Hawks

The NBA today announced the launch of the reimagined global NBA App, the all-in-one destination for NBA fans of every team. With entirely new personalization features, the NBA App will provide wall-to-wall content from every NBA game and feature social-style vertical video, unprecedented behind-the-scenes access to players and teams, new and existing shows and series, and access to the NBA vault for free. The NBA App &ndash; a product of NBA Digital, the league&rsquo;s joint venture with Turner Sports &ndash; is free to download.
Additionally, the NBA has launched NBA ID, the league&rsquo;s new global membership program offering fans benefits and rewards from the league, teams and its partners. NBA ID, which is free to join, will link a fan&rsquo;s experiences across existing products like NBA League Pass and NBA Pick&rsquo;Em. Throughout the season, NBA ID members will get access to new original content and fan favorites from the NBA vault. Additionally, there will be enhanced members-only experiences from NBA partners, ticket promotions, prizes through predictive and sweepstakes-style NBA Pick&rsquo;Em fantasy games, voting campaigns and other rewards.
The NBA App is powered by the NBA&rsquo;s new integrated digital platform, which was built in&nbsp;<a href="https://news.microsoft.com/transform/the-nba-launches-a-first-of-its-kind-new-app-experience-for-fans-driven-by-the-power-of-data/" target="_blank" rel="noopener" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://news.microsoft.com/transform/the-nba-launches-a-first-of-its-kind-new-app-experience-for-fans-driven-by-the-power-of-data/&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1664377747764000&amp;usg=AOvVaw3PHTQLNOwS7uhFb5VtWfxw">partnership with Microsoft</a>, the NBA&rsquo;s official cloud and AI partner. The NBA App now includes a sleek new design and a first-of-its-kind &ldquo;For You&rdquo; experience, with content recommendations based on fan preferences and personalization powered by Microsoft Azure and Azure AI. Within the app&rsquo;s &ldquo;For You&rdquo; page, fans can tap into a social-like vertical video experience &ndash; with vertical scrolling &ndash; that features real-time highlights of all NBA games in progress.
The league&rsquo;s direct-to-consumer subscription offerings &ndash; NBA League Pass and NBA TV &ndash; will be integrated into the NBA App, giving fans the ability to watch live games and highlights and check scores, statistics and standings, all in one place. For NBA League Pass subscribers, the live-streams will feature higher video quality, lower streaming latency and a seamless user experience for consuming live NBA content.
NBA League Pass returns this season with a new bundle and at its lowest price ever (the standard package is now available for $14.99 per month or $99.99 for the full season, and the premium package for $19.99 per month or $129.99 for the full season). Subscribers will automatically receive the NBA TV direct-to-consumer offering as part of the new bundle.&nbsp;&nbsp;
&ldquo;Launching our new NBA App and digital platform is a major milestone as we continue to build and strengthen our direct-to-consumer offerings,&rdquo; said Chris Benyarko, NBA Executive Vice President, Direct-to-Consumer. &ldquo;We are thrilled to deliver a reimagined product that will enhance and personalize the way NBA fans engage with the league on a daily basis.&rdquo;
Content highlights on the NBA App include:
Live Programming and Social-Style Content:
<ul style="font-weight: 400;">
<li>Gameday Experience &ndash; Fans will be immersed in game-day content all day long and, for the first time, get live access to streams of all pregame and postgame NBA press conferences and media days from every major event. In addition, NBA ID members will have access to teams&rsquo; pregame shows for NBA League Pass games. </li>
<li>Lifestyle &ndash; Social-style content series looking at the lifestyle, culture, fashion, music and more around the game and off the court, including NBA Kicks, NBA Fits, Jersey Drop, Ride Along, Celebrity Row and NBA Ink, among others. </li>
<li>&ldquo;CrunchTime&rdquo;&nbsp;&ndash; A free weekly whiparound show taking fans live to crucial moments of each game and providing real-time updates and analysis, produced by NBA TV and hosted by Jared Greenberg. </li>
<li>&ldquo;NBABet stream&rdquo;&nbsp;&ndash; A weekly stream produced by NBA TV with betting expert Tim Doyle and a selection of top contributors to provide the latest betting information during live game coverage. </li>
