Spirit

PHILADELPHIA (AP) — The Hornets didn't pop champagne or go wild in the locker room following a win over the Sixers more than five years in the making.
There was just a simple message from Gordon Hayward: On to the next game.
“We talked about it before the game. We talked about ending the streak,” Hayward said. “It was a big win for us. But it was just one.”
Hayward made his first nine shots and scored 30 points and the Charlotte Hornets beat the Philadelphia 76ers 109-98 on Wednesday night to snap a 16-game losing streak in the series.
The Hornets hadn’t won against the Sixers since Nov. 2, 2016 and held the longest active losing streak to one team in the NBA.
Now the winning streak stands at one.
“We battled with these guys for a number of years and it feels like every shot at the end of the game has gone their direction,” Hornets coach James Borrego said.
All the Hornets needed was a flawless first half out of Hayward to get them going.
Hayward came out firing with a 9 of 9 first half -- that included four 3-pointers -- for 22 points that put the Hornets up 14 at the break. Hayward, who averaged 17 points, became the fourth Hornets player to score 20 points in the first half since the 1996-97 season.
“I had some easy looks and I was able to knock them down,” Hayward said.
Terry Rozier scored 22 points for the Hornets and Miles Bridges added 21.
Joel Embiid scored 31 points for the fifth straight game and the Sixers' seven-game winning streak ended.
Embiid continued to do Embiid things and wrecked the Hornets with every kind of a shot from a step-back 3 to a down-the-lane dunk that left the backboard shaking.
His recent stretch is one of the best in team history, joining Allen Iverson and Wilt Chamberlain as the only Sixers to score 30-plus points in eight straight games. Embiid made 10 of 17 shots and 10 of 14 free throws against the Hornets.
“It’s the skill and the power,” Borrego said. “He knows how to play the game. The way he can impose his size and power on the game and still use skill and finesse at the same time.”
Embiid, though, can’t carry the Sixers alone and the franchise is still at a stalemate with All-Star guard Ben Simmons. Embiid picked up his fifth foul with 3:45 left in the third and the Hornets ended the quarter up 85-76. 
“It starts with me. I wasn't good enough," Embiid said.
With a losing streak to the Sixers stretching more than five years, the Hornets, coming off two straight wins against Milwaukee, instead showed why they might be a team on the rise in the Eastern Conference. 
“I wouldn’t say it’s a message. We just have to continue to get better,” Bridges said. “These are three good wins against three good teams but we still haven’t done anything yet.”
Tobias Harris hit a 3 that brought the Sixers within eight only for Rozier to come right back and hit one for the Hornets. Bridges buried Charlotte’s ninth 3 to stretch the lead -- and put that losing streak to rest. 
TIP-INS
Hornets: Borrego stumped for guard LaMelo Ball to make the All-Star team. “He brings a joy to our gym,” he said. “If we were having a film session right here, he’s up front, he’s talking the most, he’s got great spirit about us. You need that spirit to get through 82 games.” ... C Kai Jones entered health and safety protocols.
76ers: G Danny Green had his right hip examined after a hard fall and returned to the game. ... The Sixers had 16 turnovers.
THE BEN THING
The Sixers continue to motor along with no change in Simmons’ status as he sits out the season following an offseason trade demand. The NBA trade deadline is about a month away (Feb. 10) and rumors continue to swirl around Simmons and the Sixers.
“We have the Ben thing,” coach Doc Rivers said. “I’m sure there will be some crazy rumors. There’s not a lot I can do about that. But there may be more than usual. If that’s the case, then you have to deal with it. You have to deal with it, I guess.”
Rivers said Simmons continues to visit the Sixers’ training facility in New Jersey.
“Hopefully we’ll have an answer, sooner or later,” Rivers said.
Simmons’ agent, Klutch Sports CEO Rich Paul, sat courtside and heard one fan shout, “Yo, Rich Paul, get Ben Simmons out of Philly!”
UP NEXT
Hornets: Host the Magic on Friday.
76ers: Host the Celtics on Friday.
___
More AP NBA: https://apnews.com/hub/NBA and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

The Charlotte Hornets beat the Philadelphia 76ers for the first time since 2016.

Hornets end 16-game losing streak to 76ers in 109-98 win

Each day, BasketballNews.com scours #NBATwitter to bring you the best tweets from the previous day. Some are insightful, some are just hilarious (so we had to include them).
Without further ado, here are the tweets of the day for February 26, 2021.
Make It Make Sense
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-theme="dark">
Hennessy becoming the &ldquo;official spirit of the NBA&rdquo; when JR Smith is out of the league seems unjust.
&mdash; refiloeseiboko (@GoldenHoops_) <a href="https://twitter.com/GoldenHoops_/status/1364911302334947330?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 25, 2021</a></blockquote>

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

A championship contender needs to sign JR Smith for the remainder of the season. It's only logical.
Actually, I&rsquo;m Okay Thanks!
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-theme="dark">
Philly: look at out wonderful earned jerseys with the liberty bell on the front Lowry: <a href="https://t.co/Wxrd2cYMvs">https://t.co/Wxrd2cYMvs</a>
&mdash; Vivek Jacob (@vivekmjacob) <a href="https://twitter.com/vivekmjacob/status/1365111996740472835?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 26, 2021</a></blockquote>

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

Kyle Lowry to Philly rumors were squashed the second they released that atrocious liberty bell jersey. The King of the North deserves better than to look like a bargain store Christmas ornament.
Invisible Shield
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-theme="dark">
Nuggets have a 3 on 1 fast break down 2 in the final seconds and **FART NOISE** <a href="https://t.co/sq7RUZU458">pic.twitter.com/sq7RUZU458</a>
&mdash; Fastbreak Breakfast (@fastbreakbreak) <a href="https://twitter.com/fastbreakbreak/status/1365155215528312833?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 26, 2021</a></blockquote>

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

Nothing about this play makes sense. Every player on the floor for the Nuggets appears to just stop beyond the arc for no reason whatsoever. Had anyone attempted a rebound there would have been an opportunity to either get the rebound or possibly be fouled. I don&rsquo;t know. I've watched it about a hundred times and still don&rsquo;t understand what happened. Miscommunication? The floor was lava? Someone saw a spider?
Accurate
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-theme="dark">
Zion is like if a Gummi Bear was made out of titanium and bad intentions
&mdash; Dan Devine (@YourManDevine) <a href="https://twitter.com/YourManDevine/status/1365145917754597387?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 26, 2021</a></blockquote>

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

Imagine getting your entire body broken by being on the receiving end of a dunk from a man whose demeanor and appearance closest resemble a gummy bear or one of those Costco-sized teddy bears?
Are They?
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-theme="dark">
All 7 Clipper fans are real quiet right now <a href="https://t.co/XDZT59YlBn">pic.twitter.com/XDZT59YlBn</a>
&mdash; David Portillo (@D_Portillo_0) <a href="https://twitter.com/D_Portillo_0/status/1365141254829314053?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 26, 2021</a></blockquote>

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

...Or do they just not take up enough space to be noticeable because you could fit the entirety of them on a school bus? How many Clippers fans, other than <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/podcasts/The-Follow-Through-podcast-with-Clipps-and-Drew" target="_blank" rel="noopener">our very own Clipps</a>, do you know in real life?
Couldn&rsquo;t Be Me
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-theme="dark">
I see NBA Twitter is arguing today. Not me tho my team is in last place. Y'all be easy.
&mdash; The Big Chillin' (@Kofie) <a href="https://twitter.com/Kofie/status/1364991085509029895?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 25, 2021</a></blockquote>

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

~No playoff aspirations, no competitive spirit, just vibes.~
See a tweet that should be featured in Monday's Tweet of the Day piece? Send it to <a href="https://twitter.com/kelsea_lately" target="_blank" rel="noopener">@kelsea_lately</a>.

Every day, our Kelsea O'Brien scours #NBATwitter to find the best posts. Here are the tweets of the day for Feb. 26, 2021.

NBA Tweets of the Day: All About Awareness

After beating the Milwaukee Bucks and Miami Heat back-to-back, the Utah Jazz are now 22-5 and they&rsquo;ve won 18 of their last 19 games. Add reigning MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo to the long list of people they have impressed, as he had nothing but praise for the Jazz after they defeated his Bucks.&nbsp;
"[They're] the best team in the West," Antetokounmpo said. "It just looks fun. Like when I watch them play, it looks fun, it looks easy. It looks simple. For sure, they look like us last year, and man, when you're at that point and you're playing with that confidence, you're hard to beat, for sure.&rdquo;
The Jazz are very well-rounded team. They had four players score 20+ points against the Bucks: Rudy Gobert and Joe Ingles each had 27 points, while Donovan Mitchell poured in 26 (plus eight assists and six rebounds) and Jordan Clarkson contributed 25 off the bench. And in their victory over the Heat, five players scored in double-figures.
Now, let&rsquo;s revisit that awkward moment between Shaquille O&rsquo;Neal and Mitchell from the Jan. 21 episode of &ldquo;Inside the NBA.&rdquo;&nbsp;
During the post-game interview on TNT, Shaq told Mitchell: &ldquo;I said tonight that you are one of my favorite players, but you don&rsquo;t have what it takes to get to the next level. I said it on purpose, and I wanted you to hear it. What do you have to say about that?&rdquo;
<iframe src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/GFmk7kzDbiA" width="100%" height="325" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe>
For context, Mitchell had just finished lighting up the scoreboard, dropping an efficient 36 points to lead Utah to their seventh-straight win. It was a very unexpected statement (to say the least) and the entire basketball world took a collective gasp.&nbsp;
&ldquo;Alright...&rdquo; Mitchell simply replied. &ldquo;That&rsquo;s it?&rdquo; Shaq asked. After a long, awkward pause and an attempt to shrug off the odd, untimely comment, Mitchell added: &ldquo;That&rsquo;s it. That&rsquo;s it. Shaq, I&rsquo;ve been hearing that since my rookie year. I&rsquo;m just going to get better and do what I do.&rdquo;
Shaq&rsquo;s comments were met with a great deal of criticism. Why would the NBA legend stoop to that level and try to publicly embarrass Mitchell? Was he trying to tear him down? Is Shaq an undeniable hater?
Some wondered if Shaq was attempting to motivate Mitchell. Was this some kind of 4D-chess, Zen-Master, Jedi-mind-trick move to light a fire under Mitchell and the entire Jazz team? Did he actually have good intentions, but the exchange was poorly executed? Maybe. 
Regardless, Mitchell and the Jazz have been proving Shaq wrong and making him eat his words.
Mitchell, 24, is averaging a career-high 24.2 points, 5.1 assists and 4.3 rebounds per game. Not only is his team sitting atop the Western Conference, they have the best record in the league. There have even been some whispers throughout the NBA that Mitchell should <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/nba-mvp-most-valuable-player-odds-bets-oddsmakers-donovan-mitchell-utah-jazz-gambling-fanduel-betmgm-draftkings-award" target="_blank" rel="noopener">at least be mentioned on the list of MVP candidates</a>.
<img src="https://basketballnews-media.s3.us-west-2.amazonaws.com/images/story/body/mitttt_lg.jpg" alt="" width="800" height="AUTO" />
However, the Jazz are far from a one-man show. This is a balanced offensive attack, with six players scoring in double-figures: Mitchell (24.2), Clarkson (17.4), Mike Conley (16.5), Bojan Bogdanovic (15.8), Gobert (14.0) and Ingles (11.3). Utah boasts historic three-point shooting, as they are making 16.7 three-pointers per game and shooting 39.5% percent from deep. This kind of efficiency is unprecedented; not even the Splash-Brothers-led Warriors or James-Harden-led Rockets shot the ball this well! Also, their terrific chemistry and impressive commitment to ball movement have been on display this season.
On the other end, the Jazz have the NBA&rsquo;s second-best defense, allowing just 104.5 points per 100 possessions. This team is committed to stifling opposing offenses and it helps that they have the NBA&rsquo;s premier defender locking down the paint. Gobert is a two-time Defensive Player of the Year and the Jazz&rsquo;s anchor who sets the tone with his defense-first mentality.&nbsp;
Put this all together and you have a team that can dominate on both ends of the court, and that's exactly what they've done on most nights. At 22-5, this is the Jazz&rsquo;s best start in franchise history. Not bad for a team that Shaq said didn&rsquo;t have what it takes to win the championship.&nbsp;
Interestingly, during the Jazz&rsquo;s recent win over the Boston Celtics, Shaq took credit for Mitchell&rsquo;s play (although his numbers are almost identical to where they were prior to his public criticism).&nbsp;
&nbsp;"I never hate, I just try to give constructive criticism,&rdquo; Shaq said. &ldquo;My whole career I've been a leader and motivate my players a certain way. So, you're welcome Utah."
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-theme="dark">
Shaq on Donovan Mitchell "I never hate, I just try to give constructive criticism. My whole career I've been a leader and motivate my players a certain way. So, you're welcome Utah." <a href="https://t.co/0BKUZ07EXa">pic.twitter.com/0BKUZ07EXa</a>
&mdash; gifdsports (@gifdsports) <a href="https://twitter.com/gifdsports/status/1359357636433620992?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 10, 2021</a></blockquote>

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

Perhaps people would've reacted differently to this exchange with Mitchell if this was the first time Shaq had done something of this nature, but he has developed quite a list of priors when it comes to hating. He has consistently taken shots at JaVale McGee, he&rsquo;s constantly bashing Dwight Howard, and he has repeatedly criticized Gobert ever since the big man signed his $200-million deal.&nbsp;
Recently, Howard was on <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/nba-rumors-dwight-howard-los-angeles-lakers-philadelphia-76ers-free-agency-shaquille-shaq-oneal-married-championship-redemption-title" target="_blank" rel="noopener">my show, &ldquo;The Rematch,&rdquo;</a>&nbsp;and I asked him about Shaq&rsquo;s critiques. Why is Shaq always going after him? Is there some beef between them?
&ldquo;I have no clue! It's crazy,&rdquo; Howard said. &ldquo;When I first got to the [Lakers], me and JaVale was like, &lsquo;Yo, did you do something to Shaq?&rsquo; And he was like, &lsquo;Bro, I don't know, man! Like, he's always talking about us!&rsquo; And I'm like, &lsquo;Yeah, man, he is! It&rsquo;s crazy!&rsquo; Then, I was like, &lsquo;Man, let's jump him,&rsquo; and then we just laughed. (laughs) But I realize that you can't please everybody&hellip; The way you deal with that is kill him with kindness instead of going back and forth with him and saying things.&nbsp;
&ldquo;I still think he's probably the most dominant player to ever play the game. But if I had anything negative to say about him, I won't ever say that in the public eye or say it where people can hear it because I don't think it's necessary. He has family, has kids and people who love him, and I just wasn't brought up that way. So, I respect him for all the work he's done. I wish we could play each other again, so I could end this beef. (laughs) But I have a lot of love for him and the things he's done for the sport. And the way to beat him is to continue to play at a high level and not allow anything that's negative to get to my ears, and just stay focused.&rdquo;
<div class="mceNonEditable"><spike>&nbsp;</spike></div>
During BasketballNews.com&rsquo;s recent <a href="https://twitter.com/bballnewsdotcom/status/1353879647927332869">NBA Watch Party live-stream</a>, NBA All-Star Kenyon Martin shared how he would&rsquo;ve reacted if he were in Mitchell&rsquo;s position and Shaq made the same comment to him.
&ldquo;I would&rsquo;ve had a rebuttal and they would've had to go to commercial,&rdquo; Martin said. "I would've told Shaq exactly what he can do&hellip; Yeah, it would've been bad. Like, straight up: I just played my ass off out here and you got [something negative to say]? You don't know the work I put in. You don&rsquo;t know what I'm doing to enhance my game or make my team better. That&rsquo;s the problem, these dudes just be on TV [saying anything]... I don&rsquo;t need you to motivate me, Shaq. I can motivate myself. He basically told him he ain't getting it done.&rdquo;
Shaq may very well believe that he was &ldquo;motivating&rdquo; Mitchell by challenging him on live TV in front of the entire basketball world and telling him publicly that he didn&rsquo;t think he was good enough to lead the Jazz to a championship and then awkwardly asking for his reaction. But in reality, he could&rsquo;ve &ldquo;motivated&rdquo; him in a much different way. He could&rsquo;ve pulled him to the side as an OG who&rsquo;s held in high regard and respected throughout the league and challenged him behind closed doors instead of attempting to publicly embarrass him and crush his spirits on the NBA&rsquo;s biggest platform (&ldquo;Inside the NBA&rdquo;).
Best-case scenario? The Big Aristotle&rsquo;s strategy was to give the Jazz a villain or someone to hate, who they could then focus on proving wrong. But that may be giving Shaq too much credit. He may have simply transformed into the grumpy, old, get-off-my-lawn former player who gets his kicks by bashing younger players. We all hope it&rsquo;s not the latter. An apology to Donovan Mitchell and an admission that he was wrong would definitely help show that he isn&rsquo;t in that category. 
Everyone is wrong sometimes; it takes a big man to actually admit when that's the case.

Donovan Mitchell and the Utah Jazz have been making Shaquille O'Neal eat his words, writes former NBA veteran Etan Thomas.

Shaquille O'Neal owes Donovan Mitchell a public apology

As former Michigan State forward Gabe Brown goes through the NBA pre-draft process, he wants front offices to know one thing: he knows his role, and he's perfectly fine being a 3-and-D player.
"Usually when guys come in, they think they&rsquo;re going to take the world by storm and [become a star] and get the keys to the team, but that&rsquo;s not really how it works," Brown told BasketballNews.com. "There are already other players on the team who have paid their dues, and they may be All-Stars or champions. What I&rsquo;m looking to do is be a 3-and-D guy who looks to put the ball on the floor sometimes, but that&rsquo;s not always going to be my job. My job is usually going to be locking up guards, defending 1-through-4, [providing] athleticism and being consistent with my shot.&rdquo;
After spending four years with the Spartans, the 22-year-old has started working out for NBA teams (including the Boston Celtics, Brooklyn Nets, Atlanta Hawks and New York Knicks), and he recently participated in the G League Elite Camp in Chicago.
He has modeled his game after two other older prospects who spent at least four years in college: Phoenix Suns forward Cameron Johnson and Brooklyn Nets wing Joe Harris.
&ldquo;I try to be myself as much as possible, but the guys that I really do look at are Cam Johnson and Joe Harris," Brown said. "They are guys who have been through four years of college and then made it and were successful in the NBA. And they played around [talented] guys and then worked their way into their role, so those are guys that I really try to pay attention to.&rdquo;
As a senior with the Spartans, Brown averaged 11.6 points, 3.8 rebounds, 2.0 threes, 1.1 assists and 0.7 steals, while shooting 38.2% from three-point range. The 6-foot-8, 215-pound forward believes that he can step in and immediately help an NBA team that's in need of a 3-and-D specialist.&nbsp;
BasketballNews.com caught up with Brown to discuss his skill set, how much he developed while in college, his experience at the G League Elite Camp, how he fell in love with basketball and more.
Throughout the pre-draft process, everyone talks about age. But there are also benefits to spending four years in college. Do you think staying at Michigan State for four years and gaining that experience helped you?
Gabe Brown: &ldquo;I just feel like my maturity level is higher than a lot of kids who come in earlier, and that&rsquo;s due to just being in college for so long and staying for four years. And I have to say: you learn the game more, you develop more when you&rsquo;re in college for four years. You know how to play NBA basketball when you get done with college, so I feel like my game will truly expand when I get to the next level."
How much have you grown as a player from your first day in college to where you&rsquo;re at now?
Brown: &ldquo;It&rsquo;s been a whole change for me&mdash;my maturity level, my work ethic, just everything has changed for me in a lot of positive ways.&rdquo;
The knock on older prospects is that they sometimes don&rsquo;t have as much potential or room to grow. What would you say to that and what do you think of your ceiling?
Brown: &ldquo;I don&rsquo;t believe that&rsquo;s true. I believe that I&rsquo;m just getting started. I just turned 22 years old in March, so I&rsquo;m still very young. I don&rsquo;t think I&rsquo;ve reached any of my potential yet, and I&rsquo;ve got a lot of time. [Giving me an opportunity] in the NBA is the perfect way to see.&rdquo;
Which teams have you worked out for so far? And who do you have scheduled?
Brown: &ldquo;I&rsquo;ve worked out with the Boston Celtics, Brooklyn Nets, Atlanta Hawks and New York Knicks. And as for upcoming workouts, I basically have the whole league that I have to work out for, so I have about 12-to-14 more NBA workouts upcoming.&rdquo;
You participated in the G League Elite Camp. How did that go, and what was that experience like?
Brown: &ldquo;It was very fun to be out there. It was very fun, truly. Not a lot of kids get to be invited to these camps and take them in, and I was one of the kids who got invited to the G League one. It was a great experience. I went out there and I played two good games. I was looking for a call-up, but it&rsquo;s all good. I mean, my path, my journey is different. It was fun, though. The atmosphere was amazing.&rdquo;
<div class="mceNonEditable"><spike>&nbsp;</spike></div>
Which of your skills do you think will best translate to the NBA?
Brown: &ldquo;My defense, my length, my shooting ability, my size and my athleticism. That will all translate to me being out on the floor on an NBA court.&rdquo;
Off the court, what are some things you bring to a team?
Brown: &ldquo;I lead by example with my work ethic. I stay in the gym more and [come back] during the night. That&rsquo;s what I do. I feel like guys will respect me more just off of the way I work. And then, it&rsquo;s all about personality. I&rsquo;m a leader, I love to talk, I love to get guys going and I love to motivate people. That&rsquo;s no problem with me.&rdquo;
As you go throughout this pre-draft process, what are some of the things you&rsquo;re trying to showcase to teams&mdash;on and off the court?
Brown: &ldquo;On the floor, I&rsquo;m just trying to showcase my whole game&mdash;all of the things that I couldn&rsquo;t [show] at Michigan State or the things that I wasn&rsquo;t good at but that I really am good at that scouts didn&rsquo;t really get to see, like putting the ball on the floor, coming off ball screens, making reads, maintaining my consistent shooting level and being in tip-top shape. Off the floor, I just want to show them the person that I am. I&rsquo;ll always be myself. I&rsquo;ll always be Gabe Brown.&rdquo;
I read that growing up, your favorite player was Kobe Bryant.&nbsp;
Brown: &ldquo;I was a big Kobe fan. Just his mentality and the work ethic&hellip; I mean, everybody knows Kobe can score, and he&rsquo;s got championships, but nobody saw the work he really put in to get there. I think the motivating factor is just his work, what he did off the court, how he motivated guys and got guys going. And he always showed up when it was game time.&rdquo;
How did you initially fall in love with basketball?
Brown: &ldquo;It was my father. My dad put a ball in my hands at 3 years old and I haven&rsquo;t looked back since.&rdquo;
(Gabe&rsquo;s father, Charles Brown, passed away in 2016 after suffering a stroke.)
I&rsquo;m so sorry for your loss. You&rsquo;ve said that you considered quitting basketball after he passed away, and that it felt like &ldquo;there was no point in playing anymore&hellip; it felt like the game of basketball left me." How did you ultimately decide to continue playing and use basketball to honor him by wearing his No. 44?&nbsp;
Brown: &ldquo;It was a tough process. I still think about it to this day and it&rsquo;s never going to leave me. But I had my family behind me and they were totally supportive, and I had my coaches and everybody else being fully supportive. I just decided that I didn&rsquo;t want to give up on myself and give up on what I accomplished, so [I kept playing]. No. 44 was his number, and all of my brothers wore it, so it was my turn to wear it.&rdquo;
If an NBA executive asks, &ldquo;Why should I draft you?&rdquo; What would be your pitch?
Brown: &ldquo;I would have to say, 'I&rsquo;m gonna go hard, I&rsquo;m gonna give everything that I&rsquo;ve got and I&rsquo;m not gonna take the opportunity for granted.'&rdquo;
Check out BasketballNews.com's recent interviews with fellow 2022 NBA Draft prospects including <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/2022-nba-draft-bennedict-mathurin-offers-unique-twoway-ceiling" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Arizona's Bennedict Mathurin</a>, <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/dont-let-age-deny-keegan-murrays-tantalizing-nba-ceiling" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Iowa's Keegan Murray</a>, <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/johnny-davis-winning-intangibles-make-him-a-safe-bet-to-hit" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Wisconsin's Johnny Davis</a>, <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/2022-nba-draft-qa-toledos-ryan-rollins" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Toledo's Ryan Rollins</a>, <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/2022-nba-draft-prospect-qa-keon-ellis" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Alabama's Keon Ellis</a>, <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/kofi-cockburn-wants-to-prove-everyone-wrong" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Illinois' Kofi Cockburn</a> and <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/preparation-competitive-spirit-fuel-izaiah-brockingtons-will-to-win" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Iowa State's Izaiah Brockington</a>.
<div class="mceNonEditable"><spike>&nbsp;</spike></div>
<div class="css-1dbjc4n r-1habvwh r-eqz5dr r-11rk87y r-1dye5f7 r-m611by r-13qz1uu">
<div class="css-1dbjc4n r-eqz5dr r-glunga r-13qz1uu">
<div class="css-1dbjc4n r-13qz1uu">
<div class="css-1dbjc4n r-eqz5dr r-glunga r-13qz1uu">
<div>
Looking to go to the hottest concerts, sports, theater &amp; family shows near you? Get 100% guaranteed tickets to more than 125,000 live events from TicketSmarter, the official ticket marketplace of BasketballNews.com.&nbsp;<a href="https://www.ticketsmarter.com/?utm_source=basketballnewscom&amp;utm_medium=tsaff&amp;utm_campaign=referral" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Order online now</a>!
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>

Alex Kennedy spoke to Gabe Brown about his skill set, the G League Elite Camp, which players he modeled his game after and more.

2022 NBA Draft: Michigan State's Gabe Brown knows his role

DALLAS (AP) &mdash; The NBA fined the Dallas Mavericks for a third time in the playoffs on Sunday because of violations of rules regarding their bench.
The fine has doubled each time, with the latest at $100,000 after Game 2 of the Western Conference finals at Golden State on Friday. Game 3 in Dallas was scheduled for Sunday night. None of the fines was from games in Dallas.
Several Mavericks players have stood for most or all of the games during the playoffs, including home games. The fines have been for players and coaches standing for extended periods, straying too far from the bench and encroaching on the court during game action.
Both of the first two fines were from the West semifinals against Phoenix, after Games 2 and 7 in Arizona. The first fine was $25,000, the second $50,000 after a 33-point Dallas victory in the deciding game.
During the Warriors' 126-117 victory in Game 2, Stephen Curry threw a pass out of bounds with no teammate in the area. The pass was in the vicinity of Dallas' Theo Pinson, who was wearing a white shirt while standing and waving. Golden State was wearing its home white uniforms.
&ldquo;He&rsquo;s got his arms up, calling for the ball,&rdquo; Warriors coach Steve Kerr said after shootaround Sunday. &ldquo;That&rsquo;s too much.&rdquo;
Kerr added that Curry's turnover was the only time he was upset with the Dallas bench during Game 2.
&ldquo;In fact, I love their bench,&rdquo; Kerr said. &ldquo;They&rsquo;ve got great chemistry, great energy. They&rsquo;ve had a phenomenal season, and part of it is because they&rsquo;re so connected.&rdquo;
Pinson signed a 10-day contract with the Mavericks during a COVID-19 outbreak early in the season. He ended up getting a two-year deal and has been leading cheers from the bench as his playing time dwindled. Pinson has been inactive in the playoffs.
Tim Hardaway Jr. also has gotten into the spirit of cheering from the bench. He's been out since January with a broken left foot and isn't expected to return during the playoffs.
They aren't the only two who have been standing for long stretches, and the Mavericks may not be ready to change their approach with the bench, if <a href="https://twitter.com/T_HardJR/status/1528427995240845316?s=20&amp;t=iDLysWHq5nUCda-BkYrbzA" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Hardaway's reaction on Twitter to the latest fine</a> is any indication.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-theme="dark">
👏🏾👏🏾👏🏾👏🏾 <a href="https://t.co/hLquXrm5hO">https://t.co/hLquXrm5hO</a>
&mdash; Tim Hardaway Jr (@T_HardJR) <a href="https://twitter.com/T_HardJR/status/1528427995240845316?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 22, 2022</a></blockquote>

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

In another incident from Game 2, Davis Bertans of the Mavericks got tangled up with Damion Lee after making a 3-pointer in front of the Dallas bench. The contact led to several Golden State players approaching the bench, but there were no confrontations. Bertans and Lee were assessed technical fouls.

The NBA fined the Dallas Mavericks for a third time in the playoffs on Sunday because of violations of rules regarding their bench.

NBA fines Mavs $100,000 for 3rd bench violation in playoffs

It appears as though the New Orleans Pelicans are playing harder and more aggressively, and with a greater sense of urgency and more passion, than the Phoenix Suns are at this point of their playoff series.
Herb Jones is putting on a Superman cape to leap tall buildings in a single bound and block three-point attempts. The scrappy Jose Alvarado forced Chris Paul into an eight-second violation in the backcourt, something that very rarely happens to the veteran point guard. The bench is fired up for the entire game, and the team is playing with a passion that hasn&rsquo;t been seen in New Orleans for quite some time.
Nobody outside of that city could&rsquo;ve imagined that this series would be tied at two games apiece with the highly-favored, 62-win, defending-Western-Conference-champion Suns.&nbsp;
Having said that, there seems to be a feeling of disrespect from the national media for a team that has exceeded the expectations of so many in the sports world.&nbsp;
<div class="mceNonEditable"><spike>&nbsp;</spike></div>
I spoke with Pelicans color analyst Antonio Daniels about his assessment of the team and that national media disrespect toward New Orleans.
Etan Thomas: First, how great is it to see the Pelicans prove a lot of people wrong who didn't even give them a chance?
Antonio Daniels: "Oh, man. Well, for me, it's not even about it being great, proving people wrong. The great part is what I've seen this team accomplish. People are going to doubt no matter what. I don't care who you are, or what you've ever done, how good you are. People are always going to doubt. But you can't allow people's doubts to actually affect the way that you think about yourself. I have said this about this team from Day 1, and I actually have it bookmarked in my Twitter feed; Nov. 5, I said at this time, 'This team gets healthy, they're a playoff team. If they get healthy, they're a playoff team.' And I remember I was doing the pregame show and David Wesley, who's a good friend of mine, turned and faced my way and was almost like to say, 'Whatever.' You know what I mean?
Etan: Right.
Daniels: "Here's the thing, Etan. When you're talking about success in this league, it's not going to [happen] if you don't have a culture of overachievement. It doesn't happen. You have to have guys that overachieve, guys that are outplaying the expectation. You can go all the way back to the Golden State Warriors. What they did with Steph Curry and Draymond Green and Klay Thompson and those guys. They all overachieved. Did you think when Steph Curry and Klay Thompson were coming out that they would be the best shooting backcourt in history? Or when Draymond Green was coming out, at this point in his career, he would be a Hall-of-Famer? No. But they created a culture of overachievement.
"What you have here in New Orleans is, a lot was going on early on in the season, new pieces trying to fit in along with head coach Willie Green. And that's a lot to take on early; 1-12, 3-16 is what this team started. And now, at that time, the talk was, 'Let's tank. There's no Zion.' Fans all said they should just tank the season. Even when you acquired CJ McCollum. I remember Stephen A. Smith saying, 'Oh, I don't know what they're doing. Why would CJ McCollum want to go there? New Orlenas ain't going anywhere anyway.'
"The disrespect from the national media is, I think, what guys really pay attention to. And I think they do somewhat use that as motivation. But to be a part of this journey, Etan, from Day 1 of training camp, to Zion being hurt [and] not being available throughout the course of this team's season, being without your best player and seeing what this team has been able to accomplish, climbing out of that 3-16 start, it's been special."
Etan: Talk about the addition you mentioned of CJ McCollum and how much that has helped the entire team.
Daniels: "I'll say this first: What people forget about in that addition is that Larry Nance was in that [trade] as well, and people aren't talking about that. People are talking about CJ, and CJ's been fantastic. But I'll tell you what, I don't think that the Pelicans are at this point without Larry Nance Jr. He was the difference in the Play-In game against the Clippers because what he offers you is versatility at the 5 spot that you didn't have prior to him. Versatility and experience. When teams go small, like you see a lot of the NBA doing now, and they're basically playing five forwards like the Toronto Raptors, it&rsquo;s problematic for opposing teams. You need a big that is experienced, knowledged, but understands strengths and weaknesses [and] also has the skill set to compete. Larry Nance Jr was great. And people don't talk about him enough."
Etan: Great point.
Daniels: "But to get to CJ &mdash; CJ's playing the best basketball of his career. And from his words, he's a servant leader. And I love it because he's not very vocal, but he leads by example. He came in and he said, 'You know what, man? I want Brandon Ingram to be the best version of himself' on Day 1. Because if B.I.'s the best version of himself, that will allow me (meaning CJ McCollum) to be the best version of myself. And I remember asking CJ, when I sat down and I interviewed him, talking about, 'How do you develop chemistry between you and B.I.?' And he said, 'You know what? I'll do the same thing with him that me and Dame [Lillard] did. We sat down and we watched films together. I want to know where he wants to ball. I want him to be vocal with me. I want to know where his hotspot is, what plays he likes, when he needs me to back down and allow him to be the best version of himself.' The communication between those two from Day 1 was at an all-time level.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-theme="dark">
𝙋𝙀𝙇𝙎 𝙒𝙄𝙉 ⚜️ Brandon Ingram : 30 PTS, 4 REB, 5 AST ⚜️ Jonas Valanciunas : 26 PTS, 15 REB, 4 AST ⚜️ Cj McCollum : 18 PTS, 9 REB Les <a href="https://twitter.com/PelicansNBA?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@PelicansNBA</a> l'emportent 118-103 et reviennent &agrave; 2-2 face &agrave; Phoenix ! <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/WBD?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#WBD</a> <a href="https://t.co/zbghiMm2fU">pic.twitter.com/zbghiMm2fU</a>
&mdash; NBA France (@NBAFRANCE) <a href="https://twitter.com/NBAFRANCE/status/1518469593290919937?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 25, 2022</a></blockquote>

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

"But, Etan, what really helped this team was the All-Star break. Because if you look at what this team has done post-All-Star break, that was the chemistry between CJ and B.I. really starting to take off. We opened up in Phoenix. First game at the All-Star break, we opened up in Phoenix. And they talked at length about the dinner that they had in Phoenix the night before, where they just got an opportunity to connect to one another and to communicate with one another. This team has been rolling ever since when those two are on the floor together with a healthy starting five."
Etan: I want you to talk a little bit about Coach Willie Green. I actually posted and tweeted the clip of <a href="https://twitter.com/etanthomas36/status/1515310682945855488?s=20&amp;t=jxzjmwJgR9FJ3SYvF7c53w" target="_blank" rel="noopener">him motivating the guys</a>. It made me feel like I want to go out there and lace them back up and get ready to go play. Talk about how great he has been for this team.
Daniels: "Listen, Etan, I can't put it into words the respect that I have for Willie Green from Day 1. You know it's funny. Because when you're losing, people don't want to hear about it. People don't want to hear about the positives when you're losing. They only want to hear about the positives when you start playing well. And when this team was 1-12, and then, when they were 3-16... I'll tell you, Etan, we've both played on bad teams; you know what a shootaround is like walking into the gym when you're 3-16. This was not it. I have never seen more spirited shootarounds from, at the time, what seemed to be a bad basketball team. And that started with Willie Green. He never blinked. He never allowed this team to lose confidence. His faith in this team never wavered, and he stands on his faith as a whole.
"I'll give you a quick example. You know how many coaches have the open-door policy where you can come in and talk? I meet with Willie Green from time-to-time. We'll go into his office. We'll talk or sit or chat or go out to dinner. Etan, our meetings ended with prayer. How many coaches have you ever gone in to meet with and talk about the team or whatever it may be and, when it's all said and done, you guys are at his desk praying together? That speaks to the man that Willie Green is. He is one of those guys that is so inspiring because he makes you want to be a better version of yourself. I don't hoop no more, Etan. If that's how he makes me feel, I can imagine how he makes players feel. When you have guys like Jose Alvarado and Trey Murphy and Herb Jones, Jaxson Hayes &mdash; all these guys, when their number was called, they were ready to go. Because when they weren't playing, Willie Green was still speaking grace, life and confidence into them. And I had an opportunity to see it up close and personal. I am at every practice, at every shootaround. I've traveled with the team. I eat with the team. To see his communication with them, his ability to relate to them [is incredible].
"And I'm a proud believer, Etan, that the best coaches in this league are role players. You know why? Because they can relate to everybody from 1-to-15. If you're a star player, you can't relate to the guy who hasn't played in six games or the guy who's major inconsistent. Willie Green has started in this league, he's been a sixth man, he's been in situations where his minutes weren't guaranteed and he's also been in a situation where he hadn't played at all. Tell me who on that bench he cannot relate to! And there's nothing more important in today's NBA than a coach's ability to relate to his players. I don't care about your defensive schemes, I don't care about your X's and O's. If the players feel like you can't relate to them, they will not play as hard for you. But the moment that they feel like you care about them as men, as fathers, as husbands &mdash; they will run through a wall for you. And I'm telling you, Willie Green has that locker room so engaged, because of the way that he handles himself throughout adversity."
<div class="mceNonEditable"><spike>&nbsp;</spike></div>
Etan: Wow. That's great to hear, and I thought that about him already, just from knowing who he is. But it's great to hear you say that. Let me ask you one more thing. I know you don't worry about the haters and the noise and social media, all that stuff, but they keep bringing up the fact that because Devin Booker isn't there, that's the reason why the Pelicans are in this series. I was like, 'Well, wait a minute. Y'all forget that Zion isn't there either?' I'm like, y'all forgot about that part.
Daniels: "Here's the thing. Has there ever been an NBA champion where there's not a 'What if?' attached to it? Let's just go back to a year ago. Remember when Trae Young got hurt against Milwaukee? Remember when Kyrie Irving got hurt against Milwaukee? Remember James Harden had to come back as a shadow of himself with half of a hamstring versus Milwaukee? Remember a couple years back when Kevin Durant and Klay Thompson got hurt, and then Toronto won the championship? Look, ain't nobody tripping on that. This is the league full of injuries. You get certain things that are out of your control. So If people say, 'Oh man, the only reason that the Pelicans won is because (fill in the blank), well, okay.' But you are not going to find an NBA champion, a NFL champion where breaks don&rsquo;t go somebody's way.
"But I'll tell you this, there are two teams in the NBA who have yet to play with their best player. I'm talking about not even one practice. Not even one practice this year with their best player. It's the L.A. Clippers and the New Orleans Pelicans. Kawhi [Leonard] literally practiced one time. But let me tell you the difference. The difference is, Kawhi Leonard has practiced with Tyronn Lue before. He's practiced with him before, last year. Zion does not have one practice with Coach Willie Green. Not one. The last that Zion has been on the floor is when he was averaging 26 points per game and shooting 61% from the field under Coach Stan Van Gundy.
"So people can sit here and say, 'Oh, well, the only reason is, because...' So what? So what? Your job is to go out and your job is to play. Plain and simple. Look at the playoffs now. Khris Middleton is sidelined. Luka [Doncic] was sidelined. Kyle Lowry is sidelined. You get guys that are injured all the time. What are the Pelicans supposed to say? 'Ah, you know what man? Devin Booker's not there. Let's wait. Let's wait until they have help and then come back to finish this series.' No. Your job is to take advantage of the situation that's given."
Etan: That&rsquo;s absolutely correct.
Daniels: "And I'll tell you this, Etan, it goes along with the national narrative of the lack of respect that's given to the Pelicans. It goes right along with it. It doesn't matter. You know this better than anybody. It doesn't matter what people think about you. 'You ain't never believed in me as long as I believe in myself.' And this is a team, right now, that believes in themselves."
<img style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" src="https://cdn.basketballnews.com/images/story/body/violalogo1_lg.png" alt="" width="690" height="345" />
Looking to go to the hottest concerts, sports, theater &amp; family shows near you? Get 100% guaranteed tickets to more than 125,000 live events from TicketSmarter, the official ticket marketplace of BasketballNews.com. <a href="https://www.ticketsmarter.com/?utm_source=basketballnewscom&amp;utm_medium=tsaff&amp;utm_campaign=referral" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Order online now</a>!

