Celtics point guard Isaiah Thomas filled the shoes of a reporter Tuesday before Game 2 of his team’s Eastern Conference semifinal series vs. the Wizards: He interviewed his son Jaiden at the podium. MORE: Wizards-Celtics Game Center GAME 1: Thomas doesn’t need all his teeth to lead Celtics past Wizards Thomas continued pressing, asking Jaiden how to defend John Wall. We’ll see if Thomas takes his son’s advice
Irving stepped on Terry Rozier’s foot, then landed awkwardly after a layup with 1:47 remaining in the period. That induced the usual quick-trigger panic from Quicken Loans Arena. With trainers surrounding him, Irving could have gone to the sideline and had that left foot checked out. Instead, he simply got up and walked to the other end of the court. That induced the usual quick-trigger applause. GAME CENTER: Celtics-Cavaliers Game 4 stats “I’ve twisted my ankle so many times,” Irving said....
“It’s early days in these discussions,” Silver said, via USA Today, following the second day of owners’ meetings in New York. “This was the first serious meeting among all our board members on this subject, and the result was I would say inconclusive as to where we should ultimately go. MORE: Barkley clears up old rumors about MJ | Harden’s style could be issue for Rockets “It’s not to say we don’t think there should be a change....
The Pistons, best team in the East? The Grizzlies, best team in the league? The Warriors one game above .500 and the Cavs one game below? It’s all happening, and here’s how it sorts out. POSITION RANKINGS: PGs | SGs | SFs | PFs | Cs Grizzlies The good: Perennially thin Grizzlies get 67 points from the bench to beat Houston. The bad: Ranked 28th in pace. They’re winning, but not necessarily pretty....
Following a wild regular season and a postseason that featured an endless amount of twists and turns, the Warriors defeated the Celtics to earn their four title in eight seasons. Stephen Curry was crowned Finals MVP for leading Golden State to another championship, earning the one honor that had eluded him. What comes next? A lot. In addition to the 2022 NBA Draft being only a few days away, free agency opens at the end of the month....
While the league still sees the importance of big-name draws suiting up on national TV to attract viewers, it wants to come off as understanding of athlete fatigue following shortened vacations for playoff competitors. So when it announced fortified guidelines for load management during prime time broadcasts, it made clear it wouldn’t be so strict for most other contests. NBA leadership has been in continuous conflict with teams about their execution of load management strategies — including last year with the Clippers and Kawhi Leonard — but doesn’t have the leverage it did previously to act with a heavy hand....
In an emotional video posted on Instagram on Tuesday night, the Timberwolves center explained his mother is connected to a ventilator and in a medically-induced coma. He added his parents first acknowledged not feeling well at the beginning of last week and were told to see a doctor immediately and after a few days without any sign of improvement, Towns and his sister instructed them to specifically get checked for coronavirus....
“If they were to increase the salaries here, this would be easily the second-best league in the world,” Foote told me. “I think that is kind of what kills it, unfortunately.” That was in the spring of 2014, and it was around that time that a plan was making the NBA rounds, which had the potential to transform the D-League from a low-level, last-resort stop for players to a league that could compete with the best in Europe and serve as a true minor league for the NBA....
These are not true NBA games, as players are just being thrown on the floor with limited time to develop any sort of chemistry. The style is best suited for those with a score-first mentality who can take advantage of disorganized defenses. (Anyone remember Anthony Randolph?) The NBA Summer League offers such a small sample size that “What happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas” is often the best approach when it comes to evaluations....
According to reports from ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski and Shams Charania of The Athletic, the Bucks, Clippers, Kings and Pistons have reached an agreement on a four-team deal that sends Marvin Bagley III to Detroit. Here’s everything to know about the reported trade. NBA LEAGUE PASS: Sign up to unlock live out-of-market games (7-day free trial) Bucks-Clippers-Kings-Pistons trade details Pistons receive: Marvin Bagley III Kings receive: Donte DiVincenzo, Trey Lyles and Josh Jackson Bucks receive: Serge Ibaka, two second-round picks, cash considerations Clippers receive: Rodney Hood, Semi Ojeleye...
