Lakers

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

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

Brad Stevens deserves massive credit for the Celtics' success

By appearing in the Western Conference Finals, the Dallas Mavericks showed that they have collected some of the ingredients of an NBA title contender.
Prior to that, the Mavs had not made it out of the first round of the playoffs since winning the Finals in 2010-11, and had exited the postseason in the first round each of the last two years. Even this season, Dallas had its doubters in the first round against the Utah Jazz, and most of the national audience was against them versus the dominant Phoenix Suns.&nbsp;
Then, the Mavericks won. Luka Doncic continues to ascend as one of the best basketball players on the planet. Several supporting cast members helped carry the load as well, whether it was Jalen Brunson in the first round, Maxi Kleber's Round 2 fireworks or Spencer Dinwiddie's production in the West Finals.
For so long, the narrative in Dallas had been: Does Luka have any help? After 2021-22, we at least know the Mavs have pieces to the puzzle. This summer presents the opportunity to shape the vision of a championship under Doncic and second-year head coach Jason Kidd.
The Mavericks boasted the sixth-best Defensive Rating (109.4) in the NBA during the regular season, per Basketball-Reference. That's impressive growth from a 20th-ranked unit in 2020-21 that didn't undergo massive roster overhaul. Our <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/how-do-the-mavericks-have-an-elite-defense" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Nekias Duncan covered Dallas' defense back in January</a>, and it kept up the work even after trading Kristaps Porzingis away in the deal that returned Dinwiddie and Davis Bertans.&nbsp;
No single, All-Defense-caliber player even stands out on the roster right now. Dorian Finney-Smith is very solid and so is Frank Ntilikina, though his minutes are too inconsistent currently. It's a true team-wide shift that significantly raises the team's floor come playoff time.&nbsp;
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With that being said &mdash; finding a true center to anchor the paint and provide stability on the glass remains a high priority. Dallas was 15th among the 16 playoff teams in offensive rebounding percentage (45.1%) and second chance points per game (9.0). They also gave up 14.2 second-chance points per game to their opponents, ranking fourth-highest in the postseason. The Mavs scored just 42.9 points in the paint per game during the regular season (ranked 29th of 30) and 35.4 in the playoffs (13th of 16) despite boasting two of the league's best driving threats in Doncic and Brunson.
Dwight Powell is a fine, rotation-caliber NBA player, but his minutes decreased in each subsequent series. Kleber is an awesome sharpshooting big and solid defender, but not an impactful interior presence.
Fortunately, there are several available free agents who Mavs president and general manager Nico Harrison could pursue in his second offseason with the team. Unfortunately, they have severely hamstrung themselves financially. According to Spotrac, they're a luxury taxpayer, which only leaves a mid-level exception worth just over $6.3 million to spend on a free agent. Dallas has virtually no path to cap space this season.
Jusuf Nurkic and Mitchell Robinson are the biggest names to hit unrestricted free agency as a center. They would almost instantly plug the rebounding hole, but are they the types of defenders and rim-runners who would thrive with Doncic? And is there a realistic way for the Mavericks to even sign them?
Other free agent centers who could fit in the mid-level exception include JaVale McGee, Andre Drummond and Bismack Biyombo, for some quick suggestions. Dallas does also hold a $10.2 million trade exception that it created when the team traded Josh Richardson to the Boston Celtics. It expires on June 27, before free agency begins, but it provides another avenue to acquire a rotation-level player.
It might make more sense for the Mavs to pursue a sign-and-trade with a restricted free agent. Obviously, Deandre Ayton is the marquee man. Evan Sidery toyed with <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/examining-potential-destinations-for-deandre-ayton" target="_blank" rel="noopener">potential trade packages for the Suns</a>; could Dallas offer something in this ballpark?
I personally am intrigued by Mo Bamba's potential fit. The 2018 No. 5 overall pick had a solid developmental year in Orlando, but appears to be the odd man out in a crowded young locker room. Bamba feels like a worthwhile gamble as a rebounder and rim-protector with a bit more mobility and shooting than your traditional bruising center.
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Of course, all this free agency discussion will come after the Mavericks address their largest elephant in the room. Jalen Brunson broke out as a secondary scorer this season, culminating in his huge games that gave Dallas the edge against Utah. <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/examining-potential-destinations-for-jalen-brunson" target="_blank" rel="noopener">He's an unrestricted free agent</a> who deserves a bag this summer.
"It&rsquo;s the top priority,&rdquo; Harrison said about re-signing Brunson in his <a href="https://www.mavs.com/brunson-is-top-priority/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">exit interview Friday</a>. &ldquo;We got to figure that out. Obviously, we&rsquo;re not in control of it. But he&rsquo;s definitely a priority. We want to re-sign him. He knows it. And we want him back. He&rsquo;ll be a big part of our future.&rdquo;
The Mavs' last route to improve is with their No. 26 overall draft pick. Dallas has been a mixed bag with drafting in recent seasons, but this is the first year Harrison will be at the helm after the franchise passed on the process in 2021. Most recently, the franchise selected Josh Green at No. 20 and Tyrell Terry at No. 31 in 2020. Green's development has been slow but notable through two seasons, while Terry is no longer in the organization.&nbsp;
Matt Babcock's latest&nbsp;<a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/nba-draft" target="_blank" rel="noopener">2022 NBA Mock Draft</a> projects the Mavericks to select Max Christie, a freshman wing from Michigan State. Christie was a five-star high school talent who struggled to produce as a college freshman. But his tools as a shooter, scorer and on-ball defender have all flashed and can be sharpened in the right environment.&nbsp;
Aside from Brunson, reserves Trey Burke and Theo Pinson are the only other players entering free agency. However, Dallas notably has just four players under fully guaranteed contracts in 2023-24, per Spotrac: Doncic, Finney-Smith, Bertans and Tim Hardaway Jr. If the squad underwhelms next year, the 2023 offseason could open up a serious roster makeover.&nbsp;
Dallas is on the cusp of true title contention. This offseason is all about checking off some final boxes, keeping the successful core intact and adding depth to a team that persevered through several injuries during the season.
If the summer breaks right, it wouldn't be surprising to see the Mavericks emerging as everyone's favorite championship sleeper by October.
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The Mavericks exited the Western Conference Finals with a strong playoff run, but have several glaring needs.

2022 NBA offseason preview: What's next for the Dallas Mavericks?

Mitch Kupchak has signed a multiyear contract extension to remain the Charlotte Hornets' general manager.
Kupchak&rsquo;s contract was set to expire this summer.
&ldquo;For better or for worse, I will be here for the next couple of years,&rdquo; Kupchak said Thursday on a videoconference call. He would not say when the contract expires.
The 67-year-old Kupchak will continue to lead the team&rsquo;s search for a coach.
He said the team already has interviewed <a href="https://apnews.com/article/portland-trail-blazers-charlotte-hornets-golden-state-warriors-milwaukee-bucks-nba-74054012ecbcf7f5e6534780b1bc9c1f">eight to 10 candidates</a> and could speak with a few more over the next week or so. He prefers to make a hire in the next two weeks and at the very latest before the June 23 NBA draft.
The Hornets <a href="https://apnews.com/article/charlotte-hornets-nba-sports-business-7598f5e1c6a5948076d25e876d860a25">fired coach James Borrego last month</a> after a meeting with owner Michael Jordan in Florida. He said it was &ldquo;ultimately my decision&rdquo; to fire Borrego but that he had Jordan's support.
Charlotte went 43-39 this season and finished in 10th place in the Eastern Conference before losing 132-103 to the Atlanta Hawks in the play-in tournament. It was the second straight year the Hornets were embarrassed in the play-in game.
Kupchak said the back-to-back lopsided play-in losses were a factor in the decision to part ways with Borrego after four years, but he refused to go into details regarding the other reasons for his dismissal.
He said the Hornets want to find a coach who can help the team &ldquo;take the next step.&rdquo;
He said the goal this past season was to make the playoffs, something the Hornets failed to do for the sixth straight season. Charlotte has not won a playoff series in more than two decades.
&ldquo;It was just time to go to another voice and look for another coach to bring us the same kind of improvement that coach Borrego did the first three years,&rdquo; Kupchak said.
Kupchak emphasized trying to stay the course and build around the team&rsquo;s nucleus that includes All-Star point guard LaMelo Ball and forward Miles Bridges.
He said one of the immediate goals this offseason is to re-sign Bridges, a restricted free agent, after a breakout season in which he averaged 20.2 points and seven rebounds per game.
&ldquo;Miles made a big jump,&rdquo; Kupchak said.
The Hornets have the 13th and 15th picks in the draft, and their most pressing need remains finding a big man, primarily for rim protection. Kupchak is hoping one of the team&rsquo;s younger players &mdash; they recently drafted Kai Jones and Nick Richards &mdash; might be able to step up and fill that role.
Regardless, it doesn't sound like the team will go overboard in trying to sign high-priced veteran free agents to compete for a title. Kupchak doesn't want this to be a one-year plan; rather, he said the focus should be on building a consistent winner.
&ldquo;The thing we have to be careful about is thinking that we&rsquo;re better than we really are,&rdquo; Kupchak said. &ldquo;We are not a team that is going into the NBA Finals. Although Atlanta got into the conference finals a year ago, I don&rsquo;t know how realistic that is. I&rsquo;d like to get us into the playoffs, and wouldn&rsquo;t it be great to win a round? And then anything after that would probably be gravy.&rdquo;
___
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Mitch Kupchak has signed a multiyear contract extension to remain the Hornets' GM, and will continue to lead the team’s search for a coach.

Hornets GM Kupchak signs multiyear contract extension

Devin Vassell and Keldon Johnson each scored 20 points to help the San Antonio Spurs beat the Denver Nuggets 116-97 on Tuesday night, securing a spot in the play-in tournament.
Since the Los Angeles Lakers lost to the Phoenix Suns tonight, the Spurs locked up at least the 10th seed in the Western Conference.
Not that they're really thinking about it. Or at least Spurs coach Gregg Popovich wasn't.
&ldquo;We&rsquo;ve got a game on Thursday and we&rsquo;re going to play that,&rdquo; Popovich said. &ldquo;Not worry about anything else. It&rsquo;s not like we&rsquo;re world beaters.&rdquo;
Reigning MVP Nikola Jokic had 41 points and 17 rebounds for the Nuggets, who squandered a chance to clinch a playoff spot with a win after Minnesota lost to Washington.
"We wasted a golden opportunity,&rdquo; Nuggets coach Michael Malone said. &ldquo;I just didn&rsquo;t think we had the requisite focus, determination, urgency, desperation &mdash; whatever adjective you want to use. I just didn&rsquo;t think we had it tonight.&rdquo;
The Spurs had six players score in double figures as they won a regular-season game in Denver for the first time since Jan. 5, 2017. But it wasn't easy even after San Antonio built a lead that stretched to 21 late in the second quarter.
The Nuggets cut it to four early in the fourth, only to see the Spurs go on a 14-2 surge to regain momentum. One of the key plays was when Davon Reed tried to make a behind-the-back pass that was stolen by Tre Jones, who went in for a layup. Jones finished with 14 points and 10 assists.
&ldquo;Every team has nights like that and I think this was one of those for the Nuggets,&rdquo; Popovich said. "Nothing went right for those guys, even to start the game. ... We took advantage of it.
&ldquo;So I think for them it was one of those nights, but I was really happy with our aggressiveness the whole game.&rdquo;
The Nuggets fell to sixth in the Western Conference, a half-game behind Utah and two games in front of the seventh-place Timberwolves. Denver can wrap up a top-six seed and avoid the play-in tournament with a Minnesota loss or by winning one of its final two remaining home games.
Teams seeded Nos. 7-10 compete in the play-in tournament.
Malone was given a technical in the second quarter for arguing a call with official Tony Brothers.
It came almost a week after Austin Rivers was ejected by Brothers when the guard faked throwing an elbow on Indiana's Lance Stephenson. Malone said Brothers told him it was a malicious act by Rivers.
Jokic later picked up a technical in the second half as well &mdash; not from Brothers.
TIP-INS
Spurs: G Dejounte Murray didn't play due to a respiratory illness. ... It was San Antonio's fifth straight road win. ... Josh Richardson had 18 points and four 3-pointers. Vassell and Richardson were a combined 8 of 11 from 3-point range.
Nuggets: G Jeff Green (personal reasons) was a late scratch. ... Rivers had a basket overturned when officials later determined he stepped out of bounds. ... F Aaron Gordon had 18 points and 13 boards.
STOPPING JOKIC
Asked the best way to contain Jokic, Popovich responded: &ldquo;I don&rsquo;t think anybody has figured that out. He&rsquo;s a great one.&rdquo;
OFF NIGHT
Jokic finished 18 of 35 from the floor, including 1 for 5 from 3-point range.
Malone had a simple explanation: "That he is fatigued. He&rsquo;s been carrying a team for 80 games, and I can&rsquo;t take him out of the game.&rdquo;
HOME SWEET HOME?
At 22-17, the Nuggets haven&rsquo;t been as dominant at home this season. On the road, though, they&rsquo;ve won a franchise-best 25 games.
&ldquo;Can&rsquo;t explain it. I really can&rsquo;t,&rdquo; Malone said of the struggles at Ball Arena.
MPJ &amp; MURRAY UPDATE
Malone didn&rsquo;t rule out a possible return of forward Michael Porter Jr. (back) and point guard Jamal Murray (knee) at some point.
&ldquo;Yes, you have that in the back of your mind. We could get reinforcements,&rdquo; Malone said. &ldquo;But you also have to help the guys that are ready and available to play.&rdquo;
UP NEXT
Spurs: At Minnesota on Thursday.
Nuggets: Host Memphis on Thursday.

The San Antonio Spurs secured a spot in the play-in tournament by beating the Denver Nuggets 116-97 on Tuesday night.

