It’s not often NBA fans see a rookie head coach help lead his team to the NBA Finals.
But Ime Udoka did that in his first go-around as the big dog of the Celtics, leading Boston from a .500 start in the first 50 games of the season to a 26-6 finish over the final 32 games of the season. The Celtics also finished the regular season with the best defense in the League and remained the best among active teams in the playoffs.
It hasn’t always been sunshine and rainbow for Udoka. Despite serving as an assistant under Gregg Popovich, Brett Brown, and Steve Nash, the 44-year-old took several interviews but was told no by several teams — like Detroit, Indiana, and Cleveland —before Boston took a chance on him.
“I can go down the list. That was tough because I believe I was ready. But I couldn’t be more proud to be a part of an organization that’s pushing for winning and championships. You can be in a lot of different situations. There are only 30 teams, and I get that, but to not be in a rebuild and being in an expectation pressure-filled situation, I wouldn’t trade that in any day.” Udoka told Yahoo Sports.
When Udoka took on the Boston job following Brad Stevens’ abrupt resignation after eight seasons for a front-office gig, he did so while facing one central question. Could Boston afford to ask a first-year head coach to lead the Celtics where Stevens couldn’t?
“The one thing I would say is the disappointment of coming in second a few years really hurt,” Udoka said after the Celtics defeated the Miami Heat in Game 7 of the Eastern Conference finals on Sunday. “But if you told me I’d have to wait for Boston and get [bypassed] by some of the ones that I got beat out on, it’s a no-brainer for me. I’m happy to be in Boston.”
In just one year, Udoka proved that he could. He’s proven himself to be a defensive mastermind, excellent communicator, and one of the brightest faces in the coaching profession. Udoka is tops amongst the record-high 15 black head coaches in the NBA right now, the most at any point in League history.
“I mean, the proof is in the pudding,” Celtics star Jaylen Brown told Yahoo Sports. “Look around the League. Now you’re starting to see what we can do in the coaching ranks. Before, the talk was that certain people of color were not qualified to do their jobs or whatever the excuse was. Man, you give these guys an opportunity, and look what they did with it. First-year head coach Ime Udoka took us to the Finals. Look at Monty Williams in Phoenix; look at Dallas with Jason Kidd. You look at all these coaches around the League, and I’m happy to see that they’re finally getting an opportunity. Black coaches and people of color are deserving, and they’re capable of getting the job done just like anybody else.”
While Udoka will get plenty of credit for guiding the Celtics to a massive turnaround in the second-half of the season and directing a top-ranked defense, he also deserves flowers for empowering Jayson Tatum and Brown despite talk around Beantown that Brad Stevens should break up the Brown-Tatum connection. Something Brown acknowledges was hard to ignore.
The NBA Finals begin Thursday, with the Warriors hosting Game 1 in San Francisco. The Warriors have a combined 123 games of experience compared to the 0 the Celtics have played. This is also their sixth Finals appearance in six years. With that insight, it makes sense that Udoka, Brown, and the Celtics have embraced being underdogs in the title series.
“We’ve been who we’ve been all year, and our defense travels well and carried us through the playoffs,” Udoka told Yahoo Sports. “We’ve played Golden State well this year. We blasted them at their place, had a tough loss at our place early in the season. And so it’s a new series. We know who we are and the things we do well, so we’re confident in that.”
“The Warriors are a tough team to play against,” Brown told Yahoo Sports. “They’re smart, experienced, and they’ve got a lot of firepower. I’m excited and looking forward to the challenge.”
We’ve dedicated an entire special issue,SLAM’s TOP 75 NBA Teams of All Time, to ranking the best 75 individual season teams ever.This week, we’re unveiling which squads made it on our top 10. To find out who else made it on the list, read here.
8. 1982-83 Philadelphia 76ers
Coach: Billy Cunningham
Record: 65-17
Roster: JJ Anderson, Maurice Cheeks, Earl Cureton, Franklin Edwards, Julius Erving, Marc Iavaroni, Clemon Johnson, Reggie Johnson, Bobby Jones, Moses Malone, Mark McNamara, Clint Richardson, Russ Schoene, Andrew Toney
The season after the Sixers lost the Finals to the Portland Trail Blazers, the team crafted a ticket sales pitch to fans informing them, “We owe you one.” The franchise didn’t pay up the next year. Or the one after that. In fact, the slogan became something of a punchline for the franchise that always had talent but couldn’t convert it to a title.