<li>Live NBA League Pass Programming&nbsp;&ndash; In addition to 24/7 NBA TV programming and out-of-market live games, NBA League Pass subscribers will have access to expanded options for personalized viewing experiences through a wide variety of alternate streams, including additional camera angles, betting-focused streams, influencer-led and analytics-driven options, and in-language feeds with commentary in three languages (Spanish, Portuguese and Korean).&nbsp; &ldquo;NBA HooperVision&rdquo; returns for its second season with former NBA players and hosts Nate Robinson and Quentin Richardson.</li>
</ul>
External Content Contributors:
<ul style="font-weight: 400;">
<li>All-Access Directly from Teams&nbsp;&ndash; Behind-the-scenes storytelling from teams&rsquo; social and digital channels. </li>
<li>Partner Content&nbsp;&ndash; Content produced by popular basketball and sports-highlight creators, including Turner Sports, featuring content from the hosts of &ldquo;Inside the NBA&rdquo;, Grant Hill and Greg Anthony, as well as FanDuel, DraftKings, Action Network, Bleacher Report and more. </li>
<li>Influencers&nbsp;&ndash; Influencer-created content from popular creators including Thinking Basketball&rsquo;s Ben Taylor, Jesser, Kris London, Lethal Shooter, Devin Williams, Tristan Jass, and more focused on fashion, lifestyle and NBA culture both on and off the court.</li>
</ul>
Exclusive Original Programming:
<ul style="font-weight: 400;">
<li>&ldquo;Gold Blooded&rdquo; &ndash; A new seven-episode docuseries telling the story of the Golden State Warriors&rsquo; journey to the 2022 NBA championship. Narrated by Andre Iguodala, the series features never-before-seen footage and new interviews with team executives and players, including Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson and Draymond Green. The first episode is available on the NBA App today. </li>
<li>&ldquo;Pass the Rock&rdquo; &ndash; Fans will get an exclusive look at the league&rsquo;s next generation of stars and their lives on and off the court throughout the 2022-23 season. The multi-part series is slated to begin in late November. </li>
<li>&ldquo;Inside the App&rdquo;&nbsp;&ndash; An exclusive weekly segment from TNT&rsquo;s &ldquo;Inside the NBA&rdquo; team that will spotlight the hottest storylines and most topical events from around the league.&nbsp;&nbsp; </li>
<li>&ldquo;NBA Real Training Camp&rdquo;&nbsp;with the Philadelphia Sixers (Sept. 29) and Dallas Mavericks (Sept. 30) &ndash; A special all-access show produced by NBA TV during the opening week of preseason providing exclusive look-ins at the teams&rsquo; practices and interviews with players, coaches and front office personnel.</li>
</ul>
NBA Vault:
<ul style="font-weight: 400;">
<li>Archived Games&nbsp;&ndash; Fans will have access to archival footage from the NBA vault, including 500 of the best classic games in NBA history.&nbsp; Every NBA Finals game since 2000 will also be available, with more Finals and popular games being released throughout the season. </li>
<li>Archived Series&nbsp;&ndash; Documentaries and all-access series from NBA Entertainment&rsquo;s archives will be available on-demand, including &ldquo;Dream Team&rdquo;, &ldquo;The Doctor&rdquo;, &ldquo;Wilt 100&rdquo;, &ldquo;The Association&rdquo;, &ldquo;Unscripted&rdquo;, &ldquo;Inside Stuff&rdquo; and more.</li>
</ul>
International-Focused:
<ul style="font-weight: 400;">
<li>NBA&rsquo;s International Games&nbsp;&ndash; The NBA App will be the go-to destination for fans to engage with and watch The NBA Japan Games 2022 Presented by Rakuten &amp; Nissan (Golden State Warriors vs. Washington Wizards on Friday, Sept. 30 at 6 a.m. ET and Sunday, Oct. 2 at 1 a.m. ET) and The NBA Abu Dhabi Games 2022 (Milwaukee Bucks vs. Atlanta Hawks on Thursday, Oct. 6 at noon ET and Saturday, Oct. 8 at noon ET). </li>
<li>&ldquo;Hoop Cities&rdquo;&nbsp;&ndash; An eight-part, in-language docuseries produced by the NBA&rsquo;s Europe and Middle East team that explores the local culture, history and basketball communities surrounding the game throughout the following European cities: Belgrade (Serbia), Bologna (Italy), Cologne &amp; Leverkusen (Germany), Istanbul (Turkey), Kaunas (Lithuania), Paris (France), Seville (Spain) and Thessaloniki (Greece).</li>
</ul>
Additional content series and other enhanced features on the NBA App will be announced throughout the season.