Spurs beat Nuggets, secure a spot in West Play-In Tournament

Just two weeks ago, the San Antonio Spurs were 27-44, two-and-a-half games out of postseason positioning and three games behind the Los Angeles Lakers in the Western Conference standings.
The Lakers' failures have been the dominant headline of this year's playoff race. However, their epic meltdown is overshadowing a Spurs team that capitalized on an easy stretch of schedule to go 6-1 in the past two weeks and surge to the No. 10 seed.
San Antonio boasts a fifth-ranked offense and defense over that time, according to Cleaning the Glass. Sure, three of the wins have come against the Portland Trail Blazers, and a fourth victory versus the Houston Rockets; however, the Spurs have also downed Golden State and New Orleans &mdash; and even fighting tooth and nail in a one-point loss against second-seeded Memphis is commendable. This roster features just two players over age-26 in Doug McDermott (30) and Josh Richardson (28).&nbsp;
For a team that has appeared well out of contention all season, the Spurs have displayed impressive resilience with this late run.
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Any praise starts with Dejounte Murray, who is simply a full-blown superstar. The 25-year-old kicked his All-Star season up another notch in March, putting up 25.6 points, 8.8 rebounds and 8.6 assists per game with a 57.5% True Shooting percentage. Then, on defense, he led the NBA with 4.7 deflections per game.
Murray averaged 92.6 touches per game last month &mdash; third in the entire NBA &mdash; and sported a 33.5% usage rate, in the 81st percentile among point guards. His assist rate (39.3%) is in the 88th percentile post-February, and it underscores the success Murray is having with tremendous responsibility as an engine.
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Against the Pelicans, Murray racked up 13 assists against 2 turnovers. He often simply made the right pass, and on other plays, he showed off the vision and control that has come to define his methodical tempo.
Murray may be the fulcrum, but he isn't carrying San Antonio. The Spurs missed him for the past two games due to illness, yet still soundly thrashed Portland twice. They beat New Orleans on a night where Murray had those 13 assists but shot 4 of 19 from the field.
Tre Jones subbed into the starting lineup for Murray in those two wins against the Trail Blazers, handing out 16 assists without turning the ball over once. Jones has a scintillating 62.6% True Shooting percentage and a 6.40 assist-to-turnover rate during the seven-game run.
Keldon Johnson has shined as the team's second-leading scorer at 22.0 points per game. He has reasserted himself as a powerful driver while canning 47% of his corner threes over the past seven games. The drive-and-kick game has also shined.
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Johnson is already a reliable driver who continues to improve. Since March 1, his overall turnover rate has dropped to a pristine 7.0%, while his assist totals have gone up. The reads that the 22-year-old has made out of his attacks have been quite impressive.
It feels like the young core is rising collectively on the score sheet. Devin Vassell has knocked down 37.0% of his three-pointers since the All-Star break, showing off the pull-up savvy that made him a 2020 lottery pick. Zach Collins has returned from lengthy injury absences to back up Jakob Poeltl and help San Antonio post the second-highest offensive rebound rate in the NBA over the past seven games.&nbsp;
Even 19-year-old Josh Primo, the youngest player in the NBA, has stepped in as a starter over the past eight games. He hasn't been an efficient offensive contributor, but Primo is still playing 27.2 minutes per game for a Spurs team that is winning when it counts. That's meaningful development.
Seven different Spurs have logged a 15-plus-point outing during the 6-1 run. Five others have scored between 10 and 15 points at least once. Regardless of the context or competition, it's fun to see so many players impacting the point total.
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On defense, San Antonio has arguably played even better, and it starts with Poeltl. The 26-year-old has already faced the most at-rim shots in the league this season and performed admirably. During the recent winning stretch, Poeltl has faced 7.7 shots at the rim per game. Opponents are shooting just 45.7% on those attempts &mdash; the lowest rate against any player facing at least 5 attempts per game in that span.
Overall, the Spurs have held their opponents to just 54.1% shooting at the rim over the past seven games, per Cleaning the Glass, by far the league's lowest rate in that span. Teams have struggled to get out and run on San Antonio, and when stuck in a half-court game, the Spurs have allowed the fifth-fewest points per half-court possession.
In short: It's been a fantastic run, and it's placed all the pressure on the Lakers to change their fate.
L.A. is 4-16 since the All-Star break with the NBA's second-worst defensive rating. The Lakers still have to face Phoenix and Denver, two top-10 offenses on the season, along with the Warriors and Oklahoma City Thunder. The Lakers must win at least two games to even have a mathematical chance at the No. 10 seed, and even if they somehow won out, San Antonio would then only need to win two games (the Spurs hold the tiebreaker).
The Spurs have a difficult road ahead against four West playoff teams in the Denver Nuggets, Minnesota Timberwolves, Warriors and Dallas Mavericks. Does San Antonio's recent hot stretch provide enough momentum to split the schedule? Do the Lakers have anything left in the tank to apply pressure?
Regardless of the outcome, Gregg Popovich and his staff should take pride in how the young Spurs have fought for their spot in the postseason.
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Dejounte Murray has helped lead the young Spurs into the Play-In Tournament picture, and a number of others are contributing as well.

The Lakers might be collapsing, but let's give credit to the Spurs

When the Celtics slumped off the Madison Square Garden court following a buzzer-beating loss to the New York Knicks on Jan. 6, they were a team without direction.
The setback dropped the Celtics to 18-21 and into 11th place in the Eastern Conference. It also came on a night in which they had given up a 25-point lead &ndash; the fifth time since the start of the season they had surrendered an advantage of 19 or more points.
It felt like the preamble to a lost year following the franchise&rsquo;s offseason makeover that included a transition from Brad Stevens to rookie head coach Ime Udoka.
It turns out that game may have been the inflection point the Celtics needed to turn things around.
Buoyed by the offensive production of Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown, as well as a defense that rates as the best in the NBA during that stretch, Boston is suddenly one of the league&rsquo;s hottest teams with the playoffs just three weeks away.
Since their humbling loss in New York, the Celtics (47-29) have gone an East-best 29-8, are up to fourth place in the East and suddenly in position to compete for the conference&rsquo;s top seed.
&ldquo;It&rsquo;s been a journey. We&rsquo;ve had to find our identity,&rdquo; said Tatum, who&rsquo;s averaging 27.1 points per game and has scored 30 or more points 15 times during the current stretch. &ldquo;We have lost some teammates, got some new guys. We&rsquo;ve had to battle, but it&rsquo;s been fun. Even some tougher times, looking back I think we benefitted from it, and it made us better along the way.&rdquo;
The resurgence also came amid not only technical adjustments on the court but following some bold moves by Stevens in his new role as the team&rsquo;s president of basketball operations.
With his team finally finding some traction and in the midst of a 13-4 stretch after the New York loss, Stevens still shook up the roster at the trade deadline, dealing seven players, including guards Dennis Schr&ouml;der, Josh Richardson and big man Enes Freedom, along with a 2022 first-round pick, and netting the Celtics guard Derrick White and center Daniel Theis.
The moves helped get them under the luxury tax threshold and cleared up some chemistry issues that were apparent early in the season.
A team that also had trouble sharing the ball is now assisting on 60% of its field goals, ranking 14th in the league. Last season Boston ranked 27th in the same category.
&ldquo;The unselfishness is there,&rdquo; Udoka said. &ldquo;It&rsquo;s becoming contagious.&rdquo;
Brown said it&rsquo;s the culmination of the patience everyone in the locker room has had to allow things to come together.
&ldquo;Everything takes time,&rdquo; Brown said. &ldquo;Everybody wants everything to work right away. But new team, new coaching staff, just kind of working through some things and trying to figure some things out. Watching a lot of film and making so we can believe in ourselves and stuff like that. A lot of adversity early in the season. I missed 15 games. COVID. There was a lot of things going on. And now, we&rsquo;ve kind of got our feet under us. Things are going a lot better for us.&rdquo;
They&rsquo;ll have to lean on that new foundation after getting hit with a fresh dose of adversity after big man Robert Williams suffered torn cartilage in his left knee during the team&rsquo;s win over Minnesota on Sunday.
The injury will require surgery, keeping him out for the rest of the regular season and likely well into the playoffs.
It will require more production from veteran Al Horford, as well as third-year forward Grant Williams and Theis.
Point guard Marcus Smart said it&rsquo;s a challenge they are ready to confront.
&ldquo;I think with us, the advantage that we have with that is we went through 30-something games without our full roster,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;We had to learn to adjust and play like that. (Williams' injury) definitely is a hit to us, but we know Rob wouldn&rsquo;t want us to hold our heads. And we&rsquo;re not going to do that.
&ldquo;We still have other guys who&rsquo;ve been waiting for their turn to step up if that&rsquo;s the case. And that&rsquo;s just what it is. We&rsquo;ve had the advantage to be able to adjust and play without certain guys and it&rsquo;s just one of those moments where we have to do it again.&rdquo;
___
More AP NBA: https://apnews.com/tag/NBA and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

Boston is suddenly one of the league’s hottest teams with the playoffs just three weeks away.

Sticking to blueprint has keyed Celtics' second-half turnaround

Julius Randle joined the New York Knicks under the team's previous leadership, at a time when doing so was even less in vogue than it is now. He signed alongside a number of other power forwards including Marcus Morris and Bobby Portis &ndash; moves Knicks' team president Steve Mills was chided for at the time.
But unlike most of the Knicks' recent free agents, Randle looked like the right signing. He was not only a part of the team&rsquo;s resurgence, he spearheaded it. Randle and the 2020-21 Knicks finished the season as the fourth seed in the Eastern Conference &ndash; the first time in eight years the team qualified for the playoffs. Randle turned a major corner. He averaged 24.1 points and 10.2 rebounds per game while shooting a career-best 41.1% on three-point attempts.
But the honeymoon period ended quickly. By early January 2022, Randle was aggressively butting heads with Knicks' fans -- and it's only gotten worse since then. But what exactly went wrong between last season and now?
One major challenge has been Derrick Rose and his limited availability. The Knicks went 30-17 after they traded for Rose last season, meaning they went 11-14 before that.
Rose has appeared in just 26 games this season. Sure, the Knicks are only 11-15 with Rose in the lineup in 2021-22, but something that Rose provided last season is obviously missing without him in the lineup this season.
Additionally, the Knicks let Reggie Bullock walk, choosing to sign Evan Fournier instead. Objectively, Fournier is an upgrade on Bullock, except for two key points &ndash; Bullock filled catch-and-shoot and defensive gaps that Fournier doesn&rsquo;t, and Bullock and Randle were very good friends who had great on-court chemistry.
Substituting a starter who is best with the ball in his hands for a starter who plays their best basketball off the ball changes a team&rsquo;s dynamic. And more importantly, removing the best friend of a team&rsquo;s centerpiece is never an ideal way to appease him.
The Knicks are 32-42 this season and all-but-guaranteed to miss the playoffs &ndash; and the play-in tournament. And Randle is back to his old ways &ndash; he&rsquo;s only shooting 30.7% on three-point attempts this season.
But more importantly, Randle has struggled to fit-in in New York this year, and many Knicks fans have soured on him. Fans have been clamoring for coach Tom Thibodeau to give Obi Toppin, the team&rsquo;s 2020 lottery pick, more playing time. It would come at the expense of Randle. And as much as Knicks fans have become experts at pining and pressuring to see youngsters get playing time, much of this situation is predicated on how Randle has played and carried himself on the court.&nbsp;
First, Randle&rsquo;s body language has been poor. He&rsquo;s a less willing passer, hustles back on defense less consistently, and he argues with referees and opponents as often as ever.
Additionally, Randle been fined four times this season for a grand total of $130,000: once for throwing a ball into the stands, once for using profanity in an interview, once for initiating an on-court incident with Suns&rsquo; forward Cam Johnson and (most recently) for directing hostile language at referees in a loss against the Jazz.
Randle also had a dust-up with New York Post writer Marc Berman about trade rumors. Randle dismissively questioned Berman&rsquo;s sources and condescendingly cast doubt on his inclusion in said trade rumors.
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&mdash; Joshua Richards (@jr_xxi) <a href="https://twitter.com/jr_xxi/status/1489739959674327042?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 4, 2022</a></blockquote>

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And that&rsquo;s not even the biggest in-season issue. On Jan. 6, in a game in which the Knicks rallied back to defeat the Boston Celtics, Randle lost his cool with the home crowd, who had booed the team earlier for getting down as much as 25 points in the first half. Randle followed the lead set by the New York Mets, giving the crowd a blatant thumbs down after scoring a basket and cutting the lead to four late in the fourth quarter.
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As if gesturing negatively to his home crowd wasn&rsquo;t enough, Randle expounded on the gesture afterwards when asked about its meaning by a member of the press.
&ldquo;Shut the f*ck up,&rdquo; Randle said.
Fans have certainly crossed the line many times, and it seems even more so in the NBA of late; but the entire sport as we know it is predicated on fans and their interest in the game. Home crowds get frustrated. They lash out. And when things turn back in their favor, they&rsquo;re right behind you again. It&rsquo;s how fandom works, and it&rsquo;s especially the case in New York.
New York&rsquo;s athletes are held to unfair and unrealistic standards. But how they react to the crowd dictates much of how they&rsquo;re remembered &ndash; and this, more so than any other misstep, has set the tone for Randle&rsquo;s time in New York. Turning negativity into positivity gets you remembered fondly. Reacting negatively to negativity begets even more negativity.&nbsp;
Randle is uniquely skilled. He&rsquo;s an incredibly versatile offensive weapon, and he has all the tools to be an elite defender. But his prickly demeanor became, well, too prickly to ignore. He turned it on the exact group he needed to keep on his side &ndash; the fans.&nbsp;
I&rsquo;m sure Randle regrets much of what&rsquo;s taken place this season &ndash; especially that which went down on Jan. 6 &ndash; but there&rsquo;s no taking it back now. Randle is too good to be a short-term stop gap, anyway. The Knicks will not win with Randle at the helm given the team (and its youth) around him. But now he might not even get the chance to prove me wrong.&nbsp;
The only thing pointing to a continued Randle-New York marriage is that his trade value has taken a major hit this season. What looked like a gem of a contract extension (four years at $117 million) is probably perceived differently around the league now. His on-court production is less alluring than it was a year ago, and his effect on team culture is probably viewed negatively, too.
What all of this means for Randle and the Knicks moving forward is anyone&rsquo;s guess, but you can be sure that the team is more open to the idea of moving him now than they were last summer &ndash; which goes against everything we know about buying low and selling high. But if his value really is that low, how do the Knicks gauge what is too low to accept?
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Julius Randle's numerous missteps over the course of the 2021-22 season have hurt his standing with Knicks' fans. What's next?