Philadelphia lost to the Lakers in the ’80 Finals and again in ’82. It seemed impossible that a team with Julius “Dr. J” Erving, one of the most exciting players in basketball history, would never hang a banner.
Then came Moses.
Not long before the start of the ’82-83 season, the Sixers executed a sign-and-trade for Houston center Moses Malone. All of a sudden the team of All-Stars had the final piece. With Malone handling the rough stuff in the middle—and sweating a ton in the process—Erving was free to soar over and around rivals all season. Meanwhile, the dynamic backcourt of point man Maurice Cheeks and clutch sharpshooter Andrew Toney provided ample trouble for opponents from the perimeter. And just when teams thought they had that quartet under some measure of control, Bobby Jones would come crashing through for a fastbreak dunk or to jam home a missed shot.
The Sixers took command of the Atlantic Division early and cruised past the Celtics. Their 65 wins were the best by far in the NBA, and as Philadelphia headed into the playoffs, Malone uttered the famous quotation, “Fo-fo-fo,” meaning the Sixers would win each of the three playoff series necessary to take the title in four games.
The Moses Doctrine looked pretty good after the first round, which the Sixers won over the Knicks in four. But Milwaukee won a game in the Eastern Finals, and Philadelphia had to settle for the five-game trip to the Finals.
Waiting there—fittingly—were the Lakers, who had many of the same players who had caused the Sixers trouble in previous Finals. However, L.A. would be without rookie James Worthy, who broke his leg late in the regular season. It likely wouldn’t have mattered. The Sixers were committed to rectifying their earlier shortcomings, and they blitzed the Lakers in four games, completing the sweep on the Forum floor where they had watched L.A. celebrate a year before.
When it was all over, the Sixers were able to put out another message:
“I can remember when he was a little boy—this is how obsessed he was,” recalls Brandy Cole, the mother of Celtics All-Star Jayson Tatum. “I asked him, What do you want to be when you grow up? His first answer in life was, ‘Kobe.’”
Brandy tried to explain to her son: You can’t be Kobe. You can be an NBA player, like Kobe. But you can’t be Kobe.
Jayson refused to accept that. And when mom dared to suggest that he could one day be better than Kobe, her son damn near lost his mind.
“I was like, Can’t nobody be better than Kobe!” Tatum remembers. “It didn’t even make sense to me.”
Not too long ago, Jayson Tatum hated the Boston Celtics. As a kid growing up in St. Louis, MO—a city without a hometown NBA team—he fell in love with Kobe and the Lakers. That love, dating back to when Jayson was 4 years old, ran deep. It was an obsession.
He retreated to his bedroom and cried when Boston beat L.A. in the 2008 Finals. He was ecstatic when Kobe got his revenge in 2010, winning his fifth and final championship.
“From the beginning, [Kobe] was always my favorite player,” Tatum explains. “I wanted to be just like him. He was my biggest basketball inspiration.”
By the age of 6, Jayson was getting into heated arguments with Brandy about who was better, Kobe or Michael Jordan. She watched MJ and the Bulls rule the League in the ’90s. Jayson’s allegiance, of course, was always to the Mamba.
In every way possible, Jayson tried to emulate his idol. He was shooting turnaround, fadeaway jumpers by third grade. And it wasn’t like he’d just do it in a game. Brandy would peer out the window and see Jayson working on those moves in the backyard of their home in University City.
He rocked all the Kobe kicks and apparel he could get his hands on.
“My favorite Kobe shoes were the Kobe 3s,” Tatum says. “I had on the ‘What The’ Kobe 9s in the state championship game my senior year. Played in Kobe ‘Preludes,’ 5s and 6s, when I was on the EYBL circuit.”
“I can remember the first time I found out that Flight Club existed, he was entering his senior year and he wanted these shoes—’What The’ Kobes,” Brandy says. “They were already expensive to me. I looked high and low, and then I found Flight Club. Of course, the only place [that had them]. And I was like, You mean I got to pay more for these? [laughs] But he was like, ‘That’s all I want. It can be my Christmas gift and my birthday gift. That’s all I want.’”
In 2007, Jayson met Kobe for the first time at Quicken Loans Arena when the Cavaliers hosted the Lakers. He still has the picture they took in the hallway after the game. That same year, he went to All-Star Weekend in Las Vegas with Brandy. They didn’t have tickets to the events but made it to the NBA’s Jam Session—a giant activation geared toward kids. Tatum picked out a red Western Conference All-Star Kobe jacket. Brandy dug it up after Bryant’s passing and surprised Jayson with it.