The NBA today announced the launch of the reimagined global NBA App, the all-in-one destination for NBA fans of every team.

NBA launches reimagined app with new features, exclusive content

Believe it or not, in the NBA, the league&rsquo;s Coach of the Year Award has become more like a kiss of death than a badge of honor.
On Tuesday night, by virtue of their 121-109 victory over the San Antonio Spurs, the New York Knicks managed to climb back to the .500 mark at 12-12.
There are worse things than being a .500 team in the NBA, but coming off of their 41-31 campaign last season, with the additions of Kemba Walker and Evan Fournier and the return of Mitchell Robinson, Tom Thibodeau and the Knicks hoped to be better.
Over the past 20 years in the NBA, we&rsquo;ve witnessed the increasing disposability of the head coach. When things go wrong, the finger is usually pointed at the bench boss. Over in Los Angeles, the exact example is happening to head coach Frank Vogel, whose Lakers are having a tough time in the early going of the season.
And while preexisting relationships with the front office in New York are expected to provide Thibodeau with at least some semblance of security, the Knicks' struggles highlight an interesting trend: COY winners' teams struggling almost immediately after winning the award.
<div class="mceNonEditable"><spike>&nbsp;</spike></div>
The league began naming a Coach of the Year in 1963 and last season, Thibodeau became just the ninth coach in league history to win the award multiple times. He previously won the award as head coach of the Chicago Bulls following the 2010-11 season, and it was shortly before then that a rather interesting trend became clear.
Since the 1999-2000 season, the award has been given out 22 times to 17 different coaches. The exhaustive list, beginning with that campaign, is as follows: Doc Rivers, Larry Brown, Rick Carlisle, Gregg Popovich, Hubie Brown, Mike D&rsquo;Antoni, Avery Johnson, Sam Mitchell, Byron Scott, Mike Brown, Scott Brooks, Tom Thibodeau, George Karl, Mike Budenholzer, Steve Kerr, Dwane Casey and Nick Nurse.
Popovich, Kerr, Casey and Nurse are still employed by the franchises with which they won the award; Popovich and Kerr are each notable for being the longest and third-longest tenured head coaches in the league. Now in his 26th season, Pop has patrolled the sidelines for the Spurs since 1996. Kerr assumed the helm for the Warriors just prior to the 2014-15 season, making this season his eighth. But they are the exceptions.
On average, since the 1999-00 season, the other winners coached their teams for an average of just 2.36 more years after winning the award. For the Oklahoma City Thunder, Scott Brooks had the longest post-award tenure of five years.
The shortest tenures following their COY award-wins belong to Hubie Brown of the Memphis Grizzlies and George Karl of the Denver Nuggets. Brown won the award in 2004, but resigned from the Grizzlies about six months later. He cited health concerns regarding his resignation, though there was speculation that some of the team&rsquo;s players soured on him.
Karl was a part of a very interesting offseason in Denver. The Nuggets traded Carmelo Anthony away in 2011, but overachieved. Together with Masai Ujiri, Karl led the Nuggets to a 57-25 record in the first full season (post-lockout in '11-12) following Anthony&rsquo;s departure. As a result, Ujiri was named the 2013 NBA Executive of the Year while Karl was named Coach of the Year. Within months, though, neither would be employed by the franchise.
<img style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" src="https://cdn.basketballnews.com/images/story/body/usatsi_7253462_lg.jpg" alt="" width="650" height="433" />
Ujiri received a lucrative offer to take over the Toronto Raptors' front office &mdash; he obviously accepted. Karl, who had one year left on his then-current deal was unhappy with Nuggets management for not rewarding him with an extension, and the franchise decided to relieve him of his duties.
Karl, unbelievably, was a reigning Coach of the Year who didn&rsquo;t even make it through the offseason.
Although the tales of Brown and Karl are interesting in the modern history of the award, neither&rsquo;s brief tenure &mdash; six months for Brown and 29 days for Karl &mdash; were factored into the earlier reported average of 2.36 years.
Of the aforementioned winners, four coaches lasted one season or less with their club after being named COY: Rick Carlisle (Detroit Pistons, 2002), Sam Mitchell (Toronto Raptors, 2007), Byron Scott (New Orleans Hornets, 2008) and Mike Brown (Cleveland Cavaliers, 2009).
Larry Brown and Avery Johnson each got two seasons (or parts thereof), while Doc Rivers, Mike D&rsquo;Antoni and Mike Budenholzer (with the Atlanta Hawks) each got three seasons. With the Chicago Bulls, Thibodeau got four more years, while Brooks, as previously mentioned, got five from Oklahoma City.
<div class="mceNonEditable"><spike>&nbsp;</spike></div>
It&rsquo;s ironic: Coaches usually win the Coach of the Year Award for defying expectations and leading their teams to better-than-expected results. But one can only wonder whether the endeavor is self-defeating.&nbsp;
Both the Atlanta Hawks and Phoenix Suns are considered, by some, to have overachieved last season, but in the NBA, what goes up... must stay up. As a community, we would be quicker to consider the Hawks and Suns as failures if they weren&rsquo;t able to replicate last season&rsquo;s results. The bar has been raised for them, and front offices have shown a propensity to judge their head coaches based on the highest watermark.
In New York, specifically, it is the front office that should carry the cross; neither Walker nor Fournier have translated well for the team, with point guard continuing to be one of the team&rsquo;s biggest areas of need. At this point, one can only wonder what the Knicks could have looked like had they instead managed to sign DeMar DeRozan and Lonzo Ball instead of the duo ending up as teammates in Chicago.
It&rsquo;s too early for the Knicks to panic, and way too early to consider that Thibodeau may not be the man for the job.
But all things considered, it&rsquo;s at least interesting to take note of the fact that the NBA&rsquo;s Coach of the Year Award may be the ultimate embodiment of a tangible irony.
Badge of honor? Or kiss of death?
There&rsquo;s a clear trend that simply can&rsquo;t be ignored.

