Inside Hoops – Page 202 – NBA Blog

Celtics’ Jaylen Brown so excited for playoffs he’s had a bit of trouble sleeping

Here’s the Boston Herald on Jaylen Brown and the Celtics:

Jaylen Brown missed last season’s first-round loss to the Nets due to wrist surgery and it’s not hard to tell that the young Celtics star has some pent-up enthusiasm this time around for a Brooklyn rematch set to begin on Sunday in the Garden.

“You could tell (by the) smile on my face, right?” he said after Thursday’s practice.

“Yeah, it’s exciting. I’ve had a little bit of trouble sleeping. So I’m just trying to calm myself down,” he said. “I’m ready to go, I’m excited, it’s playoff time, it’s the best time of the year. This is what you work for. So ultimately, going out there and just breathing and being yourself is going to be key because I know it’s gonna be a lot of energy in the Garden, there’s gonna be a lot of energy in the arena. So sometimes the more calm, relaxed player is the one who gets the advantage. So just trying to stay balanced as much as possible, but I’m definitely excited.

And now for the hard part. How not for Brown and Jayson Tatum to get too caught up in the scoring derby that Kevin Durant and their former teammate, Kyrie Irving, are about to launch. The Nets are best in the league when it comes to isolation basketball. Indeed, Durant and Irving are two of the most gifted man-to-man scorers in the history of the game.

“It’s exciting. What more could you ask for?” said Brown.

Timberwolves guard Patrick Beverley fined by NBA

Minnesota Timberwolves guard Patrick Beverley has been fined $30,000 for, per the NBA, “inappropriate statements during a media interview and on social media, including the egregious use of profanity,” it was announced today by Byron Spruell, President, League Operations.

Beverley made his comments to the media during a postgame press conference and on a social media post following the Timberwolves’ 109-104 victory over the Los Angeles Clippers on April 12 at Target Center.

Hornets forward Miles Bridges fined by NBA

Charlotte Hornets forward Miles Bridges has been fined $50,000 for, per the NBA, “throwing his mouthpiece into the spectator stands, which resulted in the mouthpiece striking a fan,” it was announced today by Byron Spruell, President, League Operations.

The incident occurred after Bridges received two technical fouls and was ejected in Charlotte’s 132-103 loss to the Atlanta Hawks on April 13 at State Farm Arena.

Hawks look good in first play-in tournament game

Here’s the Atlanta Journal Constitution on the Atlanta Hawks, who stepped up nicely against the Hornets in their first 2022 play-in tournament game:

They hardly looked like a No. 9 seed just trying to get into the playoffs. I’m sure I’m not the only one tired of hearing about last year, but there’s no way around it after that performance.

The Hawks opened their 2022 postseason looking like the intense and determined team that made it to the 2021 Eastern Conference finals. They’ll have to win again at Cleveland on Friday to earn the East’s No. 8 seed and a first-round series against top-seeded Miami. It’s a road game against a gritty opponent instead of a home game against a squad that prefers to run and shoot.

“It’s going to be tight; it’s going to be loud,” Hawks center Clint Capela said.

I still have some questions about how the Hawks would respond in a hotly contested elimination game on the road. I have fewer of them after the 132-103 victory over the Hornets…

The Hornets tried to make Hawks star Trae Young a nonfactor by forcing him to give up the ball. Young thwarted their plans with a masterful floor game, and his teammates converted most of their scoring chances. The Hornets wanted to run at every opportunity. The Hawks didn’t give them many chances because they took care of the ball and ran back to recover before the Hornets could attack.

East No. 1 seed Miami Heat awaiting their first-round opponent

Here’s the South Florida Sun Sentinel on Jimmy Butler, Kyle Lowry, P.J. Tucker and the Miami Heat:

The Heat’s No. 1 seed paid worthwhile dividends, too. On Sunday, they’ll open play against a proper eighth seed in Cleveland or Atlanta, depending on their remaining play-in game. Advance and they’d get Philadelphia or Toronto rather than the expected Milwaukee.

The Heat added pit bulls like Lowry and Tucker for this time of year and was open to the development of little-knowns like Max Strus and Caleb Martin. They still don’t have a top-10 player on their team. But they have a few in the tier below that. Enough?

So much still centers on Butler.

“We’ve been a great team all year long,’’ he said. “But now’s the time we talk about. When we had this team meeting, a lot of championship talk happened, but I really, really, really think we have a good shot at this.”

All those players with rings in the team meeting, Butler isn’t one of them. It’s that time of year. He says what several players around the league are this week: “We’re going to find a way to get 16 wins.”

Kings part ways with interim head coach Alvin Gentry

Today, Sacramento Kings General Manager Monte McNair announced that Alvin Gentry has been relieved of his duties as interim head coach of the team.

“The entire Kings organization is grateful for the leadership of Alvin Gentry, who stepped up when he got the call mid-season,” said McNair. “We appreciate his leadership on and off the court.”

Per the Sacramento Bee, “Gentry, 67, has 34 years of NBA coaching experience, including 18 seasons as a head coach with the Miami Heat, Detroit Pistons, Los Angeles Clippers, Suns, New Orleans Pelicans and Kings. He came to Sacramento to join former coach Luke Walton’s staff as associate head coach in October 2020. He was appointed as interim head coach in November when Walton was fired after the Kings went 6-11 to start the season.”

Craig Randall II wins 2021-22 G League Most Improved Player award

Long Island Nets guard Craig Randall II has been named the 2021-22 NBA G League Most Improved Player, the NBA G League announced today.

The award, which honors the player who demonstrates the most significant improvement during the season, was voted on by NBA G League head coaches and general managers.

