Basketball News

(Basketball news) Rudy Gobert gets traded to the Minnesota Timberwolves as the Utah Jazz agreed to trade center in what was a blockbuster deal that will pair him with fellow All-Star big man Karl-Anthony Towns. According to  Adrian Wojnarowski, the Timberwolves sent Malik Beasley, Patrick Beverley, Jarred Vanderbilt, Leandro Bolmaro and their No. 22 pick Walker Kessler along with four first-round picks to the Jazz. Utah will now acquire the unprotected picks in 2023, 2025 and 2027 and a top-five-protected pick in 2029, in what was Danny Ainge's first franchise-altering move since taking over as the Jazz's CEO this midseason.The Jazz have now gathered a total of six first-round picks in a span of 24hrs as they plan to retool the roster around their 25-year-old All-Star guard Donovan Mitchell. .

Gobert at the age of 30 has spent his entire nine-year NBA career in Utah, developing from a lanky boy who was drafted with the No. 27 pick in 2013 into a perennial All-Star who has become a franchise cornerstone for a team that has made six consecutive playoff appearances. The 7-foot Frenchman is one of the most decorated players in Utah Jazz history, he went on to win three Defensive Player of the Year awards, along with three All-Star appearances, four All-NBA selections and six first-team All-Defensive selections.

Gobert is subsequently entering the second season of a massive five-year contract of $205 million. This free agency Karl Anthony Towns also agreed to a four-year, $224 million supermax extension on Friday. The moment he was eligible he had a total commitment of $295 million over six years. Now with Gobert by his side, especially someone who averaged 15.6 points, a league-leading 14.7 rebounds and 2.1 blocks per game in 2021-22 will certainly form a towering line up. When a tumultuous Jazz season ended with a first-round exit at the hands of the Dallas Mavericks, Danny Ainge went into full rebuild mode.

Gobert wrote in a tweet, saying he "felt embraced and supported since day one. I've grown as a man and as a player before your very eyes and I'm thankful [for] every single moment. Utah and its community will always have a special place in my heart. Thank you! The journey continues..."

In another massive trade, San Antonio Spurs pushed their rebuild into full swing as they traded for All-Star guard Dejounte Murray to the Atlanta Hawks for forward Danilo Gallinari and a trio of first-round picks. The full deal was announced by the teams as Hawks received Dejounte Murray, Jock Landale whereas the Spurs received Danilo Gallinari, 2023 first-round pick (via Charlotte from New York, protected), 2025 first-round pick, 2026 pick swap, 2027 first-round pick. According to Wojnarowski, Spurs are expected to waive Gallinari who has since go onto sign with the Boston Celtics in free agency

For Atlanta, the goal of strengthening a backcourt already led by All-NBA guard Trae Young, who last season finished sixth in the league in scoring charts when he averaged 28.4 points per game, have now added a dynamic young point guard who is coming off his best season as a pro. The 29th pick of the 2016 NBA Draft, Murray, earned his first All-Star appearance in 2021-22, when went on to average a career-high 21.1 points to go with 9.2 assists, 8.3 rebounds and 2.0 steals. The six-year veteran instantly upgrades Atlanta’s backcourt on the defensive end as the rangy point guard earned a place in the NBA All-Defensive 2nd Team honors in just his second season (2017-18).

Also read: Nikola Jokic has signed the biggest contract in NBA history
 

(Basketball news) Denver Nuggets have extended the reigning MVP Nikola Jokic’s contract for five years on a contract which makes the Serbian recipient of the largest and most expensive contract in the history of the NBA. The team signed Nikola Jokic on a five-year extension worth $264 million. His contract begins in the 2023-24 NBA season and will continue through 2027-28 when Jokic has the option where he could earn roughly $60 million. The Serbian star has undergone a meteoric rise in his seven NBA seasons with the Nuggets.

He came into the league in 2012 and became an All-Star in his fourth season and since then he has stayed at that level. He has gone on to win the MVP trophy in each of the last two seasons after averaging 26.4 points in 2020-21 and 27.1 points this past season. This season he won MVP votes that haven't exactly been close; Jokic was atop roughly 75% of the ballots cast for that award over the last two seasons. The 27-year-old is coming off one of his finest seasons and created a new category as he became the first NBA player to eclipse 2,000 points, 1,000 rebounds and 500 assists in a season. Jokic also averaged 13.8 rebounds and 7.9 assists for a Denver team that was missing two stars in Jamal Murray (ACL recovery) and Michael Porter Jr. (back).

Jokic helped the Nuggets to a 48-34 record and the No. 6 seed in the West, where they eventually lost to the NBA champion Golden State Warriors in the first round. The organization has undergone extensive changes since the end of the season, with the departure of the president of basketball operations, Tim Connelly, to the Timberwolves. Nuggets general manager Calvin Booth, who orchestrated a trade that sent guards Will Barton and Monte Morris to the Wizards for Kentavious Caldwell-Pope and Ish Smith. The team also traded away JaMychal Green and a 2027 protected first-round Draft pick to Oklahoma City for Peyton Watson and two future second-round picks. Provided everyone’s healthy, it means a starting five of Murray, Caldwell-Pope, Jokic, Aaron Gordon and Porter could well be on the cards. 

