Category: General NBA insight

General NBA insight

Chris Bosh discusses LeBron James going against the Heat

Lakers vs. Heat NBA Finals Game 1 is tonight. Here’s the Miami Herald reporting the words of retired NBA star Chris Bosh, who won championships with LeBron James as a member of the Miami Heat:

As for the James vs. Heat story line, Bosh called it “fascinating.”

“It’s basketball at its finest. There are no distractions. There’s nowhere to run,” Bosh said. “It’s just two great teams that are going to lock horns. As far as ‘Bron is concerned, he has been in the league so long. Of course, this is another stone that hasn’t been turned over. But yeah, there’s going to be a lot of emotions there having such a rich history, although brief, with the organization. Then seeing that same organization in the Finals, Pat being there, Spo, Kobe’s spirit is definitely there.

“Just kind of the story line, it’s fascinating and it’s really, really interesting. I’m really excited just to see some great basketball. That makes for some emotions going crazy, and that’s what’s going to be fun about it. I can’t wait to see how they handle everything and really what happens.”

List of Referees in the 2020 NBA Finals

The NBA has announced the 12 referees who will officiate the 2020 NBA Finals. Game 1 of the Los Angeles Lakers vs. Miami Heat championship series is Wednesday, September 30 at 9 p.m. ET on ABC.

Finals officials were selected by the NBA Referee Operations management team based on their performance throughout the first three rounds of the 2020 playoffs. Officials were evaluated after each round to determine advancement in this year’s postseason.

“Congratulations to this outstanding group on a well-deserved honor. A Finals assignment is the pinnacle of the profession for our officials,” said Byron Spruell, NBA President, League Operations. “We are grateful for their dedication to the game and the sacrifices they have made during an unprecedented season.”

The List of 2020 NBA Finals Referees

Tony Brothers (9th Finals)
Pat Fraher (1st)
Tony Brown (1st)
John Goble (4th)
James Capers (9th)
David Guthrie (3rd)
Marc Davis (9th)
Eric Lewis (2nd)
Kane Fitzgerald (2nd)
Josh Tiven (1st)
Scott Foster (13th)
Zach Zarba (7th)

Three of the 12 have officiated at least 10 Finals games: Foster (19), Davis (12) and Capers (10). The officiating roster also includes three first-time Finals referees, Tony Brown, Pat Fraher and Josh Tiven.

NBA officials Courtney Kirkland and Kevin Scott have been assigned as Replay Center officials for The Finals 2020.

Heat eliminate Celtics in Eastern Conference Finals, advance to NBA Finals

Sunday night at the Disney NBA bubble in Florida, the Miami Heat beat the Boston Celtics 125-113, winning the Eastern Conference Finals in six games. The Heat advance to the NBA Finals, where they’ll face the Los Angeles Lakers. Game 1 of the Finals is Wednesday night on ABC TV.

Boston.com: The Celtics had a six-point lead in the fourth quarter, but Miami didn’t flinch. The Heat went on a 19-6 run to take a seven-point lead with just over four minutes remaining. They moved the ball with confidence and went back to their zone to reinvigorate themselves on the defensive end. Bam Adebayo led the way for Miami’s offense as it extended its lead to 12-points with three minutes left.

Boston.com:The Heat continued to ride that momentum, while Boston struggled to handle its opponent’s relentless energy. This series really came down to crunch-time execution, and that was the case again Sunday night. The Heat outscored the Celtics 35-17 over the final nine minutes of Game 6, leaving their final mark on the Eastern Conference Finals with authority.

Boston.com:The Celtics played great defense early in the fourth quarter, effectively slowing down the Heat, but their inability to close out games reared its head late. Miami exerted its dominance down the stretch as it did in all four of its Eastern Conference Finals wins, a fitting way to seal the deal in Game 6.

Boston Herald: “Though four Celtics scored at least 20 points, led by Jaylen Brown’s 26, they were unable to get the requisite stops. That especially was true where Adebayo and his rolls to the rim were concerned. The Celtics also missed a plethora of open shots down the stretch, with players like Gordon Hayward (5-for-12) and Kemba Walker (5-for-15) missing open layups. With the Celtics caught between his interior attack and the omnipresent threat of Miami’s shooters, the Heat put this one away with a 26-6 run in the fourth quarter that effectively squelched the Celtics’ season.

South Florida Sun Sentinel: “Sunday’s victory was powered by 32 points and 14 rebounds from Adebayo, as well as 22 points from Butler, 19 from Tyler Herro, 15 from Iguodala, 15 from Duncan Robinson and 13 from Goran Dragic. For the Celtics, there were 26 points from Jaylen Brown, 24 from Jayson Tatum, 20 from Marcus Smart and 20 from Kemba Walker.”

South Florida Sun Sentinel: “After going down six earlier in the fourth quarter, the Heat got a three-point play from Adebayo with 6:16 to play to go up 101-100. The counterpunching continued from there, with Celtics center Daniel Theis fouling out with 5:30 to play and the Heat then calling time out while up 104-102. A minute later, a Duncan Robinson 3-pointer put the Heat up 107-102. The Heat eventually made it a 26-6 run, for a 14-point lead. At one point, the Celtics went 3 1/2 minutes without a point. By then, it was time for the white flag from the Celtics.”