Etan Thomas speaks with former teammate and Pelicans color analyst Antonio Daniels about NOLA's playoff surge vs. Phoenix.

Antonio Daniels: Pelicans have been disrespected by national media

The playoffs are in full form with an ever-changing postseason landscape. Game-by-game changes in scheme and emphasis highlight the spirit of strategy and game-planning. As all eyes fall upon a subset of games, it makes sense that some of the most competitive and talent-laden exhibitions in the world are viewed as a lens for understanding.&nbsp;
Every April over the past five years, the same observation has popped up: analytics has changed the game. Their application has driven efficiency, shifted defenses and reshaped the dimensions of the court. Its impact cannot be overstated, although the way they are emphasized can sometimes be overwrought.&nbsp;
Some quick math: The league average for three-point percentage per Basketball Reference was 35.4% during the 2021-22 regular season. Accounting for that on a per-possession basis, the league average shot from distance is worth 1.06 points per possession. By comparison, the league average shot/finish at the rim (0-3 feet) was 68.1% this season, equating to 1.362 points per possession.
These statistics don't filter out transition plays and wide-open shots, but I'd posit that's also part of the point. If your weakside low-man is zoning up and gets back cut, you're giving up an absurdly efficient shot at the rim, one that your defense will do everything in its power to account for. If Steph Curry or Jordan Poole loses his man on a relocation to the slot, their defense is also doing everything to account for that and try to erase that mistake, or at least make the shot more difficult. There isn't a one-sized-fits-all approach.
Three-pointers on volume and without hesitation force the defense to close out, and the varying degrees of shooting efficacy and multitude of ways a player might be able to get their shot off further changes how the defense guards them.&nbsp;
Again though, it is less about the three-pointer here, and this is where debating about the value of two-pointers vs. three-pointers comes up short. They go hand in hand. While looking at offense from a top-down view, magnifying singular possessions and pulling data from that is useful, it makes the organic, inorganic.&nbsp;
You lose the seasoning of what makes a possession a possession. The why, the how, the confluence of events that bring you here. This is not to disparage data in the slightest, but it is so important to contextualize that data.
Let's back up a bit and consider how analytics change how the defense guards players and teams. This is the key here. I'd rather think about applied analytics as a realtor than an overpowering overlord for TNT broadcasts to get mad at. Over the last decade, we've essentially seen the league living in a good-sized house only to experience the revelation of, "Wait, we have a basement?"
Its about space! That's what it is! Its not about numbers, or metrics, or three-point rates moving on up. Hitting threes is great. Using the three as a tool to remap the floor is what really stands out. Instead of those 18-foot curls off a million screens for Rip Hamilton (art, literal freakin art btw), we have Steph Curry running off double pin-downs, elevator screens, etc. to potentially launch from 29 feet out. Again, it's about the potential, the threat.
The three-pointer is, of course, a useful and essential finishing tool, but some of the early shot clock and offense jumpers that teeter between feeling forced and making your father turn off the TV are looked at incorrectly.&nbsp;
<div class="mceNonEditable"><spike>&nbsp;</spike></div>
I don't intend to say that they can't be frustrating, but there's a reason why some staffs emphasize these looks. Think of it like a jab in boxing. Is it the knockout punch? Heck no, but you can't just run around throwing overhand rights hoping to win a title fight. There has to be a setup. There has to be some guile and craft to unlock and open what's most desired: efficient buckets.
"Efficient buckets" has an entirely different world of meanings. Applied analytics has certainly cut down on the mid-range looks, but not entirely. The best of the best live there still, and perhaps with greater efficacy now as the floor is better spread, allowing for premier operators to flourish or showcase their vision.&nbsp;
What is efficient certainly has larger trends that track league-wide for the most part, but doubtlessly, it depends on the player. Some players might have minimal verticality around the rim, so the slightest contest at the basket can relegate them to a subatomic percentage at the basket. However, they might also be one of the quickest shooters in the league, so a three is more efficient for them. Another player might have a a 43-inch vertical, crafty handle and willingness to shoot, but they may also have the ability to yam on just about anyone. So again, there are trends, but it always depends on personnel.
Looking at this through the lens of multiple possessions or actions, it's worth trying to encapsulate the entirety. As mentioned earlier, space is the key. Unlocking the floor puts more and more torsion/tension on the defense. 
<table style="border-collapse: collapse; width: 100%; height: 220px;" border="1">
<tbody>
<tr style="height: 22px;">
<td style="width: 21.5334%; text-align: center; height: 22px;">Season</td>
<td style="width: 38.0333%; text-align: center; height: 22px;">Median Drives Per Game&nbsp;</td>
<td style="width: 36.5666%; text-align: center; height: 22px;">High Drives Per Game</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 22px;">
<td style="width: 21.5334%; text-align: center; height: 22px;">2013-14</td>
<td style="width: 38.0333%; text-align: center; height: 22px;">33.4</td>
<td style="width: 36.5666%; text-align: center; height: 22px;">42.6</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 22px;">
<td style="width: 21.5334%; text-align: center; height: 22px;">2014-15</td>
<td style="width: 38.0333%; text-align: center; height: 22px;">35.7</td>
<td style="width: 36.5666%; text-align: center; height: 22px;">47.4</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 22px;">
<td style="width: 21.5334%; text-align: center; height: 22px;">2015-16</td>
<td style="width: 38.0333%; text-align: center; height: 22px;">38</td>
<td style="width: 36.5666%; text-align: center; height: 22px;">50.7</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 22px;">
<td style="width: 21.5334%; text-align: center; height: 22px;">2016-17</td>
<td style="width: 38.0333%; text-align: center; height: 22px;">37.9</td>
<td style="width: 36.5666%; text-align: center; height: 22px;">49.4</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 22px;">
<td style="width: 21.5334%; text-align: center; height: 22px;">2017-18</td>
<td style="width: 38.0333%; text-align: center; height: 22px;">41.8</td>
<td style="width: 36.5666%; text-align: center; height: 22px;">52.9</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 22px;">
<td style="width: 21.5334%; text-align: center; height: 22px;">2018-19</td>
<td style="width: 38.0333%; text-align: center; height: 22px;">44.5</td>
<td style="width: 36.5666%; text-align: center; height: 22px;">55.1</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 22px;">
<td style="width: 21.5334%; text-align: center; height: 22px;">2019-20</td>
<td style="width: 38.0333%; text-align: center; height: 22px;">46.5</td>
<td style="width: 36.5666%; text-align: center; height: 22px;">57.4</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 22px;">
<td style="width: 21.5334%; text-align: center; height: 22px;">2020-21</td>
<td style="width: 38.0333%; text-align: center; height: 22px;">46.4</td>
<td style="width: 36.5666%; text-align: center; height: 22px;">61.7</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 22px;">
<td style="width: 21.5334%; text-align: center; height: 22px;">2021-22</td>
<td style="width: 38.0333%; text-align: center; height: 22px;">44.1</td>
<td style="width: 36.5666%; text-align: center; height: 22px;">61.7</td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
(All Data courtesy of Second Spectrum. Median is from the 15th-ranked team and High is from the first-ranked team of that season.)
This is the biggest shift due to applied analytics, and what I most want to highlight. It's easy to lose the plot of the process, and I'd argue the process is the most important part. The change of pace has certainly contributed to more overall possessions, which is worth noting.&nbsp;
The way the floor is spaced now is the story, though. It is less about three-pointers and two-pointers and more about what a well-spaced floor with remapped dimensions can allow for: driving lanes (and driving lanes galore, at that).
Timing and quickness in decision-making continue to be paramount as more and more players, regardless of role, must be capable of making reads. While <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/in-the-nba-length-matters-unedited" target="_blank" rel="noopener">size is again starting to reshape</a> the court (what I'd consider the next evolution coming), it is even moreso about having meaningful size. Every player should handle the ball to a degree. Every player should be capable of passing to a degree. No, not everyone is going to be a primary option, but if you watch some of the top prep schools in the country, and you'll note how many players are capable of doing a little bit of everything. That sounds incredibly lacking in nuance, but it's true. Bigs might not be drivers, but they can catch and go. They can make one or two dribbles and a quick decision. If they're open, they make the defense care.
The San Antonio Spurs have been revelatory in watching and understanding space capitalization. Don't get me wrong, they're not a great offensive team, but they have showcased a great deal of offensive principles the past few seasons. While they have struggled as a shooting team, they routinely play a four-wing lineup that's built upon drive after drive after drive. Often, possessions will happen with two or three closeouts attacked repeatedly and kickouts with quick relocation to restart the process. Part of the reason they've needed that is their lack of high-powered finishing and how easy it can be to wall the paint on them. But again, that's part of the point.
It's not about twos and threes and their "worth." Rather, it's about how a shot opens up the court and how it allows teams to shape the defense as an offense.&nbsp;
Offense is fluid and shifts based on personnel on either side. It's not geometry or stats; it's organic architecture, consistently in flux with both teams trying to capitalize and minimize space, time and advantages. It's awesome. It's so much more about the constant push-pull to take space or not give an inch. It's about who can make the other tie their arm behind their back first.
Basketball continues to slowly but surely evolve in real time. It's evolving even quicker when we zoom out and have a look at the game on a grander scale, and changes are certainly on the horizon as the game continues to adapt and develop.&nbsp;
<div class="mceNonEditable"><spike>&nbsp;</spike></div>
Looking to go to the hottest concerts, sports, theater &amp; family shows near you? Get 100% guaranteed tickets to more than 125,000 live events from TicketSmarter, the official ticket marketplace of BasketballNews.com. <a href="https://www.ticketsmarter.com/?utm_source=basketballnewscom&amp;utm_medium=tsaff&amp;utm_campaign=referral" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Order online now</a>!

Basketball is not about three-pointers and two-pointers. It's more organic than that, focusing instead on spacing and timing.

Offensive organics: Accounting for space and time

BOSTON (AP) &mdash; For most of the season, the spotlight was on everyone except the Celtics in the Eastern Conference.
That was until Boston and new coach Ime Udoka put things together down the stretch with a brand built on defense, buoyed by All-Star Jayson Tatum&rsquo;s nightly scoring punch.
It was the blend needed to ignite a <a href="https://apnews.com/article/new-york-knicks-boston-celtics-nba-sports-boston-e61d397df9a25728d0008ee874bdafd7">post-All-Star break surge</a> that took the Celtics from 11th place in the conference to the No. 2 seed. With it came a change in perception that suddenly has them garnering attention as a championship contender.
But after having their foundation shaken by a knee injury to big man Robert Williams III, the Celtics&rsquo; reward is a first-round matchup with a seventh-seeded Brooklyn Nets team that also suddenly looks capable of realizing its potential. Its James Harden failed experiment is over, and <a href="https://apnews.com/article/brooklyn-nets-covid-nba-health-sports-cd006e842e2b82c9c81441cacf4e856d">Kyrie Irving's a full-time player again,</a> sharing the scoring load with Kevin Durant.
It&rsquo;s a challenge the Celtics are ready for.
&ldquo;Everybody knows the talent that they have and that it&rsquo;s not a traditional seventh-seed team,&rdquo; Tatum said. &ldquo;They had some ups and down this year but for the most part got their full team and they&rsquo;re really good. Well-coached. Some great players. I&rsquo;m just looking forward to it.&rdquo;
While Tatum has taken his scoring to elite levels, notching 40 or more points five times during the regular season, including a season-high 54-point performance in their most recent matchup with Brooklyn last month, Durant and Irving have sparkled, too.
In the 17 games they&rsquo;ve played together this season, Brooklyn is 11-6. In those games Irving is averaging 27.8 points and 5.8 assists, with Durant averaging 29.5 points, 7.6 rebounds and 7.5 assists.
Still, Udoka dismissed the idea that the Celtics should be considered an underdog in the series.
&ldquo;We know who we are and who we&rsquo;ve been over the past few months,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;The focus toward the end of the season was worrying about health and ourselves more than the opponent. And that&rsquo;s how we approached it.&rdquo;
The Celtics' defensive (111.1) and offensive ratings (124.0) were the best in the NBA after the All-Star break. They are just 11-10 without Williams, but trying to avoid Brooklyn was never a consideration.
&ldquo;We weren&rsquo;t running from anybody, we were worrying about ourselves the whole time,&rdquo; Udoka said. &ldquo;In order to win you have to win against really good teams at some point.&rdquo;
The seeds were reversed when these teams matched up in the first round of the playoffs last season. Led by Durant, Irving and Harden, the Nets took the series 4-1, overpowering a Celtics team that didn't have Jaylen Brown after a late-season hand injury.
Irving has a lot of respect for what the the Celtics have built since he departed Boston after an at-times tumultuous two seasons.
&ldquo;I think this is the best part of the story that could be written. We go against Boston and have a chance to redeem ourselves,&rdquo; Irving said. &ldquo;They have a healthy team. We have a healthy team. Now we get to see who&rsquo;s the better squad. It&rsquo;s exciting because we know each other really well.&rdquo;
BRING IT ON
Brooklyn&rsquo;s Bruce Brown made headlines when he told reporters he thinks the Nets can attack Al Horford and Daniel Theis at the rim, noting that the Celtics have &ldquo;less of a paint presence&rdquo; without Williams.
Udoka said he thinks they can fill in the gaps just fine.
&ldquo;We have layers to our defense, it&rsquo;s not like we get blown by and Rob is protecting,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;We still have Marcus (Smart), Jaylen, Jayson and everybody else in between. We know how (Durant) he scores and how he attacks in a lot of drop situations. ... They think it&rsquo;s attack time because Rob&rsquo;s out. We&rsquo;ve played in quite a few games without him now and have done good enough beating some good teams.&rdquo;
INJURY UPDATES
The Celtics aren&rsquo;t anticipating Williams being ready to return before the second round, should they advance. He&rsquo;s been doing some light shooting and drills but isn&rsquo;t close to playing at full speed.
Point guard Ben Simmons' status is more ambiguous. He&rsquo;s also doing some on-the-court work but has been dealing with back issues since he was dealt from Philadelphia.
Irving said no one is putting expectations on Simmons to rush back.
&ldquo;If he feels like he can go out there and contribute, then great,&rdquo; Irving said. &ldquo;We just don&rsquo;t know. I just want him to take one day at a time &mdash; get his mental, his heart right, his spirit right, and we&rsquo;ll be fine.&rdquo;
___
AP Basketball Writer Brian Mahoney contributed to this report.

The Celtics have a first-round matchup with a seventh-seeded Nets team that also suddenly looks capable of realizing its potential.

Celtics not fazed after drawing recharged Nets in first round

Don&rsquo;t get Reggie Bullock twisted.&nbsp;
His smile lights up a room. Same with his laugh. His humble spirit and friendly demeanor can catch you off guard. He jams out to Lil Durk prior to taking to the court.
And oh yeah, he rocks the NBA&rsquo;s toughest hairstyle.
But the 6-foot-6 veteran wingman is also a warrior. A fighter. A rough-rider. He&rsquo;s a versatile defender, able to guard just about anyone on the floor. Leave him wide-open if you want, but that three-ball is likely going in.
Like his sports hero, the late, great Kobe Bryant, Bullock thrives on competition. So much so that when asked what is the best part about competing, he didn&rsquo;t hesitate in his response: &ldquo;Stopping that motherf***er!&rdquo;
It&rsquo;s that tough mentality that has helped Bullock find his rhythm on the court, solidified his role within a surging Dallas Mavericks team and aided in a resurgence of his professional career.
Since joining the Mavs last offseason, the 31-year-old Bullock has become a key role player. He's also become a starter for a Mavs team that has exceeded expectations. He has averaged 12.9 points and shot 39% from three-point range. Meanwhile, the Mavs have put up 50-plus wins for the first time since 2015, finishing the season at 52-30 and landing at fourth place in the Western Conference. They&rsquo;ll have homecourt advantage for the first round of the playoffs, which begin Saturday against the Utah Jazz.&nbsp; &nbsp; Bullock&rsquo;s been an integral member of this Mavs team that zeroed in on players of his caliber when adding to the roster in the offseason.
&ldquo;We definitely wanted to improve shooting, and then also versatility,&rdquo; Mavs GM Nico Harrison said earlier in the season. &ldquo;We wanted players that can play and defend multiple positions.&rdquo;
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-theme="dark">
Reggie Bullock hits the 3 to put the <a href="https://twitter.com/dallasmavs?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@dallasmavs</a> up 2! Watch Now: <a href="https://t.co/oz9UCQxdQa">https://t.co/oz9UCQxdQa</a> <a href="https://t.co/7BrKSH3zQX">pic.twitter.com/7BrKSH3zQX</a>
&mdash; NBA (@NBA) <a href="https://twitter.com/NBA/status/1489083489718882308?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 3, 2022</a></blockquote>

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

Bullock and his teammates have wholeheartedly bought into incoming coach Jason Kidd&rsquo;s defense-first mindset. The team finished this season second in the NBA in fewest points allowed (104.7 points per game) and seventh in defensive rating (109.1). Last year, they finished 21st (112.3).
The chemistry Bullock provides, especially in the starting lineup, his reliability on both ends of the floor, his skilled ability to switch and his solid defense can&rsquo;t be ignored. In fact, defenders have to play him so close, a gust of wind can barely blow between them. His, &ldquo;I&rsquo;m about to shoot&rdquo; look and stance creates instant space for Luka Doncic and others to go straight into attack mode.&nbsp;
&ldquo;I hang my hat on my defense. I take it personal,&rdquo; he said earlier this year. &ldquo;If a player scores on me, I try to do something different on the next play. I'm a competitive player, and I try to do anything I can to help this team on the offensive and defensive end.&rdquo;
That said, Bullock struggled early in his Mavs tenure, which he equates with trying to find his rhythm and a sense of consistency with his shot.&nbsp;
&ldquo;I went back and looked at shots I&rsquo;ve been shooting since I've been in the league and shots that I shot over these past few seasons. It&rsquo;s the same shot. It&rsquo;s just all about not thinking about it and being confident when taking those shots.
&ldquo;My advice to myself is to see it before it goes in,&rdquo; he continued. &ldquo;Just believe that I&rsquo;m a great shooter and stay within my skillset.&rdquo; &nbsp; That advice seems to have paid off. Since January, he has found both his shot and the confidence to shoot it. This has resulted in success during several key games, including a record-setting one against the team they&rsquo;ll face Saturday, the Utah Jazz. &nbsp; In January, he came off the bench for one of his best games as a Maverick, scoring 23 points (including 6-of-8 from three-point range) en route to a 132-105 victory over the Indiana Pacers.&nbsp; &nbsp; In the Mavs&rsquo; 110-108 victory over the Minnesota Timberwolves on March 21, Bullock started after missing four games for personal reasons and finished with 18 points on 6-of-11 shooting (all from three-point range) and 7 rebounds. Six days later, in the Mavs&rsquo; 114-100 victory over the Jazz, Bullock hit a season-high 7 threes, tying his previous best in scoring with 23 points (8-of-12 from the field, 7-of-11 from three), 4 rebounds, 1 assist and 1 steal in 35 minutes of action. &nbsp;It was a performance that was right on time. &nbsp; &ldquo;Over the last two games, I was struggling from the three, but my team continued to give me confidence,&rdquo; Bullock said after that game. &ldquo;I believe I&rsquo;m one of the best shooters in the league when my feet are set and I get arch on it at the same time. I just have to keep that confidence.&rdquo;
<div class="mceNonEditable"><spike>&nbsp;</spike></div>
Bullock&rsquo;s shooting confidence, as well as his playoff experience, will be heavily relied upon starting Saturday.&nbsp; &nbsp; In the 2021 NBA Playoffs for the New York Knicks, Bullock averaged playoff career-highs of 8.8 points, 3.4 rebounds, 1.2 assists and 32.4 minutes in five first-round starts against the Atlanta Hawks. Given his performance of late, he&rsquo;ll likely put up better numbers than that, and the Mavs will gladly take it. &nbsp; Meanwhile, as he prepares for the playoffs, Bullock reflects on landing in Dallas, reviving his career and playing alongside &ldquo;one of the greatest players&rdquo; in&nbsp;Doncic.&nbsp; &nbsp; &ldquo;It&rsquo;s a great organization, great weather out here, the team is great," Bullock told BasketballNews.com in an exclusive interview. "It&rsquo;s a pass-first team, we&rsquo;re locked in on defense this year and we&rsquo;ve got a great coach&hellip; It&rsquo;s a great situation.&rdquo;
The success the Mavs are having comes as no surprise to him.
&ldquo;I expected this," he said. "This was my only reason for coming here, to be able to help make that next push for the team. We did well [in the regular season]. We just have to keep it going for the playoffs.&rdquo;
Sharing the court with Doncic, whom he used to guard on opposing teams, has helped Bullock's resurgence.
&ldquo;Luka is a great player, one of the best in the league," Bullock said. "You've always gotta keep your eyes on him, He&rsquo;ll score the ball or pass the ball. He&rsquo;ll tell you what you need to do better. He&rsquo;s a young player, but he&rsquo;s one of the greatest in the league.&rdquo;
Selected No. 25 overall by the Los Angeles Clippers in the 2013 NBA Draft, Bullock has spent time with the Phoenix Suns, Detroit Pistons and Los Angeles Lakers, but playing for Dallas has been a great opportunity for him at this stage of his career.
&ldquo;For sure, coming [to Dallas] has been great in my resurgence as a player in this league,&rdquo; he said.
Off the court, Bullock uses his NBA platform to bring awareness to two issues that have affected him and his family deeply and personally: transgender awareness and gun violence.
On July 16, 2014, Bullock's sister Mia Henderson was found stabbed to death in an alley in West Baltimore. She was only 26 years old. Then, in October of 2019, his family experienced tragedy again when his younger sister, 22-year-old Keiosha, was shot and killed.
Since then, Bullock has been on a mission to keep their memories alive. He has done this by becoming a voice for the Black transgender community and getting involved with LGBTQ+ rights, as well as through efforts to fight gun violence.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-theme="dark">
NBA star Reggie Bullock is using his platform to fight for transgender equality after his sister was murdered <a href="https://t.co/cU0sc7rgMM">pic.twitter.com/cU0sc7rgMM</a>
&mdash; NowThis (@nowthisnews) <a href="https://twitter.com/nowthisnews/status/982436044044824577?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 7, 2018</a></blockquote>

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

His sisters would be so proud of the success he is having with the Mavs and would be grateful for the way he is speaking out in their memory.&nbsp;
&ldquo;They would love everything I am doing for the organization, and they would love me just being able to tell their stories and using my platform to talk about the LGBQT+ community and gun violence," Bullock said.
&ldquo;The platform that we have as athletes is important. A lot of people in the world know us, and it&rsquo;s important just being able to use this platform for the right causes, standing up for what you believe in and using your platform in the right way.&rdquo;
As he has found renewed success on the court with the Mavs, Bullock is now focusing and clearing his mind ahead of the playoffs. He&rsquo;s also calling for help from all the MFFL&rsquo;s while he&rsquo;s at it.
&ldquo;We need the city behind us, all the fans and all that fan support," he said. "We want to take care of business at home.&rdquo;
And while you&rsquo;re watching the game, watch for Bullock&rsquo;s trademark braids to look a tad bit different: &ldquo;I like vibrant colors, and they will be coming through in the playoffs.&rdquo;
The fans can hardly wait.
<div class="mceNonEditable"><spike>&nbsp;</spike></div>
Looking to go to the hottest concerts, sports, theater &amp; family shows near you? Get 100% guaranteed tickets to more than 125,000 live events from TicketSmarter, the official ticket marketplace of BasketballNews.com. <a href="https://www.ticketsmarter.com/?utm_source=basketballnewscom&amp;utm_medium=tsaff&amp;utm_campaign=referral" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Order online now</a>!

Dallas' Reggie Bullock has seen a career resurgence for the Mavericks this year, and it should continue in the playoffs.

Reggie Bullock hopes to take career resurgence into NBA Playoffs

From their first-ever Western Conference Finals appearance to a last-gasp play-in game, the Los Angeles Clippers have been a surprisingly resilient bunch.
They finished two games above .500 despite not having superstar Kawhi Leonard all season and losing Paul George for a big chunk of it. They traded for Norman Powell in February, only to lose him to injury days later.
George and Powell recently returned within days of each other and sparked the Clippers to a five-game winning streak to end the regular season.
They're not ready to head home for the summer.
The Clippers are a four-point favorite against the New Orleans Pelicans in their play-in elimination game Friday night, according to <a href="https://sportsbook.fanduel.com/navigation/nba">FanDuel Sportsbook.</a>
&ldquo;Honestly, it&rsquo;s not even about the matchup,&rdquo; George said. &ldquo;There&rsquo;s no pep talk, no X&rsquo;s and O&rsquo;s. We got to win.&rdquo;
<a href="https://apnews.com/article/new-orleans-pelicans-san-antonio-spurs-los-angeles-clippers-phoenix-suns-nba-6ee83546d2425bc98075a06b0c19dc3e">The Pelicans </a> advanced with a 113-103 victory over the San Antonio Spurs. <a href="https://apnews.com/article/los-angeles-clippers-minnesota-timberwolves-nba-sports-anthony-edwards-eeb23f11c4002d7d2f48dffeac32dcc9">The Clippers lost </a> to the Minnesota Timberwolves 109-104, which cost them the No. 7 seed and a first-round matchup against Memphis.
&ldquo;I definitely hope that we keep our spirits high, that we understand we still got another one on Friday, that we control our own destiny,&rdquo; Clippers guard Reggie Jackson said.
The winner earns the No. 8 seed and a first-round meeting with the NBA-leading Phoenix Suns. The Clippers lost to the Suns in six games in last year's conference finals.
MISSING IN ACTION
Both teams will be without their superstars.
Leonard continues to work his way back from surgery for a partial tear of his right ACL that occurred in the second round against Utah last year. The team has honored Leonard's penchant for privacy and provided little information about his status.
However, he has maintained a presence around the team and will be on hand Friday.
&ldquo;Even when PG was out, just having those guys around means a lot to this team, especially a young team,&rdquo; coach Tyronn Lue said Thursday.
Zion Williamson is progressing in his recovery from a foot injury that has kept him out all season for the Pelicans and has been participating in controlled scrimmages. However, the 2019 top overall draft pick isn't expected to play against the Clippers, although he did steal the show with <a href="https://www.nba.com/news/zion-williamson-throws-down-360-windmill-dunk-before-pelicans-play-in-game">a pair of windmill dunks </a> during warmups Wednesday.
THREE-PRONGED ATTACK
Even without Williamson, the Pelicans have still got a potent Big Three, so to speak, as the Spurs found out.
CJ McCollum, acquired in a midseason trade, center Jonas Valanciunas, acquired in a trade before the season, and incumbent wing Brandon Ingram combined for 81 points against San Antonio. Valanciunas also had 14 rebounds.
&ldquo;We have to ride those guys,&rdquo; coach Willie Green said. &ldquo;When you get to this point in the season, you&rsquo;ve got to bump their minutes up a little but more. We&rsquo;re going to run more plays that go through them and allow them to create for others, and they did a heck of a job&rdquo; against San Antonio.
GEORGE'S IMPACT
George's return to the lineup has positively impacted his teammates.
Ivica Zubac produced double-doubles in his last four regular-season games, averaging 12.3 points and 9.4 rebounds. The 7-footer has been a big factor on the defensive side as well.
Luke Kennard didn't make the trip to Minnesota because of a sore right hamstring, which he had treatment on Thursday. He leads the league in 3-point percentage at 44.9 and averaged 15.8 points in his last six games.
George has been showcasing his playmaking skills, averaging a career-high 5.7 assists. Double-teaming George hasn't been an answer for opponents since he can kick it out to Kennard and 7-footer Isaiah Hartenstein, who is showing a deft touch from long range.
GREEN BLOOMS
<a href="https://apnews.com/article/sports-nba-phoenix-suns-new-orleans-pelicans-62e8b460b8288be4cdef3fcd850304a8">Green </a> guided the Pelicans to a 36-46 record after starting 1-12 in his first season as coach. Now, he faces off against his old team for a playoff berth.
Green was a shooting guard with the Clippers from 2012-14, averaging 5.7 points while playing 16 minutes a game on a team that featured the Lob City trio of Blake Griffin, Chris Paul and DeAndre Jordan.
Green ended his 12-year playing career after the following season in Orlando.
He owns two NBA championships as a Golden State assistant. He was an assistant with Phoenix before taking the Pelicans job.
ROOKIE RELIANCE
The Pelicans' rookie trio of Herb Jones, Trey Murphy and Joe Alvarado passed their first postseason test, setting the stage for them to play significant roles against the Clippers as well.
Jones, a second-round pick out of Alabama, guarded Spurs All-Star Dejounte Murray and held him to 16 points on 5-of-19 shooting and five assists. He could wind up on George next.
&ldquo;We don&rsquo;t have doubts in Herb,&rdquo; Valanciunas said. &ldquo;He&rsquo;s a great defensive player. He&rsquo;s always guarding the offensive threats from opponent teams."
Jones also scored 12 points, as did Alvarado, an undrafted rookie out of Georgia Tech. Murphy, a first-rounder out of Virginia, had a relatively quiet night but still played 22 minutes and has been an explosive scorer in recent weeks.
___
AP Sports Writer Brett Martel in New Orleans contributed to this report.

The winner between New Orleans and L.A. will earn the No. 8 seed and a first-round meeting with the NBA-leading Phoenix Suns.

Clippers looking to eke out playoff berth vs. Pelicans

As he went through a 45-minute exit interview with media, a tumultuous season with the Los Angeles Lakers was officially put to rest for Russell Westbrook.
The 33-year-old veteran was candid throughout his closing press conference, leaving little doubt regarding how he felt about his situation.
When Westbrook was introduced upon his arrival in Los Angeles, his message was that he desired to be somewhere he was wanted. He was asked on Monday if he still felt wanted.
"When I first got here, I felt I was never given the fair chance just to be who I needed to be to help this team." Westbrook told reporters, mentioning preconceived notions as a major factor. "From top to bottom, just every aspect, because what I bring to an organization is not just basketball.
"I never felt like, coming in, I had a fair chance on the basketball front, on any front."
<div class="mceNonEditable"><spike>&nbsp;</spike></div>
Westbrook claims that those preconceived notions arose from false stories from the media, so coming to Los Angeles, he was fighting against this story and that story like no other stop in his career.
"Unfortunately, throughout the season &mdash; especially this season &mdash; the ability to be able to constantly create stories about myself, and things I may have and people thought I may be doing, it can jade people's perspective about me," Westbrook said. "The outside fan and the outside world (think), 'Oh, well maybe he is the problem, maybe he is the bigger issue,' and in actuality, there are so many issues going on internally that are actually, really happening."
One of those internal issues revolved around now-former Lakers head coach Frank Vogel and the job he did this season with three All-Stars. Immediately following Westbrook mentioning internal issues, he was asked about Vogel.
"I have never had an issue with any of my coaches before, as much as people may assume," Westbrook said. "I have never had an issue with any coach, any players, any staff members, anybody actually... I'm not sure what his issue was with me, or I am not sure why... but I cannot really give you answer why we never really connected. That's something he has to answer.
"From the get-go, it felt like I was trying to prove myself to him."
As far as making adjustments was concerned, Westbrook said he knew he was going to have to make the biggest sacrifice coming to L.A, but "any situation I have been in, I have had to make the sacrifice. Whether it was in D.C. whether it was in Houston, whether it was in Oklahoma City. In actuality, I have always been able to make a sacrifice."
In terms of on-court adjustments by the coaching staff, Westbrook stated that he "just does what he's asked."
LeBron James, who addressed the media first for Laker exit interviews, offered his thoughts on his first season as Westbrook's teammate.
<blockquote>
One thing about Russ that I love and will always love, is just his competitive spirit, what he brings to the game every night. And when you&rsquo;re in a profession when so many injuries happen and so many things go on, to have a guy that&rsquo;s reliable, who can put on the uniform every single night, that&rsquo;s something I respect out of everything. I&rsquo;m not gonna sit here and make decisions for the front office and things of that nature, but I love being a teammate of Russ.
I mean, at the end of the day, the reason why we were not very good together is we weren&rsquo;t on the damn floor together. That is the No. 1 thing. I mean, how many games did we play together? We played, what, a quarter of the season together? ... I played more games with my high school teammates in a season, and we only played 27 games. So there it is.
</blockquote>
(For what it's worth, Westbrook and LeBron weren't great in those 21 games together this season, going just 11-10 with a minus-3.5 Net Rating.)
"Russ is a hall of fame player that gave everything he could to this organization this year... In terms of Russell Westbrook and his future, part of that is in his control," Lakers general manager Rob Pelinka added.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-theme="dark">
"Russ is a hall of fame player that gave everything he could to this organization this year... In terms of Russell Westbrook and his future, part of that is in his control." -Pelinka, on Russ' player option and future. Says they will "look under every stone" for ways to improve.
&mdash; Harrison Faigen (@hmfaigen) <a href="https://twitter.com/hmfaigen/status/1513597954585554947?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 11, 2022</a></blockquote>

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

For Westbrook himself, this was the first season in his career in which he was not in the 98th percentile or better in usage rate. Even beside Kevin Durant, James Harden or Bradley Beal, Westbrook had one of the top usage rates in the league. He recorded his second-lowest assist percentage (31.0%) and second-worst turnover percentage (15.4%) &mdash; both barely edging out his rookie season.&nbsp;
The 2021-22 campaign also saw Westbrook take his fewest amount of shots per game (15.3) on the lowest field-goal percentage of his career (39.8%). His minus-4.0 NET was a product of his second-worst Offensive Rating (107.5) and career-low Defensive Rating (111.5).&nbsp;
One point Westbrook repeatedly made was that he wasn't allowed to use his strengths on the floor to help make the team successful. The veteran's ability to score on the fastbreak and take advantage of his opponents' turnovers has always been one of his strengths, but this year, he had career-lows in points off turnovers and fastbreak points per game.
Whatever the reason may be &mdash; whether it was coaching style, roster fit or straight up regression &mdash; Westbrook was clearly not the same player we have seen throughout his career.
It is clear that a new fit should be on the horizon for the oft-misunderstood point guard, or else it'll be back to the drawing board for all parties involved.
<div class="mceNonEditable"><spike>&nbsp;</spike></div>
Looking to go to the hottest concerts, sports, theater &amp; family shows near you? Get 100% guaranteed tickets to more than 125,000 live events from TicketSmarter, the official ticket marketplace of BasketballNews.com.&nbsp;<a href="https://www.ticketsmarter.com/?utm_source=basketballnewscom&amp;utm_medium=tsaff&amp;utm_campaign=referral" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Order online now</a>!

Justin Lewis reviews Russell Westbrook's candid exit interview with the Lakers heading into Los Angeles' offseason.

Westbrook: I 'never felt like I had a fair chance' to be myself in L.A.

On Sunday, the fifth episode of HBO's "Winning Time" focused on Kareem Abdul-Jabbar &mdash; exploring his faith, his desire to affect change, his relationship with a rookie Magic Johnson and more.
Several hours before the episode premiered, Abdul-Jabbar shared his thoughts about the HBO series in an exclusive interview with BasketballNews.com.
"I don't think it's worth watching. That's all I have to say. It really depicts people that I know in a very negative light that is not accurate," Abdul-Jabbar told BasketballNews.com. "I wouldn't bother watching it if you're a fan of the Lakers."
Abdul-Jabbar was speaking from Crypto.com Arena, where the NBA unveiled the Kareem Abdul-Jabbar trophy that will be awarded annually to the recipient of the Social Justice Champion award.
Abdul-Jabbar isn't the only former Laker who has called out the show for being inaccurate and negative.
<img style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" src="https://cdn.basketballnews.com/images/story/body/kareem22_lg.jpg" alt="" width="650" height="366" />
Mitch Kupchak, who played for the Lakers from 1981 to 1986 and later became the team's general manager, criticized the show's portrayal of Jerry West. In the series, West has anger issues, breaking a golf club over his leg and throwing his Finals MVP trophy through a window.&nbsp;
&ldquo;The guy in the show playing Jerry and the Jerry I worked with for 14 years is not the same guy,&rdquo; Kupchak told <a href="https://theathletic.com/3172381/2022/03/09/a-total-mischaracterization-portrayal-of-jerry-west-in-hbos-winning-time-sparks-criticism/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The Athletic</a>. &ldquo;Jerry was passionate but never lost his temper and threw things. Never. I would know.&rdquo;
Longtime Lakers trainer Gary Vitti spent two days on the set of "Winning Time" as an actor and in-house expert, but ultimately decided not to participate in the series in large part due to the show's characterization of West.
"I said, 'I don't want to be a part of this,'" Vitti told <a href="https://theathletic.com/3172381/2022/03/09/a-total-mischaracterization-portrayal-of-jerry-west-in-hbos-winning-time-sparks-criticism/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The Athletic</a>, adding that he walked away from approximately $15,000. &ldquo;I&rsquo;ve known the man for 38 years and never saw him lose it. If anything, he internalized everything.&rdquo;
Vitti also objected to a scene where Jerry Buss tells the staff that anyone who isn't committing to winning a championship could "get the f*ck out."
&ldquo;Dr. Buss never talked to anybody that way," Vitti explained to <a href="https://theathletic.com/3172381/2022/03/09/a-total-mischaracterization-portrayal-of-jerry-west-in-hbos-winning-time-sparks-criticism/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The Athletic</a>.
<div class="mceNonEditable"><spike>&nbsp;</spike></div>
Former NBA agent Arn Tellem, who is now the vice chairman of the Detroit Pistons, <a href="https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/tv/tv-features/jerry-west-arn-tellem-winning-time-guest-column-1235113928/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">wrote an article</a> for The Hollywood Reporter calling the show "a campy, mean-spirited fiction." He also picked apart the show's depiction of West, whom he's known for more than 40 years.
Tellem wrote that the series makes West seem like "a boozy, impulsive hothead who steamrolled anyone in his path," when in reality, West is a health nut who rarely drinks and never has angry outbursts.&nbsp;
"I have observed, negotiated and socialized with him. In all of our dealings, he has been courteous, respectful, generous and self-deprecating," Tellem <a href="https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/tv/tv-features/jerry-west-arn-tellem-winning-time-guest-column-1235113928/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">writes</a> of West. "He&rsquo;s never once lost his temper. He&rsquo;s always heard me out. Many of the players I represented sought his counsel, both professionally and personally... Sure, he can be moody. But when frustrated, he doesn&rsquo;t lash out. He withdraws into himself."
"Hiding behind the disclaimer 'this series is a dramatization' ... 'Winning Time' is less satire than bullying. Though the disclaimer is designed to shield against the possibility of legal action for libel, it&rsquo;s not a license to damage the reputation that West spent a lifetime building. The depiction of Mr. Clutch is cruel, dishonest and staggeringly insensitive."
The show is based on Jeff Pearlman's best-selling non-fiction book <a href="https://www.amazon.com/Showtime-Kareem-Angeles-Lakers-Dynasty/dp/1592407552" target="_blank" rel="noopener">"Showtime: Magic, Kareem, Riley, and the Los Angeles Lakers Dynasty of the 1980s,"</a> which has been lauded for its incredible anecdotes and details. However, the series is more fictional, taking certain liberties with the characters and plot in order to make the story more entertaining.
"Winning Time" has also drawn the ire of the NBA since HBO never got permission to use the league's trademarks (such as team logos).
&ldquo;Clearances to use NBA trademarks were not sought or granted and the league objects to any unauthorized use of its intellectual property,&rdquo; NBA spokesman Mike Bass told <a href="https://theathletic.com/3171879/2022/03/09/nba-objects-to-winning-time-trademark-use-but-legal-options-would-be-messy/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The Athletic</a>.
The Lakers also put out a statement distancing themselves from the show: &ldquo;The Lakers have no comment as we are not supporting nor involved with this project.&rdquo;
<div class="mceNonEditable"><spike>&nbsp;</spike></div>
Looking to go to the hottest concerts, sports, theater &amp; family shows near you? Get 100% guaranteed tickets to more than 125,000 live events from TicketSmarter, the official ticket marketplace of BasketballNews.com. <a href="https://www.ticketsmarter.com/?utm_source=basketballnewscom&amp;utm_medium=tsaff&amp;utm_campaign=referral" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Order online now</a>!