Also read: Kevin Durant requested a trade out of the Brooklyn Nets
 

(Basketball news) Kevin Durant has reportedly requested a trade from the Brooklyn Nets, according to Shams Charania. It was reported the Phoenix Suns are among Durant's "preferred' landing spots, while the Miami Heat were also mentioned earlier in the week as a potential trade destination. Adrian Wojnarowski also added that despite those teams being mentioned on Durant's list, the Nets "plan to move Durant where they can get the best possible deal."

The decision comes after teammate Kyrie Irving announced he would opt into the final year of his contract with the Nets, which was worth $37 million. Shams Charania also noted Irving wanted to "fulfill his four-year commitment" before being a free agent next year. According to the reports, Durant and Irving had no contact with Sean Marks who is the General manager of the Nets, after the opt-in, and there was a "sense of inevitability" that Durant would eventually ask for a trade. The superstar reportedly requested the trade directly from team governor Joe Tsai. .

Durant's contract runs till 2025-26 season after agreeing to a four-year, $194 million extension last season. Although he signed a contract extension with the Nets, there was still uncertainty about his future this offseason because of the horrendous season they had where they got thumped by the Celtics in the first round of the NBA playoffs. Irving was also potentially looking for a new home after hardly featuring for the Nets last season. Wojnarowski has reported that Irving created a list of teams for a possible sign-and-trade, with the Los Angeles Lakers named as his top destination. Durant on the other hand was monitoring the situation and "considering options with his future,"

The 33-year-old is apparently now ready to move on, which could lead to one of the biggest blockbuster trades in NBA history. Durant has 12 All-Star appearances, four scoring titles, one MVP, two NBA titles and two Finals MVP awards. He is an elite offensive weapon 15 years into his career, averaging 29.9 points per game last season, which was tied for second in the NBA scoring charts. The forward also added 7.4 rebounds and a career-high 6.4 assists per game in 2021-22 NBA season

For any team it would require a significant return to land Kevin Durant, but a trade would legitimately shake up the dynamics of the NBA next season. The former Texas star initially joined the Nets in 2019 alongside Irving, but the duo hasn’t found any success with the Nets as  many anticipated the duo to win numerous Championships. In three years, the team had just one playoff series win, while this playoffs series they were swept out of the first round by the Boston Celtics. Durant and Irving played only 17 games together in 2021-22 and 27 games in 2020-21. Durant had missed all of 2019-20 while recovering from an Achilles injury.

Also read: Kyrie decides to exercise $37 million option to stay with the Nets
 

(Basketball news) Kyrie Irving has decided to exercise his $36.9 million option in his four contract next season and will remain with the Brooklyn Nets for the time being after being linked to join the Los Angeles Lakers in a sign in trade. The seven-time All-Star averaged 27.4 points and 5.8 assists this past season for the Nets, with whom he has already spent the last three seasons. He's about to enter the final season in a four-year of his major $137 million deal with Brooklyn.

Irving had until Wednesday to inform the Nets about his decision but he ultimately opted to stay and take the money. For the time being it closes one element of the ongoing saga regarding his future, which has been one of the biggest stories as the league prepares for Free Agency on Thursday. However, he may not be a free agent but Irving could still have his contract extended before free agency begins. The Nets could still trade him and in fact, many teams might be more interested in a deal now since Irving is on an expiring contract.

He only appeared in 29 regular-season games this past season, largely because of his decision to not be vaccinated. That made him ineligible to play in Brooklyn, until he was allotted an exemption to the New York City's vaccine protocols. Irving, after the Nets were swept by Boston in the first round, said that he planned on remaining in Brooklyn. He even talked about him and Kevin Durant managing the franchise along with general manager Sean Marks and owner Joe Tsai. Marks later made it clear about Irving's future as they would have to involve discussions about being more available to the team, and he also added that he could not come to an agreement on a long-term extension that could have seen Irving paid an additional $185 million over four years.

Last season the Nets looked on track to reach their first Conference Finals before Irving sprained his ankle in Game 4 of the East semifinals against the Milwaukee Bucks, who rallied on and went on to win the series in seven games. The Nets returned this past season thinking that their title core of Irving, Durant and James Harden might go on to win the NBA Championship but it didn't work out anywhere near as planned. Irving wasn't with the team for the majority of the season and Harden ultimately got traded to Philadelphia. The Nets needed to play the play-in tournament just to make the playoffs, and Nets then got humiliated by the eventual Eastern Conference champions, Celtics.