Detroit Pistons holding minicamp

A number of teams that weren’t involved with the league restart at the Disney NBA bubble are currently holding minicamps of their own, each in their own individual location. Here’s the Detroit News on it:

By every stretch of Dwane Casey’s imagination, his team’s workouts during phase 2 of in-market minicamp, has been a rousing success.

But the biggest positive for the Detroit Pistons head coach has been what he’s getting out of 24-year-old shooting guard Luke Kennard, who’s taking part in his first basketball activities since Dec. 21, when the former first-round pick was sidelined with bilateral knee tendonitis.

“He’s healthy, he’s playing well, his body looks good, and that’s been another bright spot,” Casey told reporters on Saturday. “I really like what I see out of Luke.” …

The Pistons have not been together for organized scrimmages and full practices since their season ended on March 11.

The biggest areas of focus for the Pistons this offseason will of course be the draft and free agency, but also the health of Blake Griffin, who is coming off of a season-ending knee injury and reportedly not participating in the minicamp. Word is that Griffin is now healthy. For the Pistons, that could mean trying to trade the 31-year-old power forward, who is signed for several more seasons to a team that is clearly rebuilding and not about to be competitive anytime soon.

Celtics played harder than Heat in Game 5, says Jimmy Butler

The Heat are in good shape, up 3-2 in the Eastern Conference Finals vs. the Celtics, but issues do exist for Miami that need to be addressed in their quest to end this thing tomorrow. Here’s the Miami Herald:

Defense was certainly an issue for the Heat in Game 5, as the Celtics scored a series-high 121 points on 45.2 percent shooting and committed only 11 turnovers. Boston also outrebounded Miami 50-38 and scored 15 second-chance points on 13 offensive rebounds.

“They were playing harder than we were,” Jimmy Butler said following the Heat’s Game 5 loss. “We’ve just got to correct that. That’s where it starts for us. Any time anybody is playing harder than we are, we are not playing our best basketball. I think a lot of it for us comes from how hard we play, how together we play, and we’ve got to get back to doing that.”

But the Heat’s defense, which was a strength in the first two rounds of the playoffs, has struggled for most of the series.

The Heat, using a mix of its zone and man-to-man schemes against the Celtics, has allowed 114.5 points per 100 possessions in the East finals. For context, only two NBA teams finished the regular season with a worse defensive rating.

Game 5 was fascinating in that the Celtics started slow and looked ready to pack it up and go home, then steadily improved as the game progressed, and have every reason to walk into Game 6 with increased confidence. Boston has momentum. Time for Miami to show what they’re truly made of.

Nuggets guard Jamal Murray has stepped up big in Disney NBA bubble

Nuggets guard Jamal Murray has definitely raised his stock at the Disney NBA bubble. Here’s the Denver Post on it:

Murray’s meteoric rise has been the story of the Nuggets’ bubble stay. Whatever inconsistency plagued him during last year’s playoff debut has been ironed out. Through 18 games, Murray’s averaged almost 27 points on over 50% shooting from the field, including over 46% from 3-point range. Murray has been electric, with his playmaking and his passion elevating the Nuggets to only their fourth conference finals in franchise history.

This regular season, Murray averaged 18.5 points, 4.0 rebounds and 4.8 assists per game. In the playoffs, he’s putting up 26.9 points, 4.9 rebounds and 6.6 assists per game.

Celtics doing good job defending Heat three-pointers

The Heat remain in good shape in the Eastern Conference Finals, but upon seeing their 3-1 series lead on the Celtics become a 3-2 lead, it’s still a series. And one thing keeping the Celtics competitive has been their perimeter defense, especially in the last few games. Here’s the South Florida Sun Sentinel on it:

After going the entire season and two-plus rounds of the playoffs without shooting below 30 percent on 3-pointers in consecutive games, the Heat now have done so in the past three against the Boston Celtics, going 1-2 in that span.

“They’re very good at defending the 3-point line,” Spoelstra said. “They’ve taken us off of some of our normal rhythm threes. We’ve also missed some open ones. We just need to work more persistently to get the type of shots we want, in our wheelhouse, which we’re very capable of, even against a very good defense like Boston.”

The downturn started at .273 (12 of 44) in the 117-106 loss that drew Boston within 2-1 in this best-of-seven series. It continued at .270 (10 of 37) in the 112-109 victory that pushed the Heat to a 3-1 series lead. Then, Friday night, it went off the rails, at .194 (7 of 36) in the 121-108 loss that cut the advantage down to 3-2 going into Sunday’s 7:30 p.m. Game 6 at Disney’s Wide World of Sports complex.

“Our guys are extremely ignitable. It can happen just like that,” Spoelstra said, snapping his fingers. “But we have to do a lot more things defensively, where we’re not just hoping that we make a bunch of threes and a bunch of shots.”

