Category: NBA Teams

NBA teams blog

Knicks fire head coach Tom Thibodeau

The New York Knicks have relieved head coach Tom Thibodeau of his duties.

“Our organization is singularly focused on winning a championship for our fans. This pursuit led us to the difficult decision to inform Tom Thibodeau that we’ve decided to move in another direction,” said Knicks President Leon Rose. “We can’t thank Tom enough for pouring his heart and soul into each and every day of being the New York Knicks head coach. He led us not only with class and professionalism for the past five seasons, but also to tremendous success on the court with four playoff berths and four playoff series victories. Ultimately, we made the decision we feel is best for our organization moving forward. Tom will always be a part of our Knicks family and we truly wish him nothing but the best in the future.”

Via the NY Post:

Thibodeau, after all, set a high bar in his five seasons. He took over a franchise in the dumps in 2020 and guided it to four postseasons with four series victories, including the high-water mark just last month by besting the Celtics.

But as it happened previously in Minnesota and Chicago for Thibs — who was fired from those spots despite solid basketball results — relationship and communication issues surfaced.

Part of what makes Thibodeau a great coach also turns him into a grating boss — it’s his unyielding commitment to the job, and without much compassion for emotions outside of it, plus an unwavering belief that he’s correct.

There’s also less give-and-take with Thibodeau, who isn’t known as a collaborative coach.

That can turn off the new-age player and, according to sources, multiple Knicks were frustrated with the coach.

Via the NY Daily News:

Under Thibodeau, the Knicks reestablished a winning culture, snapped a seven-year playoff drought, and made back-to-back second-round appearances before breaking through to the conference finals for the first time since 2000.

But the front office gave Thibodeau weapons he failed to maximize — assets that cost five first-round picks (Mikal Bridges) and two core rotation players (Karl-Anthony Towns) — only for a healthier, upgraded version of last year’s team to once again fall to the same Pacers.

Now, the Knicks are searching for a head coach who can better elevate the talent at hand — though roster changes are all but inevitable in what’s already shaping up to be one of the most active NBA offseasons in recent memory.

Whoever takes over next will need a sharper vision for how this Knicks offense should function.

Utah Jazz hire Austin Ainge as President of Basketball Operations

The Utah Jazz have hired Austin Ainge as the team’s new President of Basketball Operations.

“We’re absolutely thrilled to welcome Austin Ainge as our new President of Basketball Operations,” said Ryan Smith, governor of the Utah Jazz. “Austin is one of the brightest minds in the NBA—his 17 years with the Celtics have given him incredible insight into every part of an organization. I’ve known Austin for 15 years, and I’ve watched him grow into an accomplished, innovative, and strategic basketball executive who’s ready to lead this organization.”

Ainge joins Utah following a long stint with the Boston Celtics.

“We are thrilled for Austin as he embarks on his new journey with the Jazz,” said Brad Stevens, the Celtics President of Basketball Operations. “He’s clearly ready for this next step, and I know how much he’s looking forward to leading a team. He’s obviously very bright and has experienced success as a player, coach and executive at various levels of the game. On top of that, he leaves no stone unturned – he’s a strategic thinker that’s motivated and is an extremely hard worker. We will miss him in Boston, but could not be happier for Austin and his family.”

“This is an incredible opportunity to lead Utah Jazz basketball operations,” said Austin Ainge, president of basketball operations for the Utah Jazz. “I couldn’t be more excited about the bright future of this organization. I look forward to partnering with Ryan and Ashley Smith and our other leaders within the Utah Jazz and will utilize my experience over the last 17 years building a championship-caliber organization. I have lived this my whole life, constantly studying teams, talent, chemistry and the selflessness necessary to win. I look forward to bringing that to Utah and am excited to give Jazz fans a lot to cheer about as we build our program back up.”

Heat announce home game portion of 2025-26 preseason schedule

The Miami Heat have announced their 2025-26 preseason home schedule, with three games being played inside the Kaseya Center.