In his first NBA G League season, Randall (6-4, 185, Tennessee-Martin) averaged 26.7 points, 6.2 assists and 5.5 rebounds in 27 regular-season games. He finished second in the voting for the 2021-22 Kia NBA G League Rookie of the Year Award.

Randall earned a spot on the Nets’ roster in October 2021 after participating in a local tryout. He was named the NBA G League Player of the Month for games played in February, becoming the first local tryout player to earn Player of the Month honors.

Earlier in the regular season, Randall was named the NBA G League Player of the Week for games played from Jan. 5-9 after scoring 40 points against the College Park Skyhawks on Jan. 5 and 44 points against the Greensboro Swarm on Jan. 7.

Prior to the regular season, Randall averaged 11.0 points, 3.2 rebounds and 3.0 assists in 14 games for Long Island during the 2021 NBA G League Showcase Cup.

Delaware Blue Coats forward Braxton Key and Skyhawks forward Justin Tillman finished in second and third place, respectively, in the voting for the 2021-22 Kia NBA G League Most Improved Player Award.

Lakers fire head coach Frank Vogel

The Los Angeles Lakers have fired head coach Frank Vogel.

Vogel was the 27th head coach in franchise history. During his tenure, Vogel compiled a 127-98 (.564) record and led the Lakers to their 17th NBA championship during the 2019-20 season.

Per the Los Angeles Times, “the Lakers fired coach Frank Vogel on Monday just two years after he led the team to its 17th NBA championship and first since 2010. In the seasons since, Vogel’s teams have been decimated by injuries to LeBron James and Anthony Davis, the Lakers losing in the first round of the 2021 playoffs before missing the postseason in 2022. It culminated with a 49-loss season during which the Lakers were never more than three games over .500 and in which Vogel used 40 starting lineups.”

Per the Orange County Register, “LeBron James spoke to reporters Monday morning as Vogel’s status remained unconfirmed. He said he had not been told that Vogel had been fired: “I’ve seen the reports just like everybody else.”

“I have a tremendous amount of respect for Frank both on and off the court,” said Rob Pelinka, the Lakers Vice President of Basketball Operations and General Manager. “Frank is a great coach and a good man. We will forever be grateful to him for his work in guiding us to the 2019-20 NBA championship. This is an incredibly difficult decision to make, but one we feel is necessary at this point. All of us here wish Frank and his wonderful family all the best for the future.”

Timberwolves sign head coach Chris Finch and coaching staff to contract extensions

The Minnesota Timberwolves have signed Head Coach Chris Finch to a multi-year contract extension, while also announcing contract extensions for the team’s coaching staff.

“I am thankful to Glen, Becky and the entire ownership group for their ongoing support and commitment,” said Finch. “It’s been a season that all of us, including our fans can be proud of and I’m grateful that my staff will continue to lead us forward.”

“I am excited that Chris will be leading our team for years to come,” said Executive Vice President of Basketball Operations Sachin Gupta. “His leadership both on and off the court is unmatched and was evident by this year’s team success that featured great improvement on both ends of the court. We look forward to the start of the postseason tomorrow night and building towards more success in the future.”

“Chris has done a tremendous job creating stability and consistency for this franchise and building a winning mentality,” said the Minnesota Timberwolves ownership group. “We look forward to supporting him throughout the years while he continues achieving the goals he and his staff have set out for the team.”

Finch wrapped up his second season as the Timberwolves head coach after being hired in February of 2021. His 62 total wins over the last two seasons rank fourth in team history and his .504 winning percentage ranks second behind Flip Saunders’ mark of .521.

This season, Finch and the coaching staff led the Timberwolves to a 46-36 record, the seventh-best record in club history, including a 26-15 record at Target Center and a 32-20 record against the Western Conference, the second time since 2004-05 with 30+ wins against the West. With the 136-130 victory over the Denver Nuggets on April 1, the Wolves finished the season 12-4 against Northwest Division foes, the most division wins by the team since the division was formed in 2004 and just the third time since 2004 winning 10+ division games. Additionally, Minnesota finished the season winning 10 straight games against Northwest division opponents, the most since 2004. The team finished the 2021-22 campaign with 20 road wins for the first time since the 2004-05 season and just the fifth time winning 20+ road games.

Under the staff’s tutelage, this season the Timberwolves led the NBA in points per game (115.9 ppg), the first time in franchise history that the team has led the league in scoring, surpassing the club record of 113.3 ppg in 2019-20. Minnesota additionally led the league in three-pointers made (1,211), ranked seventh in assists (25.6 apg) and tied for sixth in offensive rating (a franchise-high 113.8). On the defensive end, Minnesota led the league in opponent turnovers per game (16.3). Those turnovers led to 19.8 points off turnovers per game, leading the NBA in the category. The Timberwolves forced 1,339 turnovers this season, first in the NBA in the category. The team finished the season tied for third in blocks (5.6 bpg) and tied for third in steals (8.8 spg).

Utah Jazz convert Trent Forrest’s contract from two-way to standard

The Utah Jazz have exercised the Standard NBA Contract Conversion Option on two-way guard Trent Forrest’s contract.

Forrest (6-4, 198, Florida State) is in his second NBA season with the Jazz, appearing in 60 games (six starts) averaging 3.3 points on 49.0 percent from the field, 1.8 assists and 1.7 rebounds in 12.8 minutes per contest in 2021-22. For his career, Forrest has seen action in 90 games as a Jazzman, owning averages of 3.1 points, 1.7 assists and 1.6 rebounds.

The Chipley, Fla., native was a four-year collegiate player at Florida State and left as the winningest player in school history with 104 victories, also ranking third in all-time steals (224), third in all-time games played (137) and fifth in all-time assists (455). Off the court, Forrest was named to the ACC All-Academic Basketball Team and ACC Academic Honor Roll in four-straight seasons.