As it is, the past two games mark just the second time this season the Heat have gone consecutive games without converting more than 10 3-pointers.

Game 6 is Sunday at 7:30 p.m. ET on ESPN.

New Kings general manager Monte McNair has a lot of work ahead of him

New Kings general manager Monte McNair has a lot of work ahead of him, sorting out a roster that is filled with talent and potential but also plenty of question marks. Here’s the Sacramento Bee reviewing McNair’s words on De’Aaron Fox, Buddy Hield, Bogdan Bogdanovic, Marvin Bagley and more:

One of the more interesting aspects of this change in leadership will be McNair’s assessment of the roster former general manager Vlade Divac assembled over the past five years. Not long ago the organization was putting up posters and billboards featuring the promising young core of Fox, Hield, Bogdanovic, Bagley and Harry Giles III.

McNair now has to look at how those pieces fit and what else the Kings will need to end the NBA’s longest active playoff drought following 14 consecutive losing seasons. He offered some initial thoughts on a few of the team’s best players during Wednesday’s news conference.

He pointed to Fox’s speed and ability to create on offense and said Bagley’s injuries are just part of the game.

“I know he’s already working hard this offseason and I’m really excited to work with Luke and see him develop,” McNair said.

One of McNair’s most interesting answers came in response to a question about Hield, who grew unhappy after being moved into a backup role last season. Social media users have noted Hield seems to be flirting with Philadelphia 76ers fans who covet him in trade rumors, but Hield possesses the one skill McNair might value most.

“I think we all know in this league spacing is of the utmost importance and Buddy is one of the absolute elite shooters in this league, and we’re going to be able to utilize that skill set as we implement our system,” McNair said.

The Kings finished 12th in the West this shortened season, finishing with a 31-41 record. Fox led the squad in scoring at 21.1 PPG, with Hield second at 19.2 PPG, Bogdanovic third at 15.1 PPG, Harrison Barnes fourth at 14.5 PPG, and Bagley, who missed most of the season, fifth at 14.2 PPG.

For now, it sounds like head coach Luke Walton’s job is safe.

Hornets guard Devonte’ Graham thinks NBA Most Improved Player award needs clarification

Here’s the Charlotte Observer on a super-talented young Hornet who thinks it wouldn’t hurt if there was more clarity around criteria for the league’s Most Improved Player award:

Charlotte Hornets point guard Devonte Graham has made peace with not winning the NBA’s Most Improved Player award.

But he still thinks he got ripped off, not even being among the three finalists. He’s for the NBA providing some definition to voters of what the award is.

“Obviously, I was upset about it. I’m pretty much over it now,” Graham said following the Hornets’ workout Thursday. “I just know the people who really watch and are around basketball know.”

Graham received endorsements, first from Dallas Maverick Luka Doncic, and then from Los Angeles Laker LeBron James, that he should have at least finished as a finalist. The former second-round pick jumped in scoring average from 4.7 points as a rookie to 18.2 last season.

New Orleans’ Brandon Ingram won the award. Graham finished a distant fifth in the balloting, among 100 media members. All four players ahead of him — Ingram, Bam Adebayo, Doncic and Jayson Tatum — were former lottery picks.

There are definitely many ways to determine who in the league truly improved the most from the previous season. Certainly this award, like the rest, will always be subjective. If there was a perfect formula, results could be calculated, and human voters wouldn’t even be needed. But Graham’s views are certainly valid. The discussion will continue.

Should the Pelicans play Zion Williamson at center?

The Pelicans have a fascinating core of young talent, based primarily around forwards Brandon Ingram and Zion Williamson.

But, should Williamson remain a power forward? Or would moving up one spot and playing undersized at center be the move to make?

Here’s the New Orleans Times-Picayune exploring it:

Miami Heat center Bam Adebayo’s versatility on both ends of the floor is a major reason why Miami is two wins away from making the Finals. Adebayo playing “up” a position when it matters most could also be a clue for how the Pelicans deploy their own athletic, talented big man in the future.

As a rookie, Zion Williamson operated almost exclusively at power forward. He played 92% of his minutes there compared to 8% of his minutes at center, according to Basketball Reference. As he continues to develop, lineups that feature him at center could be the Pelicans’ trump card in important moments.

Offensively, Williamson is already equipped to play the 5. In his first season, the 20-year-old proved he was one of the game’s most difficult players to slow down inside. Williamson averaged 16.8 points in the paint, the second-most in the league behind MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo. His combination of speed, strength and touch around the rim allowed him to shoot 62.1% from the field inside of 5 feet.

Williamson averaged 22.5 points per game on 58.3% shooting — extremely efficient scoring numbers — even though he played most of his minutes next to Derrick Favors, a traditional center who posed no threat as an outside shooter. The Pelicans could immediately become a more dynamic offensive team by playing Williamson at center and surrounding him with four players who can make shots or attack off the dribble.

The Pelicans were a mess in the NBA restart at the Disney bubble, but for now it seems safe to write that off and focus on what should be a bright future. They do still have a lot of development to do if they want to be in the mix for next season’s playoffs. But the potential is there.