Julius Randle's missteps might have cost him his career in New York

NEW ORLEANS (AP) &mdash; Dejounte Murray could feel his annoyance building as San Antonio coaches repeatedly went back over video of the Spurs' blowout loss to New Orleans in the previous meeting between the two Western Conference play-in hopefuls.
Apparently, Spurs coach Gregg Popovich, the NBA's all-time leader in coaching victories, knows something about using bad memories to inspire better performances.
Murray had 15 points, 13 assists and 11 rebounds, Keldon Johnson punctuated his 21-point night with a breakaway dunk in the final seconds and the Spurs bolstered their postseason hopes with a 107-103 victory over the Pelicans on Saturday night.
&ldquo;Our two meetings today, I kind of was mad that we kept watching the film of that last game because they beat us really bad from tip all the way to the end of the game,&rdquo; Murray said. &ldquo;We all took that personal.&rdquo;
The Pelicans nearly wiped out a 10-point deficit in the final 3:43 and had the ball, down 105-103, in the final seconds. But the Spurs sent multiple perimeter defenders at CJ McCollum, who opted to pass to Jose Alvarado on the left wing. Alvarado, an undrafted rookie who scored a career-high 23 points, missed his final shot for the lead from the 3-point line.
Jock Landale rebounded and got to the ball to Murray, who found Johnson with a long cross-court pass for the put-away basket in a victory that pulled San Antonio (30-44) one game behind New Orleans (31-43) for the final Western Conference play-in spot.
Pelicans first-year coach Willie Green said that although Alvarado had &ldquo;a good look&rdquo; at his last shot, the coaching in that situation could have been better.
"In hindsight, that's a situation where I probably need to take a timeout and get us organized," Green continued. &ldquo;That's an area where I probably have to get a little better.&rdquo;
Green also sensed the Spurs were playing with the emotion and purpose of a team seeking redemption.
&ldquo;They remembered what happened the last time we played them and you could see they came out with a different force,&rdquo; Green said, calling the Spurs' 16 offensive rebounds and 22 second-chance points &ldquo;the biggest factor&rdquo; in the game.
&ldquo;Normally teams don't rebound the ball like that against us,&rdquo; Green added. &ldquo;It sort of negates what we do well.&rdquo;
Josh Richardson scored 18 points for the Spurs, who trailed 92-90 with less than nine minutes to play before stringing together a pivotal 12-0 run during which Landale scored eight on a pair of 3s and a layup set up by Zach Collins' shot fake and pass from underneath the basket.
&ldquo;We kind of all understood what this game meant to our record and the chase with those guys,&rdquo; Landale said. &ldquo;There was a different level of intensity in the locker room and walking out on the court. ... It was just good to see it all come together down the stretch.&rdquo;
McCollum scored 32 and Jonas Valanciunas had 18 points and 11 rebounds for New Orleans, which led most of the first half. The Pelicans were up by as many as 12 when Larry Nance Jr., in his second game back from arthroscopic surgery on his right knee, tipped in Devonte' Graham's missed 3 early in the second quarter to make it 34-22.
The Spurs controlled the rest of the quarter, however, thanks in large part to Richardson, who scored 11 of his points in a four-minute span in the middle of the period.
Richardson's three free throws after he was fouled on a 3-point attempt gave the Spurs a 50-46 lead with 4:30 left in the half.
New Orleans rallied to briefly take the lead when Herb Jones' forceful, fast-break two-handed jam and Alvarado's 3 made it 57-54. But Tre Jones' driving layup and Johnson's tip-in in the final seconds gave the Spurs a 58-57 halftime lead.
TIP-INS
Spurs: Jakob Poeltl and Jakob Primo each scored 12 points, while Landale and Collins each scored 10. ... Poeltl grabbed 11 rebounds. ... Made 22 of 25 free throws. ... Outrebounded New Orleans 49-42. ... Small forward Devin Vassell, who averages 11.9 points per game, was held out with a sore right Achilles tendon.
Pelicans: Brandon Ingram, who leads the Pelicans with 22.8 points per game, missed his 10th straight game with a sore hamstring after being listed as questionable coming in. ... Missed six of 19 free throws and missed 22 of 32 3-point shots. ... Pelicans forward Naji Marshall was called for a flagrant foul when his hand caught Collins in the face early in the fourth quarter.
UP NEXT
Spurs: Visit Houston on Monday night.
Pelicans: Host the Los Angeles Lakers on Sunday night in the last of three straight at home.

Dejounte Murray had a triple-double as the Spurs bolstered their postseason hopes with a 107-103 win over the Pelicans

Murray's triple-double lifts Spurs over Pelicans 107-103

I grew up in Tulsa, Oklahoma and went to Arkansas Razorback Basketball Camp many times.
My high school, Booker T. Washington (back-to-back state champions) tried to mirror the Hogs' style.
"Forty minutes of hell" defense picking up full court the entire game.
A deep bench with multiple weapons utilizing both the inside and outside games.
Running up the score, and actually running opposing teams out of the gym, as we were collectively in better shape than most of our opponents.
So it was great to see No. 4 Arkansas take down the overall favorites and top-seeded Gonzaga Bulldogs in the Sweet 16 game Thursday night 74-68 to advance to the Elite Eight.
&ldquo;Thank you to everybody who said we had no chance,&rdquo; Razorbacks head coach Eric Musselman told CBS after the game.
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𝑵𝑬𝑽𝑬𝑹 doubt the Hogs 🐗<a href="https://twitter.com/RazorbackMBB?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@RazorbackMBB</a> x <a href="https://twitter.com/EricPMusselman?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@EricPMusselman</a> <a href="https://t.co/cbdwhGYEey">pic.twitter.com/cbdwhGYEey</a>
&mdash; Southeastern Conference (@SEC) <a href="https://twitter.com/SEC/status/1507170034526863361?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 25, 2022</a></blockquote>

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I caught up with former Razorback legends Lee Mayberry and Scotty Thurman to discuss the big upset and how Arkansas will fare moving forward in the rest of the NCAA Tournament.
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Lee Mayberry
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Etan: Mr. Lee Mayberry, how did it feel to see your team take down the No. 1-seeded and highly favored Gonzaga Bulldogs on Thursday night?
Mayberry: "It felt great. We were in those kids' shoes years ago ourselves, where you feel like it&rsquo;s Arkansas against the world. Gonzaga was the No. 1 seed like you said; they were projected to win it all in most brackets, and most people counted Arkansas out. If you are from Arkansas or Tulsa or surrounding areas, you understand how those kids feel that they are always doubted and counted out, so they have to believe in themselves. And we have a great fanbase who are right in that same boat and have that same feeling and mentality along with us."
Etan: I saw some similarities in the style of this team with your teams in your years at Arkansas in terms of lighting it up from the three, pushing the ball, the erratic offense. Would you agree?&nbsp;
Mayberry: "I definitely see similarities. Our style was chaotic with Coach [Nolan] Richardson. It was difficult to run an offense against our defense, we just wouldn&rsquo;t allow it. With these guys now, you see the length, the toughness, the relentless effort. Musselman really has those guys playing hard and at a high level. I love watching them."
Etan: I see a lot of the chatter today is about the refs. I saw Skip Bayless talking about a call in particular on Chet [Holmgren] that he thought was a foul. And I&rsquo;m looking at the game and I&rsquo;m thinking... all the calls Gonzaga got against Memphis and y&rsquo;all are complaining about the refs?
Mayberry: "Yeah that&rsquo;s a good point, they did get a lot of calls. It was a great game, but they definitely had a lot of calls go their way."
Etan: The call in particular Skip is talking about with Chet, J.D. Notae from Arkansas made a great play. He took to right to him like he was supposed to. If Chet stepped up and took a charge maybe, but he didn&rsquo;t. He clearly fouled him. That&rsquo;s what I saw.
Mayberry: "Of course I&rsquo;m biased, but I felt like Gonzaga definitely got their share of calls. You listen to Grant Hill and the commentators, and it was more than apparent that everyone was against us. If it&rsquo;s a 50/50 call, (it) seemed like they wanted those to go to Gonzaga too. Look, the referees aren&rsquo;t going to be perfect, but I thought the game was officiated just fine. In fact, I feel Gonzaga got a lot of calls themselves."
Etan: It&rsquo;s crazy, I&rsquo;m looking at Skip Bayless&rsquo; tweet now, and he said in all caps for some reason:&nbsp;
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I'M SORRY, NCAA BASKETBALL WITH ITS ONLY FIVE FOULS AND AMATEURISH REFS IS A JOKE. SO IF CHET HOLMGREN JUMPS BACKWARD AND THE ARKANSAS PLAYER DRIVES THE BALL UP INTO HIS CHEST, THAT'S A FOUL ON HOLMGREN??? CLOWN COLLEGE CALL - AS WERE 3 OTHERS ON FOULED-OUT HOLMGREN.
&mdash; Skip Bayless (@RealSkipBayless) <a href="https://twitter.com/RealSkipBayless/status/1507163187166150663?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 25, 2022</a></blockquote>

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And I just didn&rsquo;t see any of that.&nbsp;
Mayberry: "I thought Drew Timme fouled about 10 times throughout the game. Last night, the better team won period. We were better."
Etan: I agree, so I gotta ask you before I let you go about Nolan Richardson. I always had a lot of respect for him, how is he doing these days? Do you still keep in touch with him?&nbsp;
Mayberry: "Coach is doing well. I keep in touch with him. He&rsquo;s taking care of his wife, Rose. He&rsquo;s still living in Northwest Arkansas. He still has his farm. He&rsquo;s just enjoying life. He isn&rsquo;t getting around as much as he used to, but he still loves the game, watches the game and roots on the Arkansas Razorbacks."
Etan: That&rsquo;s great to hear. So what do they have to do to keep this going against Duke In the Elite Eight?&nbsp;
Mayberry: "Stay with the game plan, being that tough team with a chip on your shoulder. I love and respect Coach K for what he has done for NCAA basketball as a whole, but I would love to see that be his last game. So we just gotta do what got us here, that grind and grit and that chip. Keep all of that going against Duke."
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Scotty Thurman&nbsp;
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Etan: Mr. Scotty Thurman, what were your thoughts watching your team beat the Gonzaga Bulldogs on Thursday night?&nbsp;
Thurman: "I thought we responded very well. I was worried about us being able to get back on transition, but thought we did a great job of getting back early and not letting Gonzaga really get into an offensive rhythm. And I thought the physicality of us was something that really gave Gonzaga problems."
Etan: It&rsquo;s interesting because all throughout the game, Grant Hill... and I love Grant Hill, he&rsquo;s just a great human being all around, but he was really acting like Gonzaga wasn&rsquo;t getting any calls. And I saw a lot of chatter on social media about the refs, did you see all that?
Thurman: "Well, it was definitely obvious that Grant was favoring Gonzaga with his commentary. I know in that position you&rsquo;re supposed to be unbiased, and he definitely didn&rsquo;t sound that way last night. And I saw the same commentary on Twitter you saw, but it&rsquo;s all to be expected. I&rsquo;m glad the team didn&rsquo;t get caught up in any of that, but they stuck to their game plan and came out on top as they should&rsquo;ve."
Etan: I don&rsquo;t wanna bring up old stuff, but I grew up a big fan of y&rsquo;all. Clint McDaniel, your teammate, went to my high school, Booker T. So in 1994, I remember being in high school in the cafeteria and all of us were rooting for y&rsquo;all. And watching you hit that big shot against Duke in the Finals and winning the championship, that&rsquo;s the first thing I thought of when I heard Grant&rsquo;s commentary.
Thurman: "It wasn&rsquo;t just you. I was thinking it too. Then, I saw someone tweet it. So I responded on Twitter and said, 'I thought it was just me.' After that, it just started to rain down on Twitter with comments saying he was still salty, and people kept posting the shot, my Razorback faithful, so it brought back great memories for me. But it&rsquo;s all in good fun like you said. Nothing but respect for Grant Hill. But yeah, I did think that too."
Etan: So let&rsquo;s talk a little bit about the shot since it was brought back up. Walk me through it. It really was like one of those "One Shining Moment" NCAA commercials that will always be a part of the advertising, you know? It&rsquo;s etched in March Madness history forever.
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Thurman: (Laughing) "Well thanks, I appreciate that. Well since you asked, we can talk about it. I don&rsquo;t wanna be like I&rsquo;m Al Bundy over here. (Laughing) So it wasn&rsquo;t a drawn play, it was a broken play.
"Corey Beck had the basketball at the top of the key. He was looking for Corliss [Williamson], as he should have because I had just missed a couple of shots. Corey dribbled around, and passed the ball up top to Dwight [Stewart], who would&rsquo;ve drained the shot himself had he not fumbled the pass. And it&rsquo;s amazing that he had the wherewithal to not take a bad shot, but to still be willing to make an unselfish play which is something Coach Richardson was always adamant about &mdash; us playing unselfishly. Most kids would&rsquo;ve panicked and taken a bad shot. But he didn&rsquo;t. I popped out once I saw that Antonio Lang lost sight of me, like Coach Richardson drilled in my head over and over again to do if that ever happened, and [Dwight] hit me with the perfect pass. And the rest was history."
Etan: That&rsquo;s great, so last question: What are the keys to Arkansas winning this next game against Duke in the Elite Eight?
Thurman: "I think the main key is to remain physical. which is something that really bothered Gonzaga. They have to obviously make shots. I don&rsquo;t worry about Duke beating us in transition because I don&rsquo;t think they push the ball as fast as Gonzaga did. Their help-the-helper defense has really been great, so they need to continue that. And really bring the same energy and toughness that they had against Gonzaga, and we should be okay."
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Etan Thomas catches up with Arkansas legends Lee Mayberry and Scotty Thurman about the Hogs' upset win over Gonzaga.