Durant and Irving have always been close friends as they came to the Nets together in July 2019. Durant signed his extension last summer, but Irving did not. Durant is also thinking about his future at Brooklyn but with Irving back in the mix, and with Ben Simmons, who hasn’t played at all this season is now set to team up alongside Irving and Durant this coming season, Brooklyn could quickly return to contender status if these three superstars can figure out a way to play. Or else both Kevin Durnat and Kyrie Irving will hand in trade requests.

Also read: NBA: John Wall is set to join the Los Angeles Clippers

(Basketball news) John Wall's strange tenure at the Houston Rockets finally comes to an end. The Rockets have agreed to buyout John Wall out of his massive contract, paving the way for the five-time All-Star to resurrect his career and go compete for the NBA Championship with the Los Angeles Clippers. Wall’s agent Rich Paul who’s the CEO of Klutch Sports, is meeting with Rockets general manager Rafael Stone on Tuesday to finalize the terms. It is expected Wall will have to give back approximately $7 million in salary to hit the open market, and pick up his $47.4 million player option before the buyout is confirmed.

Now John Wall will subsequently become one of the top free agents in the 2022 class, but according to Adrian Wojnarowski, John Wall intends to sign with the Los Angeles Clippers upon clearing waivers.The Rockets paid a healthy amount of compensation as Wall got $44.3 million to just sit on the bench for the entire 2021-22 season. Wall has played less than half a season since the 2018 calendar year and clearly looks out of his usual best. Wall, who is a former No. 1 overall draft pick of the Washington Wizards, has a career 43.1% shooting and 32.3% from 3-point range. Over 613 regular NBA season games in his career, he has averaged 19.1 points, 4.3 rebounds and 9.1 assists per game.

John Wall’s buyout is going to cost the Houston Rockets around $128 million, and will end his Rockets tenure having played only 1,288 minutes for the team. So, that’s roughly $100,000 per minute of basketball played for Houston. If you see the deal closely it might stand as an all-time record. John Wall is now expected to join one of the most stacked rosters in the NBA league, as he will join the likes of Kawhi Leonard and Paul George on the Los Angeles Clippers. The Clippers also have a lot of wing players as they look to win their first championship in franchise history. One position they somewhat lacked was a playmaking point guard, which they somewhat solved by signing the 31-year-old. It will be an interesting watch as to how Ty Lue incorporates Wall into his system as Kawhi Leonard looks to be back from his injury next season.

Also read: Magic pick Pablo Banchero as the no 1 pick in the NBA Draft 2022
 

(Basketball news) The NBA welcomed its newest rookies to the league on Thursday night during the 2022 draft from Barclays Center in Brooklyn. There were some surprising selections with Orlando Magic acquiring Paolo Banchero as the top pick. While Jabari Smith of Auburn, who was widely expected to go as the first pick, but he was picked up at No. 3 spot by the Houston Rockets.

Draft night also experienced some trades as the Oklahoma City Thunder made a trade with the New York Knicks for the No. 11 pick and Ousmane Dieng for three future conditional first-round picks. In another draft-day trade, it saw the Detroit Pistons acquire No. 13 pick Jalen Duren and Knicks veteran point guard Kemba Walker in what was a three-team deal. The 76ers reportedly moved Danny Green and the No. 23 pick to the Grizzlies as part of a trade to acquire De’Anthony Melton, which indirectly strengthened their back court

1. Orlando Magic: Paolo Banchero, Duke

The Magic need some help on the offensive end, their team finished last season 28th in field goal percentage, 28th in free throws, 27th in offensive rebounding percentage and 23rd in turnovers. Paolo Banchero is a player who brings all these skills to the table and he can add versatility to the Magic’s offense with his physical attributes. He can pass, handle the ball, drive to the basket and finish with some solid footwork. In this draft he was easily the most NBA-ready player among the top five projected picks. Banchero stands at 6ft 10, he averaged 17.2 points on 47.8% shooting from the field, in addition to 7.8 rebounds, 3.2 assists and 1.1 steals in his only season at Duke and was coached by the legendary Mike Krzyzewski’ in his final season in charge..

2. Oklahoma City Thunder: Chet Holmgren, Gonzaga

Holmgren has immense potential to become an NBA All star with an impressive all-around skill set for a modern NBA big man nowadays. With his elite rim protection and shot-blocking, he fills an immediate deficiency in the Thunder squad; he acts as an interior defender. He has a versatile offensive game and has shown the NBA scouts that he can handle the ball pretty well, and also shoot from the three point line. Holmgren will need to add strength to reach his peak on offense, but the Thunder can give him time to develop behind their franchise players Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Josh Giddey.

3. Houston Rockets: Jabari Smith, Auburn

Jabari Smith was widely expected to be the No. 1 pick but instead was selected by the Houston Rockets at 3. He had only worked out for the Magic and the Oklahoma City Thunder in the recent tryouts. This season at the NCAA tournament, Smith averaged 42% on his 3-pointers (5.5 attempts), which could make him at the Rockets. At his size, he is difficult to defend and was subsequently the best defender at Auburn this season.