Tatum’s fandom started as most fandoms do. He gravitated to the exciting showman playing on one of the League’s brightest stages. The Lakers regularly appeared on national TV. Bryant regularly appeared on SportCenter’s Top 10. Once Tatum discovered YouTube, he’d spend hours and hours going through highlights.
“One of my all-time favorite plays when I was younger was when they threw the full-court pass to him and he did the 180 when he went behind his back,” he says. “That shit was just, like, unbelievable to me when I first saw that.”
As he became older and found his own success in basketball, Jayson began to look up to Kobe for reasons far beyond a lob to Shaq or a poster over Dwight. He kept watching the highlights, only this time, he studied them differently.
“I remember my dad telling me, ‘Don’t just watch his buckets. Watch how hard he works to get open for the ball, his demeanor, how efficient he is with his body movements and his jab steps, his footwork. Don’t just watch the shot go in,’” Tatum says. “I really started to pay attention to the little things.”
“The little things” extended far beyond clips on YouTube. Jayson read stories of Kobe’s work ethic, drive and intensity. He listened to the Mamba speak about it himself—how he put all his eggs in one basket, how he chased his goal of making the NBA relentlessly, how he never had a backup plan. It became Tatum’s own mantra.
“He said the exact same words to me,” Brandy explains. “We would talk about work ethic and all of that. I would say, ‘OK, what’s your Plan B just in case [you don’t make the NBA]?’ He looked at me one day and he was like, ‘That’s the difference between me…’ and he named off all these other people. ‘They actually have a fallback plan, a Plan B.’ These were his exact words: ‘Mom, no. It’s this or die.’ And I responded, Um, no. Maybe there’s something else, like coaching. I was trying to get him to at least come up with something. There’s a small number of people that actually make the NBA, and as a lawyer, I’m always like, Do your due diligence, make sure you have all your bases covered. But he was emphatic. ‘It’s this or nothing.’”
As early as elementary school, Tatum embraced the Mamba Mentality. He’d tell teachers that his dream was to be an NBA player, and when they encouraged him to choose something more realistic, he remained steadfast.
“I can remember vividly, he was in the fourth grade playing AAU Nationals in New Orleans,” Brandy says. “We would go on trips and there was a rule that you couldn’t swim or couldn’t have fries and ice cream and stuff like that, because you couldn’t swim all day in the sun and then go play and compete. We lost, and a bunch of other kids on the team were like, Yay, now we can go swim. We get back to the hotel and they all can’t wait to get into their swimsuits and go to the pool. I go in our room and Jayson’s sitting on the floor with his back against the wall in tears. You’re not going swimming? He said, ‘No, I don’t understand. We lost. There’s nothing to be happy about.’ He was just so upset. There was always something different about him.”
That continued into high school, when Jayson was up at 5 am every morning and off to the gym before Brandy even got out of bed. He paid attention to the details and never took shortcuts. He mastered Bryant’s jab step by training for an entire week without a basketball, just replicating the motion over and over again. During his four years at Chaminade, head coach Frank Bennett insists he took just two days off—the two days following their state championship victory his senior season.
All of that stemmed from Bryant and a desire to follow in his footsteps. It seemed to come full circle when, amid Boston’s 2018 playoff run, Kobe dedicated a segment of his ESPN show Detail to breaking down Tatum’s game and how it could improve. Then a rookie, Tatum had been helping to lead an injury-riddled Celtics team through the Eastern Conference. After years of analyzing Bryant’s every move, the roles had suddenly reversed. Jayson watched the episode on repeat.
“I started to talk to him during the playoffs. He told me when I get to L.A. to contact him. If I wanted to get in the gym, just let him know,” Tatum says. “And then when we did, I remember I was sweating on the way to the gym. My heart was beating fast. I remember I walked in and I was like, Yo, this shit…Kobe is here and I’m about to…like, it was…”
He struggles to find the words to describe the moment exactly. Here he was, having just turned 20, about to play basketball with his hero.
“I remember I would do a drill and he would show me how to do something or tell me what to do next, and I was just sitting there and in my mind I’m like, Yo, I’m working out with fucking Kobe Bryant.”
