Category: Basketball

When the Eastern Conference Finals series between Miami and Boston begins on Thursday, Erik Spoelstra said he and his boss, The Godfather Pat Riley, expect to see a “throwback series” between the two conference titans.

“If both teams are really on top of their games, this should be a series where neither team is scoring 130 points. Both teams hang their hats on rock-solid team defense, and making multiple efforts, and being disciplined to schemes. So it will be a lot of plays and things in the margins. That’s what you expect. Really, we were the two best teams in the East most of the season, and it’s fitting that we’re moving into the conference finals.” Spoelstra said.

The ECF series will feature the two best teams in the conference, with the Heat saying they see a lot of similarities between themselves and the Celtics, especially on the defensive side of things. The main thing that helps Heat remain confident in themselves is that they found a way to win games in different ways throughout the year.

With different guys out of the lineup due to injury or COVID-19 being able to win a game no matter, the circumstance bodes well for a team looking to get back to the Finals for the first time since 2020.

Going into Tuesday’s Game 1, Spoelstra and Jimmy Butler echoed a similar sentiment of the Heat loving competition and looking forward to the challenge of playing Boston.

Both Spoelstra and Butler echoed a similar sentiment with Game 1 looming on Tuesday night.

“Our guys love competition and love being challenged,” Spoelstra said. “They love taking on big challenges. That’s what we’re facing. Boston has played as well as anyone in the entire league once they got to 2022. It’s not by accident. They’re playing very strong basketball. They do it on both ends.

“I say throwback; I really want to clarify. It’s not going to be like football. We don’t need the extra officiating, or we don’t need anyone thinking they need to clean it up. It’s not going to be like that. It’s just that you have two really committed defensive teams that should lend itself if both teams are playing at a high level; it shouldn’t be 150-point games.”

Coach Ime Udoka announced that the Celtics had listed Marcus Smart as questionable going into Tuesday’s Game 1 of the Boston-Miami series.

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During his availability, Ime Udoka said Marcus Smart is questionable for Game 1 with a midfoot sprain he suffered during Game 7, & that Robert Williams won’t have any restrictions in Game 1. Udoka said before Game 7 Williams was available but he didn’t want to shift his rotation.

— Tim Bontemps (@TimBontemps) May 16, 2022

Udoka said Smart suffered a midfoot sprain during their Game 7 win over the 2021 NBA champ Milwaukee Bucks. Smart has averaged 15.0 points, 3.7 rebounds, and 6.2 assists per game. He finished Game 7 with 11 points, seven rebounds, and 10 assists.

Udoka also said Robert Williams wouldn’t have any restrictions in the Eastern Conference. Williams didn’t play in Game 7 despite being available to get some minutes.

Rhyne Howard led the Atlanta Dream past the Indiana Fever, 85-79, behind her 33 points performance. Howard now joins an exclusive list of six players in League history who have scored at least 30 points in their first four games.

Howard erupted for 17 points in the first-quarter of action to start her historic evening, the most a rookie has ever scored in the first quarter in WNBA history. She shot 9-18 from the floor and knocked down three triples from downtown.

Howard has 83 points through her first four games, averaging a whopping 20.8 points per game for the Dream.

In a matchup where we saw the first two picks of the 2022 WNBA draft go head-to-head with Howard and NaLyssa Smith, who left the game with an ankle injury in the fourth quarter. Before tip-off, Howard told reporters how proud she was of Smith and all her success.

“I applaud her for everything she’s done,” Howard said of Smith before the game. “I’m very proud of her. Just to see her out here excelling in her dream is just great, and I love that for her. But going against her, it’s all business on the court, but afterwards, it’s all love.”

The Dream will be back at Gainbridge Fieldhouse to the Fever on Tuesday at 7 pm.

Each May, droves of potential draft prospects make their way to the Windy City, itching to showcase their talents and abilities to scouts, coaches and front office execs. You might be thinking of the Draft Combine, but what happens when you don’t get an invite?

Jose Alvarado, Terance Mann, Max Strus, Oshae Brissett and Mac McClung. None of ’em got an invite, initially. They earned it, though, after showing out at the G League’s Elite Camp.

On May 16-17, 44 prospects will participate in 5-on-5 scrimmages and strength and agility drills hoping for an invite to the combine later in the week.

LSU’s Shareef O’Neal, Kansas’ Davis McCormack and UNC’s Brady Manek are among those expected to attend with the hopes of following in the same path the big steppers named above did in their journey to the L.

Here are some of the G League’s Elite Camp biggest success stories.   