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar criticized "Winning Time," saying it "depicts people that I know in a very negative light that is not accurate."

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar is latest Laker to bash HBO's 'Winning Time'

Whether Orlando Magic big man Wendell Carter Jr. is retweeting praise for Duke basketball's March Madness run or hyping up his girlfriend, Olivia Nelson-Ododa, during her own tourney run as a senior at UConn, one thing is a constant part of Carter's social media presence: the hashtag #ABC.&nbsp;
Accept, believe and confess.
"Accept that whatever happens happens, believe that it happens for a reason," Carter said. "If you did something good, confess that. If you did something bad, confess that too. It's allowing yourself to think on certain things that happened in your life, but not allow them to dictate what's going to happen next."
It's his life mantra, instilled in him by his mother, Kylia. He credits Duke head coach Mike Krzyzewski for continuing to build those qualities in him, reinforcing the importance of enjoying the moment and remaining present.
Carter is a spiritual person, having grown up in the church. As such, confession as a concept is essential to him, and it comes through in his honesty as a speaker and openness about his development. The work speaks for itself, but he's transparent in the time and energy that's gone into a career-year, crediting those who have been key in finding his game in Orlando.
Acceptance was a key element for Carter at the 2021 trade deadline, when he was traded from Chicago to Orlando in the deal for Nikola Vucevic. He thought Chicago was going to be his home as a professional and couldn't fathom being traded.
"I thought I was going to be there forever," Carter said.
The move took him by surprise and hurt in the moment, but he was quick to shift and reframe his mindset.
"I felt what happened," he said. "I believed that one person didn't want me, but the next person does."
Carter says that the confession aspect of things didn't really factor in, but anyone who has watched him this season knows he's confessed every night on the court with his play.
He's averaging career-highs across the board both in per-game and per-minute queries. It's not just the production but also how he is producing that's been the difference. His aggression is staggering compared to his first three seasons, which has resulted in his creating more shots for himself.
<table style="border-collapse: collapse; width: 89.5856%; height: 66px;" border="1">
<tbody>
<tr style="height: 22px;">
<td style="width: 16.9718%; height: 22px; text-align: center;">Time Frame</td>
<td style="width: 13.2375%; height: 22px; text-align: center;">2 point %</td>
<td style="width: 16.1731%; height: 22px; text-align: center;">2 point assisted %</td>
<td style="width: 20.0959%; height: 22px; text-align: center;">Pull-up 2s taken and %</td>
<td style="width: 15.5609%; text-align: center;">True-shooting %</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 22px;">
<td style="width: 16.9718%; height: 22px; text-align: center;">First 3 seasons</td>
<td style="width: 13.2375%; height: 22px; text-align: center;">53.4%</td>
<td style="width: 16.1731%; height: 22px; text-align: center;">74.7%</td>
<td style="width: 20.0959%; height: 22px; text-align: center;">61 (26.2%)</td>
<td style="width: 15.5609%; text-align: center;">56.6%</td>
</tr>
<tr style="height: 22px;">
<td style="width: 16.9718%; height: 22px; text-align: center;">2021-22</td>
<td style="width: 13.2375%; height: 22px; text-align: center;">61.5%</td>
<td style="width: 16.1731%; height: 22px; text-align: center;">60.9%</td>
<td style="width: 20.0959%; height: 22px; text-align: center;">60 (55%)</td>
<td style="width: 15.5609%; text-align: center;">60.1%</td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
(Scroll right for full table on mobile)
To put into perspective how remarkable that two-point percentage is, Carter is on the verge of breaking Orlando's single-season record previously held by Dwight Howard (who shot 61.7% from two in 2009-10).
Carter is launching more from three, and while the percentages have dipped as the season has gone on, he's no longer hesitating from behind the arc like in past season. According to <a href="https://dunksandthrees.com/player?player_id=1628976" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Dunks and Threes</a>, Carter has a career-high in Offensive Estimated Plus-Minus (+1.2) after not posting a neutral mark any of the prior three seasons.
Carter's handle is also noticeably tighter. He's more fluid off the bounce and has real verve in face-ups and isolation. He's flashed these skills throughout his career, but he has emboldened and exacerbated them this season.
<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/attdpq" width="100%" height="100%" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen" data-mce-fragment="1"></iframe></div>
He's finishing better through contact and has more control and counters near the basket, shooting 75% at the rim this season, per Cleaning the Glass. That's a near 10% uptick compared to his career rate from 0-4 feet (65.9%).
Furthemore, he's played more at the four this season than he has his entire career, and his skill growth has made that much more viable and realistic than in prior years.&nbsp;
Carter gives a great deal of credit to Orlando's coaching staff for their belief in him, but also for empowering him to be this player every day. He had three different head coaches in Chicago, and it was difficult to find a consistent footing with so much in flux. That changed in Orlando, where he has found stability.
"They've kind of instilled in me like, 'Man, you're a great player. We've seen plenty of flashes. We know what Wendell can really be. Can we see you do this for a whole 48-minute game? Can we see you play like those little spurts we'll see every now and then? Can you do that more often?'"
He says they didn't put pressure on him but rather enabled his upside and fostered his development. He credits head coach Jamahl Mosley, associate head coach Nate Tibbets and assistant coach Dale Osbourne with helping him start to realize his potential.
"Coach Mos, Nate, Os, they all really helped me, and they all believe that there's something special in the kind of player I am," Carter said.
Carter also works out with video coordinator Randy Gregory every night.
"That's a guy I definitely trust and have a lot of respect and love for," Carter said.
That in-season work coupled with his offseason training set the table for his career-year. He notes that conditioning was the biggest thing he tackled over the summer, putting in the work to keep up with smaller and quicker players on defense. In order to tighten his handle and hone his shot, he worked on them each day, fine-tuning them with repetition and mental imagery, repeating scenarios in his head and replicating in-game scenarios.
The process has helped him find his "swagger," which oozes on-court with his play and intensity.
"The work shows up at some point," he said. "I'm grateful that I'm able to display that each night."
He laughs that it's a cliche statement, but it resounds in truth, cliche or not. The consistency he's displayed this season shouldn't be taken with a grain of salt, as the reps he put in have instilled that confidence and augmented his game, allowing him to become one of the better up-and-coming players in the NBA.
Carter has always possessed a good feel for the game and playmaking chops, but he's put it all together this season. Orlando has a great deal of ball-handlers and players who can soak up some on-ball usage, including Franz Wagner, Cole Anthony, Jalen Suggs, Markelle Fultz and others. The Magic run an offense predicated on motion and flow, so without a true primary option, they rely on advantage continuation buffering from smaller actions to open up better looks.
Dribble handoffs are a staple of this offense, and Carter is the main vessel for stabilizing the offense through DHOs. At times with the Bulls when he'd run these actions, he could get stuck and hesitate if the offensive player coming to the ball was denied. Not anymore. He's reading, reacting and taking what the defense gives him with gumption.
<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/4vrpb6" width="100%" height="100%" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen" data-mce-fragment="1"></iframe></div>
Another part of his offseason and in-season prep has been a heavy dose of breaking down tape and segmenting the game. He's looked to find new ways to process the game. Slowing things down off the court has allowed him to speed up his on-court activity.
"I've been training my mind and looking at film and doing the little things," Carter said. "Now when I get in those situations, it's not that I'm overthinking, but that's literally just what I see."
If his defender leans one way, he knows he has the crossover and can take it to the rack. If the incoming defender goes under the DHO, he has the throwback to his man outside the arc.
He's a bonecrushing screener, capable of creating separation at a high level to screen open a ball-handler. But it's not just the strength; he's adept at flipping and angling his screens and adjusting for each individual handler on the team.
"Certain guards like for screens to be set at certain angles and come up with their left hand," Carter said. "Some like to come up with the right hand. Some like the pick to be flat so they can come off either way to create their own advantage for themselves."
There's <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/explaining-why-we-need-to-appreciate-screening-more" target="_blank" rel="noopener">a lot more that goes into setting a screen</a> than meets the eye, and Carter is a master of of it. His amalgamation of strength, playmaking and ferocity as a roller afford him the blend of skills necessary to create offense at a high level with and without the ball.
"I think there's so many ways in which he can go," Jamahl Mosley said when asked about Carter's growth and future development. "He&rsquo;s shown the ability to finish at the rim and to step out and make the three. The next step is continuing to make his teammates better by making those decisions and getting guys open and good looks.&rdquo;
<div class="mceNonEditable"><spike>&nbsp;</spike></div>
Carter has a wide array of passes in his bag. He can make a pocket pass, put good touch on a post-entry, paint the corners or slot on the short roll, hit cutters out of the mid or high post and even throw in some enamoring one-handers off the dribble. The consistency has improved, but as Mosley notes, there's even more for Carter on the table.&nbsp;
The passing and processing strides this season are notable and play out routinely on the court, but one of Carter's most sizable gains have been as a leader of Orlando's young core.
"His growth is not just on the floor, it&rsquo;s off the floor as well," Mosley said. "His voice in that locker room, keeping guys up, keeping guys accountable. Our group is a group of that, just tied together, continuing to communicate and working on and off the floor."
While that growth in leadership isn't fully visible to an outside observer, the communication comes through on the court, and not just from Carter. The Magic have struggled offensively like any young team still searching for more consistent and efficient modes of creation, but they're building a rock-solid defensive foundation.
Since the All-Star Break, the Magic are second in the NBA in defensive efficiency (allowing 109.9 points per 100 possessions) behind only the Memphis Grizzlies, per Cleaning the Glass. They're 7-11 in that time frame, including quality wins (over the Golden State Warriors, Minnesota Timberwolves, Toronto Raptors and New Orleans Pelicans) and close games against some top-notch competition (such as the Phoenix Suns and Philadelphia 76ers). Widen the lens, and the Magic are eighth in defense since the turn of the calendar. There's something here, and Carter is central to Orlando's growth as a defensive unit.
Carter has been among the league's best rim protectors this season, capable of operating in a deep drop, higher up in centerfield or helping off the weak-side as a secondary rim protector alongside Mo Bamba. According to Second Spectrum Tracking, opponents shoot 11.2% worse than expected when Carter is defending the rim, a mark that puts him in the upper tier of paint protectors in the league and comfortably in the top 10 of that metric. He doesn't block an outlier number of shots, but don't let that fool you. Come at the king, and you best not miss because he's going to be in the right spot with extremely well-timed contests and verticality, getting the most of his 7-foot-3 wingspan.
In a pinch, he can switch onto smaller players and hold his own on the perimeter, something Carter mentions he focused on as he prepared for the season. 
"I had to kind of tackle that this past offseason, being able to keep up with a lot of these 4s and 3s," he said.
<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/7dzdf5" width="100%" height="100%" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen" data-mce-fragment="1"></iframe></div>
"He&rsquo;s taken on the defensive challenge of playing some of these big-time bigs," Mosley said. "He&rsquo;s guarding 1-through-5 in situations, being able to step into big moments as he has."
Orlando's game against Philadelphia earlier in March was a showcase of Carter's growth on both ends, as he matched up with top-notch competition. He went right at Joel Embiid all night off the dribble, attacking from the outside in and finishing with 23 points and 12 rebounds. He defended Embiid most of the night, and while Embiid scored 35 points, it was on mediocre efficiency (49.3% TS), buoyed by trips to the line. Carter defended the MVP candidate one-on-one better than just about anyone has this season while giving him work on the other end. 
There's a short list of players in the world who can put together that sort of game, and those performances are becoming more of a regularity. Carter recently set a new career-high in scoring (30) against Oklahoma City, and he has scored fewer than 10 points just once in 2022.
The foundation is set, and the seeds of the next hopeful era of Magic basketball have been sown over the course of the regular season. Orlando's year will end in roughly a week after the final buzzer sounds out at Amway Center on April 10, closing out against the Miami Heat at home. In spite of a losing record, the future seems much brighter in Orlando than recent years. Carter's strides underscore the budding potential of a young and talented organization.
He wants to be an All-Star someday. He says he wants to make All-Defensive teams and earn a First-Team All-NBA selection in the future.
"On a deeper level, I feel like just turning up Orlando to the levels that Shaq and Penny had this place rockin' &mdash; sold-out games every night, don't matter who we play, because they come to see us," Carter said.
He loved the 30 for 30 "This Magic Moment" about the '90s Magic and says that documentary and "The Last Dance"&nbsp;got him hyped and motivated about the future in Orlando.
He details the process, which involves taking the next steps as a competitive team, getting to the playoffs, winning rounds and developing the confidence as an organization to eventually win a championship.
"That's the game within the game that I'm looking at," Carter said. "If we get that swag, that feeling, you know we've got the whole city behind us, rocking with us. I feel like that's just such a dope feeling to have."
Hitting higher grounds as an individual clearly means a lot to Carter, but he lit up in an entirely different way when talking about revitalizing Magic basketball. He wants it bad. He's spearheading Orlando's youth movement with his play and development this season, showing his commitment to the process and growth while building upon and unsheathing his potential. As the Magic continue to take steps forward, Carter has cemented himself as a franchise cornerstone as they carve out a more auspicious horizon.
<div class="mceNonEditable"><spike>&nbsp;</spike></div>
Looking to go to the hottest concerts, sports, theater &amp; family shows near you? Get 100% guaranteed tickets to more than 125,000 live events from TicketSmarter, the official ticket marketplace of BasketballNews.com. <a href="https://www.ticketsmarter.com/?utm_source=basketballnewscom&amp;utm_medium=tsaff&amp;utm_campaign=referral" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Order online now</a>!

Wendell Carter Jr. has made leaps across the board and is primed for more, foreshadowing a bright future for himself and the Magic.

Wendell Carter Jr.: Turning up his game and 'turning up Orlando'

LOS ANGELES (AP) &mdash; CJ McCollum scored 32 points, Brandon Ingram added 29 against his former team and the New Orleans Pelicans spoiled Anthony Davis' return from injury with another fourth-quarter rally in a 114-111 victory over the Los Angeles Lakers on Friday night.
Jonas Valanciunas had 17 points and 12 rebounds for the ninth-place Pelicans, who won for the sixth time in eight games while dealing the second major blow in five days to the Lakers' hopes of squeaking into the play-in tournament.
New Orleans beat Los Angeles 116-108 at home last weekend after rallying from a 23-point deficit, and the Pelicans swept the season series with this comeback on the road.
&ldquo;It was big-time,&rdquo; Pelicans coach Willie Green said. &ldquo;They threw the kitchen sink at us. LeBron (scored) 38 points. Getting Davis back sparked their team a little bit. We just hung in there, and the game was back and forth. We have to win games like that. Been talking about it all season, and it will pay dividends down the stretch.&rdquo;
LeBron James missed a 3-pointer at the buzzer and scored just two of his 38 in the fourth quarter for the Lakers (31-46), who have lost five straight and 15 of 19 to fall one game behind 10th-place San Antonio (32-45), which holds the tiebreaker.
&ldquo;The big picture is that it was pretty much a must-win for us, and we didn&rsquo;t get the job done,&rdquo; James said.
Davis had 23 points, 12 rebounds and six assists in his return from a six-week injury absence since Feb. 16, but the eight-time All-Star's presence wasn't enough to beat his former team. The Lakers now face long odds just to get past the Spurs for a one-game shot at the Pelicans, since four of LA's final five games are against playoff-bound opponents.
&ldquo;It's going to be tough to catch (New Orleans) now, with the lead they have and the tiebreaker,&rdquo; Lakers coach Frank Vogel said. &ldquo;But we have plenty of time to win as many games as we can down the stretch and see what happens with San Antonio.&rdquo;
New Orleans trailed for most of the fourth quarter, but Valanciunas hit a tying 3-pointer with 2:52 to play. After Davis missed a floater, Ingram put the Pelicans ahead 110-108 on a fadeaway jumper.
&ldquo;We had some poise late in that game,&rdquo; Ingram said. &ldquo;Down the stretch, we had some good execution. Everybody was locked in on the defensive end, and we seemed confident."
Avery Bradley's 3-pointer with 15.8 seconds left trimmed New Orleans' lead to 112-111. McCollum hit two free throws, and James' triple-clutch 3-point attempt amid double coverage didn't go in at the horn.
&ldquo;It was a tough environment with AD coming back, and we just fought,&rdquo; said Herbert Jones, who harassed James along with Larry Nance Jr. on the last play. &ldquo;Once LeBron came across the court and I got screened, I knew Larry was over there. I just wanted to be there as well. Just force him to shoot it. I feel like we did a great job of making it tough on him to make the shot.&rdquo;
Davis missed the previous 18 games with a sprained foot during his second lengthy injury absence of the year. Davis had been hurt for 39 games and healthy for 37 this season, his second straight with major injury problems.
Los Angeles went 4-14 in Davis&rsquo; most recent absence, its disappointing season turning into a potentially humiliating one. James also missed three of the previous four games with a swollen ankle, but he elected to play through the pain Friday with Davis&rsquo; return.
That meant Davis, James and Russell Westbrook played together for only the 21st time in the Lakers&rsquo; 77 games this season &mdash; and just the sixth time since Dec. 17. Injuries have been the leading &mdash; but hardly the only &mdash; factor in Los Angeles&rsquo; descent from a likely championship contender to a borderline playoff team.
TIP-INS
Pelicans: Green said his team also was motivated when the lights weren't turned on for their morning shootaround, forcing them to work out in the dark. ... Jaxson Hayes dunked with 36 seconds left in the first half, but the points were taken off the board following video review after the halftime buzzer because Hayes didn't beat the shot clock.
Lakers: Davis crossed the court to say something to a fan in the second row early in the fourth quarter after New Orleans called a timeout when LA took a six-point lead. The fan, who wore a Kobe jersey, was escorted away from his seat by security. ... Carmelo Anthony was unavailable due to a non-COVID illness.
OH YEAH REAL FUNNY
James got into the spirit of the holiday Thursday morning with <a href="https://twitter.com/KingJames/status/1509941094712184834">a straight-faced tweet</a>: &ldquo;I&rsquo;m out for the season officially. See y&rsquo;all in the fall.&rdquo;
James and the Lakers didn't acknowledge the joke, but at least James apparently warned Vogel when he sent out the tweet. The coach declined to say whether he thought it was funny.
&ldquo;I would have guessed it was an April Fool's even if I hadn't known it was an April Fool's,&rdquo; Vogel said.
UP NEXT
Pelicans: At Clippers on Sunday.
Lakers: Host Nuggets on Sunday.
&nbsp;

CJ McCollum scored 32 points and the Pelicans spoiled Anthony Davis' return in a 114-111 victory over the Lakers.

Pelicans rally past Lakers 114-111 despite Davis' return

We're nearing the end of the NBA regular season, which means award ballots will be due pretty soon. And because award ballots will be due pretty soon, the conversation around who deserves what award or team selection will ramp up.
We've seen recent pushes for Devin Booker (and to a lesser extent, Jayson Tatum) to get MVP love; Pascal Siakam is making a compelling case for an All-NBA forward slot, while his rookie companion Scottie Barnes is, at worst, making a serious push for Rookie of the Year. The Defensive Player of the Year award competition seems very much in the air right now.
These conversations fluctuate between fun, informative, nauseating and flat-out toxic &mdash; please check any and all xenophobia at the door, for example &mdash; but the conversations happen for a reason. We're watching (and hopefully enjoying!) the best men-ballers in the world, and want them to be rewarded for their excellence. It's a status thing, as well as a legacy thing, once you zoom out to Hall-of-Fame or GOAT talks.
As someone who doesn't have a ballot (email me whenever you're ready, NBA), I generally love digging into the awards. On the flip side, my level of care for it leads to frustration. While it would be unrealistic and unwise for everyone to follow the exact same rubric, the lack of consensus from the league and/or voters on key factors can get bothersome.&nbsp;
Heading into the final two weeks of the season, I have a few questions that I think the voting pool should come to a general understanding on, even if the selections themselves differ.
<div class="mceNonEditable"><spike>&nbsp;</spike></div>
HOW AVAILABLE DO PLAYERS NEED TO BE?
Before digging into specific award questions, I don't think there's a more pressing issue than this one. The combination of injuries and COVID absences have ravaged the NBA over the past couple of seasons. It's hard to blame&nbsp;a player for missing games due to either, but you have to split hairs once award time comes.
I think the voting choices could be made a little easier if there was a baseline expectation in terms of games played or minutes played. For my personal, fictitious ballot, I filtered for 70% of games played last season. I dropped that threshold to 60% this year in light of how wild the absences were at the beginning of the season.
Whatever the marker is &mdash; 50 games, 2,000 minutes &mdash; having something objective in place to limit the pool off rip could be beneficial.&nbsp;
"Voter X" doesn't hate your team and shouldn't get death threats in their DMs; your favorite player simply missed half the season. Sorry!
WHAT TO DO ABOUT NIKOLA JOKIC AND JOEL EMBIID?
The MVP conversation is exhausting enough; they're both worthy candidates for different reasons. It would not &mdash; NOT &mdash; be a "robbery" if Embiid beats out Jokic, or if Jokic beats Embiid. You can disagree, but they've been two of the top three players in the league all year long.&nbsp;
The more pressing concern comes with All-NBA voting. As mentioned, Jokic and Embiid have been two of the top three players in the league this season. They also play the same position (center); more importantly, that is the&nbsp;only&nbsp;position those two have played.
I don't love Basketball-Reference's position estimates because they seem to be height-based more than role-based, but it's telling that Embiid and Jokic have played 100% of their minutes at the 5 by their tally. That number was at 99% for Jokic last season, but reasonable folks are not giving Jokic the forward/center designation because he played 37 seconds with Bol Bol.
But yet, here we are, with Jokic and Embiid being eligible at forward for All-NBA voting.&nbsp;
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-theme="dark">
Small note: I&rsquo;m told that both Nikola Jokic and Joel Embiid will be eligible at both forward and center on the All-NBA vote. So both players can make first-team.
&mdash; Mike Singer (@msinger) <a href="https://twitter.com/msinger/status/1507771123806601216?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 26, 2022</a></blockquote>

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

On the surface, it's a welcome loophole to give both players the First Team selection they deserve. Zoom in even a small percentage, and you'll see that it's a level of fudging that royally screws a forward on the third team. The debate then becomes: Has the NBA's fourth-best center (Rudy Gobert?) been better than the NBA's sixth-best forward (Siakam? Jimmy Butler?). And... probably not? But that shouldn't be the discussion to begin with.
I know, you know, we know that Jokic and Embiid are not forwards in the slightest. If you want to get into the role-played discussion, why is Jokic more of a forward than a guard? Explain it to me like I'm 5.
If you have Jokic over Embiid for MVP, you're admitting Embiid has been the second-best center in the NBA. The inverse is true if you're voting for Embiid. There are some positional gray areas to sort through this year (hi DeMar DeRozan and Luka Doncic); there is no debate about what position Jokic and Embiid play.
The&nbsp;real&nbsp;solution here is for the NBA to change the ballot, either going completely positionless or using the All-Star game format (two backcourt, three frontcourt). I've seen a middle ground mentioned &mdash; two backcourt, two frontcourt, one wild card &mdash; and I'd be cool with that.&nbsp;
Until then, my take is to make the tough choice. One of Embiid or Jokic should be the Second Team center &mdash; because they're centers.
<div class="mceNonEditable"><spike>&nbsp;</spike></div>
HOW MUCH SHOULD DEFENSE MATTER FOR ROOKIE AWARDS?
This has been heavily debated due to the outlier (at least until recently) production of Cleveland Cavaliers big man Evan Mobley.&nbsp;
In years past, Rookie of the Year has mostly been the "who has the best per-game stats" award. Naturally, guards (or wings) have the leg up because they have the ball in their hands; Blake Griffin (2011) and Karl-Anthony Towns (2016) are the only bigs to win the award in the last 15 years.
Mobley has a good enough case with numbers &mdash; roughly 15 points and 8 rebounds with 2.5 stocks (steals plus blocks) is nothing to sneeze at &mdash; but the foundation of his case has been what he's been able to do on the non-glamour end.&nbsp;
He hasn't just been rookie-good; he's made a <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/defensive-awards-and-a-celebration-of-defense" target="_blank" rel="noopener">legit All-Defense case</a> for his work this season. There's been slippage as of late, a natural byproduct of the team falling apart around him (bye Jarrett Allen), but his unique skill set unlocks a lot of what the Cavs have done from a scheme perspective.&nbsp;
While acknowledging that Mobley gets fair usage as an elbow or handoff hub, it's still fair to dub him as a play-finisher. That's in contrast to Barnes, who's had to wear a multitude of hats offensively, and the show-running that Cade Cunningham has assumed in Detroit (with the worst roster context among the serious ROY candidates).&nbsp;
It's become a sort of fundamental debate: Do you value the on-ball responsibility or the defensive aptitude more?
I don't like that question &mdash; too broad for my taste &mdash; but I'd like to get to a point where the defense is factored in, period, before getting to where it's valued in relation to that.
(As an aside: On March 14, I tweeted that I <a href="https://twitter.com/NekiasNBA/status/1503403710579359749?s=20&amp;t=ewDkbXyUS_MbRcFjhASW_g" target="_blank" rel="noopener">didn't see a real case</a> for a non-Mobley guy to win the award to that point. Barnes has thoroughly shut me up in that time frame; 16-7-5-1-1 while taking on a multitude of tough defensive assignments is pretty darn impressive. Toronto's 6-2 record helps too. I'll take my L.)
WHY CAN'T JA MORANT WIN THE MOST IMPROVED PLAYER AWARD?
<iframe title="YouTube video player" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/Nnwi15p40J4" width="100%" height="325" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe>
This was a question born from a <a href="https://twitter.com/i/spaces/1YpKkZnAlRPxj?s=20" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Twitter Space held by the Basketball News staff </a>on Friday. There seems to be a pretty common sentiment that a player of Ja Morant's stature &mdash; an All-Star, easy All-NBA candidate and fringe MVP candidate &mdash; has been too good&nbsp;to win Most Improved, especially within the context of his draft selection.
I'm not saying Morant would be my choice; to be transaparent, I had Miles Bridges as my front-runner when discussing this on The Dunker Spot (<a href="https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-dunker-spot/id1547857052" target="_blank" rel="noopener">subscribe</a>!), and I want to take the next week or so to solidify my selections.&nbsp;
But the logic doesn't track for me. If the award is "Most Improved", the criteria should be "who improved the most." If the answer if Morant, who has taken substantial statistical leaps and has improved in virtually every area of his game, why should he be disqualified off rip?
If the spirit of the award is "who made the most unexpected leap", then I'd like for that to be agreed upon and carried out moving forward.&nbsp;
<div class="mceNonEditable"><spike>&nbsp;</spike></div>
Looking to go to the hottest concerts, sports, theater &amp; family shows near you? Get 100% guaranteed tickets to more than 125,000 live events from TicketSmarter, the official ticket marketplace of BasketballNews.com. <a href="https://www.ticketsmarter.com/?utm_source=basketballnewscom&amp;utm_medium=tsaff&amp;utm_campaign=referral" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Order online now</a>!

Nekias Duncan poses key questions to voters ahead of NBA award season.

Laying out 4 questions that need to be answered before NBA award time

DENVER (AP) &mdash; Nikola Jokic bounced back from a rare poor shooting performance, scoring 30 points to lead the Denver Nuggets to a 127-115 win over the Los Angeles Clippers on Tuesday night.
It was his supporting cast's performance that fired up coach Michael Malone, who smiled as he scanned the stat sheet and saw all five starters plus reserves Bones Hyland and Austin Rivers had scored in double figures.
&ldquo;I'm extremely pleased,&rdquo; Malone said. &ldquo;Yes, Nikola is an MVP, but this team with nine games to go, needs everybody to step their game up down the stretch and alleviate some of the pressure that's put on Nikola every night.&rdquo;
Denver had lost four of six, including a 124-104 home loss to the Celtics on Sunday night in which Jokic missed 15 shots and blamed himself for the defeat.
Against the Clippers, he was 9 of 15 from the floor &mdash; he also had two baskets that were waived off &mdash; and sank 12 of 13 free throws. He also pulled down a game-best 14 rebounds for his 59th double-double of the season.
The only thing worse than facing Jokic is facing Jokic coming off a bad game.
&ldquo;For sure,&rdquo; Clippers coach Tyronn Lue said. &ldquo;He was the MVP last year and has a great chance to win it again this year. We knew he was going to play well. Usually don&rsquo;t play bad two games in a row, so he came out played well, got his team going. That&rsquo;s to be expected.&rdquo;
The Clippers, who got 24 points from Terance Mann, dropped their fourth straight game. They have lost seven of nine overall. Marcus Morris Sr., Isaiah Hartenstein and Robert Covington each added 14 points.
Hyland, Aaron Gordon and Jeff Green scored 16 points apiece for Denver. Monte Morris had 15 and Will Barton 10. Rivers scored 11.
&ldquo;Everybody contributed,&rdquo; Gordon said.
Jokic's tip-in appeared to give the Nuggets a 74-61 halftime lead but a review showed he touched it just a tick after the buzzer went off.
Jokic had a tip-in while being fouled with about six minutes left in the game, but the basket was waived off and the Nuggets got the ball out of bounds, then Will Barton missed a 3.
The Clippers chipped away, cutting a 14-point deficit at one point to 111-109. Morris and Jeff Green responded with back-to-back 3-pointers, and the Nuggets closed on a 16-6 run.
&ldquo;We haven&rsquo;t finished games the way we wanted to lately," Clippers guard Reggie Jackson said. &ldquo;We haven&rsquo;t come up with as many wins as we&rsquo;ve wanted to. But keep your spirits up and understand that we&rsquo;ve put in a lot of work. It&rsquo;s going to continue to show. We&rsquo;re still in a great position. We&rsquo;re going to continue to come out here and play our best basketball at the right time.&rdquo;
Hyland had four clutch 3-pointers, two in the waning minutes of the second quarter that helped Denver take an 11-point lead into the break. He had another that sent the Nuggets into the fourth with a 99-88 advantage and one that made it 107-95 after the Clippers had pulled within six points.
&ldquo;That kid plays with so much energy,&rdquo; Monte Morris said. &ldquo;He's coming into his own, for sure.&rdquo;
TIP-INS
Clippers: The Clippers bench and Nuggets big man DeMarcus Cousins were assessed a double-technical foul at 7:39 of the second quarter. Roughly two minutes later, Clippers F Robert Covington was whistled for a technical while Gordon was shooting free throws after getting fouled on a 3-point try. Jokic stepped in and sank the technical foul shot before Gordon sank his third, giving the Nuggets a 55-48 lead.
Nuggets: The Nuggets shot 62% from the field in the first half and made 14 of 15 free throws. ... Malone said F Zeke Nnaji may not play again this season. Nnaji has been dealing with bilateral knee soreness. &ldquo;I don&rsquo;t know when, or if, he&rsquo;ll be back," Malone said. "I really can&rsquo;t say because I really did not anticipate he&rsquo;d be out this long.&rdquo;
UP NEXT
Clippers: Host the Philadelphia 76ers on Friday night.
Nuggets: Host the Phoenix Suns on Thursday night.
&nbsp;

Nikola Jokic scored 30 points to lead the Denver Nuggets to a 127-115 win over the Los Angeles Clippers.

Jokic, Nuggets bounce back with 127-115 win over LA Clippers

MIAMI (AP) &mdash; Tyler Herro got through an ankle scare and scored 26 points, Duncan Robinson scored 19 points in 19 minutes and the Eastern Conference-leading Miami Heat topped the Oklahoma City Thunder 120-108 on Friday night.
Bam Adebayo had 19 points on 8-for-10 shooting and Kyle Lowry added 16 points for the Heat. Miami used a 16-2 run late in the first half to take control of what was a tie game, and pushed the lead out to 29 in the second half.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander played through ankle soreness and scored 26 points for the injury-depleted Thunder, who have dropped eight straight and reached the 50-loss mark in back-to-back seasons. Tre Mann added 25 points.
&ldquo;It's our jobs to be professionals," Lowry said. &ldquo;They've got a bunch of talent down there. They play hard. We had to do our jobs and stick with the game plan."
The Thunder have used five starting lineups in their last five games, giving them 30 such combinations so far this season. That ties the franchise-record total that the Thunder used a season ago.
&ldquo;They have guys out of the lineup and, you know, their record is what it is,&rdquo; Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said. &ldquo;Those teams can be extremely dangerous. With 10, 12 games left in the year, they&rsquo;re just playing free and young guys can play with a lot of confidence and they can become dangerous.&rdquo;
Markieff Morris scored 13 points, Max Strus scored 12 and Caleb Martin &mdash; back after missing just over a week with a knee injury &mdash; added 11 for Miami (47-24), which moved 2-1/2 games clear of second-place Milwaukee in the East standings. The Heat played without Jimmy Butler, who is dealing with an ankle sprain, and Victor Oladipo (back spasms).
&ldquo;They bring the fight to their opponent every night,&rdquo; Thunder coach Mark Daigneault said. &ldquo;That&rsquo;s why they&rsquo;re such a good team. They&rsquo;re a good team because they do everything well. And that&rsquo;s the baseline for any good team. It&rsquo;s that competitive spirit over 82 games and they&rsquo;re ready to rock every single night.&rdquo;
The scare for Miami came midway through the third quarter when Herro went airborne and twisted his left ankle after landing on Thunder reserve Isaiah Roby&rsquo;s foot. Herro stayed down briefly, punching the floor in obvious pain and even went to the Heat locker room for evaluation.
He missed all of 1:04. Herro returned to the court, checked right back in and remained in the game until midway through the fourth.
&ldquo;He brings it every single night," Robinson said. &ldquo;As a young player, it can be tough to establish that. He's establishing himself as a star."
TIP-INS
Thunder: Aaron Wiggins scored 17 points and Darius Bazley added 15 for the Thunder. ... Oklahoma City plans to update the status on rookie Josh Giddey (right hip) in about a week, Daigneault said. ... This is the sixth losing streak of at least eight games for the Thunder since the franchise moved to Oklahoma City. Of those, four have come in the last 12 months.
Heat: Miami went 5-2 in its seven-game homestand. ... Butler&rsquo;s ankle sprain doesn&rsquo;t have the Heat overly concerned. &ldquo;Thankfully, this is not something that&rsquo;s long-term,&rdquo; Spoelstra said. ... The Heat play eight of their next 10 games against teams that are, at worst, likely to be in the play-in tournament. ... Chris Bosh, part of Miami&rsquo;s 2012 and 2013 NBA title teams, was honored at halftime for his enshrinement in the Basketball Hall of Fame this year. &ldquo;It&rsquo;s been an amazing journey,&rdquo; Bosh said.
UKRAINE GIFT
The family foundation of Heat managing general partner Micky Arison and his wife Madeleine is donating $3 million to World Central Kitchen, Direct Relief and UNICEF USA to assist Ukrainians affected by the war in their homeland. Carnival Cruise Line donated an additional $50,000 to World Central Kitchen in honor of employees and crew members from Ukraine.
HERRO 1K
Herro&rsquo;s sixth point Friday gave him 1,000 in games where he came off the bench this season. He&rsquo;s the third player in Heat history to have that many in a reserve role; he&rsquo;s now up to 1,020, closing in on the team single-season reserve record of 1,028.
SWEPT AGAIN
The Thunder have now been swept by nine teams this season &mdash; Chicago, Charlotte, Cleveland, Golden State, Milwaukee, Minnesota, Philadelphia, Washington and Miami. They still could be swept by Atlanta, Boston, Phoenix and Utah. OKC was swept by 10 clubs last season; that&rsquo;s the most since it endured 12 sweeps in 2008-09.
UP NEXT
Thunder: Visit Orlando on Sunday.
Heat: Visit Philadelphia on Monday.

Tyler Herro scored 26 points and Duncan Robinson scored 19 points Miami Heat topped the Oklahoma City Thunder 120-108.