Lee Mayberry, Scotty Thurman react to Arkansas' upset over Gonzaga

Last night, on his 42nd birthday, Jamal Crawford announced his retirement from the NBA. Crawford is one of eight players in NBA history to play for 20 seasons; only Vince Carter (22), Robert Parish (21) and Kevin Willis (21) had a longer career.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-theme="dark">
&ldquo; Goodbye to the game, all the spoils the adrenaline rush.&rdquo; Thank you basketball, I owe you everything &hellip;..✌🏾 <a href="https://t.co/PpKYjoqz9p">pic.twitter.com/PpKYjoqz9p</a>
&mdash; 🏁 Jamal Crawford (@JCrossover) <a href="https://twitter.com/JCrossover/status/1505795444693082112?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 21, 2022</a></blockquote>
Crawford will go down as arguably the greatest sixth man of all-time, and he's one of just two players to win the Sixth Man of the Year award three times. He was known for creating instant offense off of the bench, and he was one of the league&rsquo;s best ball-handlers &mdash; consistently coming up with new moves and wowing fans with his handles. He scored the second-most points off the bench in NBA history (trailing only Lou Williams), per <a href="https://twitter.com/statmuse/status/1505915685238497285" target="_blank" rel="noopener">StatMuse</a>.
Crawford was also known as one of the best teammates around the league, winning the NBA&rsquo;s Teammate of the Year award in 2018. He has strong relationships with many people around the basketball world &mdash;&nbsp; from players to coaches to executives to media. Throughout his career, he garnered a ton of respect from fellow players because of his immense love of the game and electrifying style of play, which inspired plenty of younger hoopers (especially in his hometown of Seattle).&nbsp;
Over the years, Crawford has done everything in his power to help up-and-coming Seattle-area players, even letting some live with him throughout his NBA career (including Isaiah Thomas, Nate Robinson and Abdul Gaddy among others).
&ldquo;That&rsquo;s what it&rsquo;s all about. When you&rsquo;re a kid, you think it&rsquo;s all about you making it. Then, as you get older, the real joy, the real fulfillment, comes from seeing someone else make it," Crawford <a href="https://hoopshype.com/2018/09/03/nba-seattle-supersonics-sonics-jamal-crawford-proam-crawsover/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">told me</a> in 2018. &ldquo;How can I tell someone like Isaiah Thomas or Brandon Roy or Nate Robinson or Tony Wroten or any of these guys to go help the next generation if I&rsquo;m not doing it? It all goes full circle. That&rsquo;s the payback. I don&rsquo;t want anything from those guys, I just want them to do it for the next generation... Before looking at their talent, I like to see how good of a kid they are and what kind of character they have. That&rsquo;s No. 1 for me. Once I see that, I&rsquo;m willing to help to the moon and back. I want to work with them and show them that this [lifestyle] is attainable.&rdquo;
When Crawford thinks about his career, he's said that passing down that pay-it-forward mentality to the next generation of Seattle players is one of his proudest achievements. Chicago Bulls star Zach LaVine raves about Crawford, and he now tries to help younger players just as Crawford helped him.
&ldquo;Jamal is just, like, the best human being. He&rsquo;s a great person,&rdquo; LaVine&nbsp;<a href="https://hoopshype.com/2018/09/03/nba-seattle-supersonics-sonics-jamal-crawford-proam-crawsover/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">told me</a> in 2018. &ldquo;I try to be the same way; it&rsquo;s just how you&rsquo;re supposed to be, how you&rsquo;re supposed to treat other people. I thank my parents [for instilling that]. I remember being in high school &ndash; or even right before I entered high school &ndash; getting little invites to their pro runs. To be a high-schooler going up against Brandon Roy, Jamal, Nate Robinson, Tone [Wroten]? You keep getting better and better. You can see the progression, and they can see that you&rsquo;re part of that group of players who will carry on Seattle basketball. You start from a young age and then once you get there [to the pros], you just pass it down the same way.&rdquo;
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Crawford is beloved by quite a few fan bases, having suited up for the Chicago Bulls, New York Knicks, Golden State Warriors, Atlanta Hawks, Portland Trail Blazers, Los Angeles Clippers, Minnesota Timberwolves, Phoenix Suns and Brooklyn Nets.
After a productive 2018-19 season with the Suns (where Crawford was a strong leader and scored 51 points in his final game), he had a hard time getting signed by NBA teams. The Nets ultimately signed him during the NBA Bubble in Orlando, but he appeared in just one game before injuring his left hamstring. That would end up being Crawford&rsquo;s final NBA game, as he remained unsigned throughout the 2021-22 season &mdash; even when COVID-19 ravaged rosters and created opportunities for other veterans.
What&rsquo;s next for the 42-year-old? He has already been co-hosting the HooperVision broadcasts on NBA League Pass alongside Quentin Richardson, and he has received other offers in the media space (such as podcasting opportunities). Crawford has long been considered an excellent candidate for a broadcasting gig, and now he can seriously pursue that.&nbsp;
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Recently, Crawford has been coaching his son's basketball team, and he revealed on a Twitter Spaces conversation several months ago that he has received coaching and front-office offers from NBA teams. He has said that he wants to become an NBA executive someday because he feels that the NBA needs more former players in those positions, but it remains to be seen when he&rsquo;ll pursue that.
&ldquo;I [have] wanted to get into management just from the standpoint, I think we need more players in those roles and positions, someone that can give some insight into what it is like in the locker room,&rdquo; Crawford said, according to <a href="https://landonbuford.com/2021/10/03/jamal-crawford-reveals-he-has-gotten-nba-coaching-front-office-offers/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Landon Buford</a>. &ldquo;Everything is not about numbers; sometimes, it is: what is driving this person? For example, how much does this person love the game? And is there something off the court affecting his on-the-court play? Those are the little nuances that I don&rsquo;t think they are looking at.
&ldquo;I would love to do that still, but I am enjoying coaching my son&rsquo;s team right now. Like, I am having a ball doing that. And I&rsquo;ll tell you guys that I have gotten offers for front-office and coaching in the NBA. I have put it on pause because I enjoy doing this, and I&rsquo;m the parent that is good with keeping the scorebook. The coach asked me to help out and that turned into a bug. I look forward to it and that&rsquo;s the immediate step basketball-wise, and then the other [stuff] will be there like TV and management hopefully at some point down the road.&rdquo;
After an amazing 20-year career, the basketball world is excited to see what the future holds for Crawford.
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Last night, on his 42nd birthday, Jamal Crawford announced his retirement after a 20-year NBA career. What's next for Crawford?

Jamal Crawford retires after 20-year NBA career: What's next for him?

SAN ANTONIO (AP) &mdash; Gregg Popovich is the winningest coach in NBA regular-season history, getting his 1,336th victory when the San Antonio Spurs rallied to beat the Utah Jazz 104-102 on Friday night.
Popovich broke a tie with Don Nelson, the friend and mentor he served as an assistant under while with Golden State for two seasons beginning in 1992.
The milestone came in Popovich&rsquo;s 2,030th game and 26th season with the Spurs, the only franchise he has served as head coach for.
Unsurprisingly, the evening was met with zero fanfare.
Praise or celebration of any achievement is brusquely deflected or simply ignored by Popovich. To hear Popovich explain it, he simply shows up to work and rolls the ball onto the court.
Nothing could be further from the truth.
Popovich has won five NBA championships, 13 division titles and was recently named one of the 15 greatest coaches in league history. He has coached NBA 75th Anniversary Team members David Robinson and Tim Duncan, future Hall of Fame members Manu Ginobili and Tony Parker as well as journeymen who found careers in San Antonio such as Danny Green and current NBA coaches Steve Kerr, Monty Williams, Ime Udoka and Doc Rivers.
&ldquo;Gregg Popovich&rsquo;s success with the Spurs is unprecedented in our league so it&rsquo;s only fitting that he now holds the record for most career wins," NBA Commissioner Adam Siler said in a statement.
"His leadership and unwavering commitment to the game are widely admired by generations of players and coaches alike. Congratulations to Coach Pop on this latest achievement in his legendary career.&rdquo;
San Antonio won 50 games for a league record 18 straight seasons from 2000-2017 under Popovich.
The Spurs matched a league record with 22 straight playoff appearances but have missed two straight postseasons since their streak ended in 2017.
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While the glory days seem distant, the 73-year-old Popovich continues plugging along.
Popovich joked that coaching Duncan, Parker and Ginobili had grown &ldquo;boring&rdquo; because they knew everything. The current roster is the antithesis of that.
This year&rsquo;s team is the youngest of Popovich&rsquo;s career. The Spurs have fully embraced a rebuild expedited by Kawhi Leonard&rsquo;s forced departure from San Antonio along with the retirement of the Big Three.
Dejounte Murray, who has emerged as the team's newest star, had 27 points and nine rebounds to lead the Spurs past the Jazz. Murray made two free throws with 4.8 seconds and 1 of 2 with a second remaining to seal the victory.
Murray&rsquo;s 17-footer tied the it at 84 with 5:28 remaining to close an 18-3 run by the Spurs. Lonnie Walker IV made two of three free throws to put San Antonio up 96-95 for its first lead since Josh Richardson&rsquo;s 15-footer put them ahead 5-3 1:31 into the game.
Donovan Mitchell had 24 points for Utah, and and Rudy Gobert added 13 points and 16 rebounds.
Former Spurs forward Rudy Gay pulled Utah to 103-102 on a 3-pointer with 1.0 seconds left.

Gregg Popovich is the winningest coach in NBA regular-season history, getting his 1,336th victory on Friday night.

Spurs' Gregg Popovich becomes NBA regular-season wins leader

SAN ANTONIO (AP) &mdash; Fred VanVleet had 26 points and the Toronto Raptors beat the San Antonio Spurs 119-104 on Wednesday night, delaying Gregg Popovich&rsquo;s coronation as the winningest coach in NBA history.
Popovich is tied with his friend and mentor, Don Nelson, with 1,335 regular-season victories.
&ldquo;Obviously, we have a competitive pride and professional pride,&rdquo; VanVleet said. &ldquo;With as much respect to Pop and what he&rsquo;s been able to do in his career, we didn&rsquo;t want to be the team that he won against. So, that was a little bit of added motivation.&rdquo;
San Antonio&rsquo;s next opportunity to get the record for its 73-year-old coach is Friday night at home against Utah.
VanVleet was 7 for 15 from the field in his return from a five-game absence because of knee soreness. Scottie Barnes and Pascal Siakam added 20 points to help Toronto snap a three-game skid.
The Spurs entered the game 3-36 when trailing by double digits and VanVleet and the Raptors made sure that dubious trend continued. Toronto led by 17 points in winning for the first time since beating Brooklyn on March 1.
Toronto had five players score in double figures while shooting 48% from the field and 37% on 3-pointers.
&ldquo;You got to fight, NBA, next man up,&rdquo; San Antonio point guard Dejounte Murray said. &ldquo;We tried, but that&rsquo;s a long talented team that&rsquo;s been together. They all get to their spots, whether it&rsquo;s driving, kicking or finding the open man.&rdquo;
After Murray cut San Antonio&rsquo;s deficit to 91-86 three minutes into the final quarter, Toronto went on an 8-0 run to regain control.
Keldon Johnson had 27 points for San Antonio, and Murray added 25 points, 12 assists and nine rebounds. The Spurs have lost five of six games.
Murray exited with 6:57 remaining in the third quarter after colliding heads with Khem Birch. Birch appeared to take the blow to his mouth and Murray immediately pressed a towel to his brow after play was stopped. Murray and Birch both walked to the locker room after the play. Murray returned but Birch did not.
&ldquo;I thought we played them well until we got that one stretch in the third quarter,&rdquo; Popovich said. &ldquo;They scored nine in a row, and that really changed the game. Having Dejounte out for that period right after, that didn&rsquo;t help. But they did a great job on the board, we turned it over too much, 22 points off turnovers and they were tough to stop.&rdquo;
VanVleet had eight points, three rebounds and an assist in leading the Raptors to a 34-29 lead in the opening quarter.
&ldquo;We know how special this building can be when it gets going,&rdquo; VanVleet said. &ldquo;So, just having a good start to give us a chance for the rest of the night was really important.&rdquo;
HAPPY BEING ME
VanVleet smiled when asked if he was envious of how much easier Siakam and Barnes can bull their way into the paint while he has to work extra to do so.
&ldquo;No,&rdquo; VanVleet said. &ldquo;No. I&rsquo;m happy with who I am. I think you know that. I&rsquo;ll take the skills and talents that I have, and I appreciate what those guys can do. We try to make it work put it all together.&rdquo;
VanVleet is averaging 21.4 points this season.
TIP-INS
Raptors: Toronto remains seventh in the Eastern Conference, 2 1/2 games in front of Brooklyn and 4 on Atlanta and Charlotte. The Nets and the Hawks were both idle Wednesday. &hellip; VanVleet was listed as questionable with a sore right knee but was cleared prior to warmups. &hellip; F OG Anunoby missed his eighth straight game after fracturing his right ring finger. Anunoby is averaging career-highs with 17.5 points and 5.5 rebounds.
Spurs: San Antonio is 12th in the West with 16 games remaining. The Spurs are 2 games behind New Orleans and 3 1/2 games behind the Los Angeles Lakers. &hellip; Devin Vassell and Lonnie Walker IV returned after missing Monday&rsquo;s game with an undisclosed illness unrelated to Covid-19. &hellip; Keita Bates-Diop missed Monday&rsquo;s game with an undisclosed illness and sat out the Raptors&rsquo; game with a sore lower back. &hellip; Rookie guard Josh Primo missed the game with an undisclosed illness. &hellip; Josh Richardson received a technical foul with 1:53 remaining from Ed Malloy. Richardson flailed his right arm in anger after Malloy called a defensive foul against him near midcourt against Siakam.

Fred VanVleet had 26 points and the Toronto Raptors beat the San Antonio Spurs 119-104 on Wednesday night.

VanVleet, Raptors delay Popovich's record in win over Spurs

With the 2022 NCAA Tournament right around the corner, it's time for conference tournaments to begin so teams can begin punching their ticket to The Big Dance in March.
Mid-major tournaments have already gotten underway, on Wednesday, five Power Five tournaments will have begun theirs to join the club.
(Editor's note: Check out our breakdowns of the <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/top-2022-nba-draft-prospects-acc-tournament" target="_blank" rel="noopener">ACC</a>, <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/top-2022-nba-draft-prospects-big-ten-tournament" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Big Ten</a>, <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/top-2022-nba-draft-prospects-big-12-tournament" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Big 12</a> and <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/top-2022-nba-draft-prospects-sec-tournament" target="_blank" rel="noopener">SEC</a>.)
Since everyone will have their eyes on the best players in these conferences over the next few weeks, BasketballNews.com has highlighted each Power Five and its top 2022 NBA Draft prospects.
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Here are the names to look out for in the Pac-12.
<a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/draft/2022-big-board/players/bennedict-mathurin" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Bennedict Mathurin</a>
Guard-Forward | Arizona
Height: 6-6 Weight: 210 Wingspan: 6-9
Class: Sophomore Draft Day Age: 20 Nationality: Canada
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After a strong freshman campaign for the Arizona Wildcats, Bennedict Mathurin has made a jump in his second year in Tucson. Mathurin's size, athleticism, defense and shot-making ability make him an intriguing NBA prospect. Standing at 6-foot-6 and 210 pounds, he is an explosive athlete and a capable slasher and finisher. Mathurin has solidified himself as one of the best wings in the 2022 NBA Draft, and continues to make his case as a top-10 selection.
<a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/draft/2022-big-board/players/harrison-ingram" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Harrison Ingram</a>
Forward | Stanford
Height: 6-8 Weight: 230 Wingspan: 7-0
Class: Freshman Draft Day Age: 19.6 Nationality: USA
At 6-foot-8, Harrison Ingram projects as a versatile point-forward at the next level. He is a capable scorer both inside and out, and is comfortable as a pick-and-roll ball-handler. Ingram is also an intelligent defender with an excellent feel for the game. With positional size, basketball IQ and versatility on both ends, Ingram has made a name for himself, and will continue to make his case as a potential first-round pick this June.&nbsp;
<a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/draft/2022-big-board/players/christian-koloko" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Christian Koloko</a>
Center | Arizona
Height: 7-1 Weight: 230 Wingspan: 7-4
Class: Junior Draft Day Age: 22 Nationality: Cameroon
One of the best rim-protectors in the country, Christian Koloko can anchor a defense in the half-court. As much as his 7-foot-4 wingspan helps on defense, it also allows him to be effective on the other end. His hands, post moves and awareness continue to improve, and he is an efficient finisher in the dunker spot. While his role won't ever be to carry a large load on offense, his impact as a rebounder, shot-blocker and rim-runner remains special.&nbsp;
<a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/draft/2022-big-board/players/jabari-walker" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Jabari Walker</a>
Forward | Colorado
Height: 6-9 Weight: 215 Wingspan: 7-0
Class: Sophomore Draft Day Age: 20.1 Nationality: USA
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At 6-foot-9, Jabari Walker was a reliable shooter from three-point range last year, although on low volume (23 of 44). While he has been consistent in that area this season, he has also shown promise as a floor stretcher &mdash; both on the move and standstill. Walker is also a solid rebounder and adequate defender with a high basketball IQ. If he shoots the way he is capable of and makes the next steps in his development, he could be a highly-coveted prospect in the 2022 NBA Draft. Also worth noting, Jabari is the son of former NBA player Samaki Walker.
<a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/draft/2022-big-board/players/johnny-juzang" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Johnny Juzang</a>
Guard-Forward | UCLA
Height: 6-7 Weight: 215 Wingspan: 6-11
Class: Junior Draft Day Age: 21.3 Nationality: USA
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After a stellar NCAA Tournament run last season, Johnny Juzang tested the NBA Draft waters, but ultimately returned to UCLA for his junior season. At 6-foot-7, Juzang is an exceptional outside shooter, especially off the dribble in the half-court. He has continued his efficient scoring as a shot-creator and cutter this season. He projects as a wing shooter and capable facilitator at the next level, and will be considered a solid option for teams picking in the 2022 NBA Draft.
<a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/draft/2022-big-board/players/jaime-jaquez-jr" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Jaime Jaquez Jr.</a>
Forward | UCLA
Height: 6-7 Weight: 225 Wingspan: 6-9
Class: Junior Draft Day Age: 21.3 Nationality: Mexico, USA
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Jaime Jaquez Jr. is intelligent and crafty, using defensive manipulation and footwork to create for himself and others. He excels in the post against smaller defenders, and can stretch the floor as a reliable shooter from three-point range. In addition, Jaquez is a hard-nosed competitor, and is an adequate defender and rebounder. He continues to build on the momentum he established last March during UCLA's impressive tournament run, is proving to be a consistent three-level scorer and is a viable option in the 2022 NBA Draft.
<a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/draft/2022-big-board/players/isaiah-mobley" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Isaiah Mobley</a>
Forward-Center | USC
Height: 6-10 Weight: 240 Wingspan: 7-3
Class: Junior Draft Day Age: 22.7 Nationality: USA
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An intelligent player, Isaiah Mobley is a strong rebounder at 6-foot-10, and has shown the ability to score the ball effectively &mdash; both inside and out &mdash; with tremendous touch at the rim. He flashed the ability to stretch the floor last season, and has continued to do so in '21-22. Mobley lacks elite athleticism and will be close to 23 years old on Draft Day, but his promise as a passer and floor-spacer make him an intriguing prospect nonetheless.&nbsp;
Others worth noting:
Boogie Ellis | USC
Kerr Kriisa | Arizona
Will Richardson | Oregon
Azuolas Tubelis | Arizona
Peyton Watson | UCLA
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Matt Babcock highlights the top 2022 NBA Draft prospects in the Pac-12 Tournament.