“Grand Theft” Alvarado, who attended the camp in 2021, took the NBA by storm this season, but before then, the electric 6-foot guard was just another undrafted player, albeit one with the ACC DPOY award. After signing a two-way deal with the New Orleans Pelicans, it took just five games for the team to call Alvarado up from the Birmingham Squadron, where he was averaging 19.8 points and 3.4 swipes per game. His 11 games with 3-plus steals and the two forced 8-second violations he had on Point God Chris Paul in the 2022 playoffs has not only made Alvarado a fan favorite in NOLA but across the entire L. And now, the Elite Camp alum has a well-deserved four-year guaranteed contract to show for it.

In 2019, Terance Mann’s phone was on 1% as he headed to the airport, going home after not being invited to the Draft Combine despite showing out at the G League Elite Camp. As he was preparing to check his bag, the 23-year-old looked down at his phone and saw a number he didn’t recognize. It was the NBA, calling to tell him to turn back around so he could take part in the Combine after all. Now coming off his third year in the League, the FSU product averaged 10.8 points and 5.2 boards for the Clippers, showcasing flashes of brilliance and growth as a secondary option, highlighted by back-to-back 20-pieces in February.

Former undrafted DePaul prospect Max Strus is lighting it up for the Miami Heat in the Eastern Conference semis. The third-year sharpshooter was able to showcase his scintillating skills for scouts during the Elite Camp in 2019. In 23 minutes per game, Strus is averaging 10.3 points on 41 percent shooting from downtown, knocking down nearly three trey balls a night. The definition of an unphased shooter, Strus shot 50 percent from three with defenders within two feet of him and now remains a vital part of the Heat’s championship run.

Before he was flying through the air in Gainbridge Fieldhouse, Oshae Brissett signed with the Toronto Raptors as a two-way player, averaging 14.7 points and 6.5 boards for the Raptors 905 G League squad. Starting the 2021-22 campaign with the Fort Wayne Mad Ants (the Pacers’ G League affiliate), the undrafted prospect out of Syracuse was ultimately given the opportunity to sign with the Pacers for the remainder of the season, where he proved a force to be reckoned with in the paint, dropping 27 points and 6 boards in a late February win over the Celtics and 28 and 8 in their final game of the season.

An undrafted guard out of Texas Tech and now the reigning G League Rookie of the Year, Mac McClung showcased his top-tier athleticism and dawg mentality to scouts and coaches at last year’s Elite Camp. After averaging 21.7 points and 7.7 dimes while swiping 1.4 steals per game in the G League, the rookie signed a two-way deal with the Lakers, appearing in their season finale, where he tallied 6 points, 3 boards and a signature reverse throw-down.

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Follow along on G League (@nbagleague) and SLAM socials for details on players throughout Elite Camp, storylines and stream info.

Rookie NaLyssa Smith injured her right ankle while running back on defense during the Indiana Fever’s matchup with the Atlanta Dream. The No. 2 overall pick in the 2022 WNBA Draft did not return to the game with the injury transpiring with just 6:29 remaining on the game clock.

When Smith left the game, she was working with a season-high 18 points, six rebounds, and three assists on 6-16 shooting from the floor, including knocking down three triples. The Fever ultimately fell short to the Dream, 85-79.

According to James Boyd of the IndyStar, Fever Coach, Marianne Stanley did not indicate how severe the injury was.

“It’s swollen,” Stanley said of Smith’s ankle.” But I don’t know how serious it is right now.”

Meanwhile, fellow rookie Rhyne Howard finished the game with 33 points, including a WNBA rookie record of 17 points in the first quarter. Howard shot 9-18 from the floor, including 3-8 from beyond the arc. The former Kentucky Wildcat added three rebounds, there steals, and two assists in 32 minutes of action.

The Fever will host the Dream again on Tuesday at 7 pm.

In the Phoenix Sun’s season-ending Game 7 loss to the Dallas Mavericks, everything that could’ve gone wrong did. The Suns were simply outclassed from buzzer to buzzer, and their franchise-record 64 wins were all for naught as they exited the playoffs after two rounds.

Out of the many Suns player who had a rough Game 7 outing, Deandre Ayton’s performance raised a good deal of questions. In 17 minutes of action, Ayton finished with five points and four rebounds on 2-5 shooting from the field. Ayton’s 6’11 frame and 7’6 wingspan would’ve been an advantage against a Mavericks team that had no answers for a player like Ayton who can score on the inside and dominate the gas.

When Coach Monty Williams was asked about Ayton’s minutes, he gave an answer that led to more questions about Ayton’s future with Phoenix. The former No. 1 overall pick of the 2018 NBA Draft is headed into restricted free agency after his representation, and the Phoenix front office couldn’t agree to a long-term extension. Which reportedly led to some tension between Ayton and the front office.