4. Sacramento Kings: Keegan Murray, Iowa

With the Sacramento Kings already having a point guard in place with De’Aaron Fox, the Kings bypassed Jaden Ivey and picked up Keegan Murray as he is an efficient wing scorer.  Murray, who improved significantly from his freshman to sophomore seasons, averaged 23.6 points, 8.7 rebounds and 1.9 blocks per game while shooting 55% from the field and 39.8% on 3-pointers. Murray at the age of 21, is the oldest player to get drafted this year and could have an immediate impact for Sacramento be off the bench or in the playing 5. Like Banchero, Murray is also a NBA-ready player

5. Detroit Pistons: Jaden Ivey, Purdue

Jaden Ivey only worked out for the Pistons and Magic in the tryouts. He uses his speed to get past the defenders, any NBA defender will have a  hard time slowing Ivey down in transition. He can explode into the lane similar to Ja Morant and has a similar playing style like him. He is the son of Niele Ivey, the women’s basketball coach at Notre Dame and a former women’s college champion herself. 

The list of first rounds picks are:

1. Magic: Paolo Banchero
2. Thunder: Chet Holmgren
3. Rockets: Jabari Smith Jr.
4. Kings: Keegan Murray
5. Pistons: Jaden Ivey
6. Pacers: Benedict Mathurin
7. Trail Blazers: Shaedon Sharpe
8. Pelicans (from Lakers): Dyson Daniels
9. Spurs: Jeremy Sochan
10. Wizards: Johnny Davis
11. Thunder (from Knicks): Ousmane Dieng
12. Thunder (from Clippers): Jalen Williams
13. Pistons (from Hornets): Jalen Duren
14. Cavaliers: Ochai Agbaji
15. Hornets (from Pelicans): Mark Williams
16. Hawks: AJ Griffin
17. Rockets (from Nets): Tari Eason
18. Bulls: Dalen Terry
19. Grizzlies (from Timberwolves): Jake LaRavia
20. Spurs (from Raptors): Malaki Branham
21. Nuggets: Christian Braun
22. Timberwolves (from Grizzlies): Walker Kessler
23. Grizzlies (from 76ers): David Roddy
24. Bucks: MarJon Beauchamp
25. Spurs (from Celtics): Blake Wesley
26. Timberwolves (from Mavericks): Wendell Moore Jr.
27. Heat: Nikola Jović
28. Warriors: Patrick Baldwin Jr.
29. Rockets (from Grizzlies): TyTy Washington Jr.
30. Nuggets (from Suns): Peyton Watson

Also read: Golden State Warriors clinch their 4th NBA Championship in 8 years

(Basketball news) Golden State Warriors clinched their 4th title in 8 years as they beat the Boston Celtics in game 6 103-90. For the Warriors, Stephen Curry scored 34 points and was named the NBA Finals MVP as they claimed their franchise's seventh championship overall. Andrew Wiggins supported Steph Curry by scoring 18 points as Draymond Green had 12 points and 16 rebounds in an outstanding defensive display carried the Warriors to this year's NBA crown. For the Celtics, Jaylen Brown led the scoring with 34 points but Jayson Tatum finished with just 13, shooting just 6 of 18 from the field as Al Horford scored 19 points. They also committed 22 turnovers, dropping to 1-8 this postseason when committing 16 or more. 

For the Boston Celtics it was only their fifth defeat in 22 title-series appearances, which turned their season around to have reached the NBA final. Boston was 25-25 after 50 games, then went on a rampage to get into the finals and nearly claim what would have been just the franchise's second championship since 1986. The Celtics came out firing as they were motivated by the energy from a deafening TD Garden crowd as they took an early 14-2 lead. The Warriors weren't rattled and responded with a 35-8 run that stretched into the second quarter on the way to taking a 22-point lead. The Warriors outscored the Celtics 27-17 for the second quarter and carried a 54-39 lead into the second half as some Celtics fans booed the home team as they left the court for the half-time break. Boston did not give up and fought back in the third quarter, but the Warriors found their range from beyond the arc, connecting on six 3 pointers to bury the game in the 4th quarter.

For Curry, Klay Thompson, Draymond Green and Andre Iguodala, it was their fourth NBA championship. Their first three championship rings came in 2015, 2017 and 2018 when Golden State made it to five consecutive trips to the finals. For Steve Kerr it was his ninth NBA championship overall after winning five as a player also. He also becomes the sixth coach to capture four titles, joining the likes of Phil Jackson, Red Auerbach, John Kundla, Gregg Popovich and Pat Riley. Steph Curry came into life this final and helped Warriors win a record 7th NBA Championship, at this rate Steph Curry is on to achieve GOAT status but funnily enough this was his first finals MVP in his career. 

''We found a way to just get it done,'' Curry said after the Warriors accepted the championship trophy and celebrated on the court.