“It’s right up there with him getting drafted,” says Brandy, of that first workout between her son and Bryant. “It’s watching your kid’s dreams come true.”
“He’s iconic,” says Jayson. “He accomplished so much. I think it was just the way he went about it. The way he did things and his demeanor. He was different. That’s the best way to put it. He was just different. He was unlike anybody else. He did it his own way. And you could see when he passed away, so many people my age and even older guys in the NBA, they attribute him [with] being the reason they work so hard and started playing basketball.”
The news of Kobe’s death left Tatum heartbroken. He continued to honor his idol on the court, being named to his first All-Star team in late January. The seeds of that accomplishment were planted nearly two decades ago, when a young, awestruck Jayson first saw the Black Mamba dominate. Kobe was the reason he picked up a basketball. Kobe was the one who inspired him to strive for feats like this.
“No matter if it was during the regular season, postseason, All-Star—everything he’s always done, he’s always followed and wanted to emulate Kobe,” Brandy emphasizes. “Whether it was on the court, life accomplishments, USA [Basketball], All-Star.
“I think it’s a little bittersweet [making his first All-Star Game],” she continues. “I’m sure Kobe would’ve been there. I’m sure Jayson probably would’ve gotten a text or a phone call congratulating him. I think he would have been glad to see that Kobe was proud of him. It’s bittersweet, for sure, but I know that he knows Kobe is proud of him and that this is one of many. And if he keeps that Mamba Mentality, he’ll be a perennial All-Star, MVP candidate, all of that.”
That’s Plan A. And for Jayson Tatum, there aren’t any backup plans.
The Detroit Pistons face an exciting offseason after winning the No. 5 overall pick in the 2022 NBA Draft and could look to acquire more talent through trading Jerami Grant.
However, it’s still unknown what teams around the League are willing to give up to trade for Grant. Pistons GM Troy Weaver wasn’t entirely enthusiastic about offers he received in January or February. Grant has one more season left on his current deal, and Weaver has the option to extend that contract or, as aforementioned, build a trade package around Grant.
One team that’s been consistent with their desire to pick Grant up is the Trail Blazers. Portland fell to the No. 7 pick in the NBA 2022 Draft and reportedly doesn’t want to embark on a complete rebuild, opting to instead “retool” around Damian Lillard.
Another option for a trade partner is the Atlanta Hawks. The Hawks could not follow up on their Eastern Conference Finals run, fizzling out in five games to the Miami Heat in the first-round. Atlanta was reportedly interested in Grant during the regular-season, and according to The Athletic, there still could be some intrigue around acquiring Grant this summer.
Per Hawks beat reporter Chris Kirschner, the Hawks front office would ideally like to add a two-way ball-handler, and Grant fulfills both those roles. Kirschner believes Grant is the best choice because the forward is the most gettable player on the trade market over stars like Zach LaVine or Deandre Ayton, who can only be acquired through sign and trade deals.
Should the Pistons pursue a Grant deal, they could trade Bogdan Bogdanovic, Danilo Gallinari, and the No. 16 pick in this year’s draft. Although Bogdanovic is the younger player, he’s recently been battling a knee issue that lingered all season but will reportedly be addressing the case over the summer. Meanwhile, Gallinari has a guaranteed $5 million expiring contract that could be waived so that Detroit can create more cap space.
Per Hawks reporter James L. Edwards III, Grant is the type of player both franchises need as a long, two-way wing that can score off the dribble and help them while they’re in win-now mode. He believes that Weaver will move Grant if he gets a “wow” offer like Portland agreeing to move their top-10 pick, believing the Pistons are willing to wait and see if such an offer materializes.
Regardless, it seems like Weaver and Grant will have some exciting options to ponder during the summer. Both Portland and Atlanta could be an ideal fit for a wing that seems ready to contribute to a playoff-contending team.
It took Ime Udoka the best part of a decade to finally get a job as a head coach in the NBA.
He’d served as an assistant coach at the San Antonio Spurs, Philadelphia 76ers and Brooklyn Nets, learning his craft under the likes of Gregg Popovich and Brett Brown.
But a shot at the top job was always on Udoka’s mind, and he admits that several franchises – including Detroit Pistons and Cleveland Cavaliers – had passed on the chance to employ him as head coach in the past.
“The interview process started and there was a lot of interest,” the 44-year-old confirmed. “I was a finalist in a few destinations. You don’t place the blame on anybody or any situation. I believe I was ready. But I couldn’t be more proud to be a part of an organization that’s pushing for winning and championships.”
