East guards, he'll likely need to earn a wildcard spot in order to make the East team. Sure, one can argue Young&rsquo;s stats do not impact winning and somone like Boston&rsquo;s Derrick White deserves the nod over him because his team is atop of the standings. But I believe Young's sheer excellence this season has earned him a spot. 
Snubs: Julius Randle (Forward, New York Knicks); Derrick White (Guard, Boston Celtics); Kristaps Porzingis (Center, Boston Celtics); Jimmy Butler (Forward, Miami Heat)&nbsp;
Probably the toughest cut was Julius Randle, who was having a good season with the now third-place Knicks before dislocating his shoulder. He might still be named an All-Star and then a replacement would be named in his place, which would allow Randle and his replacement to be recognized. White&rsquo;s impact on winning for the top-ranked Celtics stands out and should warrant an All-Star spot if the East didn't have several star guards who are putting up ridiculous stats. Porzingis and Butler, on the other hand, have missed a considerable amount of games, which weakens their case.
<a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/picking-the-nbas-western-conference-allstar-reserves" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Check out our Western Conference All-Star reserve picks here.</a>

With the Eastern Conference All-Star starters set, let’s look at the East players who deserve a reserve slot this season.

Picking the NBA's Eastern Conference All-Star reserves

USA Basketball announced today a 41-athlete player pool for the 2024 USA Basketball Men&rsquo;s National Team. The players were selected by USA Basketball Men&rsquo;s National Team managing director&nbsp;Grant Hill&nbsp;and is subject to change. The 12-member 2024 USA Men&rsquo;s National Team, which will represent the United States at the 2024 Olympic Summer Games in Paris, will be announced at a later date.
Featuring 28 players who have represented the USA in Olympics and/or FIBA Men&rsquo;s World Cup and who together have collected 23 Olympic or World Cup gold medals, the 2024 USA Men&rsquo;s National Team finalists are&nbsp;Bam Adebayo,&nbsp;Jarrett Allen,&nbsp;Paolo Banchero,&nbsp;Desmond Bane,&nbsp;Scottie Barnes,&nbsp;Devin Booker,&nbsp;Mikal Bridges,&nbsp;Jaylen Brown,&nbsp;Jalen Brunson,&nbsp;Jimmy Butler,&nbsp;Alex Caruso,&nbsp;Stephen Curry,&nbsp;Anthony Davis,&nbsp;Kevin Durant,&nbsp;Anthony Edwards,&nbsp;Joel Embiid,&nbsp;De&rsquo;Aaron Fox,&nbsp;Paul George,&nbsp;Aaron Gordon,&nbsp;Tyrese Haliburton,&nbsp;James Harden,&nbsp;Josh Hart,&nbsp;Tyler Herro,&nbsp;Jrue Holiday,&nbsp;Chet Holmgren,&nbsp;Brandon Ingram,&nbsp;Kyrie Irving,&nbsp;Jaren Jackson Jr.,&nbsp;LeBron James,&nbsp;Cam Johnson,&nbsp;Walker Kessler,&nbsp;Kawhi Leonard,&nbsp;Damian Lillard,&nbsp;Donovan Mitchell,&nbsp;Chris Paul,&nbsp;Bobby Portis,&nbsp;Austin Reaves,&nbsp;Duncan Robinson,&nbsp;Jayson Tatum,&nbsp;Derrick White&nbsp;and&nbsp;Trae Young.
&ldquo;The United States boasts unbelievable basketball talent and I am thrilled that many of the game&rsquo;s superstars have expressed interest in representing our country at the 2024 Olympic Summer Games,&rdquo; Hill said. &ldquo;It is a privilege to select the team that will help us toward the goal of once again standing atop the Olympic podium. This challenging process will unfold over the next several months as we eagerly anticipate the start of national team activity."&nbsp;
The 2024 USA Men&rsquo;s National Team will be led by head coach&nbsp;Steve Kerr&nbsp;(Golden State Warriors), who is assisted by&nbsp;Mark Few&nbsp;(Gonzaga University),&nbsp;Tyronn Lue&nbsp;(L.A. Clippers) and&nbsp;Erik Spoelstra&nbsp;(Miami Heat). Last summer, the quartet coached the 2023 USA Basketball Men&rsquo;s National Team to a fourth-place finish at the 2023 FIBA Men&rsquo;s World Cup in Manila. Kerr is a 2020 Olympic gold medalist after serving as an assistant coach to&nbsp;Gregg Popovich&nbsp;in Tokyo.
In related news, USA Basketball also announced that the 2024 USA Men&rsquo;s National Team will host Canada at Las Vegas&rsquo; T-Mobile Arena as part of the USA Basketball Showcase. The exhibition contest is set for July 10 at 7:30 p.m. PT/10:30 p.m. ET live on FS1.
The USA Basketball Showcase features a series of games that help the USA Basketball National Teams prepare for major competitions, including the Olympic Summer Games and FIBA World Cup.
Following Las Vegas, the Americans will embark on an international training window that features exhibition games against the national teams of South Sudan on July 20 and Germany on July 22 at the O2 Arena in London.
Tickets for all three contests are on sale now at&nbsp;<a href="http://www.usab.com/tickets">www.usab.com/tickets</a>.
"USA Basketball is excited to return to Las Vegas as our men's national team program looks forward to tipping off the journey to the 2024 Olympic Games there in July," said&nbsp;Jim Tooley, USA Basketball CEO. "The game at T-Mobile Arena against Canada is an important opportunity in our preparations and a great opportunity for our fans to support the U.S. national team before heading overseas."&nbsp;
Prior to the Canada game, the USA will hold training camp in Las Vegas, its longtime training hub. Additional information will be announced at a later date.
The USA officially qualified for the 2024 Olympics as one of the top two nations from the FIBA Americas zone at the 2023 FIBA World Cup in September. The American men will compete for their fifth straight &ndash; and 17th&nbsp;overall &ndash; Olympic gold medal.
In total, USA Basketball will be represented by four teams at the 2024 Olympic Summer Games, including 5-on-5 men and women and 3x3 men and women. The USA are reigning Olympic champions in 5-on-5 men and women and 3x3 women, with 3x3 men set to make their Olympic debut next summer. &nbsp;More information about all four USA Basketball teams will be announced at a later date.

USA Basketball announced today a 41-athlete player pool for the 2024 USA Basketball Men’s National Team.