''It's part of a championship pedigree, our experience,'' he said. ''We built this for 10-11 years. That means a lot when you get to this stage.''

''They're all unique, they're all special,'' coach Steve Kerr said of the multiple titles. ''This one might have been the most unlikely. ... It takes a group effort to get it done and we had a great group.''

''It all paid off,'' Thompson said. ''It was dog days, a lot of tears shed. ... You knew it was a possibility, but to see it in real time. . It's crazy.''

''This one hits differently for sure knowing what the last three years meant, what it's been like,'' Curry said. ''Injuries, the changing of the guard, rosters, the young guys. ... Now, we got four championships. Me, Dray, Klay and Andre.

''Finally got that bad boy,'' Curry added, referring to the MVP trophy. ''It's special. ... Everybody mattered in that process.''

''Just couldn't withstand their runs,'' Celtics center Robert Williams said. ''Messing up. They played harder and won tonight.''

Also read: Warriors take the series lead against the Celtics in the NBA Finals

(Basketball news) The Warriors took full advantage of their home support as they took a 3-2 lead against the Boston Celtics in game 5 which they won 104-94. For the Warriors, Wiggins had 26 points and 13 rebounds, Klay Thompson scored 21 points and Curry contributed 16 points and eight assists but was 0 for 9 from 3-point range. For the Celtics, Jayson Tatum had 27 points and 10 rebounds for them, who lost consecutive games for the first time in the postseason, Jaylen Brown was 2 for 11 to start the game and finished with 18 points on 5-of-18 shooting and missed all five of his 3-pointers. Now the Warriors have the chance to win the NBA Championship in the next match as they have the first championship point but they will have to travel to the TD Garden in Boston on the 16th of June.

Steph Curry scored 16 points as the career 3-point leader's NBA-record streak of 132 straight postseason games with at least one 3 pointer ended, along with his NBA-best run of 233 consecutive games with a 3 between regular season and playoffs combined all ended yesterday but the main thing is that they got the all important win and are now just a win away from their 4 title in 8 years. For the Boston Celtic,s the task becomes even more difficult as Warriors tend to thrive in situations like this. The Celtics need their big three of Tatum, Brown and Smart to play out of their skins to level the series. In today's match Steve Kerr celebrated his 25th anniversary of his game-winning shot in Game 6 of the NBA Finals as the Bulls beat the Jazz to clinch a record Chicago's fifth championship in a row.

''An incredible memory obviously. Something every young basketball player dreams of. So to be able to live that was pretty amazing,'' Kerr said, smiling. ''And then the fact that it's 25 years ago just makes me feel old, of course.''

''It's something I dreamt about for sure, being in the league, and this is the ultimate stage,'' Wiggins said. ''It doesn't get bigger than this.''

''Coming into this year, he was an All-Star starter for a reason,'' Draymond Green said. ''... The bigger the challenge has been that we've thrown in front of him, the bigger he's responded. You want a guy like that. When the stage gets big, they respond and play their best basketball, and that's what he's been doing.''

''Uh, keep shooting, very simple,'' Curry said, grinning. ''I'm not afraid to go 0-fer or whatever because I'm going to keep shooting.''

Green knows how Curry will respond: ''He's going to be livid going into Game 6. That's exactly what we need.''

''Bottom line is he's just having fun playing basketball,'' Curry said.

''Definitely we weren't as sharp as we needed to be during times there. Just tough,'' Horford said. ''Definitely now, our backs are against the wall, and we have to see what we're made of.''

''When we're at our best, it's simple ball movement. I think the third quarter showed that. The drive and kick was beautiful, was working, getting guys wide-open shots,'' coach Ime Udoka said.

''A night that he didn't have it going we found offense elsewhere,'' said Green

Also read: Steph Curry magic helps sink Celtics in game 4 of the NBA Finals
 

(Basketball news) Steph Curry helped the Warriors get a crucial victory over the Boston Celtics in game 4 of the NBA Finals as they beat them 107-97. Curry scored 43 points as Andrew Wiggins had 17 points and 16 boards, the Warriors have now won at least one away game in an NBA-record 27 consecutive playoff series since 2013 For the Celtics, Jayson Tatum had 23 points and 11 rebounds for them, but he managed just one basket while playing the entire fourth quarter. Jaylen Brown scored 21 points and Robert Williams III had 12 rebounds as Marcus Smart scored 18 points. The Warriors will host Game 5 on Monday night, with Game 6 in Boston on Thursday; Golden State would hold the home-court advantage in a seventh game, if necessary.