For all his disappointment at missing out on the top job in the past, Udoka has channelled his frustrations into becoming one of the shrewdest operators in the NBA, turning the Boston Celtics into a defensive powerhouse while getting the best out of Jayson Tatum, Jaylen Brown and co.
By mid-June, we will know if the Celtics have ended their 14-year wait for an NBA Championship in the finals against the Golden State Warriors. If they do, much of the credit must go to Udoka – and the likes of Brad Stevens for giving him a chance to coach on the big stage.
The sportsbooks make Golden State their favourites, but there will be plenty of bettors who will take a chance on Boston. Many betting sites now offer a single wallet across sports, poker and casino, so any winnings from the NBA Finals can be parlayed into games like blackjack, roulette and craps at brands like BetMGM. For interested basketball fans, more information can be found here about how you can combine your sports betting and casino gaming with a single bankroll.
The Celtics rolled the dice on Udoka, and they might yet get the ultimate reward…
Could Experience Hold the Key to Final Flourish?
The Warriors are set to take part in their sixth NBA Finals in eight years – an extraordinary record, and particularly impressive given the depths they plummeted to in 2019 through 2021.
You wonder if that experience will ultimately prove vital in determining the Finals, although their clash on March 16 – the Celtics running out comfortable 110-88 winners – perhaps offered something of a glimpse of what to expect from the series. That was a contest in which the Warriors’ talisman Steph Curry suffered an ankle injury, but even so, Boston were good value for their victory.
But we can only query how much the Eastern Conference Finals will have taken out of the Celtics, who were taken to the buzzer in the seventh game against Miami Heat. The Warriors, in contrast, had a surprisingly easy time of things against the Luka Doncic inspired Dallas Mavericks, winning in five games with a nine-point or more margin in four of them.
So the scene is set perfectly… will it be the experience of the Warriors or the nous of Udoka that wins the NBA Finals? Either way, the Celtics look to be in the safest of hands.
DENVER, CO – FEBRUARY 8: Kemba Walker #8 of the New York Knicks looks on during the game against the Denver Nuggets on February 8, 2022 at the Ball Arena in Denver, Colorado. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2022 NBAE (Photo by Bart Young/NBAE via Getty Images)
LONDON AND MILAN, May 31, 2022 – The National Basketball Association (NBA), the International Basketball Federation (FIBA) and the Italian Basketball Federation (FIP) today announced that Basketball Without Borders (BWB) Europe will be held at Sport Village Assago and the Bocconi Sport Center in Milan, Italy from Wednesday, June 1 – Saturday, June 4. The 19th BWB Europe camp will mark the first time the NBA and FIBA’s global basketball development and community outreach program will be held in Europe since 2019 in Latvia and first time in Italy since 2014 in Rome.
BWB Europe 2022 will bring together 62 of the top high-school age boys and girls from 24 countries across Europe to learn directly from current and former NBA, WNBA and FIBA players, legends and coaches and compete alongside their peers from across the region. The campers and coaches will also take part in life skills, leadership development and community service programming.
The campers will be coached by NBA players Danilo Gallinari (Atlanta Hawks; Italy; BWB Europe 2003), Terance Mann (LA Clippers; U.S.) and Kemba Walker (New York Knicks). Memphis Grizzlies head coach Taylor Jenkins (U.S.), NBA assistant coaches David Adelman (Nuggets; U.S.), Johnnie Bryant (New York Knicks; U.S.) and Edniesha Curry (Portland Trail Blazers; U.S.), former WNBA player Raffaella Masciadri (Italy) and Italy Women’s National Team captain and Virtus Bologna forward Sabrina Cinili (Italy) will serve as BWB Europe coaches.
Patrick Hunt (President of the World Association of Basketball Coaches; Australia) and Marin Sedlaček (Former international scout; Serbia) will serve as camp directors, while Jason Biles (Houston Rockets; U.S.) will serve as the camp’s athletic trainer.
Players and coaches will lead the campers through a variety of activities, including movement efficiency drills, offensive and defensive skill stations, three-point contests, 5-on-5 games, and life skills and leadership development sessions. A ceremony on the final day of the camp will award the BWB Europe 2022 MVP, Defensive MVP, Three-Point Champion and the Patrick Baumann Sportsmanship Award to the boys and girls who distinguish themselves on the court and as leaders.