Moke Hamilton delves into the surprisingly unfortunate history of the NBA Coach of the Year award.

Tom Thibodeau isn’t the only reigning Coach of the Year to struggle

Hi, hello, and welcome to another edition of "Roaming The Baseline"! This will be a weekly endeavor where I point out some things that caught my eye: a hot or cold streak from a player, a developmental flash, a well-run play, a funny tweet, who knows? There will be film &mdash; it&rsquo;s me, so of course there will be film &mdash; but this will also be a bit looser. It&rsquo;s an extension of my Twitter feed, if you will.&nbsp;
With that said, let&rsquo;s roam the baseline.
IT TAKES TWO (TO THE BALL)
The Golden State Warriors are humming to start the year, shaky performance against the Oklahoma City Thunder not withstanding. They're 4-0, sporting the NBA's 6th best net rating (plus-7.3) and offense (111.4).&nbsp;
It's not a shock that the Warriors are playing well, but the&nbsp;way&nbsp;they're getting it done is both fun and encouraging when projecting forward.
The Dubs have trended smaller; their nominal starting center, Kevon Looney, is averaging a shade over 16 minutes a night. That has allowed them to play with more pace and, with Looney off the floor, more space.&nbsp;
As a defense, the last thing you want to do is give Stephen freakin' Curry more space to operate in. You can't afford to single-cover him; any slip from his primary defender causes mass hysteria elsewhere.
<div style="width: 100%; height: 0px; position: relative; padding-bottom: 56.250%;"><iframe style="width: 100%; height: 100%; position: absolute; left: 0px; top: 0px; overflow: hidden;" src="https://streamable.com/e/zhsld1" width="100%" height="325" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen" data-mce-fragment="1"></iframe></div>
Nobody bends the game quite like Curry. So surrounding him with space and quick-processors make the Warriors virtually impossible to defend when they're rolling &mdash; figuratively and literally.
Curry's leading the NBA with 1.8 secondary assists, a mundane-looking number before you consider he averaged 0.9 during his 2015-16 campaign, and peaked at 1.4 during the 2017-18 season.
You've seen the song and dance before. Curry shakes free &mdash; either darting around in transition, or running a defender off of an on or off-ball screen; a second defender jumps up to help; a pass is slipped to a rolling teammate, and that teammate slings the pill to an even more open teammate.
<div style="width: 100%; height: 0px; position: relative; padding-bottom: 56.250%;"><iframe style="width: 100%; height: 100%; position: absolute; left: 0px; top: 0px; overflow: hidden;" src="https://streamable.com/e/ss68w8" width="100%" height="325" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen" data-mce-fragment="1"></iframe></div>
Unless you have the personnel for a switch-literally-everything scheme, I'm not sure what you can do. And even if you do, Curry can still dance on you, create an advantage on the drive, and start the chain all over again.
EARLY RETURNS ON RUSS
The Russell Westbrook Experience has been a wild one through four games. He's filling the stat sheet (17-8-9), missing a lot of shots (44.3 eFG%), and trying to find his spots in between. The season opener was awful (8-5-4, 31% FG); his performance against the Spurs on Tuesday night (33-10-8-3, 56% FG) was masterful.
It's been fun to track his usage on the floor, particularly in ball screens. It was clear that traditional pick-and-rolls wouldn't do the trick; <a href="https://twitter.com/stevejones20" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Steve Jones Jr</a>, my co-host at <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/podcasts/the-dunker-spot" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The Dunker Spot</a>, noted how teams were <a href="https://twitter.com/NekiasNBA/status/1453036197417086987?s=20" target="_blank" rel="noopener">simply ducking under screens</a> against Westbrook pick-and-rolls, and that creativity would be needed.
We've seen some alterations on both sides. With Westbrook handling the ball, the Lakers have dug into their bag with "ghost" and "flat" screens.
Using a (movement) shooting threat to run up to, then abruptly dart away from Westbrook has generated some fruitful stuff.
<div style="width: 100%; height: 0px; position: relative; padding-bottom: 56.250%;"><iframe style="width: 100%; height: 100%; position: absolute; left: 0px; top: 0px; overflow: hidden;" src="https://streamable.com/e/0lo0x8" width="100%" height="325" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen" data-mce-fragment="1"></iframe></div>