Steph Curry was in marvellous touch as he scored 43 points as the two-time league MVP stomped and shot his way to his third-highest scoring total in the postseason, adding 10 rebounds. It was the second-most points he has scored in the NBA Finals. For the Celtics it was a lost opportunity to take full home advantage by winning their home games but now face a daunting task of winning at least one match at the Chase centre. Curry got 19 points in the first half and 14 in the third quarter as they had to be strong in the fourth quarter considering how those have been troublesome for the Warriors as before the match he was uncertain to start because of a slight niggle he suffered in the last match. A few switches to get favourable matchups and jumpers followed, and the job was done, with 10 rebounds.

''The heart of that man is incredible,'' Warriors guard Klay Thompson said. ''The things he does, we kind of take for granted at times, to go out there and put us on his back. We've got to help him out on Monday.''

''We had to do it the difficult way,'' said Celtics coach Ime Udoka, whose team is 7-0 after losses in the 2022 postseason. ''We have to do it again. It could have been an easier road, obviously, if you get the win tonight. But we're 2-2 now. We know we can do it. We've done it before.''

''He wasn't letting us lose. That's all it boils down to,'' Warriors big man Draymond Green said. ''I could tell in his demeanour, last couple of days, even after Game 3 that he was going to come out with that kind of fire.''

''I felt like we just had to let everybody know that we were here tonight,'' Curry said. ''Whether that's their crowd, their team, our team, whoever wants to see that energy and that fire, we feed off of that.''

''He's the ultimate competitor. ... Made huge plays down the stretch,'' Warriors coach Steve Kerr said. ''This is a tough series for him to score because of Boston's size and athleticism, but he's still impacting the game at a huge level.''

Never even looked like it was a factor,'' Kerr said. ''The physicality out there is pretty dramatic. Boston's got the best defence in the league - huge and powerful at every position, and for Steph to take that kind of pressure all game long and still be able to defend ... I think this is the strongest physically he's ever been in his career.''

Also read: NBA: Celtics take the lead in the NBA finals against the Warriors

(Basketball news) Boston Celtics took the lead in the NBA Final after they won 116-100 against the Golden State Warriors in game 3. For the Celtics, Jaylen Brown scored 27 points, Jayson Tatum added 26 as Marcus Smart added 24 points and helped fuel a defensive effort that held the Warriors to 11 points in the fourth quarter which was subsequently the third-fewest in a finals game in the shot clock era. For the Warriors, Stephen Curry led Golden State with 31 points and six 3-pointers. He had 15 points in a 33-25 third quarter as Klay Thompson broke out of a finals slump and finished with 25 points and five 3s. With this game Celtics have an advantage to win one more home game and take a healthy lead in the NBA Finals this year.

The Warriors' shooting couldn't save them on a night the more athletic Celtics outmuscled them for a 47-31 rebounding advantage which ultimate helped them to win the game by 16 points.The previous 39 times teams have split the first two games of the finals, the winner of Game 3 went on to win the series 82% of the time. Steph and Klay need all their finals experience to guide this relatively young Warriors to another title, at this moment Celtics have been the better team over the three games, and with one more game at the TD garden it could be too late for them to revive the series. If Warriors stand a chance at their 4 titles in the last 7 years then they need to win their next away match against the resurgent Celtics.

''Game 2, they brought the heat to us,'' Smart said. ''For us, that left a bad taste in our mouth because what we hang our hat on is effort on the defensive end and being a physical team. It definitely woke us up a little bit.''

''I think that's when we are at our best when we respond to tough situations. We respond to teams going on runs and things like that,'' he said. ''I think we did that several times tonight.''

''I got caught -- obviously in some pain, but I'll be alright,'' Curry said. ''See how it feels tomorrow and get ready for Friday.''

''We talked about it quite a bit, our group being resilient and being able to fight through a lot of things and at times when it's most needed being able to lock down on defense,'' Celtics coach Ime Udoka said. ''We did in the fourth quarter,'

''The injury didn't force him out of the game, but I took him out down 14 with two minutes left because we weren't going to catch up,'' Kerr said.

Also read: Warriors bounce back in game 2 against the Celtics in the NBA Finals
 

(Basketball news) It looks like the Los Angeles Lakers have found their next head coach in former Milwaukee Bucks assistant coach Darvin Ham. It has been reported that the two parties have agreed to a four-year deal.The Lakers fired Frank Vogel last season after a miserable 33-49 run for the team in which they failed to make the playoffs. Vogel spent three seasons as the head coach and guided them to the NBA title in 2020 inside the Orlando bubble. Darvin Ham has now been assigned with the work to turn around their fortunes and make them title contenders again

The 48-year-old does not have any prior head coaching experience but has plenty of experience in the league having been an NBA assistant coach for the past 11 seasons, including two seasons with the Lakers in 2011 and 2013. He was with the defending champions Bucks from 2018 but ultimately left them to take the head coach job for the Lakers. Darvin Ham and the Lakers have plenty of problems in a number of different ways including figuring out how to get the best out of LeBron James, Anthony Davis, and Rusell Westbrook that is if Rob Pelinka decides to trade him. The trio have failed to live up to the hype as Lebron and Davis spent most of the time on the treatment table.