Herro has 26 points, East-leading Heat beat Thunder 120-108

It&rsquo;s been a tough season for Syracuse freshman Benny Williams, the 6-foot-8 forward from Prince George&rsquo;s County, Md. &mdash; the same place that produced Kevin Durant, Jeff Green, Markelle Fultz, Victor Oladipo and many other NBA standouts.&nbsp;
Williams arrived at Syracuse as a five-star, top-25 prospect. In fact, he's the highest-rated recruit that Syracuse has landed in a long time. Fans couldn&rsquo;t wait to see what a recruit of this caliber would do once he set foot inside the Carrier Dome.&nbsp;
However, this season didn&rsquo;t go as planned.&nbsp;
Williams was relegated to the bench for the majority of the season, seeing inconsistent spot minutes and failing to live up to the expectations set for him. And while the majority of Syracuse fans were up in arms over Williams' lack of playing time, his status didn&rsquo;t change.&nbsp;
<div class="mceNonEditable"><spike>&nbsp;</spike></div>
It looked like things could possibly turn around for the freshman after a good showing in a lopsided loss to Duke (when he had 14 points and 6 rebounds on 71.4% shooting from the field). However, these hopes were crushed when it was announced that <a href="https://www.syracuse.com/orangebasketball/2022/03/benny-williams-will-miss-the-rest-of-the-2021-22-season-with-an-injury-su-announced.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Williams would miss the rest of the season</a> with a lower-body injury.
But what was strange was that he was not on the bench for the final game against Miami nor for the first game of the ACC Tournament against Florida State. This, of course, has led to more chatter and speculation from fans about the possibility of him not returning to Syracuse next season.&nbsp;
Syracuse legend Derrick Coleman was a guest on my podcast "The Rematch," and we discussed Benny Williams, his limited playing time and the likelihood of him returning next season. Below is an excerpt of our conversation.
<iframe title="YouTube video player" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/xbeWqISd99s" width="100%" height="325" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe>
Etan Thomas: "Let me ask you a question about the current team. It's been a tough season."
Derrick Coleman: "Cardiac 'Cuse." (Points to his hoodie)&nbsp;
Thomas: "Cardiac 'Cuse! It's been a tough season. And there are a lot of aspects that are troublesome. One of them is: I saw <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/ncaa-basketball-news-losing-kadary-richmond-tragedy-for-syracuse-university-orange-transfer-portal-jim-boeheim" target="_blank" rel="noopener">what happened with Kadary [Richmond]</a>. I saw his demeanor. I was watching him on the bench &mdash; watching him sitting there, not playing. Then, watching him when he played, he got in there and he did well, but there was no joy. There was no happiness. You know what I mean? He did what he did, and went back to the bench emotionless. So I knew he was going to leave. That's why I kept saying, 'He's going to leave if we don&rsquo;t play him.' And I see the same thing with Benny Williams. And the thing about it, he&rsquo;s from this area. PG County. I've seen him play. My son knows him and has seen him play for years.
"He is someone who is a special talent. And now it's setup to where it's like, 'I'm going to play you sparingly here, and then take you out, and then tell the media you're not ready.' Or, 'I'm not going to play you for four games, and then put you in for two minutes. After one mistake, I'm going to talk about that mistake publicly, and then tell the media again, 'That's why you're not ready.'' And that's the part that bothers me because I&rsquo;ve seen this script before. Benny&rsquo;s saying all the right things publicly. He's staying after the game, shooting, all that stuff, which is great because somebody's advising him very well, most likely his father."
Coleman: "But that's not getting him into the game. Let me just say this, okay? Benny Williams is a top-30 prospect. Can you name anybody else on our team that's a top-30 prospect?"
Thomas: "No."
Coleman: "Can you name anybody on our team the last two, three years that has been a top-30 prospect?"
Thomas: "Hmmm..."
Coleman: "So how you got a top-30 prospect sitting on the bench when nobody on our team is a top-30 prospect? That's sad. But the thing that I don't like about it [is]: You're playing with kids' lives, their livelihood, and just what you just said, he now has no enthusiasm. No joy. So now you&rsquo;ve sucked the soul out of me so now the game of basketball, something that I love, is not fun anymore."
Thomas: "Right."
Coleman: "So when it's not fun, okay, I got to go somewhere where it's going to be fun for me again. And just like you say, I sit and... Every time Seton Hall plays, I'm watching because I'm rooting for [Kadary]."
Thomas: "He puts on a show too, every single time."
<img style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" src="https://cdn.basketballnews.com/images/story/body/kad2_lg.jpg" alt="" width="735" height="372" />
Coleman: "Because it doesn't make any sense what's going on at our university. And you cannot do that."
Thomas: "Yeah. I agree."
Coleman: "You&rsquo;re taking the life out of a kid, man. He's no longer having any fun, and nothing that he's doing in the game of basketball is fun anymore and it&rsquo;s not supposed to be like that. Basketball is supposed to be fun, man. Like you said, you're not even having fun with your teammates."
Thomas: "Right. There's no joy."
Coleman: "The demeanor is dry. Your smile is dry. You know what I'm saying?"
Thomas: "Yeah, you can tell."
Coleman: "You're not really engaged and then you&rsquo;re constantly looking over your shoulder because any mistake..."
Thomas: "You're coming out."
Coleman: "And you&rsquo;re going crazy about me making a mistake? When I'm coming out of the game, you&rsquo;re yelling and cursing at me. I expect a mistake, Coach. Went from a 2-3 to a 1-3-1, Coach. Where they do that at?"
Thomas: "Right. Where they do that at? "
Coleman: "Yeah. Come on, man. What are we doing?"
Thomas: "And somebody throws me a bad pass and I don't catch it, and it's my fault. And I get snatched out and I get fussed at. And you&rsquo;re yelling and snarling and spitting and carrying on ."
Coleman: "Right."
Thomas: "And it's interesting because I've been on the <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/syracuse-center-jesse-edwards-answers-critics-with-his-play" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Free Jesse [Edwards] campaign</a> and rooting for Jesse for some time now. And I saw the same thing happening with him. Me and Roosevelt Bouie, we've been talking to him. He was in the same predicament that Benny is currently in &mdash; not getting to play, you saw the demeanor changing. Put him in for a minute, take him out. Publicly saying, 'He's not ready. He's not this, he&rsquo;s not that.' Now, this year, <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/syracuse-center-jesse-edwards-answers-critics-with-his-play" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Jesse is ballin'</a>! You know what I mean? It's amazing what you can do with time on the court, being allowed to play through mistakes."
<img style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" src="https://cdn.basketballnews.com/images/story/body/jesse2_lg.jpg" alt="" width="735" height="378" />
Coleman: "Thank you."
Thomas: "And then gaining confidence, and then you're able to produce because everybody's like, 'Well, oh, Jesse all of a suddenly learned how to play...' And I&rsquo;m like, 'He could&rsquo;ve done this last year!'"
Coleman: "Exactly. You gotta get a chance to have some type of rhythm out there on the court."
Thomas: "And that's where we, as Syracuse alumni, step in. I was talking to Jesse all the time, lifting his spirits and encouraging him &mdash; the same way that Roosevelt Bouie did with me when I was playing. You didn't go through any of that."
Coleman: (Laughing) "Nah, nah."
<div class="mceNonEditable"><spike>&nbsp;</spike></div>
Thomas: "Come on DC, you know you don&rsquo;t know nothing about that. Having the freshman blues where you&rsquo;re sitting there in practice, looking at Coach Boeheim and you&rsquo;re like, 'Let him say one thing to me today and this going to be the day! One thing, and it goin' down today!'" (Laughing) &nbsp;
Coleman: (Laughing) "But what you got to understand with me, man, everybody have a rock on their shoulder. I got a brick."
Thomas: "I got you."
Coleman: "I got a brick on my shoulder. I'm raised by strong women, man. And I tell people that all the time: Man, the strongest person in my life has been my grandmother. Period. So I'm raised not to take no shit. I'm raised to be respectable and to have respect, regardless of what the situation is. You might not like me, don't like what I say or whatever I do, but you know what? You going to respect me. So I'm raised that way. And like I said, I used to go through my pitfalls and have my battles with Coach. But again, confidence, man. I would never let nobody take away my confidence from me."
Thomas: "Who were the older players, the vets, that came back and poured into you, while you was at Syracuse?"
Coleman: "Well, again, it started for me probably being up there, playing in camp. And I used to always play with Leo Rautins and those guys. So they used to always be up there. And then seeing Pearl [Washington], talking to Pearl a lot. Seeing Gene Waldron and Howard [Triche], you know what I mean? So as a freshman, I'm just trying to feel my way through everything. Like Derek Brower... I probably spent more time with Derek Brower [than anyone]... He was my ride, as a freshman, you know what I'm saying? He was my ride everywhere."
Thomas: "He's a character. He's so funny on Facebook."
Coleman: "A character, man! A great dude, but he is a character. But I spent a lot of times with him and Greg Monroe. Hhe actually gave me my nickname, Coast To Coast. Because people were always like, 'Why they call you Coast?' I say, 'Because I would grab the rebound and push it coast to coast. Greg Monroe gave me that nickname.' And it was always great having those guys motivate me just like I&rsquo;m sure it&rsquo;s great for Jesse to have you motivate him.
"But again, man, confidence is everything. And like you said, when I'm looking at Benny... Body language tells us everything. So when I'm sitting there watching the games, like we do, I see it. I see it in the kid&rsquo;s face. The way he looks, his whole body language. He's just like, 'Man, I'm just here.'"
Thomas: "I'm just here so I won&rsquo;t get fined."
Coleman: "Exactly! So I&rsquo;m like what&rsquo;s going on? You know what I'm saying? And again, I don't see nobody better than him or with more upside."
Thomas: "And you better believe there are other programs, especially around the DMV, that would love to have him. I'm sure Maryland is on the horn... If they are smart, they're on the horn talking to his parents like, 'Hey, you&rsquo;re not going to have to go through what you're going through there, over here.' I know it! Any coach should do that right now. So I'm a little bit doubtful [he returns]&hellip; I mean, he&rsquo;s always saying all the right things. The media keeps asking him and putting him on the spot, but what is he supposed to say to the media? I hate it here and I can&rsquo;t wait to get up outta here the first chance I get? But no, I don't have the confidence to say he's going to be back next year."
Coleman: "Me either. But why would he? Why would he come back to go through all of this stuff again that he did as a freshman? What&rsquo;s really gonna change, Coach? How are you gonna convince me that anything will be different?"
Thomas: "It&rsquo;s just unfortunate."
Coleman: "It&rsquo;s very unfortunate, because you&rsquo;re playing with a kid&rsquo;s life and he really has a chance to go to the next level. And now, you have this kid second-guessing himself out there and not even playing like himself anymore."
Thomas: "And like I said, I saw him in high school, the kid can play!"
Coleman: "I saw him too, he can go. Bounce, shoot, drive, defend, I saw him and said, 'Oh, he&rsquo;s gonna be special.' So now, he may be special for another school and that&rsquo;s terrible."
<img style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" src="https://cdn.basketballnews.com/images/story/body/violalogo1_lg.png" alt="" width="672" height="336" />
Looking to go to the hottest concerts, sports, theater &amp; family shows near you? Get 100% guaranteed tickets to more than 125,000 live events from TicketSmarter, the official ticket marketplace of BasketballNews.com.&nbsp;<a href="https://www.ticketsmarter.com/?utm_source=basketballnewscom&amp;utm_medium=tsaff&amp;utm_campaign=referral" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Order online now</a>!

Etan Thomas speaks with Derrick Coleman about the Syracuse men's basketball team and the future of Benny Williams.

Derrick Coleman isn't confident Benny Williams will be back next year

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) &mdash; Outside the victorious Dallas locker room, coach Jason Kidd had a little fun with Mavericks superstar Luka Doncic.
&ldquo;You almost had a triple-double,&rdquo; Kidd joked, referring to Donic's 34 points, 11 rebounds and nine turnovers.
The miscues didn't matter at the end, when Donic and Dallas did almost everything right.
Doncic converted two free throws with 7.9 seconds left, leading the Mavericks back from 21 down in the third quarter to stun the Golden State Warriors 107-101 on Sunday night.
New addition Spencer Dinwiddie scored 10 of his 24 points in the final period for Dallas.
&ldquo;We wanted to continue to have fight,&rdquo; Dinwiddie said.
Stephen Curry hit a 3-pointer with 10 seconds remaining and had 27 points and 10 assists in his first game at home since earning All-Star Game MVP honors, but the Warriors couldn't do enough on either end during crunch time as the Mavericks made all the big shots.
Doncic went 10 for 21 from the floor in the first of two matchups over five days between a pair of top-five NBA defenses: No. 1 Golden State and the fifth-ranked Mavericks. Dinwiddie scored five straight points midway through the fourth that got Dallas to 93-90.
Dorian Finney-Smith&rsquo;s 3 with 5:05 to go made it 94-93, then his putback at 3:21 gave Dallas the lead before Donic scored the next time down.
Andrew Wiggins added 18 points for Golden State and Kevon Looney grabbed 10 rebounds to go with eight points and five assists as Klay Thompson sat out with an illness after missing practice Saturday. The hope is he will be healthy to travel with the team.
"I think we let our offense dictate our energy and our spirit in the game," Looney said. "... We kind of folded when adversity hit."
Warriors rookie Jonathan Kuminga received a technical with 9:20 left for grabbing the rim after a goaltending call. Golden State couldn&rsquo;t deliver in what seemed set to be another commanding victory over Dallas after the Warriors snapped a four-game home losing streak to the Mavericks last month with a 130-92 rout.
Golden State has given away big leads in losing its last two home games after a 117-116 defeat to Denver on Feb. 16.
&ldquo;I think it's actually good to go through and feel it because this is what it feels like in the playoffs,&rdquo; coach Steve Kerr said. &ldquo;This is what it feels like when you're playing a really good team, the game's never over.&rdquo;
Curry was presented another time with his All-Star Game MVP trophy so the home fans could celebrate the reigning scoring champion's accomplishment: 16 3-pointers and 50 points. Vince Carter, who Curry admired while growing up in Toronto, handed him the hardware during a pregame ceremony.
The teams will meet again Thursday night in Dallas.
"Energy, effort, execution under pressure, that's the name of the game," Kerr said.
BERKELEY PROUD
Kidd visited his old campus at California in Berkeley on Saturday to see the Golden Bears beat rival Stanford 53-39, then also caught some of Cal's baseball game next-door against Illinois-Chicago and caught up with coach and friend Mike Neu.
&ldquo;It was good to be back on campus,&rdquo; Kidd said, joking how he has former Stanford star Dwight Powell on his roster.
<div class="mceNonEditable"><spike>&nbsp;</spike></div>
TIP-INS
Mavericks: Also sidelined for the Mavericks were G Trey Burke (sprained left shoulder), F Marquese Chriss (sore right knee) and G Frank Ntilikina (sprained right ankle). ... Dallas is 14-9 on the road against the Western Conference. ... Powell picked up his fourth foul at the 9:02 mark of the third.
Warriors: Jordan Poole was 0 for 7 and missed all four of his 3-point tries. ... C James Wiseman is scheduled to travel with the team on its upcoming four-game road trip and continue to be integrated into practices and scrimmages as he works back from right knee surgery last year. ... Andre Iguodala missed his fifth straight game with lower back tightness.
UP NEXT
Mavericks: At Los Angeles Lakers on Tuesday night.
Warriors: At Minnesota on Tuesday night.

Doncic converted two free throws with 7.9 seconds left, leading the Mavs back from 21 down in the 3Q to stun the Warriors 107-101.

Doncic leads big comeback, Mavericks stun Warriors 107-101

James Wiseman's recovery from a torn meniscus hasn't gone as planned.
After undergoing season-ending surgery last April, he has had multiple setbacks. In mid-December, he had a second procedure on his knee to remove loose fragments and reduce swelling.
While it's been a frustrating process, the 20-year-old did take a significant step toward returning on Saturday when he participated in his first non-contact practice since the injury occurred.
With that said, it's unclear when Wiseman will be able to return to the Golden State Warriors' lineup. Head coach Steve Kerr suggested that he may be out until this year's playoffs at the earliest.&nbsp;
"There's a chance that he could be playing come playoff time," Kerr <a href="https://twitter.com/Con_Chron/status/1490063863470911491" target="_blank" rel="noopener">told Connor Letourneau of the San Francisco Chronicle</a>. &ldquo;We don't really know what to expect... He practiced today and looked great."
<div class="mceNonEditable"><spike>&nbsp;</spike></div>
The No. 2 overall pick in the 2020 NBA Draft played 39 games as a rookie, averaging 11.5 points, 5.8 rebounds and 0.9 blocks, while shooting 51.9% from the field, 31.6% from three and 62.8% from the free-throw line. Wiseman was inconsistent last season, but that's to be expected since young centers typically have a harder time getting acclimated to the NBA and <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/why-big-men-take-more-time-to-develop-in-the-nba-than-guards-and-wings" target="_blank" rel="noopener">take longer to develop</a>.
&ldquo;[Returning to practice] was a good step for him,&rdquo; Warriors guard Damion Lee said, <a href="https://www.sfchronicle.com/sports/warriors/article/Warriors-James-Wiseman-enjoys-important-16834819.php" target="_blank" rel="noopener">per Letourneau</a>. &ldquo;The injury-rehab process, everything of that nature, I understand that; it&rsquo;s something I&rsquo;ve gone through in the past. So for him to just be back on the court, it was great. Just to see him happy, see him in good spirits.&rdquo;
Over the last year, Wiseman has said that he&rsquo;s watched a lot of film, worked on his footwork and lateral movements, and improved his upper- and lower-body strength. He has also been meditating and finding ways to "keep his mental sharp." He has spent a lot of time putting up shots and working on his form too.&nbsp;
&ldquo;I learned a lot from last year," Wiseman <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/james-wiseman-ready-to-make-big-strides-im-going-to-be-way-better" target="_blank" rel="noopener">told reporters</a> prior to the season. "Even though the injury sucks, it happens &mdash; but none of that gets me down because I'm strong. I can withstand anything... Without adversity, you can't grow. I just took that [injury], ran with it and made a positive out of it. And I'm going to be way better this year because I learned all that last year.&rdquo;

James Wiseman returned to practice for the first time since tearing his meniscus, but it's unclear when he'll make his season debut.

Steve Kerr: James Wiseman 'could be playing come playoff time'

NEW YORK &ndash; The National Basketball Association (NBA) today unveiled its lineup of newly designed NBA All-Star trophies in celebration of the league&rsquo;s 75th Anniversary Season. &nbsp;Designed in partnership with artist Victor Solomon, the trophies will be presented for the first time during NBA All-Star 2022 in Cleveland. &nbsp;The lineup of hardware is headlined by The Kobe Bryant Trophy, which will be awarded to the Kia NBA All-Star Game MVP on Sunday, Feb. 20 at 8 p.m. ET on TNT.
&ldquo;As the NBA celebrates its 75th Anniversary Season, this collection of All-Star trophies represents the continued growth and evolution of our game,&rdquo; said Christopher Arena, Head of On-Court and Brand Partnerships at the NBA. &nbsp;&ldquo;Through our collaboration with Victor Solomon, these trophies incorporate deep storytelling, reimagining our previous All-Star trophies in a modern aesthetic, and now serve as the new standards of excellence that future generations of All-Stars will strive to reach each year.&rdquo;
Solomon&rsquo;s work in this space includes his &ldquo;Literally Balling&rdquo; project, where he explores the icons and symbols of basketball as a platform for conceptual storytelling. &nbsp;His art has detailed the high process techniques involved in creating and designing stained glass basketball backboards, crystal basketballs and cast ceramic basketballs reconstructed with a Kintsugi process, and has been exhibited in New York, Los Angeles, Paris and Shanghai.
&ldquo;For the past few years, the NBA and I have proudly and tirelessly worked to reconsider what a trophy is, has been and could be,&rdquo; said Victor Solomon. &ldquo;Redesigning the All-Star trophies gave us a special opportunity to create event awards worthy of the energy and excitement the moment creates, while introducing the full collection&rsquo;s visual, aesthetic language. The occasion also gave us the privilege and responsibility to develop an entirely new silhouette worthy of being named &lsquo;The Kobe Bryant Trophy&rsquo; for the Kia NBA All-Star MVP for which, in the spirit of its namesake, we threw out all conventions and challenged ourselves to reorient how we thought about &lsquo;the game.&rsquo;&rdquo;
TNT will unveil the All-Star Game reserves (seven players from each conference), as selected by NBA head coaches, and showcase the new NBA All-Star trophies tonight at 7 p.m. ET on TNT NBA Tip-Off presented by CarMax.
Commemorating the league&rsquo;s most notable achievements at NBA All-Star, each trophy boasts an elevated design, fit with intricate elements symbolizing the milestone that each award represents. &nbsp;The NBA All-Star trophies include:
The Kobe Bryant Trophy &ndash; Awarded to the Kia NBA All-Star MVP
As previously announced by NBA Commissioner Adam Silver in 2020, the NBA All-Star Game MVP trophy has been permanently named for the late Kobe Bryant, an 18-time All-Star who won a record-tying four Kia All-Star Game MVP awards. &nbsp;

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

<img style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" src="https://cdn.basketballnews.com/images/story/body/victory_aswmvp_nf-scaled_lg.jpg" alt="" width="549" height="549" />
The new Kobe Bryant Trophy further celebrates its namesake, with intricate details holding dual meanings, both for NBA All-Star and Bryant&rsquo;s legendary career, which include the following:
<ul>
<li>Base Dimension: The eight-sided base represents the eight decades of NBA All-Star Games and is a nod to Bryant&rsquo;s No. 8 jersey number. The 18 stars around the trophy represent his 18 All-Star selections.&nbsp; The base height of 2 inches is a nod to Bryant&rsquo;s 2002 Kia NBA All-Star MVP.</li>
<li>Level 1: The 24 stars represent each All-Star in the game and Bryant&rsquo;s No. 24 jersey number. The 7-inch height is a nod to Bryant&rsquo;s 2007 Kia NBA All-Star MVP.</li>
<li>Level 2: The 10 stars represent the All-Star Game starters and Bryant&rsquo;s USA Basketball No. 10 jersey. The 9-inch height is a nod to Bryant&rsquo;s 2009 Kia NBA All-Star MVP.</li>
<li>Level 3: The five stars represent the unity of an NBA team and Bryant&rsquo;s five NBA championships. The 11-inch height is a nod to his 2011 Kia NBA All-Star MVP.</li>
<li>Level 4: A single star represents the star of stars and Bryant winning The Maurice Podoloff Trophy for the 2007-08 Kia NBA MVP. The 2-inch height of the final star represents Bryant&rsquo;s two Bill Russell Trophies as the NBA Finals MVP (2009-2010).</li>
</ul>
NBA All-Star Events:
In addition to The Kobe Bryant Trophy, the following NBA All-Star events will crown their respective champion or MVP with a newly designed trophy:
<ul>
<li>AT&amp;T Slam Dunk Champion</li>
<li>MTN DEW&reg; 3-Point Contest Champion</li>
<li>Taco Bell Skills Challenge Champion</li>
<li>Clorox Rising Stars MVP</li>
</ul>
These trophies take inspiration from the gold-basketball All-Star trophies that had been previously awarded to the event champions, infusing nostalgia from the past trophies and spinning them forward with a new, innovative approach.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-theme="dark">
In addition to The Kobe Bryant Trophy, the following NBA All-Star events will crown their respective champion or MVP with a newly designed trophy: AT&amp;T Slam Dunk Champion MTN DEW&reg; 3-Point Contest Champion Taco Bell Skills Challenge Champion Clorox Rising Stars MVP <a href="https://t.co/t0LzP552yF">https://t.co/t0LzP552yF</a> <a href="https://t.co/kDhYJlAYmO">pic.twitter.com/kDhYJlAYmO</a>
&mdash; NBA Communications (@NBAPR) <a href="https://twitter.com/NBAPR/status/1489254418931339271?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 3, 2022</a></blockquote>

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

Each trophy is composed of the following:
<ul>
<li>A 14-inch crystal star-shaped column.</li>
<li>A 24-karat gold basketball embedded within the column, which is surrounded by orbiting text of the respective event and honor.</li>
</ul>
NBA All-Star Game Rings:
As is custom since 1983, NBA All-Star rings are awarded to players in recognition of their selection to the game. &nbsp;
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-theme="dark">
More... NBA All-Star Game Rings: As is custom since 1983, NBA All-Star rings are awarded to players in recognition of their selection to the game. Clorox Rising Stars Champions: The winning team of the Clorox Rising Stars will receive medals. <a href="https://t.co/jsOqZHzaBa">https://t.co/jsOqZHzaBa</a> <a href="https://t.co/XBnlYJZifS">pic.twitter.com/XBnlYJZifS</a>
&mdash; NBA Communications (@NBAPR) <a href="https://twitter.com/NBAPR/status/1489256842869960710?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 3, 2022</a></blockquote>

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

Design details of the latest rings include:
<ul>
<li>The ring&rsquo;s frame resembles a basketball seam.</li>
<li>The NBA All-Star host city and year is etched on the side of the band.</li>
<li>A crystal ball is embedded in the ring seam, with the All-Star host city and year magnified underneath.</li>
<li>The crystal ball is surrounded by 22 stars and 22 diamonds, in reference to the current All-Star year.</li>
</ul>
Clorox Rising Stars Champions:
The winning team of the Clorox Rising Stars will receive medals that are elevated by basketball seams, with &ldquo;Champions&rdquo; and stars engraved in the center. &nbsp;In addition, two players from each Rising Stars team will compete in the Clorox Clutch Challenge, with the winning team set to receive a 10-inch crystal disc.
Ruffles NBA All-Star Celebrity Game MVP:
The Ruffles NBA All-Star Celebrity Game will award an MVP trophy fit for the game that features stars across film, television, music, sports and more. &nbsp;The trophy will consist of the following:
<ul>
<li>A 250-millimeter faceted crystal ball.</li>
<li>&ldquo;MVP&rdquo; is 3D laser etched and suspended in the ball&rsquo;s center.</li>
</ul>

The NBA has unveiled its lineup of newly designed NBA All-Star trophies in celebration of the league’s 75th Anniversary Season.

NBA unveils reimagined Kobe Bryant Trophy for 2022 All-Star Game MVP

NEW YORK (AP) &mdash; Miles Bridges made sure LaMelo Ball wasn&rsquo;t missed.
Bridges scored a career-high 38 points and grabbed 12 rebounds, leading the Charlotte Hornets to a 97-87 victory over the New York Knicks on Monday.
Terry Rozier added 22 points. He and Bridges combined to outscore the Knicks by themselves in the first half as Charlotte bounced back nicely from a loss to Orlando that ended its four-game winning streak.
Ball was ill but the Hornets didn&rsquo;t need their flashy point guard, with Bridges driving them to a strong start. He scored 28 points in the first half.
&ldquo;He was awesome tonight. High-level performance. His confidence, the spirit he played with, led us to this victory,&rdquo; Charlotte coach James Borrego said. &ldquo;I thought Terry controlled the game as well. Miles and Terry together controlled that game, but Miles was fantastic.&rdquo;
<div class="Component-dfp-0-2-142">&nbsp;</div>
Rozier had 17 in the first half, when Charlotte led 62-44.
Julius Randle and RJ Barrett each scored 18 points for the Knicks, who had their three-game winning streak snapped.
Ball was listed as questionable with an illness unrelated to COVID-19, but the Hornets said just before the start that he was available to play. Ball sat on the bench with his teammates to watch the impressive performances by Bridges and Rozier.
Bridges was 7 for 8 in the first quarter for 22 points. The Knicks barely outscored him, with Charlotte leading 34-23.
&ldquo;LaMelo, he usually brings that aggression for us and we go as he goes, so somebody had to pick up the slack,&rdquo; Bridges said. &ldquo;So I wanted to go out there and be aggressive from the jump and T-Ro started being aggressive and Gordon (Hayward), so it was like a domino effect.&rdquo;
Bridges started the second quarter on the bench and the Knicks immediately ran off seven straight points to get within four. The Hornets called time, put Bridges back in after barely a two-minute break, and quickly regained control.
Bridges had the last three baskets of an 8-0 run that extended the lead to 45-33, a lead that grew to 18 at halftime after Rozier made 3-pointers for their final two baskets.
&ldquo;I think if you look at, honestly, the rest of the game, especially in the second half, we played well,&rdquo; Barrett said, noting the Knicks held the Hornets to 35 points after halftime.
&ldquo;So it was really just that first half, especially that first quarter.&rdquo;
Bridges, who shot 14 for 20, made a 3-pointer late in the third that gave Charlotte its biggest lead at 86-63. He got the basket that tied his previous high of 35 in the fourth quarter with a spectacular baseline drive and reverse scoop that had teammates grinning.
TIP-INS
Hornets: Hayward scored 16 points. .... Bridges has seven 30-point games this season. He had three in his first three seasons. ... Kelly Oubre was out because of health and safety protocols.
Knicks: Point guard Kemba Walker missed his ninth straight game with a sore left knee. ... Coach Tom Thibodeau celebrated his 64th birthday. ... Mayor Eric Adams addressed the crowd on Martin Luther King Jr. Day before the game, saying that just as &ldquo;Dr. King wanted the ball in his hands&rdquo; during the civil rights movement, New Yorkers wanted it now to lead the recovery from the coronavirus pandemic. &ldquo;Let&rsquo;s win this for Team New York and Team America,&rdquo; Adams said.
HOT HALF
The Hornets said that Bridges was just the fourth Charlotte player in the last 25 years with at least 28 points in a first half, and two have come against the Knicks in the last two seasons.
Hayward also had 28 against New York in Charlotte on Jan. 11, 2021. Walker had 35 against Memphis on March 22, 2018, while Glen Rice had 28 against Phoenix on Feb. 19, 1997.
UP NEXT
Hornets: Visit Boston on Wednesday.
Knicks: Host Minnesota on Tuesday.
___
More NBA:&nbsp;<a class="" href="https://apnews.com/hub/nba">https://apnews.com/hub/nba</a>&nbsp;and&nbsp;<a class="" href="https://twitter.com/AP_Sports" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">https://twitter.com/AP_Sports</a>

Bridges and Terry Rozier combined to outscore the Knicks by themselves in the first half.

Miles Bridges scores 38, Hornets beat Knicks without LaMelo Ball

NEW YORK (AP) &mdash; Miles Bridges made sure LaMelo Ball wasn't missed.
Bridges scored a career-high 38 points and grabbed 12 rebounds, leading the Charlotte Hornets to a 97-87 victory over the New York Knicks on Monday.
Terry Rozier added 22 points. He and Bridges combined to outscore the Knicks by themselves in the first half as Charlotte bounced back nicely from a loss to Orlando that ended its four-game winning streak.
Ball was ill but the Hornets didn't need their flashy point guard, with Bridges driving them to a strong start. He scored 28 points in the first half.
&ldquo;He was awesome tonight. High-level performance. His confidence, the spirit he played with, led us to this victory,&rdquo; Charlotte coach James Borrego said. &ldquo;I thought Terry controlled the game as well. Miles and Terry together controlled that game, but Miles was fantastic.&rdquo;
Rozier had 17 in the first half, when Charlotte led 62-44.
Julius Randle and RJ Barrett each scored 18 points for the Knicks, who had their three-game winning streak snapped.
Ball was listed as questionable with an illness unrelated to COVID-19, but the Hornets said just before the start that he was available to play. Ball sat on the bench with his teammates to watch the impressive performances by Bridges and Rozier.
Bridges was 7 for 8 in the first quarter for 22 points. The Knicks barely outscored him, with Charlotte leading 34-23.
&ldquo;LaMelo, he usually brings that aggression for us and we go as he goes, so somebody had to pick up the slack,&rdquo; Bridges said. &ldquo;So I wanted to go out there and be aggressive from the jump and T-Ro started being aggressive and Gordon (Hayward), so it was like a domino effect.&rdquo;
Bridges started the second quarter on the bench and the Knicks immediately ran off seven straight points to get within four. The Hornets called time, put Bridges back in after barely a two-minute break, and quickly regained control.
Bridges had the last three baskets of an 8-0 run that extended the lead to 45-33, a lead that grew to 18 at halftime after Rozier made 3-pointers for their final two baskets.
&ldquo;I think if you look at, honestly, the rest of the game, especially in the second half, we played well,&rdquo; Barrett said, noting the Knicks held the Hornets to 35 points after halftime.
&ldquo;So it was really just that first half, especially that first quarter.&rdquo;
Bridges, who shot 14 for 20, made a 3-pointer late in the third that gave Charlotte its biggest lead at 86-63. He got the basket that tied his previous high of 35 in the fourth quarter with a spectacular baseline drive and reverse scoop that had teammates grinning.
TIP-INS
Hornets: Hayward scored 16 points. .... Bridges has seven 30-point games this season. He had three in his first three seasons. ... Kelly Oubre was out because of health and safety protocols.
Knicks: Point guard Kemba Walker missed his ninth straight game with a sore left knee. ... Coach Tom Thibodeau celebrated his 64th birthday. ... Mayor Eric Adams addressed the crowd on Martin Luther King Jr. Day before the game, saying that just as &ldquo;Dr. King wanted the ball in his hands" during the civil rights movement, New Yorkers wanted it now to lead the recovery from the coronavirus pandemic. &ldquo;Let&rsquo;s win this for Team New York and Team America,&rdquo; Adams said.
HOT HALF
The Hornets said that Bridges was just the fourth Charlotte player in the last 25 years with at least 28 points in a first half, and two have come against the Knicks in the last two seasons.
Hayward also had 28 against New York in Charlotte on Jan. 11, 2021. Walker had 35 against Memphis on March 22, 2018, while Glen Rice had 28 against Phoenix on Feb. 19, 1997.
UP NEXT
Hornets: Visit Boston on Wednesday.
Knicks: Host Minnesota on Tuesday.

Miles Bridges scored a career-high 38 points and grabbed 12 rebounds, leading the Hornets to a 97-87 victory over the Knicks.

Bridges scores 38, Hornets beat Knicks without Ball

The&nbsp;<a class="c-link" tabindex="-1" href="https://www.basketballnetwork.net/joel-embiid-calls-once-rivaled-boston-celtics-easy/" target="_blank" rel="noopener" data-stringify-link="https://www.basketballnetwork.net/giannis-antetokounmpo-shares-why-he-doesnt-associate-or-practice-with-other-nba-players-in-the-offseason/" data-sk="tooltip_parent" data-remove-tab-index="true">following article</a>&nbsp;first appeared on&nbsp;<a class="c-link" tabindex="-1" href="http://basketballnetwork.net/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" data-stringify-link="http://BasketballNetwork.net" data-sk="tooltip_parent" data-remove-tab-index="true">BasketballNetwork.net</a>:
Someone should tell Joel Embiid that it&rsquo;s not fair to kick someone when they&rsquo;re already down &mdash; because after he led a blowout win over the bumbling Boston Celtics, Embiid dropped a truth bomb on the very team that sent him home in two playoff series.
Embiid is not impressed by the Celtics
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-theme="dark">
Joel Embiid, on their improved defensive execution tonight: "Charlotte, they move the ball extremely well and they have shooters all over the place, and they made a bunch of jump shots. Boston is more of an iso heavy team, so it becomes easier to load up and try to stop them."
&mdash; Derek Bodner (@DerekBodnerNBA) <a href="https://twitter.com/DerekBodnerNBA/status/1482194963421138945?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 15, 2022</a></blockquote>

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

Does it hurt more for the fans of Boston that he was being brutally honest? If he was just trolling for a funny reaction, at least then you know the comment is a little distorted. Hell, you can ever fire a shot back. But in this instance, he&rsquo;s purely pointing out the harsh reality &mdash; leaving Celtics fans tongue-tied without a comeback.
Sitting at 22-22, just outside of participating in the NBA's play-in tournament, the Celtics have been a disaster, with blown leads (most in NBA), weekly vacancies due to health and safety protocols (most in league) and an onslaught of public inter-team callouts (their own coach leads this category).
The worst of these callouts came from their starting point guard, Marcus Smart, who expressed his displeasure about the lack of ball movement and reliance on isolation plays. Shocker, I know. &nbsp;
&ldquo;Every team knows we&rsquo;re trying to go to Jayson and Jaylen. Every team is programmed and studied to stop Jayson and Jaylen. I think everybody&rsquo;s scouting report is to make those guys pass the ball&hellip; They don&rsquo;t want to pass the ball. That&rsquo;s something that they&rsquo;re going to learn. They&rsquo;re still learning,&rdquo; said Smart after the Celtics became the first team ever to blow a 14-point fourth quarter lead. They would then lose by 14 points against the Bulls in an early November game.&rdquo;
Good to see they haven&rsquo;t changed!
No real synergy in the way they play
With the flames getting higher with each passing week, the Boston Celtics have made it clear they have no interest in <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/the-case-against-and-for-separating-jayson-tatum-and-jaylen-brown" target="_blank" rel="noopener">splitting up the All-Star duo of Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown</a>, <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/celtics-have-no-interest-in-trading-jayson-tatum-or-jaylen-brown" target="_blank" rel="noopener">according to Shams Charania of The Athletic</a>. No one is calling for that drastic move but, clearly, something needs to be done.&nbsp;
According to NBA advanced stats, the Celtics <a href="https://www.nba.com/stats/teams/isolation/?sort=POSS_PCT&amp;dir=1" target="_blank" rel="noopener">rank third in isolation plays</a>. They are also the only team in the NBA with three players in the top-45 most frequent iso players. Tatum is third. This makes their game not only stagnant and more easily defendable &mdash; it's also boring for the players. No one wants to commit to a spiritless system of waiting around for one guy to make his move. The fact that we know that means explosive free agents do, too.
There are a hundred different ways to explain why the Boston team that wiped the floor with Joel Embiid two playoffs ago is now a helpless second-rate team fighting for a play-in tournament chance &mdash; but the stylistic dynamic of Brown and Tatum, which is the reason for the predictable iso play, could be the biggest reason.&nbsp;
Their two best guys don&rsquo;t complement each other, past Tatum sometimes getting doubled and trying to find Brown. They share similar heights, so they don&rsquo;t benefit from swapping defenders. That&rsquo;s why they play like they're in a game of 21, because they have an understanding of that avenue as a way to work off each other.&nbsp;
They should start turning a corner a bit, since they now have the seventh easiest schedule <a href="https://www.tankathon.com/remaining_schedule_strength" target="_blank" rel="noopener">according to Tankathon</a>. But their fundamental problem won&rsquo;t perish without a great point guard to create plays and get others more involved. Until then, this will likely not be the only rib shot the team and its fans must endure.&nbsp;
Check out more articles from BasketballNetwork.net&nbsp;<a href="https://www.basketballnetwork.net/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">here</a>.

Joel Embiid delivered a ruthless shot of truth about the Celtics' offensive style.

Joel Embiid calls once-rival Celtics 'easy'

It&rsquo;s been 941 days since Klay Thompson has played an NBA game, as he's been rehabbing a torn ACL and a torn Achilles&rsquo; tendon. But Sunday night was &ldquo;Klay Day,&rdquo; as he made his much anticipated return to the floor at the Chase Center for the Golden State Warriors against the Cleveland Cavaliers.&nbsp;
The crowd erupted as Klay was being announced as a starter for the first time in over two-and-a-half years; you could see the focus on his face, and his teammates visibly wanted to see him get going.
Less than a minute into the game, Thompson came off a screen for <a href="https://twitter.com/NBA/status/1480354986257231875?s=20" target="_blank" rel="noopener">a floater on his first attempt</a>. And a few moments later, he hit his first three-pointer to surpass 12,000 career points.&nbsp;
Later, he drove the lane, got in between two different Cavs big men and dunked, which caused the fans and the Warriors' bench to explode.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-theme="dark">
🤯 KLAY THOMPSON JUST DROPPED THE HAMMER 🤯 Watch Free on NBA TV <a href="https://t.co/ksffv6abBV">pic.twitter.com/ksffv6abBV</a>
&mdash; NBA (@NBA) <a href="https://twitter.com/NBA/status/1480365901321060356?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 10, 2022</a></blockquote>

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

And for the rest of the game, every time he touched the ball, Dub Nation was ready to erupt. This was definitely a long time coming.&nbsp;
With the basketball world collectively applauding Thompson's return, I reached out to his former coach Mark Jackson to get his reaction on Klay's big night and 17-point performance.
<img style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" src="https://cdn.basketballnews.com/images/story/body/usatsi_7679368_lg.png" alt="" width="650" height="325" />
Etan Thomas: How do you feel seeing Klay Thompson battle his way back to the court after two-and-a-half years?&nbsp;
Mark Jackson: "Yeah, I can speak as far as a guy that once had the privilege of coaching him. I also had the privilege of calling games where he's won championships and have great moments, and also as a fan of basketball. I think it's tremendous to have him back. It truly is an awesome opportunity to see him back. The game missed him, he missed the game a tremendous amount. But I think at the same time, we missed him, and I say that because they don't make them like Klay Thompson. He's a guy that's passionate, [has an] incredible competitive spirit, [is] incredibly driven to be great and never satisfied. I think we need more players and more people like him. It's going to be exciting to have him back."
Etan: I think that his battle back from his injuries is really inspirational for younger athletes as well, because they're going to go through series or times when they have injuries. But having the strength, and the courage, and the wherewithal to battle back...
Jackson: "He has documented it at different stages during the course of his rehab, and I think he documented it to the benefit of those that are going through similar injuries. And not just on the court, but battles in life in general. He's a guy that has fought, scratched and clawed, and did everything he possibly can to see [Sunday night], the opportunity to be back on the court. And I'm proud of him, and I think he's a tremendous example of how to stick with it."
Etan: When you coached him, you saw that he was going to be great. And you called it, you said him [and Steph Curry] were going to be one of the greatest duos of all time at a young age. What is it that you saw in him and Steph that made you make that statement even at a young age for them?
Jackson: "Both guys, you don't have to beg them to get on the court. You don't have to beg them to come into the gym. They had incredible talent, incredible gifts, and it was matched with an incredible desire to be great. I don't care where you were &mdash; whether it's in an arena in front of 20,000, or an empty gym with 10 dudes &mdash; if you roll the ball out on the floor, Steph Curry and Klay Thompson are going to be ready to play, and they're going to get shots up, and if it's just two of them, they're going to play 1-on-1, and get shots up... and if other guys are willing, they're going to play 5-on-5. But you don't to have to beg them to get into the gym. They had it from day one, and the credit goes to the Curry family and the Thompson family. Great genes, for tremendous... not just all-time great champions, but all-time great guys when it comes to pros in this game."
<div class="mceNonEditable"><spike>&nbsp;</spike></div>
Etan: Talk about how coachable Klay was, because I've heard that a lot about him. And Steph Curry, honestly, that as incredibly talented as they are, they were always coachable. I think that's another thing that's a good example for young talented players coming up in middle school and high school to be able to see.&nbsp;
Jackson: "Those guys did a tremendous job doing their job, and leading, setting examples, and never had a moment where they answered back or rolled their eyes on me. We both played in this game. Never missed an assignment, or 'Was it your fault,' or 'It was my fault, my bad.' I'll be the first to acknowledge that, just tremendous, tremendous pros. I've been around, I had the privilege to play for 17 years. I was a fan for so many years, and I've covered the game for so many years. Those guys are absolutely pros, and they allow you to do your job, and they do a tremendous job of allowing the culture to be developed by not being full of themselves."
Etan: There's another thing I was really impressed by with Klay Thompson. When you're going through injuries, especially going through as long of a time that he has been out with injuries, you have a lot of naysayers, a lot of people who say, "Okay, he might be done. He might not ever play again." All the different negative things that you hear. But apparently, he's ignored all of that and really persevered through. What message does that say about his character as well?
Jackson: "I will say, don't let him trick you. What I mean by that is... We've seen the Jordan documentary, where he uses everything as fuel, no matter if it's a reporter, or a teammate or the opposition. But when you're talking about Steph Curry and Klay Thompson, it's the same thing. They don't tell you, but they use that as fuel. With Klay being upset that he wasn't one of the top-75 players of all-time &mdash; rightfully so &mdash; he uses that as fuel. They see and hear everything, and it's an incredible testament to the toughness, the competitive drive and the willingness to want to be great."
Etan: Klay Thompson is somebody who is really beloved by a lot of fans, a lot of people. Talk about the joy and how good it is for the NBA, for him to be back, how much of a good story it is.
Jackson: "It's a phenomenal story. I think because we watched him grow from day one, we watched him become a champion, and we want a story. Part of a great story, a great movie, a great book, is facing adversity, and Klay Thompson has faced adversity. Two major, major injuries. The fans of basketball are rooting for him. We watched him fight, scratch and claw, put himself in position, and today, it's almost like a sigh of relief, but it's not just that. It's a celebration, having him back. He needs the game, but just as important, the game needs Klay Thompson, because of the pro and the person he is. Not just his talent, but what he's all about. I salute him, and I'm going to be watching and cheering him on this entire season."
<img src="https://cdn.basketballnews.com/images/story/body/violalogo1_lg.png" alt="" width="676" height="338" />

Etan Thomas reached out to former Warriors head coach Mark Jackson to get his reaction regarding Klay Thompson's return.