2022 NBA Draft: Top prospects in the Pac-12 Tournament

Red Auerbach. Lenny Wilkens. Don Nelson. Going back to the end of the NBA&rsquo;s inaugural season 75 years ago, before it was even called the NBA, they&rsquo;re the only coaches to hold the distinction of having more wins than anyone else.
Until now.
Pop has finally joined the club.
Soon, perhaps as soon as Wednesday, Gregg Popovich will stand alone in NBA history. The longtime San Antonio coach &mdash; a winner of five NBA titles, the coach of the reigning Olympic gold medalists, a lock for enshrinement in the Basketball Hall of Fame as soon as he tells them that he'd like to be considered &mdash; got career win No. 1,335 on Monday night when the Spurs beat the Los Angeles Lakers 117-110, tying him with Nelson atop the league&rsquo;s all-time regular season victory list.
&ldquo;He deserves it," Spurs guard Dejounte Murray said.
Predictably, Popovich never was on board with that sentiment. He&rsquo;s been waiting somewhat impatiently for the last couple weeks for the pursuit &mdash; more specifically, all the questions about it &mdash; to end. Making matters worse, the Spurs had lost each of their first four attempts to get him the record-tying victory.
Now, one more win &mdash; the first chance comes Wednesday against Toronto &mdash; and he&rsquo;ll be alone atop the regular-season victory list. More importantly to him, he won&rsquo;t have to hear as much about it anymore.
&ldquo;That&rsquo;ll be a good thing,&rdquo; Popovich conceded.
His place in basketball history, his legacy, his stamp as one of the game&rsquo;s all-time greats &mdash; if not the greatest of the greats &mdash; was secure long ago. He's one of only eight coaches in the four major U.S. sports leagues to be with one team for at least 25 years. And by adding in his 170 playoff victories, his total is at 1,505 in the NBA, which is 93 more than anyone else.
It was a circuitous path to this point. He played at the U.S. Air Force Academy, famously wasn't picked in a bid to make the 1972 U.S. Olympic team, wound up becoming a coach and probably would have been perfectly content to run a Division III program in California for the entirety of his professional life.
Eventually, the NBA called. In time, Popovich would be paired with David Robinson, then the patriarch of a dynasty fueled by Tim Duncan, Tony Parker and Manu Ginobili. The rest is history. Historic, actually.
&ldquo;Everyone knows the amazing job he&rsquo;s done and all the accomplishments,&rdquo; longtime coach Larry Brown said last year. &ldquo;I wish more people really could know the type of person that he is.&rdquo;
Brown was a big part of how Popovich got here.
Popovich&rsquo;s path to the NBA, and then to the role as coach of the Spurs, wasn't exactly traditional. Popovich was coaching at Pomona-Pitzer, a small Division III school in California. He inherited a program not exactly teeming with expectations: Pomona-Pitzer had lost 88 consecutive conference games before hiring Popovich.
He delivered a league title in 1985-86, the school&rsquo;s first in about 70 years. And then Popovich asked for a sabbatical, telling the school he needed to go learn more about the game. He spent a month at North Carolina, absorbing the teachings of Dean Smith. And then he sat on Brown&rsquo;s bench at Kansas, reuniting with a coach he met through ties he made while a student at the Air Force Academy.
Popovich acknowledged that he has wondered what would have happened if Smith and Brown hadn&rsquo;t extended those opportunities his way.
&ldquo;Each of us does that, right? Each of our lives is the sum of experiences, if-this, if-that,&rdquo; Popovich said. &ldquo;I&rsquo;m no different than anybody else.&rdquo;
After the sabbatical, Popovich, true to his word, returned to Pomona-Pitzer. Brown invited his team to Kansas for a game the following season; the Jayhawks, predictably, toyed with the D-III team, winning 94-38.
A year later, Brown called again. He had left Kansas to coach the Spurs. He wanted Popovich to come along. Popovich was in San Antonio until 1992, when Brown &mdash; and the whole coaching staff &mdash; got fired. Popovich got a job as an assistant in Golden State, working for Nelson.
It was at a cost.
&ldquo;He emptied my wallet every time we golfed. He knew he was better than me and he did it anyway,&rdquo; Popovich said.
It begged the question why Popovich continued golfing and giving away his money.
&ldquo;He was my boss,&rdquo; Popovich said.
Consider the golf money tuition for a basketball education. Popovich is still affected by Nelson; a recent highlight play from Murray was akin to something Nelson had drawn up a couple decades ago, Popovich said. And even the reminders that Popovich uses on the bench to keep some thoughts fresh are a nod to the lessons learned from Nelson.
&ldquo;To this day, I have plays and things written on cards &mdash; I keep them now in my pants, used to be your sportcoat &mdash; and I couldn&rsquo;t live without them,&rdquo; Popovich said. &ldquo;I never used them before. I got that from him and now I need them, badly. He was a joy and there was a lot to learn from him.&rdquo;
After two seasons with Nelson, Popovich was wanted by the Spurs again &mdash; this time, as vice president for basketball operations. That was in 1994. In 1996, he fired Bob Hill and named himself coach of the Spurs. And he&rsquo;s stayed in that chair ever since.
&ldquo;They were two wonderful, wonderful years,&rdquo; Popovich said of his time with Nelson. &ldquo;Basketball-wise, the biggest thing I took away was he was a master of understanding the rules and knowing how to use the rules, isolate players, take advantage of another team&rsquo;s weaknesses based on your own personnel. Very creative on offense, very much so. He got a big kick out of it.&rdquo;
Funny. That&rsquo;s what many say about Popovich now. At 73, he&rsquo;s teaching a young team, building a new program with the Spurs, and still innovating.
&ldquo;Every way you can win in this league, they&rsquo;ve done it,&rdquo; Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said.
Spoelstra and Popovich are forever linked, after going head-to-head as coaches in the NBA Finals in 2013 and 2014. The Heat won the first one, the Spurs won the rematch for Popovich&rsquo;s fifth and most recent title. They have spoken of each other in the most admirable terms since.
&ldquo;The basketball part of it is Hall of Fame, arguably the greatest to ever do it,&rdquo; Spoelstra said. &ldquo;But it&rsquo;s the human side that has really impacted everybody.&rdquo;
The stories are legendary. If Popovich sees players in a restaurant, he picks up their check or sends something over. USA Basketball coaches have raved about his infamous dinners, where everything but basketball is discussed, usually over copious amounts of some of the world's finest wine. This is a man who considered becoming a spy &mdash; he majored in Soviet studies at the Air Force Academy &mdash; before deciding to make a life out of basketball.
&ldquo;He has an amazing sense of humor,&rdquo; Boston forward Jayson Tatum said during the Olympic run. &ldquo;I guess the casual fan sees the person who does those interviews postgame, but that&rsquo;s not the case of who he is at all. I absolutely love spending time with him."
Seems like everybody does.
Exactly 200 players have appeared in a game for the Spurs during the Popovich era. He's coached against 1,991 different players, including a bunch of fathers and then their sons. He's coached against 163 different men, who have held 273 different jobs over that span.
Pop has remained the constant. And the standard.
&ldquo;It's hard to put into words just how much he's meant," Spurs guard Josh Richardson said.
Auerbach was the NBA&rsquo;s winningest coach after its first season and held that spot atop the list for nearly a half-century.
Wilkens passed Auerbach with win No. 939 on Jan. 6, 1995, when he and the Atlanta Hawks topped the Washington Bullets 112-90. And Wilkens stayed in the top spot until April 7, 2010, when he was passed by Nelson on a night where he and the Golden State Warriors beat the Minnesota Timberwolves 116-107.
At that point, Popovich was 15th on the all-time list.
No more. He&rsquo;s tied for No. 1 now.
And soon, the top spot will be all his.

Soon, perhaps as soon as Wednesday, Spurs head coach Gregg Popovich will stand alone in NBA history.

Pop's way: From a sabbatical to the NBA coaching summit

Gregg Popovich tied Don Nelson&rsquo;s NBA record with his 1,335th career victory as a coach in the San Antonio Spurs&rsquo; 117-110 win over the Los Angeles Lakers on Monday night.
Popovich chose to ignore the achievement, as he has many others during his illustrious 26-year tenure leading San Antonio. He didn't mention it to players after the victory, and he didn't take any questions about the record during a brief, three-question session with reporters after.
&ldquo;You guys know Pop,&rdquo; San Antonio center Jakob Poeltl said. &ldquo;I don&rsquo;t think he really cares about stuff like that. It didn&rsquo;t even really get mentioned. I doubt it will get mentioned when we get the next win. It&rsquo;s just how he is.&rdquo;
Popovich will try to pass Nelson when San Antonio hosts the Toronto Raptors on Wednesday night.
&ldquo;It&rsquo;s hard to put into words how much of an impact he&rsquo;s had on the Spurs organization, USA Basketball and basketball in general," Spurs guard Josh Richardson said.
The only difference between this record-tying game and any previous was the 73-year-old Popovich&rsquo;s decision to get a little physical with players prior to the game.
&ldquo;He was trying to get us to play a little bit more aggressive,&rdquo; Poeltl said. &ldquo;In these last few games, we&rsquo;ve been pretty soft on defense. Shootaround this morning was a little bit more intense. I think that was just him trying to get a message across. He was pushing guys around, and then it kind of ended up in a huddle mosh-pit situation.&rdquo;
San Antonio needed the jolt, even with the struggling Lakers without LeBron James.
The Spurs had lost four straight with Popovich on the precipice of matching the record, and they were in danger of extending that skid with a late collapse as James sat the game out with a sore left knee.
Dejounte Murray had 26 points and 10 rebounds, and Poeltl and Richardson each had 18 points. Richardson was making his first start with San Antonio.
Talen Horton-Taylor had 18 points to lead Los Angeles, and Russell Westbrook, Malik Monk and Carmelo Anthony added 17 points each.
Popovich has five NBA titles and is a lock for enshrinement in the NBA Hall of Fame after a career in which he&rsquo;s coached Spurs greats including David Robinson, Tim Duncan, Tony Parker and Manu Ginobili. Robinson sat courtside Monday, and Popovich jokingly told him to check into the game during a time.
These aren&rsquo;t the same Spurs from Robinson&rsquo;s prime. San Antonio is 25-40, already assured of a third straight losing season after 22 consecutive finishes over .500. Monday&rsquo;s game nearly got away, too.
The Lakers pulled within 108-105 on Horton-Taylor&rsquo;s jumper with 5:40 left, and the Spurs were scoreless for nearly four minutes before Poeltl&rsquo;s free throw with 37.4 seconds left. Los Angeles never got closer than three, though.
&ldquo;The just played a little smarter than us down the stretch,&rdquo; LA guard Malik Monk said.
The Lakers were without James and Anthony Davis. James was a late scratch Monday after scoring a season-high 56 points Saturday in a victory over the Golden State Warriors.
Los Angeles had lost four straight and seven of eight prior to James&rsquo; highest point total with the Lakers, which matched the third highest of his career.
&ldquo;It&rsquo;s kind of frustrating that we have a great win like we did against Golden State and Lebron&rsquo;s knee is a little sore and he&rsquo;s got to miss and we take a little step back,&rdquo; Monk said. &ldquo;We&rsquo;ve got to do a better job and figure things out as a team when he&rsquo;s out.&rdquo;
It marked the eighth straight game that the Lakers have faced a double-digit deficit.
The Lakers remained in the game by cutting to the rim without the ball for open layups, drives to the basket and the Spurs&rsquo; poor free-throw shooting. San Antonio was 16 for 30 on free throws, including 6 for 14 in the third quarter.
TIP-INS
Lakers: James has missed 17 games this season due to various injuries, including abdomen and ankle ailments. Los Angeles coach Frank Vogel is hopeful James will play Wednesday in Houston. ... Westbrook collected his third foul with 11:38 left in the first half. He finished with five fouls in 35 minutes.
Spurs: Devin Vassell, Lonnie Walker IV and Keita Bates-Diop all missed the game with an undisclosed illness. Popovich said it was not COVID-19 related. ... Poeltl picked up two fouls in the first 1 1/2 minutes and spent the remainder of the first quarter on the bench.
UP NEXT
Lakers: At Houston on Wednesday.
Spurs: Host Toronto on Wednesday.

Gregg Popovich tied Don Nelson’s NBA record with his 1,335th career victory as a coach in the Spurs’ 117-110 win over the Lakers.

Spurs' Popovich ties Nelson for NBA career wins record

Which top rookie in the class of 2021 will end up being the best long-term? Mat Issa breaks down the case for each young stud.