A record 41 former BWB campers were among the record 121 international players on opening-night NBA rosters for the 2021-22 season. Former BWB Europe campers currently in the NBA and WNBA include Gallinari, Deni Avdija (Wizards; Israel; BWB Europe 2018 and BWB Global 2019), Killian Hayes (Detroit Pistons, France; BWB Europe 2018 and BWB Global 2019), Awak Kuier (Dallas Wings; Finland; BWB Europe 2016 and 2018 and BWB Global 2017), Dario Šarić (Suns; Croatia; BWB Europe 2010) and Jonas Valančiūnas (New Orleans Pelicans; Lithuania; BWB Europe 2008).
The NBA and FIBA have hosted 63 BWB camps in 30 countries since the program’s launch in 2001. BWB has reached more than 3,700 participants from 133 countries and territories, with 96 former campers drafted into the NBA and WNBA or signed as free agents. The first-ever Basketball Without Borders camp took place in Europe in July 2001. Vlade Divac (Serbia) and Toni Kukoč (Croatia), together with former teammates from the Yugoslavia Men’s National Team, reunited to work with 50 children from Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, Slovenia and Serbia and Montenegro at La Ghirada in Treviso, Italy.
NIKE, a global partner of BWB since 2002, will outfit the campers and coaches with NIKE apparel and footwear.
Fans in Italy can find more NBA information at NBA.com/Italia the league’s official online destination in Italy hosted on Sky Sport, and on Facebook (NBA Italia), Twitter (@NBAItalia), Instagram (@NBAEurope) and YouTube (NBA Europe), and use the hashtag #BWBEurope. In addition, fans can watch live NBA games on Sky Italia’s dedicated NBA channel Sky Sport NBA. A full range of official NBA merchandise is available at the NBA Store in Milan and by visiting NBAStore.eu.
Executive and Player Quotes:
Atlanta Hawks forward Danilo Gallinari (Italy; BWB Europe 2003):
“Basketball Without Borders will always have a special significance for me. As a young camper back in 2003, I had dreams of playing in the NBA, and my experience at BWB enabled me to focus even more on my goal. It will be great to speak to the campers about my own experiences in the hope that one day they can stand in my shoes.”
NBA Europe and Middle East Managing Director Ralph Rivera:
“We are incredibly proud of the impact that Basketball Without Borders has had on aspiring European players since the first BWB camp here in Italy more than 20 years ago. We are excited to return to Italy to host the first BWB Europe camp in three years and work with FIBA and FIP to provide these young players with unforgettable experiences as they take the next step in their basketball journeys.”
FIBA National Federations & Sport Director Zoran Radovic:
“We are very happy to be returning to Italy with Basketball Without Borders Europe in 2022, especially as the first edition of BWB was hosted there back in 2001. With such a long-standing relationship with the Italian Basketball Federation, who also are co-hosts of the FIBA EuroBasket 2022 this year, we look forward once again to teaming up with them and the NBA to deliver a high-quality program to the future stars of Europe.”
Italian Basketball Federation (FIP) President Giovanni Petrucci:
“2022 is the year of basketball. The restart of the championships and all of our federal events after two years of the pandemic is the signal that our movement has restarted its activities at full speed. In our calendar, the huge event on the horizon is FIBA EuroBasket 2022 hosted in Milan in September. Basketball Without Borders will be staged in the same city and will be an event dedicated to excellence in youth basketball at a European level. The NBA, FIBA and FIP have worked together towards the success of an event that showcases the brightest future of our sport. I thank the FIP Regional Committee for supporting the organization of BWB, and I hope all participants take full advantage of this experience.”
The following is a complete list of players participating in BWB Europe 2022 (rosters subject to change):
Draymond Green made a comment that caused controversy before Game 6 of the Eastern Conference Finals between the Heat and the Celtics. The three-time NBA champion said that his team would face Boston in the NBA Finals.
His comment was taken as an insult and was used by the Heat players as a motivation. Indeed, Miami won Game 6 to force a Game 7. However, Green was right in the fact that it was the Celtics that won the series.
When talking about the reaction from the Heat players to his comment, Green said it was exciting to know that people are paying so much attention to what he is saying.
“It was exciting to know that people pay that much attention to my words and what I say. Wow,” he said, per Marc J. Spears. “They really watched what I had to say and that motivated them? I’m getting better at this motivational thing. That’s great.”