Going with flat screens &mdash; setting the pick directly on a defenders back, as opposed to their side &mdash; makes it difficult, at best, to duck under the action.
<div style="width: 100%; height: 0px; position: relative; padding-bottom: 56.250%;"><iframe style="width: 100%; height: 100%; position: absolute; left: 0px; top: 0px; overflow: hidden;" src="https://streamable.com/e/3cfx3q" width="100%" height="325" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen" data-mce-fragment="1"></iframe></div>
It's also nice to see Westbrook actually setting screens. Inverted ball screens with him and LeBron should lead to small-on-LeBron switches that defenses don't want, or short-roll opportunities for Westbrook.
<div style="width: 100%; height: 0px; position: relative; padding-bottom: 56.250%;"><iframe style="width: 100%; height: 100%; position: absolute; left: 0px; top: 0px; overflow: hidden;" src="https://streamable.com/e/jok0fl" width="100%" height="325" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen" data-mce-fragment="1"></iframe></div>
More of this, please.
HASSAN WHITESIDE: DOING THE LITTLE THINGS (FOR NOW, AT LEAST)
The Utah Jazz are also off to an undefeated start (3-0). While I'm here for Rudy Gobert owning the interior on both ends, and Donovan Mitchell making magic in pick-and-roll (he'll hit shots soon), you know who I've enjoyed watching?
Hassan Whiteside.
That's right, 8 points and 8 rebounds in 16 minutes per game off the bench is doing it for me right now.&nbsp;
In all seriousness, as someone that covered his entire stint in Miami, one thing that frustrated me was how much he left on the table. His physical gifts and (before knee issues sapped it) rare nimbleness for a guy his size were incredible. He also had a tendency to break scheme to chase blocks, and just. would. not. set. solid. screens.
Both things are happening so far.
Whiteside has been a legit deterrent in Utah's drop scheme. Though he's averaging a little over a block per game, it's been fun to see him go with vertical contests instead of looking to swat the ball out of bounds.&nbsp;
Offensively, he's setting screens. Holding before releasing. Flipping the angle when necessary. It's simple stuff, but so important to getting teammates open.
<div style="width: 100%; height: 0px; position: relative; padding-bottom: 56.250%;">
<div style="width: 100%; height: 0px; position: relative; padding-bottom: 56.250%;"><iframe style="width: 100%; height: 100%; position: absolute; left: 0px; top: 0px; overflow: hidden;" src="https://streamable.com/e/erhu5p" width="100%" height="325" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe></div>
</div>
Utah runs a "Veer" set &mdash; the screener faking a ball screen before darting away to pry a shooter loose &mdash; and I mean, look at Big Fella work! Stonewalls Monte Morris, waits for Jordan Clarkson to survey the floor, then flips the pick to disrupt Morris' path as Clarkson attacks.
This version of Whiteside, if he commits to this moving forward, is worth a lot more than the vet's minimum.
THINGS THAT MAKE YOU GO "HMMMM"
<ul>
<li>Cam Reddish is averaging nearly 19 points but I'm not sure how I feel about it yet. He's lighting it up from 3 (56.3% on 5.3 attempts), but he's converting roughly 42% of his shots inside of three feet. The jumper will cool off and the rim shots should normalize, but I don't know what that's going to look like.</li>
<li>On Shai Gilgeous-Alexander pick-and-rolls, his teammates are shooting 8-of-40 (20%) following his passes (Synergy). The screeners have converted two (2) of 18 shot attempts. I just-</li>
<li>Quick shoutout to Seth Curry who, after his 0-of-4 night against the Knicks on Tuesday, is shooting (checks notes) 13-of-21 (61.9%) from three on the year.</li>
<li>It's too early for lineup data. I know this, because the net rating leaders among starting lineups are Memphis (plus-41.0), Atlanta (plus-29.9), Toronto (plus-22.9), Orlando (plus-22.3) and New Orleans (plus-17.8).</li>
<li>Much has been made about the new rule changes and their effect on foul-drawing. The league is averaging 19.9 free throw attempts, its lowest mark in history. You know who's leading the NBA in free throw attempts right now? Rudy freakin' Gobert at 10.7. Of course.</li>
</ul>
PLAYS I LIKED
Trapped in the Elevator
<div style="width: 100%; height: 0px; position: relative; padding-bottom: 56.250%;"><iframe style="width: 100%; height: 100%; position: absolute; left: 0px; top: 0px; overflow: hidden;" src="https://streamable.com/e/jde5ua" width="100%" height="325" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen" data-mce-fragment="1"></iframe></div>