James this season only played in 56 of the Lakers’ 82 games, while Davis played just 40 in another season where he has been plagued with injuries. The Lakers also do not have a Draft pick in next month’s NBA Draft. They had traded their first-round pick to the New Orleans Pelicans in the deal which saw Davis become a Laker; their second-round pick also belongs to the San Antonio Spurs. Darvis Ham now has to sort all of these problems out as the Lakers have better aspirations than making the play-off games given they have previously won 17 NBA titles, 19 conference titles, and 33 division titles.

Ham was a player himself, having played eight seasons in the NBA. He made his debut with the Denver Nuggets in the 1996-97 season after he went undrafted in the NBA draft. He averaged 2.7 points and 2.3 rebounds in 417 career games for the Nuggets, Indiana Pacers, Washington Wizards, Bucks, Atlanta Hawks, and Detroit Pistons.

Ham, 48, in his press conference went on to explain that he once got shot in the face by a stray bullet when he was 14-years-old. He said "I grew up in Saginaw, Michigan," Ham said. "I was shot in the face by accident, April 5, 1988. You go through something like that, it's going to do one of two things: It's going to make you fearful or fearless. It made me fearless. I don't feel any pressure. It's basketball."

Also read: Nikola Jokic wins the MVP while Monty Williams won Coach of the year

(Basketball news) The Golden State Warriors bounced back in Game 2 of the finals as they beat the Boston Celtics 107-89 to level the series 1-1. For the Warriors, Stephen Curry scored 29 points while Poole finished with 17 points, they also got 12 from Kevon Looney on 6-for-6 shooting, and 11 apiece from Andrew Wiggins and Klay Thompson. For the Celtics, Jayson Tatum scored 21 of his 28 points in the first half for Boston. Jaylen Brown added 17 for them, but fought through a 5-for-17 shooting night, and Derrick White scored 12. With this result the 2 matches at San Francisco are done as both the teams will go to Boston to play the next two games.

The Celtics were bidding to join only the 1993 Chicago Bulls and 1995 Houston Rockets to the list of teams that swept two road games to open in the finals. Those Bulls and Rockets teams went on to win the championship, and 31 of the previous 36 teams to open with 2-0 leads in a NBA Final have ended up celebrating a title. But if you ask any Celtics fans if they would have taken a 1-1 series before they come to Boston, all the fans would have taken this scenario considering how strong the Warriors have been this season. The Celtics now technically need to only win their remaining home games to become champions, though that won't be easy against this Warriors team that has won at least one road game in an NBA-record 26 consecutive playoff series. 

''I thought everybody was more engaged,'' Warriors coach Steve Kerr said after his team improved to 5-0 after a loss in these playoffs. ''It's pretty obvious. Just our level of force and physicality was ramped up quite a bit, and it had to be.''

''We said we needed to play with desperation,'' Curry said. ''That's what we did.''

''Steph was breathtaking in that quarter,'' Kerr said.

''I just let them know how I felt throughout the game in a demonstrative way, on purpose, to get a technical,'' Udoka said.

''We have to take better care of the ball,'' Tatum said.

''It is what it is,'' said the Celtics' Al Horford, who had 26 points in Game 1 and was held to two points Sunday. ''On to Game 3.''

Also read: Celtics draw first blood against the Warriors in the NBA Final
 

(Basketball news) The Boston Celtics continued their midas touch as they won game 1 against the Golden State Warriors 120-108. For the Celtics, Jaylen Brown fueled the late charge and scored 24 points, Al Horford hit six 3-pointers as he scored  26 points and the Celtics rode the most lopsided fourth quarter in NBA Finals history. In his 15th-year , the big man, who turned 36 played in 141 previous postseason games, which was subsequently the most ever before playing in the NBA Finals. For the Warriors, Curry scored 34 points in his return to the NBA's big stage for the first time in three years as Andrew Wiggins scored 20 points in his finals debut, Draymond Green grabbed 11 rebounds and Klay Thompson contributed 15 points.

With this result the Celtics take a 1-0 lead in the NBA Finals as Game 2 is on Sunday night back at Chase Center. For the first time this postseason, Horford (26 points) led the Celtics in scoring, but it was the efficiency which caught everyone's eye (9-12 FGs, 6-8 3PM) as he trumped all else in his box score. The way Horford sank timely 3s in the fourth quarter, it helped the Celtics apply traps defensively, and it essentially came down to the leadership the Celtics have valued since his return to form this season, which has proved invaluable for the team. It made up for the off Jason Tatum had as he was the lone Celtics regular who struggled offensively, finishing 3 for 17, though he did have 13 assists. Marcus Smart contributed on both ends of the floor as he scored 18 points and put a defensive masterclass on Steph Curry in the fourth quarter.

''I felt like the guys kept finding me time after time. Also Derrick White hit some tough shots there, too,'' Horford said. ''I was just getting the looks, knocking them down. That's that.''