Why they are all special: A guide to the top-five NBA rookies

You know who's having a weird year? The San Antonio Spurs.
Consider this: They're currently 14 games under&nbsp;.500, yet have a Net Rating that is positive&nbsp;(plus-0.2) and higher than five teams currently in the Play-In (Brooklyn, Charlotte, Los Angeles x2, New Orleans).
You can blame that weird discrepancy on their late-game woes. Their 9-19 record (.321 win percentage) is the second worst in the league; they have&nbsp;the&nbsp;worst clutch offense in basketball (92.1 ORTG), and their average defense (106.9 DRTG, 15th) is offset by being the worst team &mdash; by far &mdash; <a href="https://www.nba.com/stats/teams/clutch-advanced/?sort=DREB_PCT&amp;dir=1" target="_blank" rel="noopener">at ending possessions</a> (57.9% defensive-rebound rate).&nbsp;
(San Antonio's clutch offense was 15 points per 100 possessions better last season; one might say having a closer like DeMar DeRozan can be helpful.)
But here the Spurs are, just 1.5 games out of the final Play-In spot. They have an <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/examining-potential-landing-spots-for-dejounte-murray" target="_blank" rel="noopener">All-Star in Dejounte Murray</a>, a massively <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/jakob-poeltls-highfloor-play-brings-stability-for-spurs" target="_blank" rel="noopener">underrated interior force in Jakob Poeltl</a> (don't let Ja Morant spoil this for you) and a whole lot of athleticism around them.
Quietly on the rise is Lonnie Walker IV, a ridiculous athlete who has both fallen down the young prospect hierarchy, and has been prone to inconsistency throughout his career. (Murray, Devin Vassell, Keldon Johnson, Poeltl and rookie Josh Primo seem more valuable/important to the team moving forward.)
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At different points of his career, we've seen transition brilliance. A silky spot-up jumper. Unique passing flashes. Aggressive drives. A slick-enough handle to get into an array of pull-ups or stepbacks. Very, very, very&nbsp;rarely have seen Walker put these things together, but he's on a bit of a run right now.
He's averaging 20.3 points (.590/.382/.579 shooting splits, 59.0% True Shooting) off the bench over his past six games. His current streak of six games with 15 or more points is the longest of his career; heck, his longest streak of double-digit scoring games is eight, something he accomplished for the first time last season and has repeated earlier this year.
We can start with the easy stuff. Walker is a devastating transition weapon. He doesn't run &mdash; he glides. And he doesn't jump &mdash; he opts to activate his jetpack instead. He's generated a preposterous 1.46 points per possession in transition over his last six games, per the good folks at InStat.
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I'm not sure what you're supposed to do with that.
In the half-court, Walker is doing most of his work in a secondary role. The Spurs design some looks to get him on the move &mdash; mostly pindowns and staggered screens &mdash; since he's a threat to knock down shots or immediately attack off the catch. He's much better attacking a tilted defense than he is creating against a set piece.
There has been some growing comfort in pick-and-roll with Walker. He's been trusted to attack with drag screens in semi-transition, and has been the second (or third) option in San Antonio's set pieces. He's finding pockets to pull-up when faced with drop coverage, a boring-yet-vital piece to the creation puzzle. His recent outing against the Memphis Grizzlies was a nice snapshot of his growth.
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But even when he's playing off of Murray or others, he keeps light on his feet, constantly looking for space to fill. He roams around the perimeter to stay in a driver's line of sight; he's made 42.0% of his relocation threes during this stretch, per Second Spectrum tracking. Pay too much attention to the main action, and he'll cut to the rim for easy ones.
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Walker is at his most dangerous when he gets downhill. His <a href="https://www.nba.com/stats/players/drives/?Season=2021-22&amp;SeasonType=Regular%20Season&amp;TeamID=1610612759&amp;sort=DRIVES&amp;dir=1&amp;LastNGames=6" target="_blank" rel="noopener">forays to the basket</a> are up during this stretch, and he's converting nearly 67% of his shots via drives.&nbsp;
What I've enjoyed are the passing flashes. There isn't real manipulation at play right now, but that's fine. What he&nbsp;is&nbsp;doing, however, is leveraging his driving chops to make easy reads to others. The video comp below will mostly feature missed shots &mdash; that'll affect the assist rate, some of his pick-and-roll metrics, all that good stuff &mdash; but you'll see where things are starting to come together for him.
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It probably isn't reasonable to expect Walker to be a 20-point guy the rest of the way. But the pathway to him being an effective option &mdash; transition buckets, attacking off screens, secondary ball-screens against drop coverage &mdash; is evident and realistic.
I'd keep an eye out for Walker moving forward. He didn't receive a contract extension before the season, setting him up to become a restricted free agent this summer... unless the Spurs &mdash; armed with the aforementioned guards, plus Romeo Langford (and Josh Richardson) &mdash; decide there's no room for him.
Walker is an interesting second-contract gamble that teams should be interested in making.&nbsp;
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Nekias Duncan breaks down the recent run of Spurs wing Lonnie Walker IV.

Lonnie Walker IV's surge could make him a compelling offseason gamble

When Edniesha Curry first found out new Trail Blazers coach Chauncey Billups was interested in talking with her, she was skeptical.
After all, the California-born Curry was a longtime Lakers fan who rued when Billups and the Detroit Pistons beat Los Angeles in the 2004 NBA Finals.
She jokes about it, but it was a good thing she took Billups' call. Now the former WNBA guard known as &ldquo;Eddie" is an assistant coach on Billups' staff, the first woman to serve as an assistant in Blazers history and currently one of just six women coaching in the NBA.
&ldquo;I&rsquo;d never met him before, just knew him as a player. Man, I&rsquo;ve got nightmares of him beating up on my Lakers back in the day,&rdquo; Curry said. &ldquo;But we had a synergy right away from the beginning.&rdquo;
This isn't a novelty to Curry, who was the only woman on the coaching staff of a Division I men's college team when she became an assistant at Maine for the 2018-19 season. In meeting with reporters for the first time, she raised her hand to tell them that, yes, she is a woman. It was her way of breaking the ice and getting the issue out of the way so she could focus on basketball.
&ldquo;I&rsquo;ve never put a difference on it &mdash; whether I was coaching men or women," said Curry, 42. &ldquo;For me, it has always been about being in the right space with the right people. And that&rsquo;s literally how I said yes to being a men&rsquo;s basketball coach."
The first woman to serve as an NBA assistant was Lisa Boyer &mdash; now an assistant on Dawn Staley's staff at South Carolina. She was a volunteer with the Cleveland Cavaliers for the 2001-02 season. She wasn't paid and couldn't travel with the team.
It would take until 2014 for a woman to become a full-time NBA assistant: Becky Hammon, who was hired by Gregg Popovich in San Antonio.
If you count Boyer, there have been 15 women to serve as assistants in the NBA. This season, Curry joins Jenny Boucek (Pacers), Kristi Toliver (Mavericks), Lindsey Harding (Kings), Teresa Weatherspoon (Pelicans) and Sonia Raman (Grizzlies).
The Blazers interviewed Hammon for the team's head coaching job in the offseason. Hammon and Staley have long been considered the two women closest to landing a head coaching gig in the NBA.
&ldquo;NBA jobs are hard to get. In some ways, I feel like the NBA maybe is close. In other ways, I feel like they&rsquo;re a long ways off,&rdquo; said Hammon, who became coach of the WNBA&rsquo;s Las Vegas Aces in late December
Curry isn't the only woman in a high-profile position within the Blazers organization. Jessica Cohen was recently promoted to head athletic trainer &mdash; becoming the only woman to currently hold the post in the NBA. Asjha Jones is director of planning and strategy, while Sheri Sam is scouting director. Both are former WNBA players.
Billups said he was looking to create a diverse staff in his first year as a head coach. Mutual friend Tina Thompson connected him with Curry.
&ldquo;We probably talked on the phone for an hour. I interviewed some other candidates but I just loved Eddie," Billups said. "I thought she was just so brilliant. She was smart. She was confident. She knew her stuff. She knew the NBA game more than I&rsquo;d thought for somebody that&rsquo;s been in college for so long. Her player evaluations, I thought, were on point.&rdquo;
Curry, who is not related to the brothers Stephen and Seth Curry, played at Cal State Northridge and Oregon. After a couple of seasons in the WNBA, she went overseas and it was there she got her first coaching jobs.
Curry was a school teacher in Atlanta when she took the job as Richard Barron&rsquo;s assistant at Maine. She draws on her teaching experience to coach.
She is also aware that as a Black woman, she's a role model. Both for girls and boys, she emphasizes.
&ldquo;I always tell people don&rsquo;t ever ask anybody's permission, just be what you want to be in life. Own your story, own your journey, and wherever you end up, you end up," Curry said. &ldquo;My journey is not only mentoring or being a role model for young girls, it's also the young men that I get the opportunity to work alongside and mentor, too. And that's phenomenal."
___
This story was first published on Feb. 22, 2022. It was updated on Feb. 23, 2022, to correct that Jessica Cohen is not the first woman head trainer in the NBA. She&rsquo;s the only woman who is currently serving as a head trainer.

As a Black woman, Blazers assistant coach Edneisha Curry is a role model — both for girls and boys, she emphasizes.

Curry blazing her own trail in Portland as an assistant

In case you&rsquo;ve been overly consumed by the NBA, college basketball, or the WNBA off-season, now would be a great time to remind y&rsquo;all that the 2023 FIBA World Cup qualifiers are going on.
And in case you didn&rsquo;t know, the host countries for the 2023 World Cup are Japan, Indonesia and the Philippines &mdash; more on that later.
The last World Cup was right before the 2019-20 season, but feels so long ago because this whole COVID thing hadn&rsquo;t yet clapped us up. If you remember, the 2020 Olympics took place in 2021 &mdash; as in, last year. Yeah, I know, the international stuff can get confusing, but I&rsquo;m here to help you. Trust me.
Now, perhaps quietly to some, international play quickly resumed this past November with the first window of 2023 World Cup qualifying, which we&rsquo;ll recap shortly.
You have four sets of qualifying regions: Africa, Americas, Asia/Oceania, and Europe. There are six windows played over a 15-month span (starting from this past November), where the competing squads normally would participate in two games per window. COVID had other ideas &mdash; more on that later.
Currently, each region has groups of four, and the top three in each group will advance to round two following the June/July window. This current round of qualifying is between Nov. 20-30, Feb. 21-March 1, and June 27-July 5, after which we&rsquo;ll enter round two. Round two also occurs over three windows: August 22-30, Nov. 7-15, and Feb. 20-28, then those who will have qualified will enter group drawing next March, and we&rsquo;ll see them compete between August 25-September 10 &mdash; the World Cup.
Now, let&rsquo;s lay out all the things you should probably know and, if you see a number in parenthesis next to a team that&rsquo;s listed, that&rsquo;s their current world ranking, <a href="https://www.fiba.basketball/rankingmen">according to FIBA</a>. So if you feel like your people are being misrepresented, leave me alone and take that up with them. (Unless &hellip; unless you mean, you know, actual greater good/societal misrepresentation, then &hellip; let&rsquo;s talk, because me, too.)
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African Region
2019 WC qualifiers: Angola, Cote d&rsquo;Ivoire, Nigeria, Senegal, Tunisia
As they did in 2019, Africa will get five of the final 32 World Cup spots. Though they&rsquo;re hoping for a better result, because none of them advanced past&nbsp;group play. The Groups are as follows:
<ul>
<li>Group A: Nigeria (22), Mali (72), Cape Verde (74), Uganda (78),</li>
<li>Group B: Tunisia (28), Cameroon (64), South Sudan (82), Rwanda (84)</li>
<li>Group C: Angola (31), Cote d&rsquo;Ivoire (40), Central African Rep. (75), Guinea (99)</li>
<li>Group D: Senegal (34), Egypt (59), Congo DR (81), Kenya (103)</li>
</ul>
First Window Summary: Africa has a slightly different format. Groups A and C each played three games from Nov. 26-28, the biggest perhaps being Cape Verde&rsquo;s 79-71 upset over Nigeria, which helped move their ranking from No. 100 to No. 74 in the world. Thus, Groups A and C will return in the summer window. Nigeria and Mali are 2-1 and lead Group A, and Cote d&rsquo;Ivoire went 3-0 in November, sitting atop Group C. Groups B and D begin qualifying on Feb. 25 at Dakar Arena in Senegal, which will be three straight days of games through the 27th.
Tunisia&rsquo;s To Lose?: Tunisia went 10-2 in their World Cup qualifying for the 2019 tournament, and is expected to have similar production in group play here. Tunisia won the 2021 AfroBasket this past September, led by tournament MVP Makrem Romdhane, and All-Tournament guard Omar Abada. There&rsquo;s <a href="https://www.fiba.basketball/basketballworldcup/2023/african-qualifiers/news/the-african-champions-are-ready-to-soar-in-dakar" target="_blank" rel="noopener">also a chance star center Salah Mejri suits up for Tunisia</a>. The 7-foot-2 former Dallas Maverick <a href="https://www.basketball-reference.com/international/teams/tunisia/2019.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">led Tunisia with 16.4 points, 10.4 rebounds, and 3.2 blocks per game</a> in their second ever World Cup appearance three years ago.
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The Biggest What If: Tunisia plays Cameroon on Feb. 25. Cameroon is one of the many wild cards worth keeping tabs on. They still haven&rsquo;t been able to piece together the dream frontcourt of Joel Embiid, Pascal Siakam and Luc Richard Mbah a Moute, who hasn&rsquo;t played since the NBA bubble. <a href="https://www.libertyballers.com/2017/2/7/14539418/joel-embiid-named-cameroon-preliminary-roster-fiba-afrobasket-2017-luc-mbah-a-moute" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Embiid came close in 2017</a>, but ultimately didn&rsquo;t play. Obviously, NBA players rarely can compete in these qualifying windows because of, well, them being in the NBA. But if Cameroon could do well enough and qualify, who knows if that&rsquo;ll be enough to lure Embiid and Siakam into international play.
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American Region
2019 WC qualifiers: Argentina (silver medalist), Brazil, Canada, Dominican Republic, Puerto Rico, USA, and Venezuela.
The Americas will, again, send seven to the World Cup late next year. The Americas have the standard format across the board, so this window will mark two games for each club. The groups are:
<ul>
<li>Group A: Argentina (7), Venezuela (17), Panama (50), Paraguay (77)</li>
<li>Group B: Brazil (15), Uruguay (41), Colombia (67), Chile (68)</li>
<li>Group C: Canada (18), Dominican Republic (20), U.S. Virgin Islands (54), Bahamas (62)</li>
<li>Group D: U.S.A. (1), Puerto Rico (19), Mexico (24), Cuba (65)</li>
</ul>
First Window Summary: Argentina, Venezuela, Brazil, Uruguay, Canada, Dominican Republic and Mexico are all 2-0. U.S.A. and Puerto Rico are the only 1-1 teams in the Americas, and will play each other on Tuesday in Washington D.C. Notably, for Team U.S.A., Jim Boylen coached the club in the November window, in which they held off Cuba 95-90, then lost to Mexico in Chihuahua City, 97-88. Although Cuba is 0-2, their star, Jaisel Rivero, is good enough to steal them a game. Rivero put 34 (13-18 shooting) with 9 rebounds and 3 threes on Team USA in their narrow loss. Rivero currently competes with Liga ACB and EuroCup&rsquo;s Valencia Basket in Spain, where he averages 11.1 points (second on team) and 4.9 rebounds (third on team) across all competitions.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-theme="dark">
21 points for <a href="https://twitter.com/isaiahthomas?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@isaiahthomas</a> last night, including 4 made threes, none bigger than this dagger. 👀 Team USA defeated Cuba 95-90 to start 2023 World Cup Qualifiers. They face Mexico tonight. 📹: <a href="https://t.co/nNQDfvcF82">https://t.co/nNQDfvcF82</a> (via FIBA) <a href="https://t.co/dhAUAUVHLy">pic.twitter.com/dhAUAUVHLy</a>
&mdash; Bryan Fonseca 🇵🇷 (@BryanFonsecaNY) <a href="https://twitter.com/BryanFonsecaNY/status/1465437069073858560?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 29, 2021</a>
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</blockquote>
Uncle Iso Joe: Among <a href="https://www.fiba.basketball/basketballworldcup/2023/americas-qualifiers/game/0407/Mexico-USA#|tab=boxscore">the notables who suited up for Team USA in November</a> were Isaiah Thomas, Luke Kornet, Chasson Randle, Haywood Highsmith and Shaquille Harrison, among many other current and former NBA players. Seven-time All-Star and 40-year-old Joe Johnson, who famously was a Boston Celtic briefly earlier this season, is <a href="https://www.fiba.basketball/basketballworldcup/2023/americas-qualifiers/news/nba-experience-leads-revamped-united-states-roster-for-second-window-of-2023-fiba-world-cup-americas-qualifiers">confirmed to be suiting up with Team USA</a> in this February window. Brian Bowen II is the only player returning from the November window. Other Team U.S.A. members include current G Leaguers Jordan Bell, David Stockton, Langston Galloway and Justin Wright-Foreman, among others.
La Nueva Era de Baloncesto: Both Mexico and Puerto Rico announced new head coaches shortly before the November window. Mexico&rsquo;s led by long-time NBA assistant Kaleb Caneles, while Puerto Rico hired Nelson Colon, who is a three-time champion and Coach of the Year in Baloncesto Superior Nacional, Puerto Rico&rsquo;s top pro basketball league. Former long-time NBA guard Carlos Arroyo was also appointed the <a href="https://www.fiba.basketball/news/puerto-rico-appoints-carlos-arroyo-as-its-male-national-team-general-manager#:~:text=Americas-,Puerto%20Rico%20appoints%20Carlos%20Arroyo%20as%20its%20male%20National%20Team,of%20the%20men's%20national%20team.">Puerto Rican National Team&rsquo;s General Manager last June</a>.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-theme="dark">
Both Puerto Rico and Mexico starting this cycle with new coaches, too: <a href="https://t.co/PCDaPmNumy">https://t.co/PCDaPmNumy</a>
&mdash; Bryan Fonseca 🇵🇷 (@BryanFonsecaNY) <a href="https://twitter.com/BryanFonsecaNY/status/1465151054278967302?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 29, 2021</a></blockquote>