Former Warriors coach Mark Jackson happy to see Klay Thompson back

Brandon Ingram scored 31 points, Josh Hart hit two clutch 3-pointers in the second half to thwart an Orlando rally, and the New Orleans Pelicans beat the Magic 110-104 on Thursday night.
The Pelicans have won four straight and five of six. New Orleans started the season 1-12 but is 11-9 since.
&ldquo;What it really says is how much they trust in each other and trust in the coaching staff,&rdquo; Pelicans coach Willie Green said. &ldquo;They just trust what we&rsquo;re doing and we take that seriously. We come in with a consistent message &mdash; win, lose or draw &mdash; that this is how we&rsquo;re going to play. The guys are buying into that.&rdquo;
Hart scored 22 points and hit two straight 3s after Orlando had climbed within 93-90 with 5 minutes remaining. Devonte Graham added 20 points and five 3-pointers for the Pelicans, who improved to 6-12 on the road. Ingram hit 12 of 23 shots and topped 30 points for the fifth time this season.
&ldquo;Thank God we got the lead to 20 early because they just kept chipping away and getting stops,&rdquo; said Graham, whose final 3-pointer came after Orlando got within 99-97. &ldquo;But (Ingram) does what (Ingram) does and Josh was making big plays and hitting shots and everybody off the bench was contributing.&rdquo;
Cole Anthony returned after missing three games with a sprained ankle to score 22 points for the Magic, who also got 22 points from Gary Harris. Franz Wagner scored 20 points and Wendell Carter Jr., who had missed the previous two games with a right leg strain, had 17 points and 12 rebounds.
Orlando&rsquo;s only lead of the night came at 2-0. New Orleans led by 12 at halftime, and Ingram scored the Pelicans&rsquo; first 12 points of the second half to extend the advantage to 65-45.
Later, Ingram made the Magic pay for trapping him by finding Hart and Graham for open 3s.
&ldquo;They started to blitz Brandon and he did a good job of getting off the ball and making the simple play,&rdquo; Green said. &ldquo;Our shooters knocked down some big shots for us.&rdquo;
Orlando got within 83-78 by the start of the fourth quarter thanks to a 31-14 burst.
&ldquo;Ingram came out hot early and we made our adjustments to get it out of his hands, and that got us turned up a little bit,&rdquo; Orlando coach Jamahl Mosley said. &ldquo;What we were trying to avoid (was) giving up the 3s. But that&rsquo;s what happens sometimes with the traps.&rdquo;
RISING ROOKIE
While Jalen Suggs has been out of action the past three weeks with a fractured right thumb, Wagner, the Magic&rsquo;s other first-round pick, has thrived for the injury-ravaged team.
The No. 8 overall pick out of Michigan came into Thursday ranked third among NBA rookies in scoring (14.9 points per game), fourth in steals (1.1) and seventh in rebounds (4.7).
&ldquo;The thing that sticks out the most, other than his IQ, is his competitive spirit,&rdquo; Mosley said. &ldquo;He wants to do things right at all times and he&rsquo;s hard on himself. It&rsquo;s his IQ and that competitive edge that he carries.&rdquo;
TIP-INS
Pelicans: Already hit hard by injuries, New Orleans took a few more hits on Thursday with starters Jonas Valanciunas (non-COVID-19 illness) and Nickeil Alexander-Walker (health and safety protocols) and reserve Naji Marshall (protocols) out of action. Valanciunas came into Thursday second in the NBA in rebounds and first in second-chance points per game.
Magic: Mosley said R.J. Hampton is out of the health and safety protocols, but won&rsquo;t return until he gets in time to work on his conditioning. ... Actor Chase Stokes (&ldquo;Outer Banks&rdquo;) and former Magic point guard Carlos Arroyo sat courtside.
UP NEXT
Pelicans: At Oklahoma City on Sunday night.
Magic: At Miami on Sunday night.

Brandon Ingram scored 31 points and Josh Hart hit two clutch three-pointers in the second half to thwart an Orlando rally.

Ingram, Hart lead Pelicans past Magic for 4th straight win

Memphis Grizzlies star point guard Ja Morant, who returned to the lineup tonight after missing the previous 12 games due to a sprained left knee, heard some pretty harsh words from courtside fans about the Grizzlies' lackluster performance in his return.
Memphis went a surprising 10-2 with Morant on the sidelines, playing their best basketball of the young season during that stretch. The Grizzlies led the NBA in an array of defensive categories with Morant sidelined, including holding the league's best defensive rating in the month of December.&nbsp;
Morant put up 16 points, 8 assists and 6 rebounds in just under 30 minutes of action, and he was also active defensively, registering two steals and a block against the Oklahoma City Thunder. The Grizzlies played another great game defensively, but for the second-straight night, Memphis struggled to shoot the ball (as they converted on just 39% of their field goal attempts). This eventually cost them the game, as they fell 99-102 to the Thunder, whom they beat by an NBA record 73 points several weeks ago.
During his postgame press conference, Morant said that some Grizzlies fans were telling him he should sit back out, according to <a href="https://dailymemphian.com/section/sportsmemphis-grizzlies/article/26069/ja-morant-frustrated-by-criticism-of-fans" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Drew Hill of the Daily Memphian</a>.
"It&rsquo;s frustrating for me, watching this team while I was out and the type of basketball they were playing,&rdquo; Morant <a href="https://dailymemphian.com/section/sportsmemphis-grizzlies/article/26069/ja-morant-frustrated-by-criticism-of-fans" target="_blank" rel="noopener">said</a>. &ldquo;We beat this team by 73, and then we lose the day I come back against this team.&nbsp;It&rsquo;s frustrating. I was already in my head coming back out and trusting my knee after missing 12 games.&nbsp;Basketball is my escape, I feel at my best when I play. So, it&rsquo;s really frustrating.
"Even during the game, I was running down the court and I heard some of my fans courtside tell me I need to sit back out. So, I just don&rsquo;t understand what they wanted to get out of that. I feel like that just makes it worse.&rdquo;
Morant was clearly frustrated about the comments.
&ldquo;It&rsquo;s a lot, man. I&rsquo;m excited to be back and I&rsquo;m thankful for my teammates because they have tried to keep my spirits up and tell me not to worry about what people say. But, it&rsquo;s hard not to see that stuff," Morant said, <a href="https://dailymemphian.com/section/sportsmemphis-grizzlies/article/26069/ja-morant-frustrated-by-criticism-of-fans" target="_blank" rel="noopener">per Hill</a>. "I mean, it&rsquo;s easy when I see it, but when I&rsquo;m running down the court midgame and hear it from the people that were chanting 'M-V-P' a while ago, it&rsquo;s frustrating.
"I&rsquo;m just frustrated. Normally &mdash; y&rsquo;all have seen it &mdash; when anybody says something negative about me, it fuels me. But, tonight, the remarks from the fans actually hurt. I&rsquo;m going to do what I normally do and bounce back and I&rsquo;m very excited for this next game.&rdquo;
It's surprising that Grizzlies fans would say this to Morant, who at 22 years old and in his third NBA season has already become the face of the franchise and just led Memphis back to the playoffs last year, defeating Stephen Curry and the Golden State Warriors on the road in a play-in game. Morant is easily already one of the NBA's most exciting players to watch with his jaw-dropping finishes at the basket and pin-point passes.
Teammate and second-year guard Desmond Bane, who is also in the midst of a breakout season, defended Morant, <a href="https://twitter.com/sbngrizzlies/status/1473145727312408579?s=21" target="_blank" rel="noopener">saying</a>: &ldquo;We know what kind of player Ja is, and I think everyone knows what kind of player he is. An All-Star. He hasn&rsquo;t played in a month. Throw anyone out there without being out there for a month, and they won&rsquo;t be themselves. And he played solid!&rdquo;
Bane went on to say the idea that the Grizzlies might be better without Ja is &ldquo;nonsense" and that Ja gets picked on because he&rsquo;s a star and an easy target.&nbsp;
&ldquo;He will be in Memphis as long as he wants to be," Bane <a href="https://twitter.com/sbnGrizzlies/status/1473146194050396162" target="_blank" rel="noopener">added</a>. "It's his franchise."
Bottom line, the NBA season is too long to overreact to one game, especially when it was a player's first game back in almost four weeks. Memphis fans need to be better and realize Morant is arguably already the best/most impactful player the team has had in franchise history. Morant has made it clear he loves the city, but Memphis needs to show that same love back.

Ja Morant said courtside fans were telling him to sit back out after a lackluster performance from the Grizzlies in his return.

Ja Morant 'hurt' by fans telling him to sit back out as Grizzlies lose

If you haven&rsquo;t heard by now, you will soon: the Cleveland Cavaliers are coming for you.
Seemingly in the blink of an eye, the wine-and-golders have gone from lovable underdogs to unforgiving bullies. Through 30 games, over one-third of the way into the 2021-22 campaign, the Cavs boast an 18-12 record &mdash; probably the most misleading in the NBA, an absolute undersell &mdash; with one of the top average margins of victory in the league.
Using cliches and &ldquo;broken-record coach speak&rdquo; as J.B. Bickerstaff lightheartedly says before answering our repetitive comments of praise, you can&rsquo;t single out anyone as the sole reason for such a dramatic turnaround. Everyone has collectively bought in &mdash; from the returning players who &ldquo;took a lot of ass whoopings&rdquo; to the new ones who came in looking to advance a process.
Pun definitely intended, these Cavs will let you know, and fast. Jumping out to double-digit leads quickly. Punching you square in the mouth to close first halves. Putting you on the wrong end of the highlight reel. Not only do they feel like they belong, they expect to win.&nbsp;
No matter who they&rsquo;re up against. No matter who&rsquo;s on the floor for them. No matter the situation.
&ldquo;It&rsquo;s giving us confidence just knowing we can beat some of the best teams in this league. I think we&rsquo;re one of &lsquo;em, to be honest with you,&rdquo; Darius Garland said after a win over the Chicago Bulls last week. &ldquo;We&rsquo;ve just got to bring that confidence, bring that intensity every game. Just stay with it, just keep being us. Bring the scrap every night, listen to the coaching staff and keep playing Cavaliers basketball.&rdquo;
There were times in the past few years when Cleveland looked like it began to put things together... in stretches. But an injury here, a setback there, an interruption, a roster change &mdash; it never sustained. At this point, we&rsquo;ve gotten a two-month sample size of this version of the team. It fights with the same vigor, the same self-belief and the same grit on a nightly basis.
&ldquo;It&rsquo;s about those guys in the locker room,&rdquo; Bickerstaff said. &ldquo;From day one &mdash; go back to September, they showed up the day after Labor Day &mdash; they were in the gym and working, and were committed to one another. And then their personalities, they genuinely all get along, they genuinely all like each other. They fight for each other. They support each other.&nbsp;
&ldquo;I go home and I watch the games over, and I spend so much time just watching our bench. There&rsquo;s body after body after body that&rsquo;s up celebrating, cheering, [and] guys that don&rsquo;t even sit down during the game. That&rsquo;s what does it, and it&rsquo;s that chemistry the guys have formed. They love to compete. These games, even games we&rsquo;ve lost, they&rsquo;ve laid it out there. We&rsquo;ve had leads versus really good teams because of the spirit that those guys have played with... Guys being committed to what you're trying to do, and committed to one another is the most important thing that you can have. And I think that's where we've seen the biggest leap.&rdquo;
Combine that consistent effort with otherworldly versatility, skill and attitude, and you&rsquo;ve got the recipe for a unique, killer concoction.&nbsp;
As muttered recently on a radio hit in Cleveland, it&rsquo;s nearly impossible to cover everything top to bottom in regards to what&rsquo;s going right for this team. But we&rsquo;ll give it a try.
<iframe src="https://omny.fm/shows/chico-after-dark/spencer-davies-new-look-cavs-are-here-to-stay/embed" width="100%" height="180px" frameborder="0"></iframe>
Jarrett Allen and Evan Mobley (and Lauri Markkanen)
Coming into the season, everybody wondered how the duo of Allen and Mobley would coexist on the floor. The thought of Markkanen sharing the floor with both never crossed anybody&rsquo;s mind. And yet, here we are, talking about Tall Ball as <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/in-the-nba-length-matters-unedited" target="_blank" rel="noopener">the league's newest craze</a> that&rsquo;s thrown nearly every opponent for a loop.
Bickerstaff decided at the beginning of the season that he had to find a way to put his best players on the floor all at once, and for his team, that was through size and skill. We&rsquo;re seeing Cleveland reap the benefits of that on a nightly basis. It all starts on the defensive end.&nbsp;
You&rsquo;re seeing Allen and Mobley deny those bold enough to enter their territory. Allen is the anchor in the middle, timing his head-on challenges to near perfection, while Mobley is the weak-side insurance policy waiting to reject all comers who&rsquo;d initially believed there was a path to an easy bucket. The rookie covers some insane ground, by the way, with his long strides allowing for quick recovery if he ever overcommits or has to be the last line of defense at a certain spot. He&rsquo;s also insanely intelligent, keeping the ball in play whenever he blocks shots (or just blatantly ripping it out of somebody&rsquo;s hands).
The funny part is that the teams strategizing to get Allen and Mobley on perimeter switches don&rsquo;t fully comprehend that those two are hoping for such a plan. They are not going to be left in the dust in space, and no matter which one is tasked with defending a quicker guard, the other will have his back down low. The rotations are just incredibly crisp. Of the duos in the NBA that have played at least 500 minutes, the Allen-Mobley pairing is allowing just 95.9 points per 100 possessions. That is the top Defensive Rating in the entire league, if you&rsquo;re keeping count.
<div class="mceNonEditable"><spike>&nbsp;</spike></div>
Also, their defensive prowess allows the Cavs&rsquo; perimeter defenders to put more pressure on the ball and gamble more due to the protection behind them. Which brings us to the third leg of the triumvirate&hellip;
Let&rsquo;s give credit to the unheralded contributions from Markkanen on this end of the floor too. Stride for stride, the Finnish 7-footer has been able to shuffle his feet laterally to contain his assignments rather successfully. He&rsquo;s not fouling, he&rsquo;s contesting the third-most shots on the team on average (8.3) and he&rsquo;s utilizing his length to make his man either give up the ball or force a shot attempt over a trio of towers. By no means is he the primary guy to highlight individually; however, considering past questions of how Markkanen would handle playing the 3 on the defensive side of the ball, the returns have been more than acceptable, particularly with how he&rsquo;s positioned himself. He&rsquo;s an integral part of this Cavs' frontcourt.
DG the PG
Where do you even start with Darius Garland?&nbsp;
Is it the way he picks his spots? How quickly he&rsquo;s processing his reads? His trickery with lobs? The fact that he's firing up shots without hesitation?
No matter which area of his game pops out to you, it&rsquo;s plain and obvious that Garland is making that all-too-familiar third-year jump from good to great. He&rsquo;s in complete control of the game with the ball in his hands, becoming the conductor of the (not-so) soothing Cavs symphony.&nbsp;
The 21-year-old is so agile and shifty that he has his defenders constantly asking for help, and what happens after that is up to him. He has shown a tendency to disguise the floater he used so often last year, which allows the aforementioned Allen and Mobley to capitalize with thunderous throwdowns. They are Garland&rsquo;s top two targets on the offensive end by and large, and Allen has a 62.8% field-goal percentage off those connections.
With his dribble penetration drawing more and more attention, opportunities are opening up for others. Garland puts a lot of heat on his pocket passes and quick shovel feeds, but his teammates are beginning to understand when and where to expect the ball, which has allowed for this Cleveland offense to thrive.&nbsp;
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-theme="dark">
Asked Steph Curry about Darius Garland, and he gave his props to the third-year <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Cavs?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Cavs</a> guard: "He's taking another step in that right direction." <a href="https://twitter.com/basketbllnews?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@basketbllnews</a> <a href="https://t.co/071djCaBWJ">pic.twitter.com/071djCaBWJ</a>
&mdash; Spencer Davies (@SpinDavies) <a href="https://twitter.com/SpinDavies/status/1461716450301947906?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 19, 2021</a></blockquote>

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

He&rsquo;ll also get his own shot going when he sees an opportunity, and those attempts are coming at all three levels of the floor. Not many point guards around the league can match his production. According to Basketball-Reference, Garland&rsquo;s shooting percentages across the board are as follows: 63.2% from 0-to-3 feet, 46.3% from 3-to-10 feet, 49.2% from 10-to-16 feet, 52.6% from 16 feet to the three-point line and 38.9% from beyond the arc.
Garland has been able to play off the ball as well, with Ricky Rubio as a ball-handler. He&rsquo;s been able to catch the opposition sleeping on a number of cuts, and is making them pay as a catch-shooter on the outside to boot. He&rsquo;s got synergy with the bigs coming off dribble handoffs. It&rsquo;s just all clicking for him right now. (Spoiler Alert: Our own Nekias Duncan will have more on Garland in the future.)
Veterans Matter
Without Rubio, who knows if Garland reaches this level of success? The Spanish guard has been a mentor and a maestro in his own right for this young team. As adamantly stated by several Cavs, he is a starting point guard in the NBA, yet he is propelling a uniquely productive bench alongside Kevin Love.&nbsp;
Both are buying what Cleveland is selling, and have become a crucial part of not only the development of this inexperienced bunch, but also the contributions toward its winning ways. The inherent unselfishness has permeated throughout, which is allowing for the production we&rsquo;ve seen.
Rubio has been the Cavs&rsquo; iron man, having played all 30 games and making an impact in whatever way is working that night &mdash; turning the corner, shooting the basketball at a 34% perimeter clip, pushing the offense in transition. In addition to all of this, he recently surpassed the 5,000-assist mark, backing up the importance of moving the ball. It was the team's No. 1 goal coming into the campaign, and thanks to Rubio&rsquo;s IQ, there&rsquo;s been a domino effect.
Love has rediscovered the fun of &ldquo;the chase&rdquo; with Cleveland, and it&rsquo;s shown with his performances. As a super-sub this season playing a tad under 20 minutes per night, the former All-Star is averaging 12.0 points and 7.1 rebounds per contest, while nailing 41.2% of his triple tries. Albeit on a low amount of attempts, Love is leading the NBA at 96.4% from the free-throw line.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-theme="dark">
"You don't get this often." No lip service when Kevin Love talks about *these* <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Cavs?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Cavs</a>. He's saying this team has something "bigger than ourselves" and "truly celebrate each other." <a href="https://twitter.com/basketbllnews?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@basketbllnews</a> <a href="https://t.co/MJIf43fdLW">pic.twitter.com/MJIf43fdLW</a>
&mdash; Spencer Davies (@SpinDavies) <a href="https://twitter.com/SpinDavies/status/1470597707341479941?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 14, 2021</a></blockquote>

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

These two deserve a boatload of credit for the sacrifices they&rsquo;ve made knowing where they&rsquo;re at in their respective careers, and the fact that they&rsquo;ve embraced the roles fully demonstrates their professionalism.
Those are the vets who see consistent playing time. There&rsquo;s another who doesn&rsquo;t receive quite as much love because his impact is not as obvious, and that&rsquo;s Ed Davis. Bickerstaff went to bat for the seasoned big man to occupy Cleveland&rsquo;s final roster spot for locker-room and mentorship purposes, and thus far, it&rsquo;s been a home run. Davis knows why he&rsquo;s here, and he&rsquo;s more than willing to hold up his end of the bargain. And in cases where Allen and/or Mobley aren&rsquo;t available, he&rsquo;s able to slot in and do his job.&nbsp;
The &ldquo;others&rdquo; that really aren&rsquo;t the others
It&rsquo;s unfortunate that Isaac Okoro just got placed into the NBA&rsquo;s health-and-safety protocols, because he is the backbone of the Cavs&rsquo; perimeter defense. He&rsquo;s constantly taking on the opponents&rsquo; toughest offensive players, chasing guys all around the half-court to deny them the ball, defeating screens to stick on them when the ball is in their hands and forcing them into awkward positions.
Offensively, Okoro is beginning to find his footing from the corner. It&rsquo;s not just the three-point shot &mdash; where 61.6% of his perimeter tries have come from &mdash; it&rsquo;s the way he&rsquo;s making defenses pay when they close-out too hard. He&rsquo;s putting the ball on the floor, going into contact and, in some cases (as seen against Houston), bruising the rim. Okoro&rsquo;s got a hell of a layup package too, and in transition, he&rsquo;s a load to handle.
Cedi Osman&rsquo;s hot start to the season has tailed off a bit; however, with a defined role as a part of the second unit, you can see how relaxed he&rsquo;s playing. Defensively, he&rsquo;s been swiping away steal after steal, and in the open floor, he&rsquo;s been in attack mode. He&rsquo;s also hoisting threes on the move and standstill like we&rsquo;ve never witnessed before. There is no lack of confidence there.
Maybe the most underappreciated player the Cavs have is Dean Wade, who, whether in the starting lineup playing 30 minutes or with the reserves in garbage time, constantly brings the same effort on both ends no matter the circumstance. He&rsquo;s able to stretch the floor as a long-range sniper, and he is Bickerstaff&rsquo;s sneakiest contingency plan on the defensive end.&nbsp;
Speaking of which, Lamar Stevens is the man Cleveland goes to when it needs a shot in the arm. He&rsquo;s got a bulky frame and matches up well 1-through-4. There have been numerous occasions when the team has gone to him and found the energy it needed from only his presence on the floor. He won&rsquo;t take many shots, but he&rsquo;ll prevent quite a few.
<div class="mceNonEditable"><spike>&nbsp;</spike></div>
The core of what makes the Cavs such a dangerous team is their box-score balance. Every night, you&rsquo;ll see six or seven players in double figures, assist figures in the mid-to-high 20s and 30s and modest (or poor) opponent field-goal percentages.
In every sense of the word, Cleveland is playing team ball. The NBA challenged the organization with eight out of 11 on the road to begin the season &mdash; including a grueling West Coast trip &mdash; and the wine-and-gold passed that test with flying colors. (They&rsquo;re one of the best away teams in the league at 9-5.) Now, whenever the Cavs are playing a team that isn&rsquo;t a playoff contender, they&rsquo;re demoralizing them and steamrolling them. The tough love has paid off in a major way.
No, they&rsquo;re not a finished product. They're even missing their leading scorer from a season ago (here's to hoping for a speedy recovery for Collin Sexton). They&rsquo;re not close. There haven't been nearly enough 48-minute games, and the hunt for a &ldquo;signature win&rdquo; is still on.
With that said, the Cavs have consistently brought it every single night, and teams that haven&rsquo;t taken notice are in for a hard, painful lesson once that ball tips off.
The warning sign is right in front of them: Beware of <a href="https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&amp;rct=j&amp;q=&amp;esrc=s&amp;source=web&amp;cd=&amp;cad=rja&amp;uact=8&amp;ved=2ahUKEwiC_7ut0-v0AhWHkIkEHe4rAFUQFnoECAMQAQ&amp;url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.cleveland.com%2Fcavs%2F2021%2F11%2Fcleveland-cavaliers-have-adopted-underdog-mentality-complete-with-new-barking-celebration.html&amp;usg=AOvVaw1bAEDy2vYzH4odGmLpFcU0" target="_blank" rel="noopener">the Junkyard Dogs</a>.

Spencer Davies breaks down the Cavaliers' unexpected start to the season and why they're having so much success.

From lovable underdog to unforgiving bully: How the Cavs got here

Kenny Atkinson always saw more in Jarrett Allen.
When Allen, drafted No. 22 overall by the Brooklyn Nets in 2017, hit a rookie wall the following March, the then-head coach of the Nets (and now Golden State Warriors assistant) pivoted to <a href="https://www.netsdaily.com/2018/3/29/17174070/whatever-the-plan-is-jarrett-allens-at-the-center-of-it" target="_blank" rel="noopener">saying the near 7-footer&rsquo;s struggles will make him a better player</a>. When the towering Texan would show just a hint of touch in games and practices, Atkinson would tell us that he&rsquo;d hope Allen would <a href="https://twitter.com/BryanFonsecaNY/status/1103428843317182469?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw" target="_blank" rel="noopener">expand his range to hit corner threes</a>. And while the Cleveland Cavaliers' center still hasn&rsquo;t quite adopted that, he hasn&rsquo;t needed to. He has a shot at being one of the league&rsquo;s only first-time All-Stars in 2021.
(Maybe now you&rsquo;re seeing why <a href="https://bleacherreport.com/articles/2879918-nets-deandre-jordan-denies-bulls-t-reports-after-kenny-atkinson-firing" target="_blank" rel="noopener">people thought it was funky</a> that Allen was sent to the bench for DeAndre Jordan immediately after Atkinson and the Nets parted ways.)&nbsp;
But enough bringing up old sh**, for now.&nbsp;
Prior to <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/bam-adebayo-suffered-torn-ucl-in-thumb-monday-will-undergo-surgery" target="_blank" rel="noopener">suffering a torn UCL last week</a>, Bam Adebayo was likely going to add the second All-Star bid of his career while manning the frontline of the Miami Heat, a team many deem as an NBA contender on some level. With Adebayo out for an undetermined amount of time &mdash; it&rsquo;ll be several weeks, <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TOytII_2m_8&amp;feature=youtu.be" target="_blank" rel="noopener">according to 5 Reasons Sports</a> &mdash; he's likely knocked out of All-Star contention. In turn, that opens the door for other frontcourt players in the Eastern Conference, and in the spirit of showing centers the respect they deserve, why not Allen?
Since Collin Sexton &mdash; <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/breakingnews/cavaliers-g-sexton-done-for-season-following-knee-surgery" target="_blank" rel="noopener">who's out with a torn meniscus for the rest of the season</a> &mdash; last played, the Cavaliers have gone 7-8, but still sit at 14-12 and would be a play-in team if the season ended today.
This season, Darius Garland&rsquo;s been All-Star worthy, and is now at 19.5 points and 7.2 assists per game on 47/39/89 shooting splits. Since Sexton went down, he&rsquo;s up to 21.9 points, and 7.0 assists on 47/37/90 shooting splits. But he&rsquo;s also a guard in the same conference as Trae Young, Zach LaVine, Bradley Beal, Jaylen Brown, LaMelo Ball, Fred VanVleet, James Harden and &mdash; if counted as a guard instead of a forward, albeit unlikely &mdash; Jimmy Butler. (Shouts to Tyler Herro and Malcolm Brogdon as longshot possibilities, perhaps?)
Evan Mobley is the Rookie of the Year frontrunner, but at 14.0 points, 8.2 rebounds, 2.5 assists per game, and 2.0 blocks per game on 48/33/79 shooting, he&rsquo;s a step or two away from the All-Star game. But Allen is not only cashing in on Atkinson&rsquo;s prior <a href="https://www.cbssports.com/nba/news/forget-the-old-school-afro-nets-have-found-their-modern-center-in-rookie-jarrett-allen/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">beliefs in him as a franchise big man</a>; he just flat out has been one of the best centers in the league this season. (It also helps that, regarding All-Star voting, the frontcourt competition isn&rsquo;t as steep. We&rsquo;ll get to that momentarily, and, in part, it's why this case is being presented.)
<iframe title="YouTube video player" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/OJZPXNqq-8U" width="100%" height="325" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe>
Allen is averaging 17.1 points, 11.3 rebounds and 1.3 blocks per game &mdash; the first two figures stand as career-high counting stats, as does his 70.4% shooting from the field. The Fro&rsquo;s 18.4 points per 36 minutes are easily the best of his career, and he currently leads the Cavs (by far) in Offensive Rating (129) and Defensive Rating (102) among qualified players. His 4.1 Box Plus-Minus, 1.2 VORP and .240 win shares per 48 minutes also lead the Cavaliers, the latter two by a safe distance. Furthermore, he&rsquo;s only doing this with an 18.4% usage rate, which is in the middle of the pack on the team. For reference, other bigs on the squad like Kevin Love (23.7%), Lauri Markkanen (19.5%), and Evan Mobley (19.0%) have a higher usage.&nbsp;
And lastly, his True Shooting percentage is at a ridiculously-high 71.7%. His commitment to efficient shooting this season has been as persistent as the will to keep his afro perfectly round. (Remember, this is a man who has <a href="https://twitter.com/bryanfonsecany/status/1035231134957928450?lang=bg" target="_blank" rel="noopener">taken kids to get haircuts</a> while never even thinking about giving braids a chance.)&nbsp;
By some metrics people care about &mdash; and y&rsquo;all know a lot of them are not created equal &mdash; Allen is excelling beyond what many may have anticipated so far this season from a team standpoint. Here&rsquo;s how some of these numbers stack up around the NBA per Basketball-Reference:
<ul>
<li>70.4% field goal percentage &mdash; 3rd</li>
<li>71.7% True Shooting percentage (qualified players) &mdash; 3rd&nbsp;</li>
<li>11.3 rebounds per game &mdash; Tied for 7th</li>
<li>18.4% rebound percentage &mdash; Tied for 12th</li>
<li>.240 win shares per 48 minutes &mdash; 7th overall /4th among centers</li>
<li>1.2 VORP &mdash; tied for 12th overall /6th among centers</li>
<li>23.8 PER &mdash; 12th overall /6th among centers &nbsp;</li>
<li>4.1 BPM &mdash; tied for 12th overall /7th among centers</li>
<li>102.0 DRTG &mdash; tied for 3rd among centers</li>
<li>18.4% usage rate &mdash; Tied for 121st</li>
</ul>
(He&rsquo;s also&nbsp;<a href="https://www.basketball-reference.com/leagues/NBA_2022_shooting.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">second in dunks</a> with 77 &mdash; so put him in the contest!)
<iframe title="YouTube video player" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/OAdbji_gsJ0" width="100%" height="325" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe>
When you comb through the numbers, Allen is popping up around All-Star-caliber centers such as Rudy Gobert, Nikola Jokić, and Anthony Davis, among others, and those three are out west. When you watch Allen, he&rsquo;s constantly adjusting, opposing shots at the rim and seemingly always in the right spots. He is finding useful ways to play to his strengths, coloring within the lines as well as anyone on a fun Cavs roster.
Regarding his competition in the Eastern Conference frontcourt, it will be forward-heavy. Names like Giannis Antetokounmpo, Kevin Durant, Jimmy Butler (again, assuming he&rsquo;s a forward, which is likely) and DeMar DeRozan are shoo-ins, health prevailing. Though he hasn&rsquo;t been awesome, Jayson Tatum will likely 24-foot fadeaway himself into All-Star Weekend as well, *just* beating out the shot clock every single time.
The bubble Allen resides in includes guys like Miles Bridges, Julius Randle, Domantas Sabonis, John Collins and Jerami Grant. Along with numbers, this will also clearly be influenced by injuries, unfortunately. (Additionally, it serves as the case for 15-man All-Star teams, but we can discuss that closer to February.)
Allen&rsquo;s come a long way from fighting for minutes amongst a frontcourt including Timofey Mozgov, Tyler Zeller and current-free-agent Jahlil Okafor, that&rsquo;s for sure. (Good call by Atkinson, by the way... let&rsquo;s hope he doesn&rsquo;t settle for the Sacramento Kings.)
<iframe title="YouTube video player" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/2FmmcZTQd8o" width="100%" height="325" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe>

Bryan Fonseca presents the case for Cavaliers center Jarrett Allen as an NBA All-Star among his peers.

Making the NBA All-Star case for Cavs big man Jarrett Allen

With the New York Knicks down double-digits late in the third quarter, their reserves entered the game and led a spirited comeback. Stop me if you've heard this one before...
Yes, a familiar script played out once again Friday night in Charlotte. And, once again, the movie ended with the Knicks on the losing side.&nbsp;
After the Hornets surged to a 12-point lead in the third quarter against a hapless Knicks starting unit that has been unable to get on the same page, the bench mob propelled New York back. The team eventually took a two-point lead halfway through the fourth, courtesy of a thunderous windmill dunk from high-flying sophomore Obi Toppin. However, Julius Randle replaced Toppin 90 seconds later, and the Knicks would be outscored 13-3 over the final five minutes of regulation.&nbsp;
The Knicks left Charlotte and limped home to New York having lost five of their last seven games. After jumping out of the gates with a 5-1 record, the 'Bockers now find themselves just a game over .500.
Many of the same problems that have plagued the Knicks during their recent swoon reared their ugly heads on Friday night.&nbsp;
Once again, despite a hot start and a great game from Kemba Walker &mdash; who scored 26 points &mdash; each member of the Knicks starting five posted a negative plus/minus, while the plus/minus of New York's reserves were all positive.&nbsp;
And, again, the Knicks were severely outplayed in the third quarter, as the Hornets poured in 34 points on 14-of-25 (26%) shooting over those 12 minutes.
Remarkably, over the Knicks' past four contests, they have been outscored 123-77 in the third quarter. That's a preposterous 46-point differential. &nbsp;
<div class="mceNonEditable"><spike>&nbsp;</spike></div>
Of course, much of the poor production can be directly attributed to the starters' struggles. As <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/knicks-starters-sink-new-york-fail-to-protect-home-court-again" target="_blank" rel="noopener">detailed earlier this week</a>, Walker, Randle, Evan Fournier, RJ Barrett and Mitchell Robinson have the worst cumulative plus/minus among all five-man units in the NBA. After another poor showing in Charlotte, this group is being outscored by 16.7 points per 100 possessions, according to <a href="https://cleaningtheglass.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Cleaning the Glass</a>. That's the worst of any qualifying lineup in the league.&nbsp;
In sharp contrast, the bench unit of Derrick Rose, Immanuel Quickley, Taj Gibson, Alec Burks and Toppin is outscoring opponents by a prodigious 27.6 points per 100 possessions.
While Rose continues to play at an extremely high level each night and Toppin brings his unique splash of athleticism and energy, IQ's confidence has surged recently (he's made 10 of his last 20 three-point attempts). &nbsp;
Conversely, Barrett is mired in a nasty slump. Over the Knicks past four games, Barrett is averaging 8.0 points while shooting just 26% from the floor, 16% from downtown and 60% from the charity stripe. He also has more turnovers (9) than assists (6). And for a player that talked earlier this season about establishing himself as an All-NBA defender, Barrett has had several lapses on the defensive end, and doesn't seem to be playing with the same tenacity. Offensively, he's been hesitant to attack the tin, having gone to the free-throw line a total of only five times in four games.&nbsp;
This is a concern because Barrett is at his best when he's playing downhill and getting to the line. In the games in which Barrett has attempted more than five free throws this season, he averages 26.0 points on 58% shooting. Conversely, when RJ has attempted fewer than five free throws, he averages 11.2 points on 33% shooting.
Barrett has not been listed on the injury report, but it wouldn't surprise me if we found out that he is currently dealing with a physical ailment. His body language has been off of late.&nbsp;
Randle has also struggled recently. Over the Knicks' last three losses, Randle is averaging 15.0 points, 6.7 rebounds and 3.0 turnovers while shooting below 37% from the field, below 30% from behind the arc and below 55% from the FT line.&nbsp;
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-theme="dark">
<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/HoopIdea?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#HoopIdea</a> Knicks spot their opponents 15 points if the other team agrees to play just the 2nd and 4th quarters
&mdash; Tommy Beer (@TommyBeer) <a href="https://twitter.com/TommyBeer/status/1459343333558468613?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 13, 2021</a></blockquote>

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

Thursday after practice, Evan Fournier was asked about coach Tom Thibodeau's angry comments following the team's loss to Milwaukee.
"I mean, sh**, I would be [angry], too. We don't need Tom to get mad at us," Fournier said. "We know we did not play well last game. We're all veterans. We all know what we're capable of doing, and it doesn't feel good when we don't play well."
On opening night, Fournier poured in 32 points and knocked down six triples. Over New York's last four games combined, Fournier has scored a total of 33 points and made four treys. Surprisingly, he hasn't logged a single minute in the fourth quarter in four of New York's last five contests. This is not what Leon Rose and company had in mind when they inked him to a 4-year, $78 million deal over the summer.&nbsp;
Zooming back out to look at the big picture, it's important to note we are only 11 games into an 82-game marathon. Each team played 72 contests last season; the Knicks still have 71 remaining on the schedule over the next five months. And, during the 2020-21 campaign, New York was three games under .500 (5-8) through the first three weeks of the season.&nbsp;
On the flip side of the coin, the reality is the Eastern Conference is much improved and uber-competitive. Last season's conference finalists, the Bucks and Hawks, are currently a combined 10-16. For this reason, next week takes on added importance for New York.&nbsp;
The Knicks play only three times over the next eight days. Each of the three contests is at home, and all are winnable. New York hosts the Pacers (5-8) at Madison Square Garden on Monday, the Magic (3-9) on Wednesday and the Rockets (1-11) on Saturday.&nbsp;
Thibs will be able to get a few quality practices, and this stretch gives the team a much-needed opportunity to reset and re-establish their identity.
Considering what lies ahead, it's almost imperative that the Knicks take care of business next week. Immediately following this three-game stretch, things could get ugly. Next Sunday, they travel to Chicago to play the up-and-coming Bulls on the second night of a back-to-back. The Knicks then play six games against some of the league's top teams (Lakers, Suns, Hawks, Nets, Bulls and Nuggets), before embarking on a three-game road trip, only to return home to host the Bucks and Warriors in the second week of December.&nbsp;
Knicks Notes:
- Speaking with reporters after the game, Thibodeau said Derrick Rose got "nicked up" in Friday's loss but that Rose was cleared to go back in the game late in the fourth quarter. Thibs didn't provide any specifics as to the nature of the injury, but it appeared Rose tweaked his ankle before checking out of the game in the fourth quarter. It's almost impossible to overstate Rose's importance to the Knicks this season, as he's been arguably the team's most consistent and most valuable player thus far. Remarkably, the Knicks have outscored their opponents by 110 points in the 295 minutes Rose has played this season.&nbsp;
- Robinson exited Friday's game in the first half to have his left ankle taped, but returned to the contest. Mitch Rob is shooting a league-leading 82.9% from the floor this season. Nerlens Noel has missed each of the past two games due to a right knee sprain.&nbsp;
- The Knicks committed 19 turnovers vs. the Hornets on Friday, which led to 17 points for Charlotte. "There's no surprise into why you win or why you lose, to me, it's your defense," Thibodeau said. "Initially, the defense was good and the rebounding was good, then the problem became our turnovers."
- <a href="https://www.nba.com/stats/teams/opponent-shots-closest-defender/?Season=2021-22&amp;SeasonType=Regular%20Season&amp;CloseDefDistRange=6%2B%20Feet%20-%20Wide%20Open&amp;sort=FG3M&amp;dir=1" target="_blank" rel="noopener">According to NBA tracking data</a>, the Knicks allowed 23 wide-open three-point attempts vs. Charlotte (the Hornets only converted seven). On the season, New York is allowing 22.5 wide-open three-point attempts per game, the most in the NBA.&nbsp;
- Hornets point guard LaMelo Ball <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/lamelo-ball-leads-game-in-rebounds-steals-and-assists" target="_blank" rel="noopener">grabbed 17 rebounds, dished out 9 assists and racked 5 five steals Friday night</a>. That's as many assists and steals as the entire Knicks starting five, and more three rebounds than Randle and Robinson combined.