If you're able to bet in your state, and you can find a site for it, you should hammer whatever the number is on Duncan Robinson scoring the Heat's first basket. Virtually every game begins with choreography designed to spring him free for a triple.
Two things stand out to me, here. Using Chicago action &mdash; a pindown into a dribble handoff &mdash; as decoy action is pretty cool, though I wish Jimmy Butler would've sold it a little more.
Beyond that, Robinson electing to push put his defender into the elevator instead of using it for himself? Chef's kiss. Three points on the board.
Give Me a Lift
<div style="width: 100%; height: 0px; position: relative; padding-bottom: 56.250%;"><iframe style="width: 100%; height: 100%; position: absolute; left: 0px; top: 0px; overflow: hidden;" src="https://streamable.com/e/ttmrtd" width="100%" height="325" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen" data-mce-fragment="1"></iframe></div>
Brief aside: we have to tinker the "alley-oop attempts aren't actually shooting fouls" rule at some point. There's no reason Dwight Powell shouldn't get free throws for that.
Anyway, we get not one, but two (2) lifts to stress out Toronto's defense. As Powell trots up the floor to set a screen for Luka Doncic, Tim Hardaway Jr. sets up shop above the break at the same time. While Luka and Powell get busy, Kristaps Porzingis lifts from the dunker spot (subscribe!) to the left elbow area.&nbsp;
Luka is trapped, setting up a 3-on-2. With Hardaway Jr. being spaced where he is, the 3-on-2 is really a 2-on-1 with Dallas' frontcourt setting up a high-low read against Toronto's shortest guy. No wonder this ends in a foul.
Simplicity Sells
<div style="width: 100%; height: 0px; position: relative; padding-bottom: 56.250%;"><iframe style="width: 100%; height: 100%; position: absolute; left: 0px; top: 0px; overflow: hidden;" src="https://streamable.com/e/lf886j" width="100%" height="325" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen" data-mce-fragment="1"></iframe></div>
Terrence Ross had himself a night on Sunday, scoring all 22 of his points in the 4th quarter during a surprising Magic win. What tripped me out about the explosion, aside from its ridiculousness, was how easily it happened.&nbsp;
The Magic legit spammed this double stagger look for Ross throughtout the 4th, generating open look after open look after open look. Thibs had to be losing his mind watching his squad get torched by it.&nbsp;
THE READING LIST
There is plenty of high-level basketball content out here if you know where to look. I wouldn&rsquo;t be where I am as a writer without reading a ton of <a href="https://twitter.com/ZachLowe_NBA" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Zach Lowe</a> or <a href="https://twitter.com/Herring_NBA" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Chris Herring</a> or <a href="https://twitter.com/C2_Cooper/status/1452614316553867269" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Caitlin Cooper</a> or <a href="https://twitter.com/MirinFader">Mirin Fader</a>&nbsp;or, well, you get the point.&nbsp;
Anyway, here are some &mdash; not all, but some! &mdash; of the stories I&rsquo;ve read this week that I think you should check out. Their Twitter handles will be linked under their names, so click and follow if you don&rsquo;t already.
<a href="https://twitter.com/MirinFader">Mirin</a> came through with the goods <a href="https://twitter.com/MirinFader/status/1453001746373136387?s=20" target="_blank" rel="noopener">on Immanuel Quickley</a>.&nbsp;
<a href="https://twitter.com/Herring_NBA" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Chris</a> wrote about the <a href="https://twitter.com/Herring_NBA/status/1450815448228970498?s=20" target="_blank" rel="noopener">intrigue of this year's Chicago Bulls</a>. They're off to a great start so far.
<a href="https://twitter.com/C2_Cooper/status/1452614316553867269" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Caitlin</a> with some early goodness on the <a href="https://twitter.com/C2_Cooper/status/1452614316553867269?s=20" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Pacers' starting frontcourt</a>.
<a href="https://twitter.com/CoupNBA" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Couper Moorhead</a> on giving <a href="https://twitter.com/CoupNBA/status/1453084258877194240?s=20" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Tyler Herro room to grow</a>.
Not a traditional basketball piece, but this from <a href="https://twitter.com/JoshuaBRobbins" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Josh Robbins</a> is well <a href="https://twitter.com/JoshuaBRobbins/status/1453392882472206342?s=20" target="_blank" rel="noopener">worth your time</a>. Best of luck on the Wizards beat!