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Monty Williams on Deandre Ayton only playing 17 minutes tonight: “It’s internal.”

— Kellan Olson (@KellanOlson) May 16, 2022

According to multiple reports, Ayton and Williams had a few words after the Suns head coach benched him shortly into the second half. The Suns didn’t come out of the break with the necessary sense of energy, allowing the Mavs to raise their lead to as much as 46 points.

Ayton posted 17.3 points and 10.2 rebounds per game this season, but the Suns’ defense didn’t perform at a high level with him on the court (2.3 points per 100 possessions, according to NBC Sports). In the playoffs, Ayton only had a few max contract quality performances, posting 28 points and 17 rebounds in Game 3 of the Suns-Pelicans first-round series and a 25/8 performance in Game 1 of the Suns-Mavs series.

When Devin Booker was about Ayton’s contract negotiations, he didn’t necessarily give his long-time teammate a resounding endorsement or demand that Phoenix re-sign the former Arizona Wildcat.

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“His contract situation is between him and the front office. I care about him as a brother. Just making sure his mental is right…whatever happens, happens. Kind of hard to look so far in the future.” – Devin Booker on Deandre Ayton’s contract situation

— Gerald Bourguet (@GeraldBourguet) May 16, 2022

The Suns running it back with a similar roster might be the best plan; perhaps add another All-Star level playmaker to help alleviate the pressure off Devin Booker and Chris Paul from having to create shots for their teammates and themselves

Both participants of the 2021 NBA Finals are eliminated from the playoffs after Phoenix and the Milwaukee Bucks lost their respective Game 7s on Sunday.

The Phoenix Suns devastating Game 7 loss to the Dallas Mavericks has not only ended the historic season Phoenix embarked on, but it has brought some questions around what Chris Paul intends to do in the near future.

According to Paul, he will return to play at least next season. The 37-year-old veteran point guard still has two years remaining on his contract. The next time Paul will test the market will be Summer 2025 when he’s 39-years old.

“We’ll be right back here next year.” Paul said, putting any retirement notion to bed “I’m not retiring.”

Paul will be entering his 18th season in the NBA next season. CP3 has build a Hall-of-Fame career since getting drafted fourth overall in the 2005 NBA Draft by the then-New Orleans Hornets. The only thing the former Wake Forest Demon Deacon hasn’t accomplished in illustrious career is win a title. He seems to still be game to win that elusive title after struggling against Dallas in the final five games of the series.

In Game 1 and 2, Paul averaged 23.5 points per game. In the final five, the 12-time All-Stat put up just 9.4 points per game. Paul will have a long offseason to rejuvenate his battery so he can help keep Phoenix at the top of the Western Conference hierarchy moving forward. The first order of business for the Suns’ front office will be signing restricted free agent Deandre Ayton to a long-term extension this summer.

The two sides were unable to come to terms on a deal last summer.

Luka Doncic came out firing on all cylinders during Sunday’s Game 7 123-90 win against the Suns, helping the Mavs advance to the Western Conference Finals for the time since their fateful title run in 2011.

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Mavericks came out to freaking play tonight to advance to the WCF.

Luka: 35 PTS 10 RBS 4 AST
Spencer Dinwiddie: 30 PTS
Jalen Brunson: 24 PTS

— SLAM (@SLAMonline) May 16, 2022

Luka Legend hit his first three shots, including two three-pointers, to give the Mavericks an early lead they would never surrender. Over the next two hours, the Mavericks blitzed the Suns, leading by as many as 46 before the final buzzer sounded.

Doncic (35 points and 10 rebounds) and Spencer Dinwiddie (30 points and three rebounds) became the first teammates to at least score 20 points in a half in a Game 7 setting since Patrick Ewing and Allan Houston did it for the Knicks in 1997 according to ESPN Stats and Info.

“I don’t know what to say,” Doncic said. “But this was amazing to win. Everybody was locked in to win. Everybody played as hard as they can, no rest; we didn’t take one play off. So this is an incredible feeling.”

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Mavericks came out to freaking play tonight to advance to the WCF.

Luka: 35 PTS 10 RBS 4 AST
Spencer Dinwiddie: 30 PTS
Jalen Brunson: 24 PTS

— SLAM (@SLAMonline) May 16, 2022

Up to this point, the host team won the first six games of the series, but the Mavs dominated in Phoenix from start to finish, ending the season for a Suns team that won a franchise-record 64 games, looking like a serious contender to make back-to-back NBA Finals appearances throughout the regular-season.

Any drama fans were expecting was quickly erased by the Mavs, who built a 27-17 cushion in the first quarter. That Dallas lead eventually turned into a 57-27 Suns deficit at halftime. Doncic and Dinwiddie outscored the Suns by themselves, combining to score 48 points. Luka Legend himself matched the Suns’ team total after scoring 27 points by himself. Doncic shot 12-19 from the field, including 6-11 from distance.