Tommy Beer details the Knicks' recent stretch of struggles with the starting five and the opportunity ahead to right the ship.

Knicks must take advantage of important three-game home stand

This afternoon, the Cleveland Cavaliers announced an MRI showed that Collin Sexton suffered a meniscus tear in his left knee, meaning the fourth-year guard will be sidelined for an undetermined amount of time. The team said in a press release that Sexton &ldquo;will undergo additional evaluation after which time his status will be updated.&rdquo;
With the Cavs ripping through their difficult schedule at 7-4, the news is an unfortunate cloud over the good vibes that have guided the wine and gold to an incredible start. Prior to the contest in New York, Sexton had been averaging 16.0 points, 3.3 rebounds and 2.1 assists per game.&nbsp;
"He&rsquo;s going through a lot right now hearing that, for anybody, especially Collin. We know how much he loves this game, how much he puts a lot of energy and his life into it. So just seeing him, it&rsquo;s just devastating for me," Cavs big man Jarrett Allen said. "As a friend, as a teammate, just seeing him go down... I know he wants to be out there with us. We&rsquo;re losing a lot losing him &mdash; as a person, as a competitor. He&rsquo;s always out here giving it his all, and that forces us to give it our all. We want to match his energy. So he&rsquo;s definitely gonna be missed.&rdquo;
&ldquo;We just want to make sure that he knows that we&rsquo;re there for him, and we&rsquo;ll do whatever we can to help him through the process. At the end of the day, it&rsquo;s bigger than basketball," Cleveland head coach J.B. Bickerstaff added. "There&rsquo;s the human spirit and emotions involved, so we just want to make sure that he knows anything he needs, we&rsquo;ve got his back and we&rsquo;re here to support him.&rdquo;
Although his shooting percentages across the board are down, his .300 three-point rate is the highest it&rsquo;s been since coming into the league, and his game has become more efficient. He&rsquo;s also had to make a major adjustment to the Cavs&rsquo; change in offensive strategy, spreading the ball around with fewer dribbles and more all-around involvement. Many detractors point to his nature of dominating the ball, however, Sexton has been tremendous off the ball as a cutter getting easy looks at the rim, and currently has the third-highest amount of potential assists on the team with 65. Defensively, the will to defend has been there as well. Of course, we all know how ridiculous his burst is in transition too.&nbsp;
"It&rsquo;s huge. Obviously, the threat that he is. Games come down to getting a bucket, and a lot of teams switch and you&rsquo;ve got to be able to beat your man," Bickerstaff said. "Collin is one of our guys who can beat his man and force teams to make different decisions on how they want to play their coverages and things like that. So the competitive nature that he plays with and how hard he competes, all of those things. We&rsquo;re gonna miss him for sure.&rdquo;
The truth is that Cleveland won&rsquo;t easily fill the role of somebody who can drop 30 points in any game, and they certainly can't do it with one player.
"I think everybody&rsquo;s just gotta tick-up a couple notches. We&rsquo;re not gonna expect one person to get Collin&rsquo;s 16 [points] a night," Bickerstaff said. "So those guys that are stepping in and their minutes are gonna increase, they&rsquo;ve got to find ways to help &mdash; whether they create shots for other people, whether it&rsquo;s the shots for them, the defensive floor they take the challenges. It&rsquo;s gonna be everybody that&rsquo;s gotta contribute a little bit more. The guys who are taking those minutes and then the guys who are playing [already] as well. They&rsquo;re gonna have to find a way to help us more as well.&rdquo;
It&rsquo;s also an awful break for Sexton, who entered the season in a contract year after the Cavs front office and his representation didn&rsquo;t come to terms on a rookie-max extension agreement. And even with that not going his way, he&rsquo;s been bought-in from the start of training camp around the team&rsquo;s massive change in playstyle.
So what&rsquo;s next for Bickerstaff and company? Well, luckily the team has been on a roll with just about everybody contributing. Standout rookie Evan Mobley is showing us something new every night, and Allen just won the NBA Eastern Conference Player of the Week award for the first time in franchise history since LeBron James in the 2018 season. Those guys feast in the paint on both ends, particularly as stifling defenders and versatile weapons offensively.
The Cavs are still waiting for Isaac Okoro to come back from a hamstring injury that&rsquo;s been ailing him. This could be an opportunity for last year&rsquo;s first-round pick to flourish as a 2-guard, depending on how the coaching staff wants to utilize him. Remember, he was <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/isaac-okoro-sharpening-shot-pivoting-to-playmaking-for-cavs-in-vegas" target="_blank" rel="noopener">showcasing an ability to play-make in Las Vegas</a> at summer league. It also helps that Cleveland believes shooting guard is the best position suited for Okoro.
Ricky Rubio is the obvious candidate to see a bump in minutes. After a ridiculous career night at Madison Square Garden, we&rsquo;re set to see more lineups featuring him and Darius Garland together. Those two have thrived as a combination this season with a plus-15.8 net rating, constantly moving the ball and finding the bigs. In addition, a bigger leap will have to come from Garland, who has already displayed a willingness to take on more of a scoring load in addition to his ability to set guys up. Bickerstaff said Tuesday that Garland's usage rate will increase with more opportunities to facilitate and take more shots, so expect more pull-up threes from the third-year maestro.
Dylan Windler has shown his ability to stretch the floor and run around like a madman, keeping defenses honest with his outside shooting and overall activity on either end. Bickerstaff senses with the recent reps he's gotten that Windler is getting more comfortable. Cedi Osman will likely continue to see more time as well, as he&rsquo;s enjoyed a career season shooting the basketball and thrived in his role. The Turkish swingman is not only knocking down a career-best 45.3% of his triples, but also hustling as a defender &mdash; particularly getting back to defend fastbreaks.
Remember too that, despite being frontcourt players, Lauri Markkanen and Kevin Love have been sidelined in the league&rsquo;s health and safety protocols. When those two return, Cleveland will have options and keep sending out those big-man lineups. There are weapons all around for this group to use, and every night it can be somebody different to step up to the challenge.
Losing Sexton hurts the Cavs and the man himself in more ways than one. With that said, considering the way Cleveland is playing right now, it doesn&rsquo;t feel like the drop-off will be as severe as it may have been in the past.&nbsp;
&ldquo;It&rsquo;s just gonna come down to us sharing the ball, playing more together as a team," Allen said. "Not saying we didn&rsquo;t before that, but now that certain level of scoring and a certain level of our reliance on him to close-out games like that, we&rsquo;re gonna have to come together more as a team and step up."

The Cavs have lost Collin Sexton to a meniscus tear in his left knee. Spencer Davies looks at who will have to fill the void.

With Collin Sexton sidelined, who's next man up for Cavs?

The <a class="c-link" tabindex="-1" href="https://www.basketballnetwork.net/kyle-korver-details-which-are-the-greatest-attributes-lebron-possesses/" target="_blank" rel="noopener" data-stringify-link="https://www.basketballnetwork.net/giannis-antetokounmpo-shares-why-he-doesnt-associate-or-practice-with-other-nba-players-in-the-offseason/" data-sk="tooltip_parent" data-remove-tab-index="true">following article</a>&nbsp;first appeared on&nbsp;<a class="c-link" tabindex="-1" href="http://basketballnetwork.net/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" data-stringify-link="http://BasketballNetwork.net" data-sk="tooltip_parent" data-remove-tab-index="true">BasketballNetwork.net</a>:
Kyle Korver had a long and successful NBA career, playing with several legendary players. LeBron James was one of them during his short stint with the Cleveland Cavaliers. During that time, Korver saw up close and personal what makes LeBron so great and different from any other player he ever encountered.
Korver shares LeBron&rsquo;s greatest attribute
Kyle Korver played for several great NBA teams competing for a championship, and shared a locker room with multiple NBA legends throughout his career. He had a lot of respect for Allen Iverson, who played an instrumental role in motivating him and encouraging him to become a better player. Still, he admits he never saw anybody like LeBron in terms of being consistently ready and in top physical shape to perform at a high level every single game.
"His greatest attribute is his ability to do it again tomorrow," Korver <a href="https://youtu.be/5cUjgTRBOUc" target="_blank" rel="noopener">told JJ Redick on The Old Man and The Three podcast</a>. "His ability to recover in mind, body, and spirit on a day-to-day basis is out of this world, it&rsquo;s unbelievable."
<iframe title="YouTube video player" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/5cUjgTRBOUc" width="100%" height="325" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe>
When LeBron was still in Cleveland, management decided to bring in Korver to spread the floor and give The King more room to maneuver. That gave Korver an opportunity to see firsthand what type of mindset LeBron has in getting ready for every game and always being one step ahead of the competition. Dealing with criticism is another thing LeBron does so well, and he rarely cares too much about it because he sees the bigger picture.
"I remember one game we were playing Utah &mdash; I think it was one or two overtimes &mdash; and the next morning, he was in the training room busting out for 30 minutes on the VersaClimber, saying I have to get ready for the playoffs," Korver <a href="https://youtu.be/5cUjgTRBOUc" target="_blank" rel="noopener">said</a>. "His level of dedication to his body and his craft... I think people see how big and strong he is, and Michael Jordan had to take a break in the middle after winning the first three. It&rsquo;s a lot not just to put in the time but to take the scrutiny that he does, and he deflects it so easily."
LeBron&rsquo;s dedication is on another level
Being as consistent and successful throughout almost two decades doesn&rsquo;t happen by accident, and LeBron has been so great for so long because he puts in the necessary work. Even after accomplishing everything he has, he finds motivation to outwork everyone, and Korver believes that is his most outstanding achievement. Consistency is the key, and LeBron knows it better than anyone since that is the main recipe for success.
"When you are with him, and you see his dedication to the craft and see what he puts in it every single day, he is literally the first person there and the last person to leave every single day," Korver <a href="https://youtu.be/5cUjgTRBOUc" target="_blank" rel="noopener">said</a>. "To me, that is his greatest achievement, just showing his ability to keep going, to stay focused mentally to do the work he has to do to be who he is."
LeBron is in his 19th NBA season and looking to add another championship under his resume, which would solidify his name as perhaps the greatest basketball player in the history of the game. The Los Angeles Lakers have a great team to help him achieve that goal; however, it will take them some time to find their identity, and LeBron&rsquo;s leadership and experience will be essential in making those things come to fruition.
There is no question when it&rsquo;s all said and done that LeBron will be viewed as one of the greatest, if not the greatest basketball player that ever lived. Whether you like him or not, you have to admire his consistency and dedication to the craft.
Check out more articles from BasketballNetwork.net <a href="https://www.basketballnetwork.net/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">here</a>.

Kyle Korver discussed what his experiences with LeBron James were like on "The Old Man and The Three" podcast.

Kyle Korver details the greatest attribute that LeBron has

The <a class="c-link" tabindex="-1" href="https://www.basketballnetwork.net/toni-kukoc-reveals-a-special-fine-phil-jackson-had-for-big-men/" target="_blank" rel="noopener" data-stringify-link="https://www.basketballnetwork.net/giannis-antetokounmpo-shares-why-he-doesnt-associate-or-practice-with-other-nba-players-in-the-offseason/" data-sk="tooltip_parent" data-remove-tab-index="true">following article</a>&nbsp;first appeared on&nbsp;<a class="c-link" tabindex="-1" href="http://basketballnetwork.net/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" data-stringify-link="http://BasketballNetwork.net" data-sk="tooltip_parent" data-remove-tab-index="true">BasketballNetwork.net</a>:
Reaching the mountaintop gives a man perspective. For Toni Kukoč, joining the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame was that mountaintop. He achieved everything a basketball player could ever dream of, and it gave Kukoč the freedom to talk about the game with as little bias as possible.
As a key member of one of the greatest teams ever to play, Kukoč is often asked to compare teams to the 1990s Bulls. The &ldquo;back in my day&rdquo; arguments are often superficial, but the Croatian big man sees something good in them &mdash; fire and passion about the game that never leaves a true champion&rsquo;s heart.
&ldquo;Everyone&rsquo;s going to say their generation played the best basketball and everyone has their arguments," Kukoc <a href="https://www.index.hr/sport/clanak/ekskluzivno-toni-kukoc-za-index-se-potpuno-otvorio-i-dao-najveci-intervju-u-zivotu/2309354.aspx?index_ref=naslovnica_sport_prva_d" target="_blank" rel="noopener">told Croatian online newspaper Index.hr</a>. "The older generation will say &lsquo;If only I had private jets, massage therapists, nutritionists and a million dollars to spend on oxygen chambers, and YouTube to watch other players and learn from them.' When I hear that, and I want to be clear, there&rsquo;s a case to be made there; I&rsquo;m happy because it means the old guys still have the competitive spirit and would like to take on the younger generations.&rdquo;
Most of the time, we hear a guy saying, &ldquo;Get off my lawn&rdquo; when discussions like that start. That&rsquo;s where age and experience can provide perspective. It&rsquo;s easy to say older players are haters when pointing out the circumstances they had to play in vs. what the league is today, and social media programs us to take people at their worst. What Kukoč is saying is that we should take them at their best. It&rsquo;s not hate; it&rsquo;s the competitive drive that made those from the previous era the champions they are.
However, that doesn&rsquo;t mean Kukoč won&rsquo;t compare his era to today&rsquo;s NBA. He just does it without any bitterness or an ax to grind.
&ldquo;You could get away with more in my day. I&rsquo;m primarily talking about defense when I say that It was a more physical game," Kukoč <a href="https://www.index.hr/sport/clanak/ekskluzivno-toni-kukoc-za-index-se-potpuno-otvorio-i-dao-najveci-intervju-u-zivotu/2309354.aspx?index_ref=naslovnica_sport_prva_d" target="_blank" rel="noopener">said</a>. "Detroit, Boston, New York, Indiana &mdash; all East teams played a similar game. Back then, the consensus was East teams played better defense and West teams played better offense. Games were a lot stronger back then &mdash; not quicker, but stronger. The NBA&rsquo;s put in a lot of effort to protect the best players. We won&rsquo;t see the heavy fouls as we use to on [Isiah] Thomas, [Larry] Bird or [Michael] Jordan. And that&rsquo;s normal.&rdquo;
Kukoč disagrees with older fans who fell in love with basketball in the '90s when they say today&rsquo;s game and the players are weak. He believes the modern game has a lot more speed, and still has strength and new elements that make it a lot more dynamic. His Bulls were avant-garde by playing Dennis Rodman as a small-ball 5. Still, they did certain things the old way, and there was a price to pay if you broke the rules.
&ldquo;I remember we had a rule [with] the Bulls. 4s and 5s could only shoot the three if it was the last second of the possession," Kukoč <a href="https://www.index.hr/sport/clanak/ekskluzivno-toni-kukoc-za-index-se-potpuno-otvorio-i-dao-najveci-intervju-u-zivotu/2309354.aspx?index_ref=naslovnica_sport_prva_d" target="_blank" rel="noopener">said</a>. "If they launched one with more than a second on the clock and missed, Phil [Jackson] would fine them $500. Players like that [today] are expected to launch it early in a possession.&rdquo;
The drawback to power forwards and centers having free reign to shoot from behind the arc is that some players never develop an inside game. But that doesn&rsquo;t mean shooting is terrible &mdash; it just means the pendulum swung way too much in that direction. Still, a time where guys in Chicago got fined on rangier shot attempts simply because of their size also wasn&rsquo;t great. You don&rsquo;t get a Dirk Nowitzki if he had so much pressure every time he took a shot.
The pinnacle of basketball is a complete game. The players we adore the most, like MJ and Kobe Bryant, were special because they could do it all. Speed it up, and slow it down. Drain it from outside, go to work in the mid-range and back a smaller guy down.
Toni <a href="https://www.index.hr/sport/clanak/ekskluzivno-toni-kukoc-za-index-se-potpuno-otvorio-i-dao-najveci-intervju-u-zivotu/2309354.aspx?index_ref=naslovnica_sport_prva_d" target="_blank" rel="noopener">said it best</a>: &ldquo;The game is fast, beautiful, and I like it this way, but that doesn&rsquo;t mean I have a bad word to say about the game back then.&rdquo;
Check out more articles from BasketballNetwork.net <a href="https://www.basketballnetwork.net/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">here</a>.

Toni Kukoc spoke on how the current NBA product differs from the past — and why that's okay.

Hall-of-Famer Toni Kukoc opens up on modern-day NBA, older era

Philadelphia 76ers coach Doc Rivers and the team he led to the best record in the Eastern Conference last season put their hands together in the middle of a huddle at the end of practice and counted off, &ldquo;1-2-3! Together!&rdquo;
Lingering outside the huddle, holding a basketball and looking uninterested was the $147 million puzzle piece in Ben Simmons. With Simmons focused and engaged, the Sixers are again a team to beat in the East this season.
But the Sixers open the season Wednesday in New Orleans with no guarantee that Simmons will play. He has practiced twice with the Sixers since ending his holdout. Meanwhile, the Sixers hold out hope the three-time All-Star guard wants to suit up again.
Simmons has dominated the headlines in Philadelphia since his baffling offseason trade request and then mystifying decision to report, showing up without warning last week.
He declined to talk to the media for the second straight practice on Monday -- the Sixers say he&rsquo;s scheduled for Tuesday -- and maybe then he can start to explain why he wanted out of Philadelphia. And now that he&rsquo;s back, how long does he plan to stay.
Tyrese Maxey ran the offense with the first team in the portion of practice open to the media, and Simmons mostly stood in a corner stretching or dribbling the basketball. He played defense on one drill, then walked off the court without saying a word to a teammate.
Rivers said he had no idea if Simmons will play Wednesday.
&ldquo;We&rsquo;re just going to take our time,&rdquo; Rivers said Monday. &ldquo;When it comes, I&rsquo;ll make that decision. I&rsquo;m just going to wait and see and watch. The spirit has been so good. We&rsquo;re just going to keep going.&rdquo;
Simmons, the No. 1 pick of the 2016 draft, was paired with Joel Embiid as the franchise cornerstones as the Sixers chase their first NBA championship since 1983.
Simmons, though, took the brunt of the blame for the top-seeded Sixers&rsquo; second-round exit in last season&rsquo;s playoffs. He shot 34% from the free-throw line in the postseason and was reluctant to attempt a shot from anywhere on the floor late in games. That led to him spending critical minutes on the bench.
He&rsquo;d be the only missing starter from last season&rsquo;s run to the Eastern Conference's top seed. Embiid, Danny Green, Seth Curry and Tobias Harris form a solid first four. Sixers President Daryl Morey has fielded offers for Simmons, but has yet to find a package to his satisfaction for the enigmatic guard.
WHERE&rsquo;S THE BEEF
Embiid, the NBA MVP runner-up, will have to limit the trash talking with Andre Drummond to practices this season. Drummond played for the Detroit Pistons and engaged in some physical and social media battles with Embiid through the years. That&rsquo;s on hold for now after Drummond, a two-time All-Star, signed as Embiid&rsquo;s backup. Embiid once accused Drummond of being unable to play defense. Drummond chirped Embiid wasn&rsquo;t worthy of his time until he could stay healthy for an entire season.
&ldquo;We&rsquo;re in the NBA. At the end of the day, what kind of beef can you really have?&rdquo; Drummond said.
But he has to adjust to life as a reserve for the first time since he was a rookie with Detroit in 2012-13.
Drummond, a four-time NBA rebounding champion, is a significant upgrade from last season over the aging Dwight Howard. Drummond said there&rsquo;s no issue with Embiid.
&ldquo;We&rsquo;re two competitors that love the game of basketball,&rdquo; Drummond said. &ldquo;We&rsquo;re like titans. We just clash. We play hard against each other. I have no animosity toward him, nor does he.&rdquo;
MISSING HIGHLIGHTS
The Sixers edited Ben Simmons out of the in-game highlight films shown during preseason games. Depending on the what happens the next couple of days they may need to call the editor back for some last-minute splicing before Friday&rsquo;s home opener against Brooklyn.
CHANGING OF THE GUARD
Tyrese Maxey enjoyed the cameo role he shot over the offseason for the Adam Sandler movie &ldquo;Hustle.&rdquo; He &ldquo;had a blast&rdquo; playing, well, a basketball player in the movie that filmed all over the city.
Maxey didn&rsquo;t get to share any scenes with Sandler, though, or play with him during off-hours pickup games.
&ldquo;I heard he can pass the ball pretty well,&rdquo; Maxey said.
The Sixers need the same out of Maxey, who averaged eight points in averaging 15.3 minutes last season. He is close with Simmons and may start in his spot on opening night. Shake Milton, the other point guard, is out with an injury, and Isaiah Joe may see more playing time. Seth Curry could even run the point in Simmons&rsquo; place.

Ben Simmons has dominated the headlines in Philadelphia since his baffling offseason trade request and mystifying decision to report.

Staying a Sixer: Simmons' fate looms large in Philadelphia

The <a class="c-link" tabindex="-1" href="https://www.basketballnetwork.net/matt-barnes-shared-what-led-to-his-infamous-ball-fake-at-kobe-bryant/" target="_blank" rel="noopener" data-stringify-link="https://www.basketballnetwork.net/giannis-antetokounmpo-shares-why-he-doesnt-associate-or-practice-with-other-nba-players-in-the-offseason/" data-sk="tooltip_parent" data-remove-tab-index="true">following article</a>&nbsp;first appeared on&nbsp;<a class="c-link" tabindex="-1" href="http://basketballnetwork.net/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" data-stringify-link="http://BasketballNetwork.net" data-sk="tooltip_parent" data-remove-tab-index="true">BasketballNetwork.net</a>:
When talking about some of the most competitive and fearless players in the history of the NBA, Kobe Bryant&rsquo;s name is at the top of the list. Notorious for his &ldquo;Mamba Mentality,&rdquo; which means working hard and going above and beyond to accomplish your goals, Kobe built his illustrious Hall-of-Fame career and left a deep influence on countless other basketball players and fans.
Kobe made his career with his immaculate talent and skill as one of the best scorers the league has ever seen. But what really put him over the top and among the best players in history was that competitive spirit and will to get dirty, just like his idol Michael Jordan. Of course, that mentality placed him in some serious battles with various &ldquo;Kobe stoppers," especially in the playoffs. From Ruben Patterson, Doug Christie and Bruce Bowen, to Raja Bell, Ron Artest and Tony Allen, Kobe had to face and battle some of the toughest defenders the league has ever seen.
But in March 2010, there was a regular-season game between the Los Angeles Lakers and the Orlando Magic. These were two teams that had just played each other in the Finals the previous postseason, so tensions got high as Kobe got into it with Matt Barnes, another player known for his gritty style of play. That would give us an iconic moment: On an inbound play on the baseline, Barnes faked throwing ball in Kobe&rsquo;s face. The Black Mamba didn't budge, and instead, stared back at him cold-bloodedly.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-theme="dark">
"I knew he wasn't going to do s**t. Why should I flinch for?" - KOBE 11 years ago today, Matt Barnes found out Kobe Bryant doesn&rsquo;t flinch. <a href="https://t.co/aoxzj0NGio">pic.twitter.com/aoxzj0NGio</a>
&mdash; Ballislife.com (@Ballislife) <a href="https://twitter.com/Ballislife/status/1368548940568612866?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 7, 2021</a></blockquote>

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

Stories about that moment have been told numerous times by Barnes and Kobe himself, and the two eventually teamed up in L.A. and became good friends. But recently, Barnes <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VU1VbZxBcJE" target="_blank" rel="noopener">joined Gilbert Arenas on his podcast, "No Chill,"</a> and shared what provoked him to do the ball fake:
&ldquo;In the Orlando situation, I mean, anyone that plays Kobe knows he&rsquo;s dirty. Grabs you, elbows you, says sh**, does whatever. But they&rsquo;ll never call a foul on him," Barnes <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VU1VbZxBcJE" target="_blank" rel="noopener">said</a>. "[He was] known for elbowing you in the sternum, known for just doing all kinds of crazy sh**, but that was part of that mental warfare that he liked to put on you. This motherf***er elbowed me in my sternum, hit me in the nuts, elbowed me in the chin. Like, I&rsquo;mma fight this dude because these punk-a** refs aren&rsquo;t calling nothing. So when the ball-fake sh** happened, it wasn&rsquo;t like I&rsquo;m gonna fake the ball in his face. Literally, my arms just did it by themselves. I wanted to slam that shi** in his face. So I faked it, and then it kind of became what it did.&rdquo;
<iframe title="YouTube video player" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/VU1VbZxBcJE" width="100%" height="325" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe>
Kobe may have been a superstar, but he played like he was any other player on the team. He gave it his all on both sides of the floor and didn't shy away from locking up the other team&rsquo;s best players, all while frustrating them mentally and psychologically with his sneaky moves. The will to do the dirty stuff and use his superstar status to get away with extra physicality and sneaky plays made Kobe an absolute menace on the court. Knowing every trick in the book, mixed with his unbelievable skillset, allowed Bryant to be so successful and great.
And that is why his name will be forever remembered.
Check out more articles from BasketballNetwork.net <a href="https://www.basketballnetwork.net/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">here</a>.

Matt Barnes joined Gilbert Arenas on his "No Chill" podcast to discuss one of the most memorable moments of Kobe's legacy.

Matt Barnes reveals what led to his infamous ball fake at Kobe Bryant

The <a class="c-link" tabindex="-1" href="https://www.basketballnetwork.net/russell-westbrook-shares-what-he-learned-from-playing-against-kobe-at-ucla/" target="_blank" rel="noopener" data-stringify-link="https://www.basketballnetwork.net/giannis-antetokounmpo-shares-why-he-doesnt-associate-or-practice-with-other-nba-players-in-the-offseason/" data-sk="tooltip_parent" data-remove-tab-index="true">following article</a>&nbsp;first appeared on&nbsp;<a class="c-link" tabindex="-1" href="http://basketballnetwork.net/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" data-stringify-link="http://BasketballNetwork.net" data-sk="tooltip_parent" data-remove-tab-index="true">BasketballNetwork.net</a>:
The Los Angeles Lakers are a franchise that basketball players from all over the world find desirable. But for those growing up in the Los Angeles area, almost every young kid who loves the game is raised as a fan of the team, so wearing a purple and gold jersey is the ultimate dream.
The current generation of players out of L.A. grew up watching Kobe Bryant be the king of town, winning numerous championships and establishing himself as one of the best players in NBA history. His unbelievable work ethic and competitive spirit are what really differentiated Kobe from the other stars, as "Mamba Mentality" became an iconic term in the NBA world.
Kobe really earned his reputation of being an insane competitor; it&rsquo;s hard to find those types of players in the NBA anymore. Players that give it their all night-in and night-out are a rare breed, as the era of load management arguably has seen these types of competitors come fewer and far between. But one of the guys who's never changed and actually displays a mentality comparable to Kobe is Russell Westbrook.
An L.A. native, Westbrook is one of the most electrifying players in the history of the NBA, and one of the most impressive stat-sheet stuffers to ever grace a floor. The only thing left to achieve on his resume is winning a championship, and this season will be a great opportunity. Going back home as a Laker for the first time alongside LeBron James and Anthony Davis will see Westbrook become a part of a Big Three that could storm the league if things click.
Westbrook recently made <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MkEuRnTzmcE" target="_blank" rel="noopener">an appearance on Jimmy Kimmel Live</a> to talk about various topics, but mainly his homecoming to Los Angeles. He also shared a great story about playing versus Kobe Bryant while he was still at UCLA, and learning what it takes to be such an elite player:
&ldquo;Going into my sophomore season at UCLA &mdash; and a lot of pick-up games at UCLA were happening &mdash; a lot of superstars would come, but this particular day Kobe came," Westbrook <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MkEuRnTzmcE" target="_blank" rel="noopener">told Jimmy Kimmel</a>. "And I&rsquo;m now super-hyped and super-juiced... to me Kobe is the best in the world, and I had the opportunity to compete. And me and Kobe, [we were] not going back and forth because he was basically killing me, but it&rsquo;s okay
"But the number one lesson I got in that, watching him &mdash; and to this day I think we all know as the 'Mamba Mentality' &mdash; but when I was younger and watching him, he was competing like it was the Finals. And to me, it was so inspiring because it allowed me to understand like... this is what you need to be like regardless of where you at, what you doing, however you plan, and I took that attitude and ran with it.&rdquo;
<iframe title="YouTube video player" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/MkEuRnTzmcE" width="100%" height="325" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe>
That explains why Westbrook plays every single game like it&rsquo;s his last, as that kind of willpower and energy is unmatched in today&rsquo;s NBA. That attitude is admirable and guaranteed to make you a winner, as <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/kobe-bryant-fingerprints-are-all-over-the-2021-nba-playoffs" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Kobe&rsquo;s influence on the rest of the NBA</a> is really impactful. Westbrook also shared his reasoning behind choosing to wear No. 0 on his jersey for his whole career, as Sideline Sources <a href="https://sidelinesources.com/nba-news/russell-westbrook-reveals-he-chose-number-zero-again-to-start-a-new-beginning/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">covered that topic</a>.
Check out more articles from BasketballNetwork.net <a href="https://www.basketballnetwork.net/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">here</a>.

On Jimmy Kimmel Live, Westbrook shared a great story about playing versus Kobe Bryant while he was still at UCLA.

Westbrook reveals what he learned from playing against Kobe at UCLA

The <a class="c-link" tabindex="-1" href="https://www.basketballnetwork.net/sam-cassell-shares-why-hakeem-never-took-preseason-games-seriously-son-preseason-dont-count-the-popcorn-is-popping-now/" target="_blank" rel="noopener" data-stringify-link="https://www.basketballnetwork.net/giannis-antetokounmpo-shares-why-he-doesnt-associate-or-practice-with-other-nba-players-in-the-offseason/" data-sk="tooltip_parent" data-remove-tab-index="true">following article</a>&nbsp;first appeared on&nbsp;<a class="c-link" tabindex="-1" href="http://basketballnetwork.net/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" data-stringify-link="http://BasketballNetwork.net" data-sk="tooltip_parent" data-remove-tab-index="true">BasketballNetwork.net</a>:
Former NBA player and current Philadelphia 76ers assistant Sam Cassell <a href="https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/sam-cassell-pt-1-of-2/id1563062264?i=1000536961732" target="_blank" rel="noopener">recently made a guest appearance on "Point God," a podcast with Baron Davis</a> where he talked about numerous experiences in his NBA career. Since the preseason in the NBA is starting as we speak, it was interesting to hear what Cassell had to say about Hakeem Olajuwon and how he didn&rsquo;t take preseason games seriously, especially in the late stages of his career.
Cassell came into the NBA in the 1993-94 season, a time by which Hakeem was already a seasoned veteran with plenty of minutes under his belt. The necessity to perform well in the preseason wasn&rsquo;t a concern of Hakeem, though, and Cassell details a story where the Houston Rockets lost every game in the preseason with Hakeem playing unbelievably poorly in almost every contest.
"In my rookie year, we go 0-7 in the preseason... we lose by 40 to GP (Gary Payton) and Seattle," Cassell <a href="https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/sam-cassell-pt-1-of-2/id1563062264?i=1000536961732" target="_blank" rel="noopener">told Baron Davis on Point God</a>. "I remember calling my boy and saying, 'Man, Hakeem Olajuwon sorry as sh**. He was 3-for-12 and only got 3 rebounds in 15 minutes. He got 3 rebounds, not knowing veterans didn&rsquo;t take preseason serious; they used the preseason to get in shape. Back then, the preseason was a full month."
<iframe title="YouTube video player" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/JJLSf86BWyU" width="100%" height="325" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe>
Veteran players tend to manage their efforts on the court really well in the preseason setting, taking some time to see where they are in terms of fitness and preparation before the regular season starts. That is what happened with Hakeem as well. Cassell recalls one of the first regular-season games in which Hakeem dominated on both ends of the floor, showcasing that he was ready to play and be an MVP candidate. That came as a big surprise for young Cassell, who initially thought Hakeem was washed up because of his poor performance in the preseason.
"Opening night comes, we play the Golden State Warriors; Hakeem Olajuwon is out there handling his business! I&rsquo;m sitting back, saying, where did this come from? Why didn&rsquo;t he do this in the preseason?" Cassell <a href="https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/sam-cassell-pt-1-of-2/id1563062264?i=1000536961732" target="_blank" rel="noopener">said</a>. "I mean he gave those boys the business. He comes out of the game, I say, 'Way to work Dream.' He says, 'Son, preseason don&rsquo;t count, the popcorn is popping now. Preseason stat sheets, they don&rsquo;t send [them] to New York. These stats sheets, they send to New York.' He put on a show. He had like 37 and 15 in three quarters."
Cassell witnessed the best version of Hakeem that year, one in which he won the regular-season MVP and Defensive Player of the Year awards and later on, a Finals MVP and an NBA championship. Hakeem really came to play during those '93-94 playoffs, completely dismantling every team that stood in his way and leading the Rockets to their first title. Hakeem displayed an incredibly competitive spirit from the first regular-season game and on. (The following season, Houston repeated as champions behind his greatness as well.)
However, he knew that timing and preparation were everything, so he didn&rsquo;t care how he played in the preseason; instead, he turned his focus tp the regular season and the playoffs. Hakeem understood the season was long, and likely felt that he had a great chance to win a title in the '93-94 campaign &mdash; the year Michael Jordan was out of the league. Cassell helped the Hall-of-Famer along the way, and learned quite a bit about winning and being a true professional from one of the best centers to ever play the game.
Check out more articles from BasketballNetwork.net <a href="https://www.basketballnetwork.net/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">here</a>.

Sam Cassell told a hilarious story about Hakeem Olajuwon's lack of enthusiasm for the NBA preseason on the "Point God" podcast.

Sam Cassell shares why Hakeem Olajuwon never took preseason seriously

When James Wiseman looks back on his rookie season, the 20-year-old describes it as "weird.&rdquo;
&ldquo;We were in the pandemic, we didn't have fans and I got thrown right into the fire,&rdquo; Wiseman said at the Golden State Warriors' Media Day. &ldquo;This year is going to be way better because I learned a lot. And then, having a young core is going to be way better too, in terms of our development. I can't wait for that.&rdquo;
The No. 2 overall pick in the 2020 NBA Draft played 39 games as a rookie, averaging 11.5 points, 5.8 rebounds and 0.9 blocks, while shooting 51.9% from the field, 31.6% from three and 62.8% from the free-throw line. Then, in a game against the Houston Rockets on April 10, he tore the meniscus in his right knee and needed season-ending surgery to repair it.
&ldquo;It was a crazy moment, that game,&rdquo; Wiseman said of the injury. &ldquo;I was down in tears, and I was out of it because I wanted to be out there playing. That's life, and that's part of the game. Sometimes you get thrown a lot of curveballs, but you have to keep going with the flow and keep moving forward.&rdquo;
Nearly six months later, Wiseman says that his knee is &ldquo;great&rdquo; and he&rsquo;s &ldquo;taking it day-by-day,&rdquo; but there's currently no timetable for his return.&nbsp;
&ldquo;We don't have a timeline,&rdquo; Warriors head coach Steve Kerr said. &ldquo;He's doing great with his rehab. We are going to be very careful. Obviously, he's a young player, incredibly talented. We have a great training staff that is going to be cautious and really walk him through every step of the rehab process, so we'll just see how it goes. But [we&rsquo;re] very comfortable with the development process that we have in place. Our development staff is really doing a great job of already employing a lot of the structure that's going to happen in between games. All of our young players will be getting a healthy amount of playing time; even if they are not playing in games for us, they are going to be playing a lot of basketball.&rdquo;
Even though he missed a significant portion of the 2020-21 season, Wiseman has remained in good spirits.
&ldquo;I'm proud of still going and not giving up; I'm proud of that,&rdquo; Wiseman said. &ldquo;I learned a lot from last year. Even though the injury sucks, it happens &mdash; but none of that gets me down because I'm strong. I can withstand anything... Without adversity, you can't grow. I just took that [injury], ran with it and made a positive out of it. And I'm going to be way better this year because I learned all that last year.&rdquo;
When asked what he learned from his rookie campaign and how he will apply it during this upcoming season, Wiseman rattled off some specific areas where he can improve.
&ldquo;Just reading the pattern on defense, making sure I call out the patterns on defense earlier and just staying out of foul trouble. So just defending [without] fouling and just using my verticality more because I can be a threat at the rim if I use that correctly,&rdquo; Wiseman said. &ldquo;I'm just pounding it every day, just watching film and doing stuff like that so I can improve.
&ldquo;Nobody on this earth is perfect. So really, I just go day-by-day and just want to work hard. I have a courageous mind and I ask all the questions, and that's going to help out a lot too... I want to be better, I want to learn and I want to be the best I can be as a player. I just ask as many questions as possible.&rdquo;
Wiseman was inconsistent throughout his rookie season, which isn't surprising since young centers often have a harder time getting acclimated to the NBA and <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/why-big-men-take-more-time-to-develop-in-the-nba-than-guards-and-wings" target="_blank" rel="noopener">take longer to develop</a>. Still, the big man received quite a bit of criticism from fans and media &mdash; particularly on social media. In April, Coach Kerr noticed that the social-media negativity was getting to Wiseman, so the two made a pact to stay off of Twitter and Instagram for the near future.
&ldquo;[My Twitter hiatus] actually started as an agreement with James Wiseman,&rdquo; Kerr <a href="https://www.nbcsports.com/bayarea/warriors/warriors-steve-kerr-twitter-hiatus-no-plans-return" target="_blank" rel="noopener">said</a>. &ldquo;We were on a road trip somewhere, and I asked James how he was doing. It&rsquo;s obviously a long season, and he had his ups and downs. We were in a conversation about life in general, and I asked him about social media. We started talking about it. I said, &lsquo;What do you say we take a break, we both take a break for a few weeks? Get off Twitter and anything else we&rsquo;re on.&rsquo; He said, &lsquo;Yes, let&rsquo;s do it.&rsquo;&rdquo;
<div class="mceNonEditable"><spike>&nbsp;</spike></div>
This break from social media seems to have helped Wiseman.
&ldquo;Negativity sells in today's society, so I don't associate myself with that,&rdquo; Wiseman said. &ldquo;I look at a lot of inspirational videos to keep myself uplifted, so I can go out there and play my best... You can't go through life trying to impress other people, so make sure you impress yourself and stay uplifted and stay confident. And make sure you don't let nobody tell you what you can and cannot do because you can do anything that you put your mind to; that's a fact.&rdquo;
Now, he&rsquo;s excited to take the next step in his development during his sophomore season. While his injury has limited what he&rsquo;s been able to do on the court, he has still been working hard behind the scenes.&nbsp;
Wiseman said he&rsquo;s been watching a lot of film, working on his footwork and lateral movements, and improving his upper- and lower-body strength. He has also been meditating and finding ways to "keep his mental sharp." He has spent a lot of time putting up shots and working on his form too.
&ldquo;I&rsquo;ve focused on my technique in terms of my form [when] shooting, and I've been working on that every day for the past three or four months,&rdquo; Wiseman said. &ldquo;It's come a long way.&rdquo;
<img style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" src="https://cdn.basketballnews.com/images/story/body/wiseman1_lg.jpg" alt="" width="650" height="406" />
The big man has been working with Warriors assistant coach Dejan Milojevic, who was hired this offseason mainly to help with Wiseman&rsquo;s development. Prior to becoming a coach, Milojevic was a three-time Adriatic League MVP who had a 15-year career overseas. He previously coached Nikola Jokic in Serbia from 2012-2015, and he "has been credited with some of Jokic&rsquo;s foundational basketball grooming," <a href="https://theathletic.com/2653190/2021/06/15/the-warriors-hiring-of-dejan-milojevic-signals-increased-focus-on-james-wisemans-development/?source=emp_shared_article&amp;redirected=1" target="_blank" rel="noopener">wrote</a> Anthony Slater of The Athletic.&nbsp;
&ldquo;He's great,&rdquo; Wiseman said of Milojevic. &ldquo;I love everybody on the staff, but really [Milojevic] is teaching me the basic fundamentals of the game and details of the game. [He&rsquo;s] telling me things that I need to work on, and then we work on them in the gym. We&rsquo;re just working every day.&rdquo;
Wiseman knows that he still has plenty of room for improvement and a lot of work to do in order to realize his full potential. When asked him if he feels like a veteran now that he&rsquo;s no longer a rookie, he gave an honest response.
&ldquo;I'm not a veteran yet; I have to earn my stripes,&rdquo; Wiseman said. &ldquo;It's my second year and I just turned 20, so I'm still learning as well. But I [did] get the body of information from what I had to go through last year, so I get a lot of advice and just keep getting a lot of encouragement.&rdquo;
One teammate who has been providing advice and encouragement is Klay Thompson. Since they were both sidelined toward the end of last season, the two spent a lot of time together and ended up watching a number of NBA playoff games together.&nbsp;
&ldquo;I've been bonding with Klay a lot,&rdquo; Wiseman said. &ldquo;We&rsquo;ve just been going through a lot of games &mdash; especially when the playoffs were on &mdash; we were watching it together and he was telling me stuff that I can do to be a better center in terms of my role. Yeah, we were talking a lot.&rdquo;
The teammates have been hanging out away from basketball too. Recently, Thompson took Wiseman out <a href="https://twitter.com/NBCSWarriors/status/1410730832361308160" target="_blank" rel="noopener">on his boat</a>, which the big man enjoyed.
&ldquo;That was fun,&rdquo; Wiseman said. &ldquo;He was teaching me the waves, so one day if I get my boat, I&rsquo;ll [know] how to drive it. He taught me a lot of stuff like that. We were talking and vibing and having a great time. I actually enjoyed myself. I was also his deckhand, so I was doing all that stuff. Man, it was crazy!&rdquo;
While watching the playoffs, Wiseman was studying Phoenix Suns center Deandre Ayton, who is only three years older than him. While Wiseman was with the Memphis Tigers, one of his coaches was Cody Toppert, who had coached Ayton the year prior as a Suns assistant. Wiseman took some lessons away from Ayton&rsquo;s success during Phoenix&rsquo;s postseason run.
&ldquo;[He was] really just simplifying his game,&rdquo; Wiseman said of Ayton. &ldquo;I say simplify his game in terms of like the usage rate and really just him being able to read the floor and being able to call out patterns early."
Wiseman is entering this season with a similar approach to his game and role.
"Just like, simplifying my game and just playing my role &mdash; keeping it simple, not putting too much pressure on myself and just going out there and doing what I do best," Wiseman said. "Basically, just not forcing everything. Just going with the flow of the game, going within the flow of the system and just staying confident within myself and just playing my goal and just simplifying &mdash; keeping it simple for myself.&rdquo;
<div class="mceNonEditable"><spike>&nbsp;</spike></div>
Ayton, like Wiseman, took some time to become the two-way threat that he is today. Toppert recently spoke to Basketball News about <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/why-big-men-take-more-time-to-develop-in-the-nba-than-guards-and-wings" target="_blank" rel="noopener">why young big men tend to take longer to develop</a>.
&ldquo;They can almost impose their will on the game [at a young age], as opposed to reading the game &mdash; two entirely separate schools of thought,&rdquo; Toppert <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/why-big-men-take-more-time-to-develop-in-the-nba-than-guards-and-wings" target="_blank" rel="noopener">said</a>. &ldquo;And so essentially, the bottom line is when you get to a level where you can no longer do those things, now you're gonna be forced to actually learn the game... James is pretty well built. Deandre was pretty well-built. But the game is so much more physical at the NBA level, and legal physicality, especially big man on big man &mdash; you can get away with a lot more in the NBA than you can in college without getting called for a foul. Getting used to that everyday physicality, pounding, beating, is not easy.&rdquo;
Wiseman seems to be doing all of the right things to become a significant contributor for Golden State &mdash; such as getting stronger, watching film and expanding his game. Now, he just needs to get as many reps as possible. Typically, a sophomore has been through two NBA Summer Leagues and two training camps by now; Wiseman has missed both in back-to-back years.&nbsp;
&ldquo;It's not ideal, obviously,&rdquo; Kerr said of Wiseman missing training camp again. &ldquo;But he's in good spirits, and our coaching staff is doing a great job of working with him every day on the things that he's able to work on. DeJan, in particular, has been with him every single day and, in some ways, it's been healthy. It would be nice if James were out there playing, but because he's not playing, he's focusing on little details. As a young player with so little experience, he needs to work on those details. So, he's getting some good work in now that I think will pay off as he gets healthy and gets back on the floor.&rdquo;
It remains to be seen when Wiseman will take the floor for the Warriors, but he's doing everything he can to prepare for the upcoming season, and all signs point to him making huge strides when he returns.
&ldquo;Wiseman had such an interesting year last year, not having a Summer League last summer [or] this summer, missed most of training camp, dealing with injuries, and then a season-ending one,&rdquo; Stephen Curry said. &ldquo;He never really got a full run of games where he could put some momentum together in the right direction, so he was always kind of chasing and feeling like he had to prove himself. Hopefully this year &mdash; I know it's not an ideal start again &mdash; but hopefully he can kind of simplify the game and understand how he's going to help us win and that will hopefully get him in the right position where he can develop his skill set even more.&rdquo;

After a "weird" rookie year that ended due to a torn meniscus, James Wiseman is determined to have a much better sophomore season.