So why haven’t Chicago and Boston been able to get together on a deal that would give the Celtics a star and allow the Bulls to remove themselves from the mess that the team has become? The answer: Each franchise has pretty cold feet on a Butler deal. MORE: Trade grades for Raptors, Magic in Serge Ibaka deal Butler himself has been in limbo on a trade possibility. “Why talk about it?...
“It was important for him to be (in Rio)” Boeheim said. “At least just to have some positive experiences with basketball again. Carmelo has always loved Olympic basketball, he thrives in it as a player and as a leader.” MORE: Cavs have received as many as 20 trade offers for Kyrie Irving That’s the tricky part of Anthony. In the NBA, he viewed as a sourpuss who ticks off the old-schoolers who say his game is selfish....
Regardless of when the event actually occurs, lottery-bound teams won’t stop scouting this year’s prospects. The Warriors will be firmly in that group heading into the draft — if they keep their pick. MORE: The greatest MJ game you definitely don’t remember When play was suspended on March 11 after Jazz center Rudy Gobert’s positive test for the novel coronavirus (COVID-19), the Warriors sat alone at the bottom of the league standings with a 15-50 record, four games back of the Cavaliers (19-46) in the loss column....
It wasn’t for a lack of trying on Houston’s part. Clint Capela reportedly was deployed as a diversion/decoy to allow Chris Paul and other marauders to gain access through a secret passage. (OK, so it isn’t so secret, but still.) GAME CENTER: Rockets-Clippers stats That nugget, as well as Paul and Co.’s failed attempt to air their grievances with Blake Griffin and Austin Rivers, led to comedy gold from a wide-awake Twitter....
MORE: Athletes, coaches and other sports figures fighting cancer According to The Associated Press, Rolfing, who lives in Maui, Hawaii, had surgery to remove a malignant growth from his left cheek on Aug. 13. He will undergo additional treatment at MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston. “Debi and I would like to thank everyone for their incredible support and well-wishes, which have been incredibly valuable,” Rolfing said in a statement....
With two Super Bowl wins over the Evil Empire Patriots, even the normally rabid New York City tabloids are reluctant to rip the 36-year old Eli Manning for the Giants’ horrible 0-5 start. But if the Big Apple media won’t go there, then Rodney Harrison of NBC Sports will. MORE: Week 5 Blitz Read: The good, bad and ugly During Sunday’s “Football Night in America,” Harrison told millions of TV viewers that the team should finally turn the page on the durable but immobile Manning....
Taylor admitted to pushing his girlfriend and plead guilty to domestic abuse and malicious destruction of property charges in East Lansing, Mich. MORE: Taylor suspended 24 games | Iverson nixes Nike tribute | Malice in the Palace The union does not take issue with Taylor being suspended, but does not feel the length of his suspension is justified, calling the 24-game term “excessive, without precedent and a violation of the Collective Bargaining Agreement....
And with 50 seconds to play in a 66-65 game, the referees appeared to have missed another call. MORE: Highlights from North Carolina’s national title win Let’s look at it from another angle: Tar Heels forward Kennedy Meeks’ hand was out of bounds while fighting for a loose ball with Gonzaga’s Silas Melson, with the referee standing on the baseline watching the play unfold. Play continued for a couple of seconds until the referees called a jump ball and North Carolina retained possession....
Fellow No. 1 seeds Wisconsin and Duke enter the Big Dance next up on the Westgate’s board, each listed at 6-to-1 odds. Villanova, also a top seed in its respective region, is the fourth betting choice at 8-to-1 odds. Staying to form, No. 2 seeds Arizona and Virginia are next at 15-to-1, followed by No. 2 Gonzaga at 18-to-1. Kansas, the No. 2 seed in the Midwest, gets less respect at odds of 40-to-1....
MORE: How to watch Friday’s games | Interactive tournament bracket Two of the top offenses in the nation kicked off Friday’s March Madness games, and as expected, Michigan and Oklahoma State went down to the wire. The Wolverines took an eight-point lead late in the second half off of hot shooting, but the Cowboys snuck back in and forced Michigan to make free throws down the stretch to win it....