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Asia-Oceania Region
2019 WC qualifiers: Australia (finished fourth), China, Iran, Japan, Jordan, New Zealand, South Korea and the Philippines.
The hosts &ndash; Japan, the Philippines and Indonesia &ndash; typically automatically qualify for the World Cup. <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20171213161459/http:/www.philstar.com:8080/sports/2017/12/13/1767946/learning-2019-world-cup" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Indonesia&rsquo;s qualification is more provisional</a> due to their lack of international success. Japan and the Philippines are automatically in, but they&rsquo;re all scheduled to participate in World Cup qualifiers anyway.
In the 2019 World Cup, Asia/Oceania sent eight teams over, which they&rsquo;ll do again in 2023. Here are the groups:
<ul>
<li>Group A: New Zealand (27), South Korea (30), Philippines (33), India (80)</li>
<li>Group B: Australia (3), China (29), Japan (37), Chinese Taipei (66)</li>
<li>Group C: Jordan (39), Lebanon (55), Indonesia (91), Saudi Arabia (79)</li>
<li>Group D: Iran (23),&nbsp;Kazakhstan (70), Syria (85), Bahrain (104)</li>
</ul>
First Window Summary: Due to travel restrictions (COVID), <a href="https://www.fiba.basketball/basketballworldcup/2023/asian-qualifiers/news/update-to-the-fiba-basketball-world-cup-2023-asian-qualifiers" target="_blank" rel="noopener">several games had to be canceled</a>, so while the format was originally the same as the Americas, it came with some modifications. No one in Group A has played yet, so they&rsquo;ll each play four games to compensate, all of which will take place between Feb. 24 and Feb. 28. In Group B, only China and Japan were able to play, and China smacked them twice, 79-63, and 106-73. Australia and Chinese Taipei are each scheduled to play three times between Feb. 25 and Feb. 28. Japan will play twice in this window, once against each of them, and China will return for four games in the third window to end round one.
Medal Momentum: This will mark the first we see of Australia since finally winning their first medal at the 2020 Olympics (that were played in 2021). Australia had lost the bronze medal game in the 1988, 1996, 2000 and 2016 Olympics before finally medaling in their fifth attempt. In their history, they&rsquo;ve never had a better World Cup finish than in 2019, where they lost in &hellip; another bronze medal game. Perhaps Australia is really turning a corner now. &nbsp;
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-theme="dark">
🥉 HISTORY MADE 🥉 The Boomers have done it- Australia have secured their first ever men&rsquo;s basketball Olympic medal! The bronze is coming home! 💚💛<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Tokyo2020?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Tokyo2020</a> <a href="https://t.co/ngxiYRwHdk">pic.twitter.com/ngxiYRwHdk</a>
&mdash; Basketball Australia (@BasketballAus) <a href="https://twitter.com/BasketballAus/status/1423988352987013120?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 7, 2021</a>
<script src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js"></script>
</blockquote>
European Region&nbsp;
2019 WC qualifiers: Czech Republic, France (bronze medalist), Germany, Greece, Italy, Lithuania, Montenegro, Poland, Russia, Serbia, Spain (gold medalist), Turkey.
Europe is the largest region of basketball playing powers here, so their rules are slightly different. Instead of four groups, there are eight. As a result, they&rsquo;ll get 12 World Cup bids.
Here are the groups:
<ul>
<li>Group A: Serbia (6), Latvia (26), Belgium (36), Slovakia (63)</li>
<li>Group B: Greece (10), Turkey (16), Great Britain (44), Belarus (48)</li>
<li>Group C: Slovenia (4), Croatia (21), Finland (35), Sweden (51)</li>
<li>Group D: Germany (11), Poland (13), Israel (42), Estonia (49)</li>
<li>Group E: France (5), Montenegro (25), Hungary (43), Portugal (58)</li>
<li>Group F: Lithuania (8), Czech Republic (12), Bosnia (45), Bulgaria (53)</li>
<li>Group G: Spain (2), Ukraine (32), Georgia (38), North Macedonia (52)</li>
<li>Group H: Italy (9), Russia (14), Netherlands (47), Iceland (46)</li>
</ul>
First Window Summary: Everyone here was able to play two games in November. Your 2-0 teams are as follows: Belgium, Slovenia, Israel, France, Lithuania, Bosnia, Spain and Russia. Your 0-2 teams are Netherlands, North Macedonia, Bulgaria, Czech Republic, Portugal, Poland, Croatia and Slovakia. Czech Republic was a story from the 2019 World Cup. They shockingly punched above their weight and reached the quarterfinals. Czech Republic, led by Tom&aacute;&scaron; Satoransky, finished sixth, one spot above Team U.S.A. But, so far, they haven&rsquo;t won a game in 2023 qualifying. Czech Republic lost to Bosnia 97-90 and Lithuania 74-66. They should have a breakthrough against Bulgaria on the 24th, but it&rsquo;ll be difficult to set themselves up for a repeat of 2019, which was their first World Cup bid.
<iframe title="YouTube video player" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/eEUsoUKPxy8" width="100%" height="325" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe>
The State of Spain: After winning the 2019 World Cup with an incredibly stacked team, including tournament MVP Ricky Rubio, captain Rudy Fern&aacute;ndez, Marc Gasol and Willy Hernang&oacute;mez, Spain was knocked out of the Olympic quarterfinals by the United States. Their Olympic team featured many of their same heavy-hitters, including even Pau Gasol, who retired in October and is now a member of the International Olympic Committee. Like the United States, many of the players you&rsquo;d expect to see on their World Cup roster <a href="https://www.fiba.basketball/basketballworldcup/2023/european-qualifiers/team/Spain#|tab=roster" target="_blank" rel="noopener">likely won&rsquo;t participate much until then</a>. Even so, expect them to continue reigning as one of the top teams in the world. We could talk about the age factor around this time next year, perhaps.
The Sleeping Giant: Slovenia famously jumped 12 spots after their debut Olympic performance, largely led by Luka Dončić, accompanied by standout pro teammates Mike Tobey, Zoran (Goran&rsquo;s brother) Dragić,&nbsp;and <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vlatko_%C4%8Can%C4%8Dar" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Vlatko Čančar</a>. Slovenia finished fourth, losing to Australia in the bronze medal game. They didn&rsquo;t qualify for the 2019 World Cup, but did win the 2017 EuroBasket, in which Goran won MVP and Luka, at 18 years old, was named to the All-Tournament team. (Anthony Randolph played for the Slovenian team, then. Who knew?!?) Dragić and Tobey are <a href="https://www.fiba.basketball/basketballworldcup/2023/european-qualifiers/team/Slovenia#|tab=roster" target="_blank" rel="noopener">listed on the roster for this window</a>. Look for them to continue raising hell in qualifiers, and if Dončić suits up, in the World Cup, too.
<iframe title="YouTube video player" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/9gYMJ_p40yU" width="100%" height="325" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe>
For even more World Cup info and complete schedules, <a href="https://www.fiba.basketball/basketballworldcup/2023" target="_blank" rel="noopener">go here</a>.
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Bryan Fonseca gives an overview of the 2023 FIBA World Cup qualifiers.