James Wiseman ready to make big strides: 'I'm going to be way better'

With NBA training camps open for business, teams are getting back in the swing of things. Sunday will mark the first preseason game of the 2021-22 campaign between the Brooklyn Nets and Los Angeles Lakers (3:30 p.m. ET), meaning the regular season is right around the corner.
There are many players in the league whose talents go beyond the court. That's quite important, as nobody can play the game forever. A popular route we see these players go following their respective careers is transitioning into the media. Who better to analyze the game than people with firsthand experience playing it?
In our latest Roundtable, we asked our BasketballNews.com writers the following question:
Which active NBA player will make the best broadcaster someday?
Alex Kennedy: The first players who popped into my head were Draymond Green and CJ McCollum since they already have broadcasting and podcasting experience. They are terrific analysts and capable interviewers who are already comfortable on camera. However, rather than going with the obvious choices, I&rsquo;ll name someone who could become a media star in the near future: Isaiah Thomas. For years, Thomas has been a quote machine and one of my favorite players to interview. He is charismatic and brutally honest, and his quotes always feature amazing anecdotes and tremendous insight. He has an incredible story, he&rsquo;s a fan favorite and he&rsquo;ll provide a unique perspective on broadcasts since he&rsquo;s seen just about everything that this league can throw at a player. No other player in NBA history has gone from fighting for a roster spot as Mr. Irrelevant to becoming an All-NBA selection who finishes top-five in MVP voting. As Thomas told me last year: &ldquo;I don&rsquo;t think anybody has been through the things that I&rsquo;ve gone through in this league.&rdquo; Once IT decides to retire, he&rsquo;ll make an outstanding broadcaster or podcaster, if that&rsquo;s what he decides to pursue.
Nekias Duncan: I&rsquo;m down for more Draymond Green on the mic. He&rsquo;s funny, has a limited filter, and can break down Xs &amp; Os concepts in a way that more casual viewers can understand easily.
Spencer Davies: There's quite a few that come to mind. We know everybody's going to name Draymond Green because of his in-depth work on TNT over the past few years &mdash; and he's very good at it &mdash; but let's go with CJ McCollum. He was a journalism major in college at Lehigh and he already has a successful podcast where he's gotten plenty of reps. McCollum just seems to have the timing and cues down pat, and you saw his true skills in action as an interviewer when he <a href="https://youtu.be/VN_o2CwnGCA" target="_blank" rel="noopener">sat down with Commissioner Adam Silver for The Players' Tribune</a> a few years ago. Dissecting film and going in-depth is one thing for an analyst, but delivery is a whole 'nother ballgame &mdash; McCollum can give you both.
Ethan Fuller: Draymond Green is already fast-tracked toward a role, so I would like to toss in Boston Celtics forward Grant Williams. Williams exudes positive energy and would be a fun and insightful addition as a color commentator. I think he would do a fantastic job at breaking down the game while also staying spirited throughout. Who knows if Williams has aspirations to broadcast post-career, but I'd at least endorse him if he gave it a shot.
<iframe title="YouTube video player" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/kzST_Q2Xbks" width="100%" height="325" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe>
Drew Maresca: Draymond Green. He&rsquo;s already shown an unusual ability to articulate his perspective on the game, and he&rsquo;s also demonstrated a good on-air personality. Green can seamlessly transition from player to analyst &mdash; if he wants to. But Green will probably weigh all of his options, and his time might end up being too valuable to devote to an on-site studio show.
Jackson Frank: Given his experience with NBA on TNT, Draymond Green is a choice I suspect to see as a recurring answer. I&rsquo;ll deviate away from that selection and say Blake Griffin, who&rsquo;s always struck me as charismatic and witty. I&rsquo;d enjoy listening to that on broadcasts, and feel as though his varying roles &mdash; from high-flying superstar to uber-skilled, ground-bound superstar to rotation player on a title contender &mdash; could introduce a perspective not every NBAer-turned-mainstream analyst brings, and allow him to offer insights on a host of different players.
Moke Hamilton: Draymond Green, and we don&rsquo;t even have to go with the &ldquo;someday&rdquo; part of the question. Draymond knows the game, has some great opinions and isn&rsquo;t afraid to share them. I think that makes for a good combination. Whenever I see him on TNT, I watch, because I genuinely am interested in what he has to say. There aren&rsquo;t many other players in the NBA I feel that way about, so there isn&rsquo;t anyone else I&rsquo;d consider for this answer.
Jesse Blancarte: Chris Paul, assuming he chooses to be a broadcaster someday. Paul is smart, articulate and knows the game better than arguably anyone else currently playing in the NBA. If he becomes a broadcaster and focuses on breaking down game action (think of Tony Romo with the NFL), he could become an instant favorite.
Chris Sheridan: Draymond Green has already shown himself to be quite capable, but I will toss in a vote for James Harden. He is a lot more loquacious than people might realize, and he is a future Hall-of-Famer who would bring a unique perspective because of his ability to dominate the ball while also thriving off the ball depending on who he is paired with. But Harden needs a championship to have something to brag about during studio time.
Alexander Cohen: I&rsquo;ll go with Robin Lopez, though he&rsquo;ll serve as more of a comedic, good vibes, Bill Walton role rather than breaking down X's and O's or any part of the game he&rsquo;s watching.

Which active NBA player will make the best broadcaster someday? BasketballNews.com's writers shared their thoughts.

Roundtable: Which active NBA player will make the best broadcaster?

The <a href="https://www.basketballnetwork.net/giannis-antetokounmpo-shares-why-he-doesnt-associate-or-practice-with-other-nba-players-in-the-offseason/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">following article</a> first appeared on <a href="https://www.basketballnetwork.net/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">BasketballNetwork.net</a>:
Coming off a championship season in which he won NBA Finals MVP, Giannis Antetokounmpo is getting ready for the upcoming NBA season and hoping to duplicate the success he and the Milwaukee Bucks had last season. After a few early exits in the playoffs, the Bucks in some ways surprised many people by winning it all in 2020-21. (A lot of people saw them as a title contender, but put other teams ahead of them in the power rankings). But after facing criticism regarding his shooting in the playoffs, Giannis was able to find his groove and navigate his team to its first championship in 50 years.
In an <a href="https://www.eurohoops.net/en/nba-news/1249385/giannis-antetokounmpo-i-cant-be-fake-i-dont-want-to-be-buddy-with-other-players/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">interview with the Greek television station COSMOTE TV</a>, Giannis talked about his mindset coming into the next season. Being modest, as he usually is, he believes he shouldn&rsquo;t be called an MVP or a champion because that might distract him from his goals. On the other hand, it&rsquo;s known that Giannis doesn&rsquo;t have the habit of working out with other NBA players in the summer, and he gave a more precise reason as to why that is.
&ldquo;I can&rsquo;t be fake. I am Giannis. But calling me MVP, calling me champ, calling me the best player in the world is something that might hold me back. And I don&rsquo;t want anything holding me back. I want to look forward and be better," Giannis <a href="https://www.eurohoops.net/en/nba-news/1249385/giannis-antetokounmpo-i-cant-be-fake-i-dont-want-to-be-buddy-with-other-players/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">told COSMOTE TV</a>.
"That&rsquo;s why I don&rsquo;t train with other players. I don&rsquo;t want to be 'buddy' with them. If we do this and then drink a coffee with them, can I go on the court and use my elbow against them? Can I block or dunk on them? I can&rsquo;t 'cause I am authentic. If I love someone, I love him also on the court. I am fully aware of that, and I don&rsquo;t want to put myself in this position.&rdquo;
Giannis also reflected back on the NBA Finals series against the Phoenix Suns in which Milwaukee lost the first two games. After losing Game 1 and Game 2 as Giannis played on a hyperextended knee that he sustained during the Eastern Conference Finals, it seemed that the Bucks wouldn&rsquo;t have much of a chance to bounce back. However, they made the proper adjustments heading into Game 3, and Giannis was able to clear his thoughts from the fans teasing him about his free-throw shooting. He even admitted to talking with a sports psychiatrist because it was affecting his confidence.
"I shouldn&rsquo;t [have been] playing in the Finals. I was hurt in Game 1. I was praying. We lost. In Game 2, I scored 40 and we lost. I was sh***ing in my pants, I was hurt," Giannis <a href="https://www.eurohoops.net/en/nba-news/1249385/giannis-antetokounmpo-i-cant-be-fake-i-dont-want-to-be-buddy-with-other-players/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">said</a>. "After that, we just wanted to defend our home. But then my teammates reacted, the team reacted, Jrue [Holiday] was all over the place.
"The key was how to manage my fear, my anxiety. I was talking with a sports psychiatrist every day. He helped me be myself. The free throws were a mental issue, and I want to continue this in the next season. And I want to see if we can repeat this as a team. I want to see if we can do it again &mdash; myself, my teammates, the owners, everyone.&rdquo;
Everything Giannis said is why NBA fans love him so much. His mindset is similar to the older generation of players. He doesn&rsquo;t want to be friends with his peers because of his competitive spirit and how it might affect his performance. NBA players practicing together over the summer has become a theme for the past few years, and even though many of them say that it's the best way to improve their game, fans often disagree with that buddy-buddy approach.
Giannis Antetokounmpo continues to do things his own way, and it&rsquo;s paying off big time for the Bucks.&nbsp;
Check out more articles from BasketballNetwork.net <a href="https://www.basketballnetwork.net/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">here</a>.

Unlike many of his peers, Giannis Antetokounmpo doesn’t work out with other NBA players in the summer, and he explained why.

Giannis explains why he doesn't want to be buddies with NBA players

After more than 18 months in exile because of COVID-19 border restrictions, returning home to &lsquo;The North&rsquo; has been a journey of discovery for the Toronto Raptors.
&mdash; Head coach Nick Nurse walked into his arena office for the first time since Feb. 28, 2020, and found a forgotten, and very dusty, blue suit hanging in his locker.
&mdash; In search of an authentic Toronto experience, forward Pascal Siakam took his first ride on public transit when visiting a local park.
&mdash; Guard Gary Trent Jr., acquired from Portland while the Raptors were playing in Tampa last season, started checking out the restaurant scene in his new home, the city where his father played 13 games for the Raptors in 1998.
&ldquo;I didn&rsquo;t realize how much I enjoyed living here until I came back,&rdquo; guard Fred VanVleet said Monday at Raptors media day. &ldquo;I knew I missed the city, but you don&rsquo;t really know why until you come back. It&rsquo;s a beautiful place to be.&rdquo;
Just as beautiful, maybe, will be the collective feeling of joy at the Oct. 20 home opener, when the Raptors take the court to cheers from Toronto&rsquo;s fervent fans.
&ldquo;I just know it&rsquo;s going to be a movie,&rdquo; Van Vleet said. &ldquo;There&rsquo;s going to be so much energy. It&rsquo;s that raw feel you can&rsquo;t really describe or anticipate. It&rsquo;s just something in the air.&rdquo;
By then, the Raptors will also have started to discover something else: what it&rsquo;s like to play without guard Kyle Lowry, the franchise icon who was traded to Miami over the summer after nine years with Toronto, including the championship season of 2018-19.
&ldquo;We all witnessed the great leadership that Kyle provided in a lot of ways,&rdquo; Nurse said. &ldquo;That will be a void that we&rsquo;re going to have to try and fill.&rdquo;
Some other things to watch with the Raptors as training camp begins:
BIG HOPES FOR BARNES
Nurse has high hopes for 6-foot-8 forward Scottie Barnes, the fourth overall pick in this year&rsquo;s draft.
&ldquo;His role is going to be huge,&rdquo; Nurse said. &ldquo;I&rsquo;m sitting here from Day 1 to give him as many minutes and reps that he can handle. His impact of defending, rebounding, running, spirit, enthusiasm, size, all that stuff gets him in the mix early and often, and he&rsquo;ll stay in there often and late, I would imagine.&rdquo;
Barnes was not one of the four Raptors players made available to the media Monday. He&rsquo;s expected to speak later in training camp.
SIAKAM&rsquo;S SHOULDER
Siakam won&rsquo;t be ready to start the season after undergoing shoulder surgery in June.
General manager Bobby Webster said Siakam has resumed one-on-one workouts but has not been cleared for contact. &ldquo;He looks good,&rdquo; Webster said. &ldquo;He&rsquo;s in a really positive headspace. I think he&rsquo;s happy. He&rsquo;s ready to go and I think he&rsquo;s looking forward to getting back to form.&rdquo;
Siakam was the NBA&rsquo;s Most Improved Player in 2019 and an All-Star and All-NBA Second Team selection in 2020. He was injured late last season and sat out the final four games.
&ldquo;It&rsquo;s moving in the right direction right now,&rdquo; Siakam said of his shoulder. &ldquo;I&rsquo;m super excited, hoping to be back as soon as possible.&rdquo;
NEW IN TOWN
In the Lowry deal with Miami, the Raptors received veteran point guard Goran Dragic and second-year forward Precious Achiuwa. Achiuwa, like Raptors president Masai Ujiri, is from Nigeria, and once participated in an African youth basketball camp led by Ujiri.
Dragic&rsquo;s Toronto tenure got off to a rocky start after he told an interviewer in his home country of Slovenia that he had &ldquo;higher ambitions&rdquo; than playing for the Raptors. He apologized for those comments Monday.
&ldquo;It came out wrong,&rdquo; Dragic said. &ldquo;I did apologize and I want to apologize right now, too. It was not my intention.&rdquo;
TALL ORDER
VanVleet, who is 6-foot-1, joked that he&rsquo;s concerned about his place on a rangy roster where 11 of the 15 players under contract are between 6-foot-7 and 6-foot-9.
&ldquo;I&rsquo;m just worried about my playing time going down,&rdquo; VanVleet said. &ldquo;They went and got all these 6-foot-9 guys. It doesn&rsquo;t make sense to have me at point guard anymore.&rdquo;

Nick Nurse: “We all witnessed the great leadership that Kyle provided in a lot of ways. That will be a void that we’re going to have to try and fill.”

Finally home in Toronto, Raptors begin moving on from Kyle Lowry

The National Basketball Association (NBA) today announced plans for the first NBA Week Mexico City 2021 presented by AT&amp;T, a multi-day celebration of the growth of basketball and the NBA in Mexico ahead of the league&rsquo;s 75th Anniversary Season.
NBA Week Mexico City 2021, which will take place from Thursday, Sept. 23 &ndash; Sunday, Oct. 3, will feature a wide range of experiences for fans and players, including interactive basketball-themed activities, pop-up events, youth and elite basketball development programming, and the first virtual innovation summit featuring speakers from across the NBA family, headlined by NBA Deputy Commissioner and Chief Operating Officer Mark Tatum and NBA 2K League President Brendan Donohue.&nbsp; Fans can participate and receive access to additional information, exclusive content and more by registering at <a href="http://www.nbaweek.com.mx">www.nbaweek.com.mx</a>.
&ldquo;The NBA has incredibly dedicated fans and partners across the country, and NBA Week Mexico City is a culmination of their continued support,&rdquo; said NBA Mexico Vice President and Managing Director, Raul Zarraga.&nbsp; &ldquo;We are committed to engaging fans and players in Mexico in new and unique ways and remain focused on creating more opportunities for young people to enjoy the game.&nbsp; We&rsquo;ve never been more excited about the future of the NBA in Mexico and look forward to celebrating our 75th Anniversary Season with fans throughout the country.&rdquo;
Initial activities for NBA Week Mexico City 2021 include:
NBA Cave (Sept. 23-26)
NBA Cave is a pop-up fan experience that will be hosted next to NBA Tienda in Polanco and offer fans an array of basketball-themed games and activities.
NBA Academy Exhibition Games (Sept. 24-25)
Players from NBA Academy Latin America, NBA Academy Africa and the Atlanta-based organization The Skill Factory will compete in exhibition games at La Loma Centro Deportivo in San Luis Potos&iacute;, the home of NBA Academy Latin America.&nbsp; Games will be livestreamed on <a href="http://www.nbaweek.com.mx">www.nbaweek.com.mx</a> and called by broadcaster &Aacute;lvaro Mart&iacute;n and analyst Carlos Morales.
NBA Locker Fan Experience (Sept. 24-26)
Twelve lockers, each featuring a unique historical NBA fun fact will be placed throughout the Antara Mall in Mexico City as part of an NBA scavenger hunt.&nbsp; A map will be available on <a href="http://www.nbaweek.com.mx">www.nbaweek.com.mx</a>.&nbsp; The NBA Locker Fan Experience will also offer interactive digital content, photo opportunities and more entertainment for fans.
Her Time To Play Clinic (Sept. 25)
Former WNBA player Allison Feaster and NBA staff will lead a virtual basketball and leadership development clinic for girls ages 13-16.&nbsp; The NBA and WNBA created Her Time To Play in 2018 to inspire the next generation of girls to play basketball in a positive and healthy way and provide them with ways to engage with one another through the game.
Jr. NBA Mexico Finals (Sept. 26)
Sixteen of the top male and female youth basketball players in Mexico will compete in a virtual skills challenge via the HomeCourt app as part of the 2021 Jr. NBA Mexico Finals.&nbsp; Top performers from the qualifying competition (Sept. 8-21) on HomeCourt will earn a spot in the Finals.&nbsp; Winning boys and girls teams (4 players each) will be crowned.&nbsp; The Jr. NBA Mexico Finals will be livestreamed on <a href="http://www.nbaweek.com.mx">www.nbaweek.com.mx</a> on Sunday, Sept. 26 at 12:00 p.m. CDMX.
NBA Time Machine Experience (Sept. 28)
13 lucky influencers will be joined by an NBA legend for an NBA Time Machine Experience as they revisit a classic game and participate in a live Q&amp;A.
Innovation Summit Presented by SAP (Sept. 29)
The first NBA Week Mexico City Innovation Summit presented by SAP will bring together experts from a range of industries, including sports, entertainment and technology, for a series of virtual panels.&nbsp; Guest speakers will include NBA Deputy Commissioner and Chief Operating Officer Mark Tatum; NBA 2K League President Brendan Donohue; NBA Senior Vice President, Head of Global Strategy &amp; Innovation Matt Wolf; NBA Senior Vice President, Head of Gaming &amp; New Business Ventures Scott Kaufman-Ross; NBA Vice President, Team Marketing &amp; Business Operations Stacy McWilliams; San Antonio Spurs Executive Vice President of Revenue, Brand &amp; Communications Brandon Gayle; SAP Mexico Head of Innovation &amp; Solutions Rosendo Perez; AT&amp;T Mexico Vice President and General Manager, Business Sales &amp; Solutions Ana Michelle; and Gatorade Sports Science Institute Latin America Scientific Consultant Lourdes Mayol.&nbsp; The panelists will discuss the NBA&rsquo;s upcoming 75th Anniversary Season, innovation across the league and its teams, the business of sports, sports betting, esports and the <a href="https://2kleague.nba.com/">NBA 2K League</a> &ndash; a professional esports league co-founded by the NBA and Take-Two Interactive Software, Inc. (NASDAQ:TTWO), which launched in 2018 and features the best NBA 2K players in the world.
NBA Beyond the Lines Art Exhibition (Oct. 1-3)
The work of local artists showcasing the spirit of the NBA will be on display at the NBA Beyond the Lines Art Exhibition, which will be located at Lago Tanganica 67, Polanco.
In addition to AT&amp;T, partners supporting NBA Week Mexico City 2021 include Gatorade, Hennessy and SAP.&nbsp; For the latest details on NBA Week Mexico City 2021, including opportunities to participate, fans can visit <a href="http://www.nbaweek.com.mx">www.nbaweek.com.mx</a>.
Fans in Mexico can find more information&nbsp;about the NBA at <a href="http://NBA.com/Mexico">NBA.com/Mexico</a>, on Facebook (<a href="https://www.facebook.com/NBAMexico/">@NBAMexico</a>), Twitter (<a href="https://twitter.com/NBAMEX?ref_src=twsrc%5Egoogle%7Ctwcamp%5Eserp%7Ctwgr%5Eauthor">@NBAMEX</a>) and Instagram <a href="https://www.instagram.com/nbamex/?hl=en">(@nbamex</a>), and use the hashtags #NBAMexicoWeek and #NBA75.

The NBA will hold a multi-day celebration of the growth of basketball and the NBA in Mexico ahead of its 75th Anniversary Season.

NBA Week Mexico City to celebrate growth of basketball in Mexico

ATLANTA (September 2, 2021) - Overtime Elite (OTE) announced today that highly-rated forward Dominick Barlow has signed with the transformative new league and will be part of its inaugural season this fall.&nbsp;
(Editor's Note: Read our Spencer Davies' exclusive interview with Aaron Ryan and Brandon Williams, and an extensive profile on Overtime Elite <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/high-school-basketball-former-nba-execs-aaron-ryan-brandon-williams-kevin-ollie-overtime-elite-seek-to-revolutionize-amateur-to-pro-preparation" target="_blank" rel="noopener">here</a>.)
Dominick Barlow is a 6-9 forward from Dumont, N.J., who played for Dumont High School. He can guard anyone on the floor, is an active rebounder on defense, and can score from multiple positions on offense. Playing with the NY Rens, Barlow had a breakout performance at the Peach Jam this summer and saw his recruitment start to take off.
&ldquo;Dominick is an exciting prospect that brings an unusual versatility on and off the ball, and on both ends of the court. He&rsquo;s long, athletic, and brings that New Jersey toughness that&rsquo;s driven his growth in recent years,&rdquo; said Brandon Williams, Head of OTE Basketball Operations. &ldquo;Among amateurs and pros, Dominick has demonstrated an ability to elevate his game, guarding multiple positions, and aggressive playmaking. This is a strong addition to the OTE environment.&rdquo;
Barlow becomes the 21st player to sign with OTE. He joins Jalen Lewis from California, Jazian Gortman from South Carolina, Bryson Warren from Arkansas, Amen and Ausar Thompson from Florida, Matt Bewley and Ryan Bewley from Florida, Tyler Smith and Bryce Griggs from Texas, Jai Smith from North Carolina, Malik Bowman from Maryland, Kok Yat from Alaska and De&rsquo;Vontes Cobbs from Wisconsin.
Bryson Warren's press release:
Overtime Elite (OTE) announced today that highly-rated point guard Bryson Warren has signed with the transformative new league and will be part of its inaugural season this fall.&nbsp;
Bryson Warren is a 6-2 point guard from North Little Rock, Arkansas. This past season at Little Rock Central, the 2021 Arkansas Player of the Year averaged 24.1 points, 3.5 rebounds, 3.7 assists and 2.5 steals per game as a sophomore. Warren also led the Tigers to their best record (23-5) since 2001, while shooting 57.5% from the field and 43.6% from the 3-point line.&nbsp;
&ldquo;Bryson shows the foundational tools of an elite lead guard - vision, speed, craftiness, athleticism, shooting and leadership abilities beyond his years," said Brandon Williams, Head of OTE Basketball Operations. &ldquo;In his cerebral and competitive approach to the game, you can sense his desire to be the best at his position in the country. He&rsquo;ll get the chance to show and prove that day in and day out at OTE, as he sharpens his game against the best players across 3 classes in the country.&rdquo;
&ldquo;It&rsquo;s hard to imagine a player as developed as Bryson at such a young age. But in addition to his natural talent, the young man puts in the work and leads by example,&rdquo; said Kevin Ollie, OTE Head Coach and Head of Player Development. &nbsp;&ldquo;That&rsquo;s exactly what you want and need in a point guard - level 5 energy all the time. I can't wait to coach the total person.&rdquo;&nbsp;
Malik Bowman, De'Vontes Cobbs, Kok Yat release:
Overtime Elite (OTE), the transformative new basketball league starting this fall, announced the signing of three additional players. Malik Bowman, De&rsquo;Vontes Cobbs and Kok Yat finalized agreements with OTE marking 19 players signed for the league&rsquo;s inaugural season.
Malik Bowman
Malik Bowman is a 6-8 forward from Cumberland, Maryland and played at Bishop Walsh High School. Bowman is a highly-ranked prospect with offers from major collegiate basketball programs all over the country. He has a smooth feel, and controlled game with the ability to ball handle and has the size and athleticism to defend up and down a line up. Bowman has a strong frame and can shoot with range while also having a solid mid-range game while guarding 1-4 on the defensive end.
&ldquo;Malik is an extremely talented and versatile wing who has demonstrated the character, drive and commitment to separate himself on and off the court,&rdquo; said Brandon Williams, Head of OTE &nbsp;Basketball Operations. &ldquo;With his skill level, maturity and understanding, he is going to make an immediate impact in the OTE environment. I am excited to see his continued growth, and his game flourish under Coach Ollie and his staff.&rdquo;
De&rsquo;Vontes Cobbs
De&rsquo;Vontes Cobbs is a 6-3 shooting guard, originally from Milwaukee, Wisconsin, who last played at Eduprize in Gilbert, Arizona. A highly-rated 2-way player, Cobbs previously played at Hillcrest Prep and Shadow Mountain, coached by former NBA player Mike Bibby, winning a state championship with Shadow Mountain as a freshman.&nbsp;
&ldquo;Coaches and teammates praise De&rsquo;Vontes not only for his talent, but his work ethic, and coachability,&rdquo; said Brandon Williams, Head of OTE &nbsp;Basketball Operations. &ldquo;With his competitive spirit, De&rsquo;Vontes will thrive playing with and against an elite peer group, and it will bring out the best in him.&rdquo;
Kok Yat
Kok Yat is a 6-8 forward, originally from Anchorage, Alaska, who last played for Norcross High School outside of Atlanta. Yat has received significant interest from top-rated college basketball programs. The athletic forward has the ability to handle the basketball and has developed into a reliable outside shooter. Yat&rsquo;s cousin is JT Thor, who was recently drafted 37th by the Charlotte Hornets.
&ldquo;Kok will bring a high level shooting skill to the league environment, while adding wing versatility and depth.&rdquo; said Brandon Williams, Head of OTE Basketball Operations. &ldquo;As this young man continues to round out and polish his perimeter skill set, he will emerge as a valued prospect for the next level.&rdquo;
Every OTE player will earn a six-figure salary, with a guaranteed minimum salary of at least $100,000 per year, plus bonuses and shares of equity in Overtime. In addition, players will participate in revenue from use of their name, image and likeness, including through sales of custom jerseys, trading cards, video games and NFTs.

Overtime Elite has added five more players to its inaugural roster, including Bryson Warren and Dominick Barlow.

Overtime Elite adds Bryson Warren, Dominick Barlow, 3 more prospects

Last season, South Carolina Gamecocks guard A.J. Lawson averaged 16.6 points, 4.1 rebounds, 2.8 threes and 1.5 steals, while shooting 45.0% from two-point range and 35.1% from three.
Now, Lawson is ready to take his talents to the NBA, and he's hoping to hear his name called tonight.
BasketballNews.com caught up with the 21-year-old to discuss his game, which NBA players he studies, the sacrifices he's made to get here, the best advice he's ever received, his off-court interests and more.
What&rsquo;s it been like going through this process?
A.J. Lawson: "I feel like the process has been going amazing so far. My first time going all the way through it. Right now, I&rsquo;ve just been enjoying myself, having fun. Being on the road so much, definitely get a little fatigue, but that&rsquo;s why you gotta take care of your body. I feel like I&rsquo;ve been doing a good job with that. Each workout I&rsquo;ve been going through, I&rsquo;ve been having high energy and learning through each one. Throughout this whole process, it&rsquo;s been helping myself out more by just going hard and playing the best I can."
What are some things you wanted to prove throughout this process in interviews and workouts?&nbsp;
Lawson: "Something I wanted to prove is that I&rsquo;m not just a shooter. I can be a playmaker. I&rsquo;m athletic. I can make plays with the ball and without the ball. I feel like I&rsquo;ve been showing that real well. During the [NBA Draft] Combine, I feel like I did a good job showing my versatility &mdash; getting rebounds, setting [up] assists and scoring the ball. Throughout these workouts, I&rsquo;ve been shooting the ball well and making plays for others, so I feel like I&rsquo;ve been doing a great job with that.
"The misconception is [that] people think I&rsquo;m just a 3-and-D guy, but I definitely can defend, I definitely can shoot, but I&rsquo;m also more than that. I feel like I&rsquo;m a playmaker, too. I can do a lot more things on the court. Whatever coaches want me to do, I can do it, I feel like."
Who are some NBA players that you&rsquo;ve studied over the years?
Lawson: "I definitely studied a lot of the Canadians like Jamal [Murray], Shai [Gilgeous-Alexander], Andrew Wiggins when he was coming up. The whole quarantine I was watching the whole [Michael] Jordan documentary when it came out, [and] watching Kobe [Bryant] and Scottie Pippen."
What do you think you can bring to a team off the court? How do you think you fit into a locker room?
Lawson: "Off the court, I&rsquo;m going to bring positive spirits, great energy. I&rsquo;m always going to be that guy that brings positive vibes into the locker room, so you&rsquo;re never going to have to worry about a guy that&rsquo;s going to bring the team down. I&rsquo;m always going to elevate a team with my personality and my spirits. Off the court and in the locker room, they're just going to have a guy who&rsquo;s willing to work. A good teammate that&rsquo;s there for the players, and then just a workaholic. I&rsquo;m going to be in the gym all the time trying to get better, and I feel like teammates are going to love me for that."
Has it sunk in that you could hear your name called in the NBA Draft?
Lawson: "Man, it&rsquo;s definitely sinking in. I&rsquo;ve been thinking about this every day. (laughs) I&rsquo;m just blessed to be in this position, because not a lot of people make it this far. I&rsquo;m just happy to be where I&rsquo;m at. If I hear my name called, I&rsquo;m still going to be working."
Can you speak to the sacrifices and everything that got you to this point?
Lawson: "There&rsquo;s tons of sacrifice. Starting way before I even got to college, like high school when I was just an underdog. I felt like I didn&rsquo;t even hit my growth spurt until grade-10. A lot of the work happened beforehand. Waking up at 5:00 in the morning in high school to work out with my coach at LA Fitness, then going to school. After practice, studying film, putting up extra shots, working on my body. There&rsquo;s so many things that people don&rsquo;t know, a lot of behind-the-scenes stuff that I&rsquo;ve put in. I feel like I&rsquo;ve done a lot, just for my body, watching film, working on my game. There&rsquo;s a lot of work that has been done."
What are the biggest areas of your game that you still feel like you have to improve? What&rsquo;s a weakness in your game?
Lawson: "For me, I got a skinny frame. I have to work on getting my body a little bit stronger. I feel like I definitely am strong, but I just feel like I need to put on some more weight, so I can handle the physicality of the NBA. I want to work on my consistent shooting. I feel like I&rsquo;m a good shooter, but I just want to make it more consistent to be a knockdown shooter, of course. Also, I want to work on my ball-handling so I can make plays with the ball and feel comfortable with it."
What are some of your off-court interests?
Lawson: "Definitely trying new foods, eating out. I like watching movies. Hanging with friends. I play video games sometimes. That&rsquo;s basically what I do. If it&rsquo;s not basketball, that&rsquo;s probably what I&rsquo;m going to be doing. [Or] on my phone, talking to family because I&rsquo;m never really home like that."
What&rsquo;s the biggest thing outside of basketball that&rsquo;s motivated you?
Lawson: "Something that&rsquo;s definitely motivated me is definitely my parents (Kathleen and Anthony). Growing up, seeing them work as hard as they did, trying to provide for me to eat, to [let me] play the sport. They were always going to AAU tournaments. They&rsquo;ve been working their tail off, being blue-collar workers to try to provide for me. That&rsquo;s my motivation right there. I owe them the world right there. And I just love the game, so I want to make something out of it."
What&rsquo;s the best piece of advice you were ever given?
Lawson: "The work will always come to light. Growing up, I always had to work hard. You never see immediate results. Keep working hard. It will pay off one day. That&rsquo;s probably the best advice, because the work will pay off eventually."
What would you tell an NBA GM if they walked up to you and asked why they should draft you?
Lawson: "I would tell them I&rsquo;m a high-character man that can bring positive spirits to the team. I can come in and defend 1-through-3. I can shoot the ball. I can make plays. I&rsquo;m great in transition. And I&rsquo;m ready for whatever task you put me in. I&rsquo;ll do the best I can, and even more than need be."
You mentioned earlier you felt like an underdog. Do you still feel like you&rsquo;re an underdog who doesn&rsquo;t get the credit he deserves?
Lawson: "Oh, for sure. I&rsquo;m always going to play with that chip on my shoulder. I always feel like people overlook me, but I feel like as things come closer to the draft, people are starting to buzz more on my name. But I still work like I&rsquo;m an underdog. I still feel there&rsquo;s not 30 guys better than me in this draft. I&rsquo;m going to keep playing like that, like there isn&rsquo;t."