In Nekias Duncan's weekly notebook, he shares things that have caught his eye. He breaks down players, teams, plays and stats.

Roaming the Baseline: Steph Curry, Russell Westbrook, Hassan Whiteside

On Sunday, Jimmy Butler became just the third player in NBA history to post a 40-point triple-double in the NBA Finals (joining LeBron James and Jerry West). He finished with 40 points, 13 assists, 11 rebounds, 2 steals and 2 blocks on 14-20 shooting from the field (70 percent).
The triple-double brings Butler's postseason averages to 22.1 points, 5.9 rebounds, 5.5 assists, 1.9 threes and 1.8 steals, while shooting 48.2 percent from the field, 37.1 percent from three-point range and 85.8 percent from the free-throw line.
After the game, Butler stressed that he doesn&rsquo;t care about his individual numbers as long as the team is winning.
&ldquo;Everybody remembers winning; that's it,&rdquo; Butler said. &ldquo;They don't care how many points you score, they only care if you won or lost. For us, we're all about winning. We are. I say it all the time, but I mean it. The guys that we have, the group that Coach Pat and Coach Spo put together, it's always to win; nothing else. I hope the next game, I score zero [points] and y'all talk all you want to talk and we win, so I can come up here and say the same thing.&rdquo;
Butler noted that the Heat are getting more comfortable in each game, as they gain experience playing on this stage. While the Lakers have seven players who have played in the Finals, Miami has just two: Andre Iguodala and Udonis Haslem (who is out of the rotation). The rest of the Heat&rsquo;s roster is learning on the fly.
&ldquo;We're just settling down,&rdquo; Butler said. &ldquo;I think it's a lot of bright lights, it's a big stage for almost everybody except for Coach Spo, Andre, OG [Udonis Haslem], and nobody&rsquo;s been here before. But we're coming to realize that we belong here. We're a really good team and we can win, as we have shown tonight, if we play basketball the right way, if we do what we say we're going to do. So everybody is just becoming more and more comfortable as the days go by.&rdquo;
Heat head coach Erik Spoelstra raved about his superstar after Game 3.
&ldquo;Jimmy effing Butler,&rdquo; Spoelstra said. &ldquo;It's really hard to analyze or describe Jimmy until you actually feel him between the four lines. He's a supreme, elite competitor and we needed it. Obviously, this was a very desperate, urgent game and he was doing it on both ends of the court. Just put his imprint on every important part of the game. He's in the top percentile of this entire Association in terms of conditioning and you saw he just got stronger as the game went on&hellip;
&ldquo;It's so settling when you have that type of guy in a really competitive game like this. It allows your other guys -- and we're playing young guys -- [to] just be who they are. They don't have to worry about too much pressure or context. They can just be who they are when you have somebody like that that takes on all the pressure for them.&rdquo;
&ldquo;He&rsquo;s very calming for us, just because of his ability to obviously get a bucket himself and also get other people involved and move the ball,&rdquo; Duncan Robinson added. &ldquo;I feel like everyone is getting touches. Down the stretch, he just made big play after big play on both sides of the ball. That&rsquo;s just who he is. He&rsquo;s been doing it for us all year, all playoffs and we expect that out of him&hellip; It was huge. Great players want that responsibility, and he certainly does.&rdquo;
Butler&rsquo;s teammates were asked if this performance surprised them -- Jimmy delivering perhaps the best game of his career on the biggest stage when his team needed it the most. One by one, they said that they&rsquo;ve come to expect this from him.
&ldquo;I don&rsquo;t think it&rsquo;s a surprise,&rdquo; Kelly Olynyk said. &ldquo;We know what Jimmy can do. We see it day in and day out. Maybe [a surprise] to some other people, but that&rsquo;s our guy. He was at his best when his best was needed&hellip; He&rsquo;s our leader. We go as he goes. He was going tonight so that was big for us. His energy, his enthusiasm, his grit &ndash; all of that. We just picked up where he leads off.&rdquo;
&ldquo;No, I wasn't surprised,&rdquo; Tyler Herro added. &ldquo;We know how Jimmy is in these moments, and the world has seen what Jimmy Butler is capable of. He just played tremendous for us. He did everything, obviously. Ran the offense all the way through him, made play after play, bucket after bucket. And defensively, guarding LeBron [James], making it tough on him, and just being a leader out there. We were all following him. Obviously, we're going to need that from him for the next three.&rdquo;
&ldquo;He&rsquo;s always been the type of guy you can depend on,&rdquo; Jae Crowder added. &ldquo;Whatever you need -- not just scoring. He can get a big rebound or big foul or big charge. In college, he was that guy. Whatever you need him to do he&rsquo;ll come through. He&rsquo;s always been that. I&rsquo;ve obviously been around him and seen him do stuff like this, but he&rsquo;s always been that type of player. Whatever you need him to do, he&rsquo;s capable of doing that. I&rsquo;m not surprised at all.&rdquo;