The Dallas-Golden State Western Conference Finals series will begin on Wednesday, with Game 1 taking place in San Francisco.

“They’re a championship team. It’s going to be really tough again. I’m going to enjoy this win tonight, and then tomorrow we’re going to think about Golden State.”

The Milwaukee Bucks’ title defense is over after losing Sunday’s Game 7, 109-89, to the Boston Celtics. Giannis Antetokounmpo finished the game with 25 points, 20 rebounds, and nine assists, on 10-26 shooting from the field (1-4 from three-point range)

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Giannis Antetokounmpo is the first player ever with 200 points, 100 rebounds and 50 assists in a single series pic.twitter.com/nuLx85wUkH

— ESPN Stats & Info (@ESPNStatsInfo) May 15, 2022

The Greek Freak shot just 3-11 in the second half, including going 1-6 in the fourth quarter. Antetokounmpo fired 27 or more shots in seven games throughout his career, with five of those coming in this second-round series against the Celtics. The two-time MVP had to carry that burden to help the Bucks win due to Khris Middleton being out after suffering a knee injury during the first round of the playoffs.

“Shots that I usually make wasn’t going in. That’s basketball. That’s sports,” Antetokounmpo said. “Sometimes, you win. Sometimes you lose. There’s a winner. There’s a loser. You’ve just got to live with it.”

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If Giannis starts hitting these, it’s over.

(via @NBAU) pic.twitter.com/S4gsJ6ltps

— SLAM (@SLAMonline) May 15, 2022

Antetokounmpo finished the seven-game series with a 237/103/50 stat line, averaging 33.9 points, 14.7 rebounds, and 7.1 assists per game. The Greek Freak finished the playoffs averaging 31.6 points, 14.1 rebounds, and 6.7 assists in 12 playoff games this year, becoming the first player to average 31/14/6 during an entire playoff run. He became the first player in NBA history to finish single series with 200 points, 100 rebounds, and 50 assists.

Jrue Holiday finished the night with 21 points and eight dimes, followed by 15 points and 10 rebounds from Brook Lopez.

“Legs heavy. Body heavy. Mind heavy. Everything was heavy,” Antetkounmpo said after being asked if his legs felt heavy after the first quarter. ” I was just trying to be aggressive. At the end of the day, it’s Game 7, and I’m not gonna hold the ball and not look at the rim. I’d rather miss a bunch of shots and keep playing and keep coming and keep being aggressive. Keep looking for my teammates, keep making the right plays, then go into passive mode.”

The Eastern Conference Finals will start on Tuesday and will be contested between the Miami Heat and Boston Celtics. Both 2021 NBA Finals contestants were eliminated on Sunday after the Mavericks blew the Suns out, 123-90.

The Boston Celtics punched the Milwaukee Bucks in the mouth and advanced to their 37th ever Eastern Conference Finals thanks to a monster game from Grant Williams.

Williams finished the Celtics’ 109-89 Game 7 win over the Bucks by knocking down a career-high 7-18 three-pointers on his way to a career-high 27 points, on yet another career-high 10-22 shooting from the field. The Celtics hit a Game 7 record 22-55 triples for the night.

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in my white tee. pic.twitter.com/psMARfG7K9

— LeagueFits (@leaguefits) May 15, 2022

The former Tennesee Volunteer’s hot shooting night came during a timeout moments after Williams passed up an open three. Jaylen Brown subsequently gave Williams a pep talk during the next Celtics a pep talk from Jaylen Brown where he insisted shoot that thang to make himself a more significant threat from the perimeter.

Williams was timid early, missing 5 of his first seven 3-point attempts. It was a pep talk he got from Jaylen Brown during a timeout after Williams passed on an open shot that changed his mindset.

“For me, it was like; they’re encouraging it, I might as well take advantage,” Williams said. “Each one, as time got on, got more comfortable.”

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Shoutout to Grant Williams! Huge X-Factor for the Celtics today.

(via @NBAUK) pic.twitter.com/rNOaGPX3o9

— SLAM (@SLAMonline) May 15, 2022

The Celtics are now set to take on the Miami Heat for Eastern Conference supremacy. By the way, this will be the 37th time Boston has played in the conference finals, which is precisely half of the ECF appearances ever. The ECF series will begin on Tuesday in Miami.

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Epic 7 game series by the Bucks and Celtics. Celtics come out on top.

(📸: @sammironko) pic.twitter.com/BdR8MtIfLH

— SLAM (@SLAMonline) May 15, 2022