2021 NBA Draft prospect A.J. Lawson discusses his game, NBA players he studies, the best advice he's received and more.

A.J. Lawson Q&A: 'I still feel there’s not 30 guys better than me in this draft'

METAIRIE, La. (AP) &mdash; New Pelicans coach Willie Green sees New Orleans as a team on the cusp of contending &mdash; a conclusion he explains by referencing his past two years with the Phoenix Suns.
&ldquo;This situation actually reminds me a lot of Phoenix,&rdquo; Green said during his formal introduction on Tuesday, highlighting &ldquo;really high-talented players&rdquo; such as 2021 All-Star Zion Williamson and 2020 All-Star Brandon Ingram.
The Pelicans are &ldquo;really close to taking the next step,&rdquo; Green said. &ldquo;Going into next season, that&rsquo;s our goal. That&rsquo;s our mindset and that makes it a sleeping giant.&rdquo;
In Green&rsquo;s first season with Phoenix as an assistant to Monty Williams, the Suns narrowly missed the 2020 playoffs. This season, they advanced to the NBA Finals and won the first two games of that series before the Milwaukee Bucks stormed back to take the title.
A former NBA player who turns 40 on Wednesday, Green was hired last week to his first head coaching job. He emerged as a top candidate several weeks ago while helping the Suns advance through the playoffs.
David Griffin, the Pelicans&rsquo; executive vice president of basketball operations, said that while researching potential candidates, so many people around the NBA asked if he and Pelicans general manager Trajan Langdon had spoken to Green that the question became &ldquo;almost a joke between Trajan and I.&rdquo;
Griffin added that when Green&rsquo;s name came up, he was repeatedly advised, &ldquo;That is the dude, and if you don&rsquo;t get him, you&rsquo;re an idiot.&rdquo;
Griffin said he heard similar things about Tyronn Lue before making him a first-time coach in Cleveland, where they won the 2016 NBA title together with a squad led by LeBron James.
<div class="mceNonEditable"><spike>&nbsp;</spike></div>
Green is the Pelicans&rsquo; third coach since Griffin took over the front office two seasons ago. Alvin Gentry lasted one season under Griffin and was fired last August. Stan Van Gundy, who was hired in October, left the club in June after the Pelicans again failed to make the playoffs.
Green said he was concerned about the recent rate of coaching turnover in New Orleans and made that known to Griffin during the interview process. Green said he was comfortable with the explanation he received and grew confident that he and New Orleans&rsquo; front office were philosophically aligned.
&ldquo;I was honest about things that I saw or things that happened here. Griff was straightforward with me,&rdquo; Green said. &ldquo;The different coaching changes &mdash; both coaches are really good coaches, but the fit was important. ... We left the room feeling confident that we all fit together and wanted the same things.&rdquo;
Last season, Van Gundy expressed frustration at his players&rsquo; lack of commitment to his scheme, particularly on defense. New Orleans went 31-41 and ranked in the bottom third in the NBA defensively.
Griffin, who'd hired the 61-year-old Van Gundy for his basketball knowledge, decided he wanted his next coach to be someone who could effectively get through to younger players. Green, now the third-youngest head coach in the league, played 12 NBA seasons, including one in New Orleans under Williams.
Griffin said Green, who also was part of two championship coaching staffs with Golden State in 2017 and 2018, has a &ldquo;demonstrated ability to galvanize a group and engender a spirit and a clarity of purpose that is needed to lead young men.&rdquo;
Green said the best head coaches are not necessarily those who specialize in &ldquo;the Xs and Os.&rdquo;
Rather, he said, &ldquo;The best coaches are people that you know care about you. And connecting with players is no different than just connecting with people. You realize really quickly that you have a lot more in common than you don&rsquo;t.&rdquo;
Green said he also had personal reasons for returning to New Orleans; he and his family enjoyed it during his lone season playing in the city.
His wife, Terrah, and children Ross, 21, Aaliyah, 14, and Mason, 9, were all with Green on Tuesday. Terrah Green said they were eager to revisit New Orleans' renowned restaurant scene and perhaps find a home in the historic, tree-shaded Uptown section.
&ldquo;I don&rsquo;t think tourists really get a chance to understand this city unless you live here,&rdquo; Willie said. &ldquo;After living here for one year, it&rsquo;s impacted us.&rdquo;

After two years as an assistant with the Suns, Willie Green is now the Pelicans' head coach. He sees similarities between the teams.

New coach Willie Green sees Pelicans primed to ascend like Suns

The 2021 NBA Draft is just beyond the horizon, and <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/draft/big-board/players/isaiah-jackson" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Isaiah Jackson</a> is just days away from taking his powerful rim-running game to the highest levels of hoops.
The Kentucky freshman is a potential first-round pick due to his energy, bounce and relentless effort on defense. Every blocked shot energizes the 6-foot-10 center.
"I take great pride in my defense," Jackson said to reporters on Friday. "I think that's my game -- just playing defense. I have an offensive game, too, but I like to key in on playing defense.
"Blocking a shot, getting a rebound, getting a steal or something like that, that's where I get my fire from."
Jackson certainly stamped that reputation in college. He averaged a monster 2.6 blocks per game with the Wildcats, along with 8.4 points and 4.5 rebounds per contest. But Jackson also thinks he has more to show in the NBA than he flashed at Kentucky.
"Last year with Kentucky, I really didn't get to show my stretching the floor, three-point ability, but I feel like I can do that real well," Jackson said. "I've been working on that all summer, really with everything, but I've been keying in on my jump shot and being more consistent. And that's another thing: I'm a more consistent player, I can, every night, just bring it, like the toughness, running the floor, everything."
<iframe title="YouTube video player" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/1Eq272ZiiKI" width="100%" height="325" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe>
The workout schedule has been jam-packed for Jackson. He listed the Atlanta Hawks, Brooklyn Nets, Charlotte Hornets, Indiana Pacers, Sacramento Kings, Oklahoma City Thunder, New York Knicks, Houston Rockets and San Antonio Spurs as franchises he's joined in the gym.
With Brooklyn, Jackson worked out in front of general manager Sean Marks and his staff, as well as head coach Steve Nash. He feels he can jump in and contribute immediately for a playoff contender.
"I feel like I can bring it all," Jackson said. "Especially in the playoffs, where [Kevin Durant] is playing the five, I feel like I can play that role, and put KD at the four and let him do his thing. I feel like with some of the older guys, like Blake Griffin, I feel like I can fill that role as well. Helping him, keeping him from not having to play as many minutes as he's been playing."
To say "the league is evolving" feels outdated in and of itself at this point. Plenty of teams, including the Rockets, play a five-out system that relies on the center being able to operate all over half-court. Jackson believes he is versatile enough to play that type of modern style. He considers his ideal role to be as a stretch-4 or 5 who can also guard multiple positions.
"I have confidence in my shooting ability... I've never been a traditional big, back-to-the-basket-type big," Jackson said. "I've always been more of a, like, mid-post-type player or stretched-out-type player. So I think I can fit in real well."
Jackson brings a competitive spirit reminiscent of fiery NBA players past. He says Kevin Garnett made him fall in love with basketball, and he idolized the relentless energy Garnett radiated every night.
"To this day I still look up to him -- how he plays, everything about him [and] how he brings that grittiness, toughness to the game. Watching him growing up, he really inspired me to play basketball," Jackson said.
Jackson is currently projected as the No. 16 pick to the Oklahoma City Thunder in <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/draft" target="_blank" rel="noopener">BasketballNews.com Lead NBA Draft Analyst Matt Babcock's latest mock draft.</a>

Isaiah Jackson averaged 2.6 blocks per game as a freshman at Kentucky.

Isaiah Jackson's energy, defensive intensity propelling him to NBA

The Phoenix Suns say they aren&rsquo;t feeling sorry for themselves after squandering a 2-0 lead in the NBA Finals and moving within one game of elimination.
They realize they&rsquo;re still two wins away from capturing the first league title in franchise history.
Phoenix coach Monty Williams said Monday the Suns are showing the same spirit that helped them get this far in their first playoff appearance since 2010. The Suns have lost three straight to the Milwaukee Bucks, who can close out the Finals on their home floor on Tuesday.
&ldquo;I saw yesterday when we got on the plane, the guys had the same look in their eyes,&rdquo; Williams said. &ldquo;When I came down this morning for meetings, guys were down there talking, having breakfast. It was pretty cool to watch. So those kinds of losses are hard, but if you&rsquo;re going to do anything big, you have to overcome those kinds of hards.
&ldquo;I don&rsquo;t know of any team that has won a championship that has just kind of strolled into it. So our guys, we have talked about that, the deep playoff hurts that happen and the ability to bounce back from that.&rdquo;
A big difference between Phoenix and Milwaukee is that the Bucks have experienced plenty of recent playoff heartbreak.
Milwaukee was the league&rsquo;s top overall seed in 2019 and 2020 but failed to reach the Finals either year. While Chris Paul and Jae Crowder possess plenty of playoff experience, teammates including Devin Booker, Deandre Ayton and Mikal Bridges made their postseason debuts this year.
&ldquo;The message is stay together, fight each and every possession and embrace where you are right now,&rdquo; Crowder said.
The Suns face the unenviable task of having to win at Milwaukee, where the Bucks own a 9-1 postseason record. The Suns posted an NBA-best 24-12 road record in the regular season &mdash; including a win at Milwaukee &mdash; and are 6-4 away from home in these playoffs.
That gives the Suns confidence they can bounce back, even from a loss as painful as the 123-119 Game 5 defeat.
&ldquo;Coming into the next morning probably after a loss, the locker room, you probably wouldn&rsquo;t know that we just lost a game, a Game 5 at home,&rdquo; Ayton said. &ldquo;You know, just how we walk in and everybody&rsquo;s just so full of spirit and energy, it&rsquo;s insane.&rdquo;
RIVALS TO TEAMMATES
Booker is competing with Milwaukee&rsquo;s Jrue Holiday and Khris Middleton for an NBA title, but they&rsquo;ll become teammates as soon as the Finals end when they head to Tokyo to join Team USA for the Olympics.
&ldquo;I think we&rsquo;ll be fine,&rdquo; Middleton said. &ldquo;Right now, we haven&rsquo;t said a word to each other. I&rsquo;m sure we won&rsquo;t be best buddies during Team USA, but we&rsquo;ll be teammates, for sure. We&rsquo;ll be on the same path, talking basketball X&rsquo;s and O&rsquo;s, trying to get the job done. That&rsquo;s what being competitors is all about, but also what being a teammate is all about.&rdquo;
Booker agreed.
&ldquo;It&rsquo;s never personal between who you&rsquo;re going with, unless lines are crossed,&rdquo; Booker said. &ldquo;Those guys aren&rsquo;t that type and I would never go that way with them, because there&rsquo;s a high respect level for each other. I think that&rsquo;s why we&rsquo;re in the position that we&rsquo;re in right now.&rdquo;
HEY, I KNOW THAT GUY
Bucks forward Giannis Antetokounmpo said he noticed LeBron James was sitting courtside for Game 5 but didn&rsquo;t speak with him.
&ldquo;It doesn&rsquo;t really matter who &mdash; it might be my mother sitting courtside &mdash; I don&rsquo;t engage while I&rsquo;m playing,&rdquo; Antetokounmpo said. &ldquo;I just try to focus as much as possible. But this is crazy. This is a great story. This is not a promo. The night before, I was watching &lsquo;Space Jam&rsquo; on HBO. I was watching &lsquo;Space Jam,&rsquo; and there he goes in the courtside seat.&rdquo;
James is the star of &ldquo;Space Jam: A New Legacy,&rdquo; which premiered over the weekend.
VOLUME SHOOTING
The Suns averaged 37 3-point attempts over the first two games of the Finals as they built a 2-0 lead. That dropped to 24.3 3-point tries over the last three games.
Phoenix went 13 of 19 from beyond the arc in Game 5.
&ldquo;I think with the team and the capabilities of the shooters that we have on this team, that we need to generate more 3s,&rdquo; Booker said. &ldquo;Obviously, they&rsquo;re switching a lot and staying home on shooters. So there&rsquo;s just a way of figuring it out.&rdquo;

The Suns say they aren’t feeling sorry for themselves after squandering a 2-0 lead in the Finals and moving within one game of elimination.

Suns remain upbeat as they face Finals elimination game on road

With the 2021 NBA Finals underway, BasketballNews.com will have you covered every step up the way with the top storylines, breakdowns, player quotes and more. Here are Spencer Davies' observations from the Milwaukee Bucks' perspective after their 120-100 win in Game 3:
There really is no place like home. In a back-against-the-wall scenario down 2-0 in yet another series, the Milwaukee Bucks turned on the jets and the tempo, and used size to their advantage in a critical NBA Finals Game 3 win over the Phoenix Suns, 120-100.
Giannis Antetokounmpo was a straight-up brute for the second-consecutive contest, pummeling the Suns on the interior with strength and length while out-working (and muscling past) whoever was guarding him, just wanting the ball more than anybody else. The Greek Freak posted 41 points, 13 rebounds and 6 assists in 37 minutes, becoming just the third player in Finals history to record a 40/10 line in back-to-back games (joining Shaquille O&rsquo;Neal in 2000 and LeBron James in 2016). Giannis was doing it all in the paint to create point-blank chances for himself, nabbing offensive rebounds, dishing out to his teammates and getting to the free-throw-line to make 13-of-17 tries.&nbsp;
&ldquo;When I take each possession at a time, when I have a possession in front of me, I try to get myself in a position to be successful,&rdquo; Giannis said after his monster night. &ldquo;Sometimes, it's driving the ball. Sometimes, it's sealing down in the lane. Sometimes, it's setting a screen. I just try to read each possession at a time, and each possession is different. I might say, 'Okay, I'll attack this guy this time, but for some reason, that's not working.' So, I'm not trying to have a game-plan or strategy in my head. I just want to enjoy the game. I just want to be out there, have fun and compete at a high level and read each possession at a time, which every possession is different&hellip;
&ldquo;Sometimes, I'm going to be aggressive for two minutes straight. Sometimes, I'm not -- because the ball is not in my hands because Khris is being aggressive at that time or Jrue. So, that's why I'm trying to explain that each possession, each time of the game, it's different. I'm not planning what I do.&rdquo;
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-theme="dark">
You can't ever have too many angles of a Giannis dunk, right? <a href="https://t.co/h5CjTa0iWc">pic.twitter.com/h5CjTa0iWc</a>
&mdash; Milwaukee Bucks (@Bucks) <a href="https://twitter.com/Bucks/status/1414391151143145472?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 12, 2021</a></blockquote>

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

&ldquo;Obviously Giannis can go out there and score 40 points all the time, but when everyone else is involved, it kind of unlocks him a lot more and kind of create mismatches and one-on-one a lot more and guys can't really dig in and be over the top and X-out back side and do things like that,&rdquo; said Bobby Portis, who provided 11 points and 8 rebounds for the Bucks off the bench. &ldquo;When guys make shots, it just makes it tough on the opposing team because now he's really just playing one-on-one, and good luck with that. For real, for real (laughs). Greek Freak.&rdquo;
Like Game 2, Jrue Holiday and Khris Middleton came out aggressively, except in front of their home fans at Fiserv Forum, they were able to get into a flow within the offense. They were using their vision to open up better opportunities for themselves and Giannis, who also was utilizing the attention he received as a way to find his teammates. The Bucks altogether were able to swing the ball around, <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/pressure-points-how-the-bucks-torched-the-suns-in-game-3" target="_blank" rel="noopener">get into multiple offensive actions</a> and rack up the assists (28).
<div class="mceNonEditable"><spike>&nbsp;</spike></div>
Although most of his damage was done in the first half and his 18-point, 7-rebound, 6-assist stat line isn&rsquo;t the sexiest, Middleton was superb as a facilitator and lead ball-handler. He worked well in the pick-and-roll, swung the ball on the perimeter, spotted cutters and found success in isolation.&nbsp;
&ldquo;They are jumping up on my pick-and-rolls a little bit, then bringing extra bodies to Giannis' roll, so I can't hit him. So from there, we did our job,&rdquo; Middleton said. &ldquo;We attracted a crowd, and I just find an open man, and allow and trust those other guys to make plays and make shots.&rdquo;
Holiday got going in the third quarter with 12 of his 21 points on multiple threes, mostly off the dribble. He and Giannis paved the way for a 16-0 run to end the third quarter after Phoenix narrowed the Bucks&rsquo; lead to six.
&ldquo;He's a great player. We need him to keep playing like this,&rdquo; Giannis said of Holiday. &ldquo;We trust him. He's our leader. He's our point guard. He's one of our scorers. He's one of our defenders. He's a great basketball player, and he's going to keep figuring out ways to be successful.&rdquo;
&ldquo;I think just taking what the defense presented to us,&rdquo; Holiday said of how Milwaukee was able to close the third. &rdquo;They kind of went to that zone and sometimes in a zone, you get a lot of wide-open threes and we took those chances or we took those shots and made them. But it was definitely a team effort -- believing in ourselves, making the right plays, the easy early pass, and being able to go out there and have fun and play our game.
&ldquo;It's just about being consistent. Believing in yourself and what you work on. I work on those [shots] every day. So I think to be able to step into those and have a rhythm, dribble and shoot them, fairly easy. They leave me open, too, so I have to continue to shoot them.&rdquo;
The Bucks nabbed 13 offensive rebounds in the game, and took advantage even more so when Deandre Ayton was in foul trouble. Perhaps as crucial as ever were the 50-50 balls and extra opportunities that PJ Tucker and Pat Connaughton provided. They were crucial on both ends of the floor, and the defensive job that the latter did against a Devin Booker-Cam Payne transition opportunity resulted in a stop and a Tucker three in Milwaukee's favor. That five-point swing sparked a 30-9 run to close the second quarter and take a 15-point lead going into halftime.&nbsp;
"You're just trying to keep them guessing a little bit. Obviously, ironically three-on-two, two-on-one was a drill I did a ton growing up back home in Arlington [Mass.]," Connaughton said. "It was something that it's a little bit different when it's Devin Booker and Cam Payne coming at you than my buddies back home, but the principles still apply. You want to stop the ball. You want to make sure the ball is taken care of first, try to make sure they make the extra pass, and then for me personally it's just using my athleticism.
"Sometimes for some reason there's a little bit of questionability around my athleticism, but I still have confidence in it myself. So try to use that and make sure that I'm in the right position, and then it's just about jumping, staying vertical, trying to make sure you stay within the rules to try to make them make a tough shot and not bail them out by fouling them or putting the ref in a position to make a call. And our team does a great job of getting back, so if you're able to force them into a tough shot or miss the first shot, usually we have our cavalry on the way back."
<iframe src="https://streamable.com/e/ojn6cw" width="100%" height="325" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe>
&ldquo;I think it's really big [for the momentum of the game],&rdquo; Holiday said. &ldquo;Those hustle plays, we missed some of those the first couple games where we might get block or a nice box-out and it bounces to their hands, and we weren't there for the 50/50 balls. But I think to be able to get those opportunities is obviously to our advantage.
&ldquo;But it's definitely a team effort the way that Pat and Tuck go for those offensive rebounds and give us another chance at scoring. It's intangible and even just in fighting, they might not get it, but to be able to get in there and tap it out, it's huge for us because that gives us another opportunity.&rdquo;
Portis, the local favorite to put it lightly, was a huge part of that offensive onslaught as well, knocking down a corner three and moving without the ball in his hands on the baseline. His presence on the glass and energy were essential, and it juiced the whole building (as we saw in the Eastern Conference Finals).
&ldquo;I think it's just vital that I just give it my all and just put forth everything I have out there,&rdquo; Portis said. &ldquo;With potentially only four games left, there's nothing to hold back. Just give it all I have and just bring some energy to the game. I'm a guy that is an energy guy. That's one thing I can help a team with. Making shots or not, I still play as hard as I can. So I think that's just gone well tonight.&rdquo;
<div class="mceNonEditable"><spike>&nbsp;</spike></div>
By the time the fourth quarter began, Milwaukee had already crushed Phoenix&rsquo;s spirit. Benches were emptied, and the buzzer sounded. The Bucks are a win away from a 2-2 split.
Considering the dominance of Giannis -- and Holiday and Middleton providing the kickstarts needed to supplement that -- the Bucks might&rsquo;ve found something. With the Suns&rsquo; ailing at the backup big position, there is a real size discrepancy that could be a critical weakness of a Phoenix team that doesn&rsquo;t have many vulnerabilities.
Give an inch, take a mile. But for now, it&rsquo;s one game at a time for Milwaukee.
&ldquo;All I care about right now, it's getting one more, that's all,&rdquo; Giannis said. &ldquo;Just take care of business, doing our job.&rdquo;
Game 4 is set for 9 p.m. ET on Wednesday night at Fiserv Forum in Milwaukee.
For Game 1 observations from the Bucks' perspective, <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/2021-nba-finals-observations-milwaukee-bucks-game-1" target="_blank" rel="noopener">click here</a>.
For Game 2 observations from the Bucks' perspective, <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/spectacular-giannis-antetokounmpo-not-enough-with-clunkers-from-milwaukee-bucks-teammates-in-nba-finals-game-2" target="_blank" rel="noopener">click here</a>.

Spencer Davies shares his takeaways from the Milwaukee Bucks' win in Game 3 over the Phoenix Suns.

Bucks, Giannis out-hustle, out-muscle Suns in Game 3 of NBA Finals

With the 2021 NBA Finals underway, BasketballNews.com will have you covered every step up the way with the top storylines, breakdowns, player quotes and more. Here are Spencer Davies' observations from the Milwaukee Bucks' perspective after their 118-105 loss in Game 2:
Just a short time after he thought his year was over, Giannis Antetokounmpo gave the world an all-time performance. Unfortunately for the Milwaukee Bucks, he was about the only one that they could depend on.
Giannis finished with a postseason career-high 42 points and 12 rebounds, playing with sheer force and bullying his way to the bucket with ease. He put the ball on the floor with some nifty dribble moves, backed down his opponents deep in the paint and got to the free-throw line as a result. Defensively, he was flawless as a helper on the weak side and active with his hands and long arms. Greek Freak&rsquo;s third quarter was nothing short of dominant, keeping the Bucks in the game with his power and realization that nobody on the floor could answer for his stature.
To Milwaukee&rsquo;s chagrin, it just wasn&rsquo;t enough, as the Phoenix Suns defended home court with a 118-108 win to take a 2-0 lead in the NBA Finals.
&ldquo;I just tried to be aggressive. Miss or make, gotta be aggressive,&rdquo; Giannis said postgame following the Game 2 loss. &ldquo;Got to leave everything on the court. You know, just focusing on my body, my technique, everything I do.
&ldquo;Personally I think to win this series, it's going to be all mental. I feel like there's so much talent on both teams. It's going to be mental,&rdquo; Giannis said after the Game 2 loss. &ldquo;It's going to be the constant pressure. That's what I want to put to the other team. Obviously they get tired, we get tired, Khris [Middleton] gets tired, I get tired, but we have to keep coming over and over again as a team. Keep being aggressive and keep pressuring them and having that constant pressure putting on them. That's what I was trying to do.&rdquo;
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-theme="dark">
Giannis went OFF for a Playoff career-high 42 points last night. 71.4 FPTS - 12 REB - 3 BLK <a href="https://t.co/qV5leRDmQ1">pic.twitter.com/qV5leRDmQ1</a>
&mdash; NBA Fantasy (@NBAFantasy) <a href="https://twitter.com/NBAFantasy/status/1413513284771274761?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 9, 2021</a></blockquote>

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

Any time the Bucks shortened the deficit, Chris Paul would knock down a patented off-balance mid-ranger over the top or a timely three, and if it wasn&rsquo;t him, it was Devin Booker knocking down momentum-killing jumpers from wherever he pleased. The Bucks&rsquo; defensive adjustments worked; this was just a classic case of great offense beating great defense.&nbsp;
&ldquo;You know, we're pros. They can keep making them. I've seen it happen,&rdquo; said Pat Connaughton, who contributed 14 points and 7 rebounds off the Milwaukee bench. &ldquo;I think we definitely tried to make some adjustments at halftime. We were active in the first half, being in the passing lanes and they made some shots, so we tried to be a little bit less active going into the second half as far as, you know, staying in. We wanted to show a body and then try to get out. And it felt like in the second half, we did a better job of it.
&ldquo;I think they capitalized on the ones that got loose at the end and they definitely hit some transition threes and Book hit a few shots that were tough and contested and were setbacks and things of that nature. But it's the NBA Finals. Great players do great things and everyone around here can play, everyone around here can shoot. It's just about trying to make them feel a little bit more uncomfortable.&rdquo;
&ldquo;[Booker] is one of the leading scorers in this game,&rdquo; Jrue Holiday said. &ldquo;He's put in the work and practiced for it, just like we've done the same. He's damn near perfected it and has been on a roll, been on a tear. Difficult [to guard], yes, but still not impossible for us to do a little bit more... I think we do exactly what we did [to not get sped up]: Stay calm, stay collected. I think the third and fourth quarter, we outscored them in the third and we tied in the fourth. I think there are times in the game where if they hit those big shots, you've just got to stay calm like we did. And then once we get down, what, seven points, six points, we have to try to get over that hump.&rdquo;
Phoenix&rsquo;s extra possessions late in the fourth when Milwaukee went small again with Giannis at the 5 were also a big reason the home team was able to secure the victory.
&ldquo;Yeah, got to do a better job on the 50/50 balls,&rdquo; Giannis said. &ldquo;There was one possession where we gave them three open threes. Wasn't able to get the rebound. I think we were like down six or something. It was a big shot. Just got to do a better job rebounding the ball. And it's tough, it's tough, going small and like switching up, and then I've got to get my butt back and help my team to get the rebounds. But we're going to hopefully move forward, we're going to do a better job of that.&rdquo;
&ldquo;Definitely [have to] run down those long rebounds, loose balls,&rdquo; Middleton said. &ldquo;They had several. Late in that fourth quarter, they scored each and every time. Even if they missed that second attempt, they still got it back and hit a mid-range or a three. We do that, it could be a totally different ballgame.&rdquo;
<div class="mceNonEditable"><spike>&nbsp;</spike></div>
There&rsquo;s another saying that proves true in the NBA: It&rsquo;s a make-or-miss league, and the Bucks did not live up to cashing in on their looks. There were more missed layups, perplexing early attempts in the shot clock and a lack of rhythm and continuity, specifically when it came to Middleton and Holiday. Milwaukee&rsquo;s Achilles heel in this postseason has been a lack of trust and a shortage of passing. The team saw it work in the first quarter with off-ball cuts and open-lane drives early on that led to 20 first-quarter points in the paint. And still, the Bucks reverted back to the same bad habits in the next 36 minutes.
Holiday knew he had to be aggressive from the tip for Milwaukee following his poor shooting night in Game 1, and he showed that with a ton of field goal attempts. The problem was, not many of those shots fell.&nbsp;
&ldquo;I think we had a lot of open shots that we didn't make,&rdquo; Holiday said. &ldquo;I know me personally, there were a couple layups there that I usually make that kind of rimmed in and out. Had some good looks... I think I did a good job of being aggressive, especially from the start. We got a quick lead early, but again, they started to go dry there a little bit. I'll continue to be aggressive. It's the only thing I really can do is put pressure on the rim and try to spread out for threes.&rdquo;
&ldquo;No matter what's going on, you've got to stay aggressive and you cannot get in your feelings. It's hard not to. You know, NBA Finals, 20,000 people booing you and all that, it's kind of hard. But at the end of the day, it's not about me. It's not about him. It's not about Khris. It's not about Coach. It's about all of us,&rdquo; Giannis said. &ldquo;At the end of the day, if there's a game that you're 3-for-12 or whatever the case might be and you can rebound the ball or get a steal or do something else to help the team win, that's what it's all about right now. I think [Jrue] understands that. I know he's going to be there when we need him the most and I don't worry about it. He's a great basketball player. He's played great all year and he's going to continue to play great for this team.&rdquo;
So was the story of the game with Holiday and Middleton, who once again did not seem to have their jumpers going with quick possession after quick possession, particularly after the Suns converted on the other end. They seemed to be rushing and trying to do too much, and couldn&rsquo;t convert much; the two were a combined 5-for-23 at a point and finished 12-for-39.
&ldquo;In the first half, I had more than a few go in and out for me. So, that's that. I'll take them over and over again. Just didn't hit them in the second half... knocking down some shots would make life a lot better for us.&rdquo;
&ldquo;You always give credit to the defense,&rdquo; Bucks head coach Mike Budenholzer said of Holiday and Middleton&rsquo;s troubles. &ldquo;Those guys do a good job. There's probably a few looks that I think they got to go in when you're playing against a good defensive team -- you get a good, clean one. Jrue was getting to the paint a lot. I liked his aggressiveness. I think we need all three of those guys. I think if they just keep working, they will come good... Jrue's got to play his game. He knows how to play. He and I will talk, but it will be more just keep being aggressive. Our spacing I think was better tonight. I think his opportunities were better.&rdquo;
Defense was not really an issue for the Bucks. Their coverage on Paul and Booker was tighter. Holiday was even picking up Paul around three-quarters court on the inbounds. As a team, Milwaukee didn&rsquo;t commit a foul until the 8:17 mark of the second quarter, so the discipline was there, as was the physicality.&nbsp;
But what hurt, with Paul giving it up and Booker not getting easy layups, were the open looks and opportunities that surfaced for Mikal Bridges, Jae Crowder and Cameron Johnson to make their own marks. As a team, the Suns drilled 20 three-balls on a 50% clip.
&ldquo;I think a little bit of over-helping,&rdquo; Middleton said of what Milwaukee did wrong. &ldquo;CP and Book, they were able to get into the pick-and-roll play and get in the middle, draw a crowd -- sometimes we over-help and sometimes they hit tough shots. They did a good job of spreading the floor, getting to the middle and then drive-and-kick and find the shooters.&rdquo;
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-theme="dark">
Here's another example of the Bucks defense coming in off their man to be at the elbow with a stunt from Middleton. Crowder gets the three off because Tucker stays at help too long, got to get out earlier because he doesn't have the help Holiday did. <a href="https://t.co/AMTWTbRaZs">pic.twitter.com/AMTWTbRaZs</a>
&mdash; Mo Dakhil (@MoDakhil_NBA) <a href="https://twitter.com/MoDakhil_NBA/status/1413308548415508485?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 9, 2021</a></blockquote>

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

&ldquo;With Book and Chris, they attract so many people that you just want to just try to stop them from getting (in) the paint and make it difficult for them, but you can't forget about the other guys. Not helping so much and hard close-outs to those threes,&rdquo; Holiday added.
On the bright side, the Bucks as a whole did a much better job of getting a body or two on Deandre Ayton as well to make sure he stayed off the boards as much as possible. Brook Lopez was terrific at defending in between on pick-and-rolls and recognized when Ayton was going to catch his lobs, so that is a positive, too.
Connaughton and PJ Tucker gave Milwaukee a boost with their hustle plays and some timely triples, but the Bucks&rsquo; issue seems to come from a lack of juice at the backup point guard position. While Jeff Teague&rsquo;s veteran presence is valuable on this stage, he just hasn&rsquo;t been up to par in the short minutes he&rsquo;s been afforded. Bryn Forbes provides a shooting threat; however, he is an easy target for the Suns on the defensive end. They&rsquo;re really hurting without Donte DiVincenzo as well.
Perhaps most disconcerting of all is that Phoenix won with two completely different styles. In Game 1, it was a freeway to the rim with plenty of restricted area shots and free throws. In Game 2, it was via perimeter shooting and daggers to crush Milwaukee&rsquo;s spirits after solid defensive possessions.&nbsp;
The good news? The Bucks are heading home. Every game is a must-win, basically, from here on out. They&rsquo;ve been down 0-2 in a series as recently as the Eastern Conference Semifinals, and have been mentally tough all postseason long. The question is, though: Can they do it in The Finals?
&ldquo;We've got to come out, be prepared and be ready for a dogfight. We have been in this hole before. It's not going to be easy, but we've got to find a way to do it,&rdquo; Middleton said. &ldquo;Like I said, it's going to be hard, but that's what it is at this point in the playoffs. Hopefully we can knock down a couple more shots, limit them to some of those three-pointers and play a little bit faster or freer or whatever.&rdquo;
&ldquo;I think no matter what we say, we know what the deal is,&rdquo; Giannis said. &ldquo;It's as simple as that. We've got to go back home and do our job. They did their job. We've got to do our job. We've been here before and we were able to get the job done. Hopefully we can put ourselves in position and we can believe in one another and we can play together and we can have fun. We can compete and we can dive on the floor, we can make shots, put ourselves in a position to win the game.
&ldquo;But we know what the deal is, man. Like, we got to go back home and protect home.&rdquo;
Game 3 of the Finals is set for 8 p.m. ET in Milwaukee at Fiserv Forum.
For Game 1 observations from the Bucks' perspective, <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/2021-nba-finals-observations-milwaukee-bucks-game-1" target="_blank" rel="noopener">click here</a>.

Spencer Davies shares his takeaways from the Milwaukee Bucks' loss in Game 2 to the Phoenix Suns.

Spectacular Giannis, Holiday-Middleton clunkers define Bucks' Game 2

For the first time since suffering a stress fracture in his foot that ended his sophomore college season at LSU prematurely in February, Shareef O'Neal is back on the basketball court at the returning Drew League in Los Angeles.
Shareef, the son of Shaq, is looking as healthy and energetic as ever, running the floor and skying for alley-oops from his teammates. The 21-year-old forward had multiple highlight-reel moments in the first two weeks of action at St. John Bosco High School.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-theme="dark">
DAMN SHAREEF! <a href="https://twitter.com/SSJreef?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@SSJreef</a><a href="https://twitter.com/DrewLeague?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@DrewLeague</a> <a href="https://t.co/vwntpkL33g">pic.twitter.com/vwntpkL33g</a>
&mdash; Ballislife.com (@Ballislife) <a href="https://twitter.com/Ballislife/status/1408994777350033413?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 27, 2021</a></blockquote>

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

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-theme="dark">
Shareef with the mean block and the strong finish on the other end! <a href="https://twitter.com/SSJreef?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@SSJreef</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/DrewLeague?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@DrewLeague</a> <a href="https://t.co/mT9Tsj7vCS">pic.twitter.com/mT9Tsj7vCS</a>
&mdash; Ballislife.com (@Ballislife) <a href="https://twitter.com/Ballislife/status/1409190315412529163?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 27, 2021</a></blockquote>

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

The moments of brilliance are a taste of the talent Shareef possesses and should bring to the Tigers next season as a junior in Baton Rouge.
Shareef's perseverance through this injury is admirable, but nothing compares to his unbreakable spirit in coming back from open-heart surgery that forced him to miss his first college season at UCLA due to an anomalous coronary artery, one that his mother Shaunie said he "<a href="https://www.espn.com/mens-college-basketball/story/_/id/27013346/ucla-f-oneal-died-due-heart" target="_blank" rel="noopener">could've died from.</a>" He went on to play 13 games for the Bruins in 2019-20 before transferring to his father's alma mater the next year.
In the 2020-21 season, Shareef played in 10 games for LSU before the aforementioned foot injury.
If he continues to perform at a high level at the Drew League and keeps his body healthy, there's no reason that Shareef shouldn't play a larger role for the Tigers in the upcoming 2021-22 campaign.

Shareef O'Neal, the son of Shaq, is looking as healthy and energetic as ever at the Drew League in Los Angeles.

Shareef O'Neal looking strong, healthy at the Drew League

The Dallas Mavericks are finalizing a deal with Jason Kidd to make him the team's next head coach, according to <a href="https://twitter.com/wojespn/status/1408196737974497284" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN</a>.&nbsp;
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-theme="dark">
and there it is. <a href="https://twitter.com/wojespn?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@wojespn</a> reports that Jason Kidd is finalizing a deal to be the next Mavs coach <a href="https://t.co/4upljSlQv6">pic.twitter.com/4upljSlQv6</a>
&mdash; Lakers Outsiders (@LakersOutsiders) <a href="https://twitter.com/LakersOutsiders/status/1408252058084466691?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 25, 2021</a></blockquote>

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

Kidd replaces Rick Carlisle, who left the Mavericks and was <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/indiana-pacers-hire-rick-carlisle-as-next-head-coach" target="_blank" rel="noopener">hired today by the Indiana Pacers</a>.&nbsp;
A former NBA champion with the Mavs in 2011, Kidd spent this season as an assistant for the Los Angeles Lakers. He has a 183-190 career record as a head coach with the Brooklyn Nets and Milwaukee Bucks.
Now back with Dallas, Kidd is tasked with taking the team further in the playoffs under franchise centerpiece Luka Doncic, whom he has praised in the past.
&ldquo;His will to win, his competitiveness, he does it all at a very young age,&rdquo; Kidd&nbsp;<a class="c-link" href="https://www.dallasnews.com/sports/mavericks/2019/11/02/jason-kidds-advice-to-luka-doncic-kristaps-porzingis-tandem-as-lakers-defeat-mavericks-119-110-in-ot/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" data-stringify-link="https://www.dallasnews.com/sports/mavericks/2019/11/02/jason-kidds-advice-to-luka-doncic-kristaps-porzingis-tandem-as-lakers-defeat-mavericks-119-110-in-ot/" data-sk="tooltip_parent">said of Doncic in 2019</a>.&nbsp;&ldquo;There&rsquo;s really no flaws in his game. He&rsquo;s actually fun to watch &ndash; until you have to play him... You can see his spirit and his love for the game. He&rsquo;s a gamer. He loves the competition. He&rsquo;s not afraid of it. He can make any pass and at his height (6'7), he can find guys."
Also, the Mavericks are <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/mavs-planning-for-nico-harrison-to-become-president-of-basketball-operations" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reportedly in advanced talks</a> with longtime Nike executive Nico Harrison to become their president of basketball operations.

Kidd has a 183-190 career record as an NBA head coach in Brooklyn and Milwaukee.

Mavericks finalizing deal to make Jason Kidd next head coach

Wilson Sporting Goods will be supplying the NBA with its new game ball beginning next season, and there should not be another &ldquo;slippery ball&rdquo; fiasco like the one the league endured a decade-and-a-half ago.&nbsp;
Emphasis on the word &ldquo;should.&rdquo;
Beginning when the NBA was in the Bubble in Florida last summer, players have been given samples of the new ball that will be used next season under terms of a multi-year partnership between Wilson and the league. Nobody has complained publicly, though it remains to be seen how the ball will hold up under game use.
One note of reassurance: The leather is manufactured by the same manufacturer, Horween Leather, that has been supplying Spalding, according to Wilson Sporting Goods spokeswoman Sarah Houseknecht. The ball will look nearly identical, using the same eight-seam design currently in use.
<div class="mceNonEditable"><spike>&nbsp;</spike></div>
In the 2006-07 season, the &ldquo;new&rdquo; Spalding ball was made of a synthetic material that players quickly complained was too slippery. There were also complaints that it was not as bouncy as the old ball, and that players were getting cuts on their hands because of the surface friction.&nbsp;
The episode turned into a public-relations fiasco for the NBA and Spalding, and synthetic balls were quickly replaced with the old model. Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban was one of the loudest critics, even commissioning a study at the University of Texas-Austin physics department to compare the two editions. While the reported hand cuts could not be explained, the study found the &ldquo;new ball&rdquo; bounced 5-to-8% lower when dropped from four feet, and that it bounced 30% more erratically than its leather counterpart.
The players&rsquo; union actually filed a complaint with the National Labor Relations Board over the switch.
When the ball was changed in 2006, teams actually went into their supply closets to find editions of the old leather ball so that those balls could be put back into use. Some teams had more than others, and the league made a centralized inventory and distributed them accordingly. But in that particular season, it was not uncommon for two teams to be playing a game with a basketball emblazoned with a third team&rsquo;s name.
&ldquo;Our players' response to this particular composite ball has been consistently negative and we are acting accordingly," Stern said in a statement on Dec. 11, 2006. &ldquo;Although testing performed by Spalding and the NBA demonstrated that the new composite basketball was more consistent than leather, and statistically there has been an improvement in shooting, scoring, and ball-related turnovers, the most important statistic is the view of our players.&rdquo;
<iframe title="YouTube video player" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/pyBOVcBFXUc" width="100%" height="325" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe>
It was such a fiasco that former NBA commissioner David Stern conceded defeat, saying, &ldquo;I won&rsquo;t make a spirited defense in respect to the ball. In hindsight, we could have done a better job. I take responsibility for that."
Memories are long in the NBA office, and this switch is being made with the product hopefully having been properly tested. Trae Young and Jamal Murray are members of Wilson&rsquo;s advisory staff, in which they playtest, provide feedback and collaborate on Wilson basketball products.
The new ball has been available for players to use on their own time for almost a year, but the proof will come at the start of next season after the balls -- made of the same material, but by a new brand -- will be game tested... as will the &ldquo;If-it-ain&rsquo;t-broke-don&rsquo;t-fix-it&rdquo; rule.
The public will be able to purchase official game balls through Wilson.com beginning July 29, and by mid-August, other Wilson-licensed products will become available through more traditional and online retailers.
New balls will also go into use in the G League, the WNBA, the 2K League (virtually) and the Basketball Africa League, with Wilson's first batch being put into use at the Las Vegas summer league later this year.
&ldquo;This partnership with Wilson returns us to our roots as we plan for the future,&rdquo; said Salvatore LaRocca, NBA President of Global Partnerships. &ldquo;We were partners for 37 seasons dating back to when Wilson manufactured the first official NBA basketballs in 1946, and we look forward to growing the game of basketball together.&rdquo;
<div class="mceNonEditable"><spike>&nbsp;</spike></div>
Information on current inventory was not available Thursday, Houseknecht said.&nbsp;
Will the basketball really be the same? It's too soon to say.&nbsp;
For now, the safe place to file this is under &ldquo;to be continued.&rdquo;

Chris Sheridan remembers when the NBA changed its basketball in the 2006-07 season, and hopes Wilson gets it right in 2021-22.

Ottawa Spirit