“It was exciting to know that people pay that much attention to my words and what I say. Wow. They really watched what I had to say and that motivated them? I’m getting better at this motivational thing. That’s great,” @Money23Green to @andscape on the Heat being motivated by him
Boston Celtics defensive specialist Marcus Smart isn’t letting injuries stop him this postseason.
(Via Jump View):
“Man, my whole right side is a little banged up on my leg. I got the quad injury. I have the foot injury. And then I have the ankle injury. I’m not the only one, but it’s definitely been tough. But, my teammates just kept telling me, ‘We don’t care how hurt you is man. We need you. 65, 70 percent of you is better than none of you. So, give us everything you can. We’ll help you and pick up everything that we can that you can’t.’ That’s what I wanted to go out there and do.
“My ankle was hurting pretty bad tonight to the point where I came out I think in the first quarter to tighten up my ankle brace, and all I just remember is those guys just telling me, ‘Listen, forget about it, play through it. We need it, just keep it going.’ And that really stuck with me. It’s Game 7, I’ve been here four times and never got across the hump. For me it was, ‘I can’t let this happen again.’ And that’s what it came down to. So, I just wanted to go out there and make sure I left everything on the court.”
The Golden State Warriors head coach Steve Kerr reflects on how well a third-year Warrior Andrew Wiggins has played this postseason: “Wiggs has just been a perfect fit and we wouldn’t be here without him, that’s for sure.”
“Wiggs has just been a perfect fit and we wouldn’t be here without him, that’s for sure.”
Head Coach Steve Kerr reflects on how well Andrew Wiggins has played this postseason.pic.twitter.com/DjgMuUW9af
We’ve dedicated an entire special issue,SLAM’s TOP 75 NBA Teams of All Time, to ranking the best 75 individual season teams ever.This week, we’re unveiling which squads made it on our top 10. To find out who else made it on the list, read here.
9. 2000-01 Los Angeles Lakers
Coach: Phil Jackson
Record: 56-26
Roster: Kobe Bryant, Derek Fisher, Greg Foster, Rick Fox, Devean George, Horace Grant, Ron Harper, Robert Horry, Tyronn Lue, Mark Madsen, Stanislav Medvedenko, Shaquille O’Neal, Mike Penberthy, Isaiah Rider, Brian Shaw
It’s easy to dismiss the ’00-01 Lakers’ 56 wins as “disappointing.” That wasn’t even the NBA’s top win total.
But the true test of this team—and most great outfits—is the postseason. In that regard, there is a different number that matters.
One.
The Lakers lost just one game in the 2001 Playoffs, the Finals opener against Philadelphia. They swept their first three opponents, including San Antonio, which had the NBA’s best record.
This was the middle championship of L.A.’s early 21st century three-peat, and it didn’t come easy, despite the playoff dominance. The Lakers fought injuries, withstood some animosity between Shaquille O’Neal and Kobe Bryant and had to integrate some new faces (Isaiah Rider, Horace Grant) into a deep rotation that won eight straight to finish the regular season.
Things were not great between the two stars, as the Big Brother-Little Brother dynamic was no longer that palatable to Bryant. Coach Phil Jackson was able to keep things relatively zen, but it was clear that the two weren’t too happy together. That led to some regular-season unease and a final record that doesn’t really represent how good this team was.
Of course, O’Neal was overpowering. Still at the peak of his powers, he averaged 28.7 ppg and 12.7 rpg. He was even better in the Finals, when he won MVP. Not that Bryant was simply riding shotgun or anything. He scored 28.5 ppg, by far his best performance as a professional up to that moment. They may not have been lunch buddies off the court, and they feuded during the season about the breakdown of offensive opportunities, but when the ball was tossed up, they formed an unbeatable tandem.
Perhaps the biggest reason why the team didn’t approach 70 victories was the absence for 62 games of point guard Derek Fisher, who was recovering from a stress fracture in his right foot. Once he returned, the offense was more efficient, and the Lakers played better at the other end, too. Grant was a steady interior force, while Rick Fox provided his usual all-around assistance.
In the playoffs, L.A. swept away Portland, Sacramento and San Antonio, as the team crackled. And though Allen Iverson’s 48 points in the Sixers’ overtime win in Game 1 of the Finals gave Philly some hope, the Lakers crushed that ruthlessly over the next four games to complete the second title in their three-peat. There was more—of everything—to come in 2001-02.
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