Things to monitor as FIBA World Cup’s next qualifying window arrives

As we near the end of the NCAA regular season, let's take a dive into college basketball's Power Five conference standings, remaining matchups, and teams to watch as we come down the stretch.
Earlier this week, we addressed the <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/state-of-the-conference-evaluating-the-sec" target="_blank" rel="noopener">SEC</a> and <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/state-of-the-conference-evaluating-the-big-12" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Big 12</a>. For this article, we'll dive into the Pac-12.
Here are the current Pac-12 standings, with conference wins and losses to the left and overall record to the right (<a href="https://www.sports-reference.com/cbb/conferences/pac-12/2022.html">table via CBB Sports-Reference</a>):
<table dir="ltr" style="border-collapse: collapse; width: 112.547%;" border="1" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0"><colgroup><col width="47" /><col width="138" /><col width="58" /><col width="58" /><col width="58" /><col width="58" /><col width="58" /><col width="58" /><col width="58" /></colgroup>
<tbody>
<tr>
<td data-sheets-value="{&quot;1&quot;:2,&quot;2&quot;:&quot;Rk&quot;}">Rk</td>
<td data-sheets-value="{&quot;1&quot;:2,&quot;2&quot;:&quot;School&quot;}">School</td>
<td data-sheets-value="{&quot;1&quot;:2,&quot;2&quot;:&quot;W&quot;}">W</td>
<td data-sheets-value="{&quot;1&quot;:2,&quot;2&quot;:&quot;L&quot;}">L</td>
<td data-sheets-value="{&quot;1&quot;:2,&quot;2&quot;:&quot;W-L%&quot;}">W-L%</td>
<td data-sheets-value="{&quot;1&quot;:2,&quot;2&quot;:&quot;W&quot;}">W</td>
<td data-sheets-value="{&quot;1&quot;:2,&quot;2&quot;:&quot;L&quot;}">L</td>
<td data-sheets-value="{&quot;1&quot;:2,&quot;2&quot;:&quot;W-L%&quot;}">W-L%</td>
<td data-sheets-value="{&quot;1&quot;:2,&quot;2&quot;:&quot;SOS&quot;}">SOS</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td data-sheets-value="{&quot;1&quot;:3,&quot;3&quot;:1}">1</td>
<td data-sheets-value="{&quot;1&quot;:2,&quot;2&quot;:&quot;Arizona&quot;}">Arizona (3)</td>
<td data-sheets-value="{&quot;1&quot;:3,&quot;3&quot;:12}">12</td>
<td data-sheets-value="{&quot;1&quot;:3,&quot;3&quot;:1}">1</td>
<td data-sheets-value="{&quot;1&quot;:3,&quot;3&quot;:0.923}" data-sheets-numberformat="{&quot;1&quot;:2,&quot;2&quot;:&quot;0.00&quot;,&quot;3&quot;:1}">0.92</td>
<td data-sheets-value="{&quot;1&quot;:3,&quot;3&quot;:22}">22</td>
<td data-sheets-value="{&quot;1&quot;:3,&quot;3&quot;:2}">2</td>
<td data-sheets-value="{&quot;1&quot;:3,&quot;3&quot;:0.917}" data-sheets-numberformat="{&quot;1&quot;:2,&quot;2&quot;:&quot;0.00&quot;,&quot;3&quot;:1}">0.92</td>
<td data-sheets-value="{&quot;1&quot;:3,&quot;3&quot;:6.1}">6.1</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td data-sheets-value="{&quot;1&quot;:3,&quot;3&quot;:2}">2</td>
<td data-sheets-value="{&quot;1&quot;:2,&quot;2&quot;:&quot;Southern California&quot;}">USC (17)</td>
<td data-sheets-value="{&quot;1&quot;:3,&quot;3&quot;:10}">10</td>
<td data-sheets-value="{&quot;1&quot;:3,&quot;3&quot;:4}">4</td>
<td data-sheets-value="{&quot;1&quot;:3,&quot;3&quot;:0.714}" data-sheets-numberformat="{&quot;1&quot;:2,&quot;2&quot;:&quot;0.00&quot;,&quot;3&quot;:1}">0.71</td>
<td data-sheets-value="{&quot;1&quot;:3,&quot;3&quot;:21}">21</td>
<td data-sheets-value="{&quot;1&quot;:3,&quot;3&quot;:4}">4</td>
<td data-sheets-value="{&quot;1&quot;:3,&quot;3&quot;:0.84}" data-sheets-numberformat="{&quot;1&quot;:2,&quot;2&quot;:&quot;0.00&quot;,&quot;3&quot;:1}">0.84</td>
<td data-sheets-value="{&quot;1&quot;:3,&quot;3&quot;:4.7}">4.7</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td data-sheets-value="{&quot;1&quot;:3,&quot;3&quot;:2}">2</td>
<td data-sheets-value="{&quot;1&quot;:2,&quot;2&quot;:&quot;Oregon&quot;}">Oregon</td>
<td data-sheets-value="{&quot;1&quot;:3,&quot;3&quot;:10}">10</td>
<td data-sheets-value="{&quot;1&quot;:3,&quot;3&quot;:4}">4</td>
<td data-sheets-value="{&quot;1&quot;:3,&quot;3&quot;:0.714}" data-sheets-numberformat="{&quot;1&quot;:2,&quot;2&quot;:&quot;0.00&quot;,&quot;3&quot;:1}">0.71</td>
<td data-sheets-value="{&quot;1&quot;:3,&quot;3&quot;:17}">17</td>
<td data-sheets-value="{&quot;1&quot;:3,&quot;3&quot;:8}">8</td>
<td data-sheets-value="{&quot;1&quot;:3,&quot;3&quot;:0.68}" data-sheets-numberformat="{&quot;1&quot;:2,&quot;2&quot;:&quot;0.00&quot;,&quot;3&quot;:1}">0.68</td>
<td data-sheets-value="{&quot;1&quot;:3,&quot;3&quot;:6.9}">6.9</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td data-sheets-value="{&quot;1&quot;:3,&quot;3&quot;:4}">4</td>
<td data-sheets-value="{&quot;1&quot;:2,&quot;2&quot;:&quot;UCLA&quot;}">UCLA (13)</td>
<td data-sheets-value="{&quot;1&quot;:3,&quot;3&quot;:9}">9</td>
<td data-sheets-value="{&quot;1&quot;:3,&quot;3&quot;:4}">4</td>
<td data-sheets-value="{&quot;1&quot;:3,&quot;3&quot;:0.692}" data-sheets-numberformat="{&quot;1&quot;:2,&quot;2&quot;:&quot;0.00&quot;,&quot;3&quot;:1}">0.69</td>
<td data-sheets-value="{&quot;1&quot;:3,&quot;3&quot;:17}">17</td>
<td data-sheets-value="{&quot;1&quot;:3,&quot;3&quot;:5}">5</td>
<td data-sheets-value="{&quot;1&quot;:3,&quot;3&quot;:0.773}" data-sheets-numberformat="{&quot;1&quot;:2,&quot;2&quot;:&quot;0.00&quot;,&quot;3&quot;:1}">0.77</td>
<td data-sheets-value="{&quot;1&quot;:3,&quot;3&quot;:8.3}">8.3</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td data-sheets-value="{&quot;1&quot;:3,&quot;3&quot;:5}">5</td>
<td data-sheets-value="{&quot;1&quot;:2,&quot;2&quot;:&quot;Washington&quot;}">Washington</td>
<td data-sheets-value="{&quot;1&quot;:3,&quot;3&quot;:8}">8</td>
<td data-sheets-value="{&quot;1&quot;:3,&quot;3&quot;:5}">5</td>
<td data-sheets-value="{&quot;1&quot;:3,&quot;3&quot;:0.615}" data-sheets-numberformat="{&quot;1&quot;:2,&quot;2&quot;:&quot;0.00&quot;,&quot;3&quot;:1}">0.62</td>
<td data-sheets-value="{&quot;1&quot;:3,&quot;3&quot;:13}">13</td>
<td data-sheets-value="{&quot;1&quot;:3,&quot;3&quot;:10}">10</td>
<td data-sheets-value="{&quot;1&quot;:3,&quot;3&quot;:0.565}" data-sheets-numberformat="{&quot;1&quot;:2,&quot;2&quot;:&quot;0.00&quot;,&quot;3&quot;:1}">0.57</td>
<td data-sheets-value="{&quot;1&quot;:3,&quot;3&quot;:5.5}">5.5</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td data-sheets-value="{&quot;1&quot;:3,&quot;3&quot;:6}">6</td>
<td data-sheets-value="{&quot;1&quot;:2,&quot;2&quot;:&quot;Washington State&quot;}">Washington State</td>
<td data-sheets-value="{&quot;1&quot;:3,&quot;3&quot;:7}">7</td>
<td data-sheets-value="{&quot;1&quot;:3,&quot;3&quot;:6}">6</td>
<td data-sheets-value="{&quot;1&quot;:3,&quot;3&quot;:0.538}" data-sheets-numberformat="{&quot;1&quot;:2,&quot;2&quot;:&quot;0.00&quot;,&quot;3&quot;:1}">0.54</td>
<td data-sheets-value="{&quot;1&quot;:3,&quot;3&quot;:14}">14</td>
<td data-sheets-value="{&quot;1&quot;:3,&quot;3&quot;:10}">10</td>
<td data-sheets-value="{&quot;1&quot;:3,&quot;3&quot;:0.583}" data-sheets-numberformat="{&quot;1&quot;:2,&quot;2&quot;:&quot;0.00&quot;,&quot;3&quot;:1}">0.58</td>
<td data-sheets-value="{&quot;1&quot;:3,&quot;3&quot;:4.7}">4.7</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td data-sheets-value="{&quot;1&quot;:3,&quot;3&quot;:7}">7</td>
<td data-sheets-value="{&quot;1&quot;:2,&quot;2&quot;:&quot;Colorado&quot;}">Colorado</td>
<td data-sheets-value="{&quot;1&quot;:3,&quot;3&quot;:8}">8</td>
<td data-sheets-value="{&quot;1&quot;:3,&quot;3&quot;:7}">7</td>
<td data-sheets-value="{&quot;1&quot;:3,&quot;3&quot;:0.533}" data-sheets-numberformat="{&quot;1&quot;:2,&quot;2&quot;:&quot;0.00&quot;,&quot;3&quot;:1}">0.53</td>
<td data-sheets-value="{&quot;1&quot;:3,&quot;3&quot;:16}">16</td>
<td data-sheets-value="{&quot;1&quot;:3,&quot;3&quot;:9}">9</td>
<td data-sheets-value="{&quot;1&quot;:3,&quot;3&quot;:0.64}" data-sheets-numberformat="{&quot;1&quot;:2,&quot;2&quot;:&quot;0.00&quot;,&quot;3&quot;:1}">0.64</td>
<td data-sheets-value="{&quot;1&quot;:3,&quot;3&quot;:5.2}">5.2</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td data-sheets-value="{&quot;1&quot;:3,&quot;3&quot;:7}">7</td>
<td data-sheets-value="{&quot;1&quot;:2,&quot;2&quot;:&quot;Stanford&quot;}">Stanford</td>
<td data-sheets-value="{&quot;1&quot;:3,&quot;3&quot;:8}">8</td>
<td data-sheets-value="{&quot;1&quot;:3,&quot;3&quot;:7}">7</td>
<td data-sheets-value="{&quot;1&quot;:3,&quot;3&quot;:0.533}" data-sheets-numberformat="{&quot;1&quot;:2,&quot;2&quot;:&quot;0.00&quot;,&quot;3&quot;:1}">0.53</td>
<td data-sheets-value="{&quot;1&quot;:3,&quot;3&quot;:15}">15</td>
<td data-sheets-value="{&quot;1&quot;:3,&quot;3&quot;:10}">10</td>
<td data-sheets-value="{&quot;1&quot;:3,&quot;3&quot;:0.6}" data-sheets-numberformat="{&quot;1&quot;:2,&quot;2&quot;:&quot;0.00&quot;,&quot;3&quot;:1}">0.60</td>
<td data-sheets-value="{&quot;1&quot;:3,&quot;3&quot;:8.3}">8.3</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td data-sheets-value="{&quot;1&quot;:3,&quot;3&quot;:9}">9</td>
<td data-sheets-value="{&quot;1&quot;:2,&quot;2&quot;:&quot;Arizona State&quot;}">Arizona State</td>
<td data-sheets-value="{&quot;1&quot;:3,&quot;3&quot;:4}">4</td>
<td data-sheets-value="{&quot;1&quot;:3,&quot;3&quot;:9}">9</td>
<td data-sheets-value="{&quot;1&quot;:3,&quot;3&quot;:0.308}" data-sheets-numberformat="{&quot;1&quot;:2,&quot;2&quot;:&quot;0.00&quot;,&quot;3&quot;:1}">0.31</td>
<td data-sheets-value="{&quot;1&quot;:3,&quot;3&quot;:8}">8</td>
<td data-sheets-value="{&quot;1&quot;:3,&quot;3&quot;:15}">15</td>
<td data-sheets-value="{&quot;1&quot;:3,&quot;3&quot;:0.348}" data-sheets-numberformat="{&quot;1&quot;:2,&quot;2&quot;:&quot;0.00&quot;,&quot;3&quot;:1}">0.35</td>
<td data-sheets-value="{&quot;1&quot;:3,&quot;3&quot;:10.8}">10.8</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td data-sheets-value="{&quot;1&quot;:3,&quot;3&quot;:10}">10</td>
<td data-sheets-value="{&quot;1&quot;:2,&quot;2&quot;:&quot;California&quot;}">California</td>
<td data-sheets-value="{&quot;1&quot;:3,&quot;3&quot;:4}">4</td>
<td data-sheets-value="{&quot;1&quot;:3,&quot;3&quot;:11}">11</td>
<td data-sheets-value="{&quot;1&quot;:3,&quot;3&quot;:0.267}" data-sheets-numberformat="{&quot;1&quot;:2,&quot;2&quot;:&quot;0.00&quot;,&quot;3&quot;:1}">0.27</td>
<td data-sheets-value="{&quot;1&quot;:3,&quot;3&quot;:11}">11</td>
<td data-sheets-value="{&quot;1&quot;:3,&quot;3&quot;:15}">15</td>
<td data-sheets-value="{&quot;1&quot;:3,&quot;3&quot;:0.423}" data-sheets-numberformat="{&quot;1&quot;:2,&quot;2&quot;:&quot;0.00&quot;,&quot;3&quot;:1}">0.42</td>
<td data-sheets-value="{&quot;1&quot;:3,&quot;3&quot;:6.6}">6.6</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td data-sheets-value="{&quot;1&quot;:3,&quot;3&quot;:11}">11</td>
<td data-sheets-value="{&quot;1&quot;:2,&quot;2&quot;:&quot;Utah&quot;}">Utah</td>
<td data-sheets-value="{&quot;1&quot;:3,&quot;3&quot;:2}">2</td>
<td data-sheets-value="{&quot;1&quot;:3,&quot;3&quot;:13}">13</td>
<td data-sheets-value="{&quot;1&quot;:3,&quot;3&quot;:0.133}" data-sheets-numberformat="{&quot;1&quot;:2,&quot;2&quot;:&quot;0.00&quot;,&quot;3&quot;:1}">0.13</td>
<td data-sheets-value="{&quot;1&quot;:3,&quot;3&quot;:9}">9</td>
<td data-sheets-value="{&quot;1&quot;:3,&quot;3&quot;:16}">16</td>
<td data-sheets-value="{&quot;1&quot;:3,&quot;3&quot;:0.36}" data-sheets-numberformat="{&quot;1&quot;:2,&quot;2&quot;:&quot;0.00&quot;,&quot;3&quot;:1}">0.36</td>
<td data-sheets-value="{&quot;1&quot;:3,&quot;3&quot;:6.1}">6.1</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td data-sheets-value="{&quot;1&quot;:3,&quot;3&quot;:12}">12</td>
<td data-sheets-value="{&quot;1&quot;:2,&quot;2&quot;:&quot;Oregon State&quot;}">Oregon State</td>
<td data-sheets-value="{&quot;1&quot;:3,&quot;3&quot;:1}">1</td>
<td data-sheets-value="{&quot;1&quot;:3,&quot;3&quot;:12}">12</td>
<td data-sheets-value="{&quot;1&quot;:3,&quot;3&quot;:0.077}" data-sheets-numberformat="{&quot;1&quot;:2,&quot;2&quot;:&quot;0.00&quot;,&quot;3&quot;:1}">0.08</td>
<td data-sheets-value="{&quot;1&quot;:3,&quot;3&quot;:3}">3</td>
<td data-sheets-value="{&quot;1&quot;:3,&quot;3&quot;:20}">20</td>
<td data-sheets-value="{&quot;1&quot;:3,&quot;3&quot;:0.13}" data-sheets-numberformat="{&quot;1&quot;:2,&quot;2&quot;:&quot;0.00&quot;,&quot;3&quot;:1}">0.13</td>
<td data-sheets-value="{&quot;1&quot;:3,&quot;3&quot;:7.3}">7.3</td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
FRONTRUNNERS: ARIZONA
A favorite for a No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament, the Arizona Wildcats have set themselves apart as one of the best units in the entire nation. They rank second in Adjusted Efficiency and have the eighth-fastest tempo, which is a combination that makes them extremely difficult to beat. Bennedict Mathurin and Christian Koloko are solidifying their respective places in the upcoming 2022 NBA Draft, while Azuolas Tubelis and Kerr Kriisa are reliable scorers in their own rights. Arizona has the conference all but locked up, and will be predicted by many to win the NCAA Tournament.
Notable games remaining: USC (Feb. 28)
<img src="https://cdn.basketballnews.com/images/story/body/usatsi_17614860_lg.jpg" alt="" width="648" height="423" />
ON THE HEELS: OREGON, USC, UCLA
Oregon sits only two-and-a-half games back from Arizona, but the Ducks' remaining schedule is brutal. While that is scary, it&rsquo;s a tremendous opportunity to get some big wins and raise the stock in both Pac-12 play and regarding the NCAA Tournament. Will Richardson is having a tremendous season at 15.1 points per game, and will look to carry the offense during this stretch.
Ranked No. 30 nationally in Adjusted Efficiency, the USC Trojans are led by Isaiah Mobley and Boogie Ellis. They are a quiet force to be reckoned with, and just secured a huge victory against UCLA. The final two games of the year will be crucial to seeding, so the supportintg cast of Chevez Goodwin, Drew Peterson and Co. will need to fire on all cylinders. The Trojans currently project as a No. 7 seed for March Madness.
UCLA is ranked No. 13 nationally, yet sits fourth in the Pac-12 standings. The Bruins have lost 3 of their last 4 contests, and need to get back on track quickly. Tyger Campbell had a huge 27-point effort against USC, and will need to continue producing alongside Johnny Juzang if UCLA wants to climb back into a top-two seed for the conference tournament.&nbsp;
Notable games remaining:&nbsp;
Oregon: Arizona (Feb. 19), UCLA (Feb. 24)
USC: Arizona (Feb. 28), UCLA (Mar. 5)
UCLA: Oregon (Feb. 24), USC (Mar. 5)
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SLEEPER: WASHINGTON STATE
I listed the Washington State Cougars as a sleeper because they rank top-45 in Adjusted Efficiency and have favorable matchups to close out the final five games of the season. Michael Flowers, Tyrell Roberts and Noah Williams are a formidable backcourt, and Wazzu has an opportunity to climb late before the Pac-12 Tournament.
Notable games remaining: USC (Feb. 20), Oregon (Mar. 5)
THE REST: 
Washington, Stanford, Colorado, Arizona State, California, Utah, Oregon State
2022 NBA DRAFT PROSPECTS TO WATCH
<a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/draft/2022-big-board/players/bennedict-mathurin" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Bennedict Mathurin, Arizona</a>
<a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/draft/2022-big-board/players/harrison-ingram" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Harrison Ingram, Stanford</a>
<a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/draft/2022-big-board/players/christian-koloko" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Christian Koloko, Arizona</a>
<a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/draft/2022-big-board/players/johnny-juzang" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Johnny Juzang, UCLA</a>
<a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/draft/2022-big-board/players/jabari-walker" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Jabari Walker, Colorado</a>
<a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/draft/2022-big-board/players/jaime-jaquez-jr" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Jaime Jaquez Jr., UCLA</a>
<a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/draft/2022-big-board/players/isaiah-mobley" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Isaiah Mobley, USC</a>
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Nearing the end of the NCAA regular season, Derek Murray takes a dive into the state of the Pac-12.