“It's not ideal but I believe in who we are and how we deal with adversity, how we responded all year, how we respond in the playoffs after a loss,'' Curry said. ''So I learned a lot from that fourth quarter, obviously they made a lot of shots. It seemed like they didn't miss 'til deep into the fourth. When you have a team that just finds a little bit of momentum like they did and they keep making shots, it's tough to kind of regain that momentum.''

''It's an unbelievable feeling just to be here and competing at this level against such a dynamic franchise the last couple years,'' Boston guard Payton Pritchard said. ''I think we're all just looking forward to the challenge to go through the series and try to get it done.''

''It's a different feeling. You obviously go into Game 2 with more of a sense of desperation. That's all part of this stuff. We've been in this position before,'' Kerr said. ''Boston played a brilliant quarter. They came in and earned the win.''

Also read: NBA: Boston Celtics reach their first NBA final since 2010
 

(Basketball news) The Boston Celtics made history by reaching their first final since 2010 as they beat the Miami Heat 100-96 in game number 7. For the Celtics, Eastern Conference finals MVP Jayson Tatum led the way with 26 points, Jaylen Brown and Marcus Smart each added 24. For the Heat, Jimmy Butler led the scoring with 35 points in what became their season finale. Bam Adebayo added 25 points as Kyle Lowry scored 15 points. With this result they will now face the Golden State Warriors in an historic  NBA Final 2022.

The Boston Celtics will have a tough task against Steph and co as they will be the clear favourites in the final. With Jason Tatum and Jaylen Brown on song it will be an interesting watch to see. The Warriors are back for more and thirsty for more success and are thoroughly qualified to raise the trophy for a fourth time since 2015. Their veteran trio is championship-tested and along with that Steve Kerr has managed to infuse youth and quickness to make for a winning combination. Meanwhile, this Celtics team is also trying to add to the franchise trophy case, one that’s bigger than the Warriors and that of everyone else other than the Lakers. Jayson Tatum is on the verge of superstar status and Jaylen Brown has proven to be a very capable sidekick. Both are superb two-way players and, along with Marcus Smart, make Boston an elite defensive combination which has won them so many matches this season

''This is amazing,'' Smart said. ''We finally got over the hump.''

''To get over the hump with this group, it means everything,'' Tatum said.

''It's just one of those really tough moments,'' Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said. ''You can't prepare for it. ... It's one of the worst feelings in the world to address your locker room after a game like this.''

''Our focus is getting four more,'' Udoka said.

''The road that we took to get here, not a lot of people believed in us,'' Tatum said. ''We took the toughest route. It looked out.''

'The Boston Celtics did what they came out here to do in this series,'' Butler said.

''Today was the biggest test,'' Brown said. ''Not just of the year, but of our careers.''

Also read: NBA: Miami Heat force game 7 in the Eastern Conference finals
 

(Basketball news) The Miami Heat played out their skin to force game 7 as they beat the Boston Celtics 111-103. For the Heat, Butler scored 47 points - a career playoff high and one of the best performances by a player facing elimination in NBA history as Lowry finished with 18 points and 10 assists. For the Celtics, Jayson Tatum had 30 points and nine rebounds for them, and White came off the bench to score 11 of his 22 points in the fourth quarter as Jaylen Brown scored 20 points. With this result Miami get home advantage in the crucial game 7 to decide the winners of the Eastern Conference and the finalist who will play the Warriors.

Jimmy Butler’s performance was reminiscent of LeBron James in 2010 where he scored 45 points in a Game 6 in Boston to the first of the Heat's back-to-back NBA titles, Butler was even more clutch as he scored 17 points in the fourth quarter to top him and send the series back to Miami. With a victory at home, the Heat would advance to the NBA Finals for the second time in three years. On the other hand, the Celtics are trying to reach the finals for the first time since 2010, two years after the Big Three of Kevin Garnett, Paul Pierce and Ray Allen won their record equaling 17th NBA title which was a record since then.

''It's incredible,'' Lowry said ''It's incredible to have a guy like him next to me. I've played with some great players, and he's one of the best.''

''This is the way it should be, with these two teams. It should have gone seven games,'' Miami coach Erik Spoelstra said. ''I'm just really thrilled that our group gets an opportunity to compete in a Game 7 in front of our home crowd.''

''He came out from the jump and kind of put his imprint on the game,'' White said. ''That's just who he's been his whole career, constantly attacking and doing what he does to help his team win. We knew it was coming, and we've got to do a better job in Game 7.''

''It's no secret: It's Game 7, trip to the NBA Finals, a lot on the line,'' Tatum said. ''We know what's at stake. We know how much this means to everybody.''

''I get it, people can easily draw the comparisons between the two,'' Spoelstra said. ''That's a different era. That's a different team. I want our guys to embrace this moment.''

Also read: Warriors make it to 6 finals in 8 years, Celtics outclass Heat