Back in 2006, Spoelstra was part of Miami&rsquo;s coaching staff when a former Marquette player (Dwyane Wade) helped the Heat win the championship after falling behind 0-2 in the Finals against the Dallas Mavericks. Butler, who was also a Golden Eagle, hopes to do the same. Behind the scenes, Wade encouraged the Heat to bring in Butler and build around him.
&ldquo;Dwyane swore to us, he looked Pat [Riley] and I dead in the eye and said, &lsquo;This is your guy. This is the next guy.&rsquo;&rdquo; Spoelstra said.
<img src="https://basketballnews-media.s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/images/story/body/dunc_lg.jpg" alt="" width="715" height="400" />
DUNCAN ROBINSON&rsquo;S SHOOTING SLUMP
After Game 3, Jimmy Butler commented on Duncan Robinson&rsquo;s recent struggles.
&ldquo;I will say: Duncan needs to shoot the ball a lot more,&rdquo; Butler said. &ldquo;He needs to hunt shots because he's going to be a reason that we win one of these games. He's going to hit six, seven threes and I'm going to jump up and down and I'm going to give him a big hug, maybe a slight kiss on the back of his head, because I know how important that that guy is to our team.&rdquo;&nbsp;
In this series, Robinson is averaging just 7.3 points and 1.7 threes, while shooting 27.3 percent from the field and 25 percent from three. That's well below his regular-season averages (13.5 points and 3.7 threes on 44.6 percent shooting from deep) and his numbers from the first three rounds of the playoffs (11.3 points and 2.9 threes per game on 40 percent shooting).
&ldquo;I fully expect to make more shots going forward, so I have to continue to be aggressive and do my job,&rdquo; Robinson said.
After Game 3, Robinson and Tyler Herro talked about how Butler is constantly encouraging Miami&rsquo;s young players to keep shooting and stay aggressive, even when they&rsquo;re struggling. Robinson said that Butler and his coaches &ldquo;are only yelling in my ear when I am not shooting, so that&rsquo;s always a luxury to have as a shooter.&rdquo;&nbsp;
Robinson finished Game 3 with 13 points (on 4-12 shooting from the field and 3-10 from three) to go along with 5 rebounds, 3 assists, 2 steals and 1 block.
LEBRON AND JIMMY EXCHANGE WORDS
In Game 3, at the end of the first quarter, LeBron James told Jimmy Butler, "You're in trouble." 
After Butler scored his 40th point and gave Miami a 9-point lead with 1:13 left, Butler yelled back, "You're in trouble!" Butler was asked about this exchange after the game.
&ldquo;I mean, that's competition at its finest,&rdquo; Butler said. &ldquo;I think LeBron has got the best of me way too many times. I respect the guy for it, but this is a different time now, a different group of guys that I have around me, and we are here to win, we are here to compete. But we're not going to lay down, we're going to fight back in this thing, even it up 2-2.&rdquo;
When asked if he enjoys playing against a competitor like Butler after Game 3, James had some high praise for his opponent.
&ldquo;Love it. Love it. One of the best competitors we have in our game,&rdquo; James said. &ldquo;We love that opportunity. For me, personally, I don't know how many more opportunities I'm going to have, so to be able to go against a fierce competitor like that is something I'll look back on when I'm done playing. I'll miss those moments.&rdquo;
<img style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" src="https://basketballnews-media.s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/images/story/body/tyler-herro-snarl-goes-viral.gif" alt="" width="400" height="AUTO" />
TYLER HERRO'S SNARL GOES VIRAL
After scoring over Rajon Rondo late in the game, Tyler Herro snarled and the clip went viral, with many fans and players discussing the rookie's swagger on Twitter.
When asked about this, Herro said that he's just enjoying the fact that he's playing in the Finals.
"I think it's every kid's dream to play at this stage, but I just cherish the moment," Herro said. "[I] really have got to take a step back and just realize and look at everything that's going on. I'm just embracing the moment, enjoying it. It's a great opportunity for all of us and we're just here enjoying it."
Butler was asked about Herro's snarl after the game.
"I saw it. He did that thing with his lip, I saw that," Butler said. "Tyler's always going to be Tyler. I think we all love him for that. But like I tell T all the time, he's my third favorite Herro. His little brother Myles is definitely my favorite, so I'll talk more to Myles tomorrow than I will to Tyler because I think he is the reason that Tyler plays like that. He looks up to Tyler, and so Tyler goes out there and plays with so much confidence because he knows that his brother is watching."

Alex Kennedy looks at Jimmy Butler's monster performance in Game 3, Duncan Robinson's shooting slump, Tyler Herro's snarl and more.

NBA Finals Notebook: Butler's big game, Robinson's slump and more

Jimmy Butler finished with 40 points, 11 rebounds and 13 assists, and the Heat beat the Lakers 115-104 on Sunday night.

Butler, Heat cut Lakers’ Finals lead to 2-1

The Boston Celtics staved off elimination by topping the Miami Heat 121-108 in Game 5 of the Eastern Conference finals on Friday night.