The HEAT will play the Milwaukee Bucks on October 6 (7:30PM), the San Antonio Spurs on October 8 (7:30PM) and the Memphis Grizzlies on October 17 (8:00PM).

Game tickets for the three home games at Kaseya Center will go on sale this Friday, June 6, beginning at 12PM.

The complete Heat preseason schedule, and broadcast information, will be released at a later time.

Lakers announce home game portion of 2025-26 preseason schedule

The Los Angeles Lakers have announced four games they will host as part of the 2025-26 preseason schedule.

Fans will get a first look at the Lakers 2025-26 roster as the team hosts four opponents across three cities between Oct. 3-17.

The slate is highlighted with a matchup in Las Vegas, where the team will host the Dallas Mavericks Oct. 15 at T-Mobile Arena. The marquee contest builds on the tradition of bringing Lakers basketball to Las Vegas.

Preseason tips off for the Lakers Oct. 3 in Greater Palm Springs at Acrisure Arena when the team hosts the Phoenix Suns. The organization has history in Coachella Valley, the former home of Lakers training camp in the Showtime era. In 2023, the Lakers returned to Coachella Valley after a 26-year hiatus, bringing the Purple and Gold back to the desert with a sold-out preseason showing.

Los Angeles will host a pair of preseason games on its home court at Crypto.com Arena, featuring contests versus Golden State Oct. 12 and Sacramento Oct. 17.

A very successful Knicks season is complete

The New York Knicks had, by any standard, what should be considered a successful season. They were solid in the regular season, overachieved a bit in the playoffs, and finished just two wins short of an NBA Finals appearance.

Via the NY Post:

This was not about a moral victory.

It wasn’t about taking solace in anything after a hard-fought series.

Jalen Brunson wanted to make that clear.

He didn’t view the Knicks reaching the Eastern Conference finals for the first time in 25 years as any sort of achievement.

The Knicks captain, however, felt it was appropriate to acknowledge what went right this year for the Knicks, even if they fell six wins short of their ultimate goal.

“I’m not sure ‘accomplished’ is the word I would use here, but I think the way this team progressed this year, for me it was fun,” Brunson said after the Knicks were eliminated by the Pacers in six games Saturday night. “There were a lot of people saying we couldn’t do a lot of things. A lot of negativity around what we were trying to accomplish and the way we put blinders on and went to work, that’s something I was proud of with this team. I’m proud of how we stayed the course.”

Knick fans can certainly be, understandably, disappointed that the team fell short of a finals appearance, but they should realize that their squad did them proud.

2025 NBA Finals game schedule

The 2025 NBA Finals game schedule for the (1) Oklahoma City Thunder vs. (4) Indiana Pacers matchup:

• Game 1: Pacers at Thunder (Thu. June 5, 8:30 ET, ABC)

• Game 2: Pacers at Thunder (Sun. June 8, 8 ET, ABC)

• Game 3: Thunder at Pacers (Wed. June 11, 8:30 ET, ABC)

• Game 4: Thunder at Pacers (Fri. June 13, 8:30 ET, ABC)

• Game 5: Pacers at Thunder (Mon. June 16, 8:30 ET, ABC)*

• Game 6: Thunder at Pacers (Thu. June 19, 8:30 ET, ABC)*

• Game 7: Pacers at Thunder (Sun, June 22, 8 ET on ABC)*

* if necessary

On some possible big Celtics roster decisions this summer

After winning the championship last year and then falling short in the postseason this year, the Boston Celtics could face some challenging roster decisions this offseason.

Via the Boston Herald:

We don’t yet know whether Jaylen Brown will be on the Celtics’ roster when the 2025-26 season tips off in October.

Trading the homegrown $305 million star would be a massive, franchise-altering move – but it’s one Brad Stevens could consider depending on how radically he wants to rework Boston’s roster in the wake of Jayson Tatum’s ruptured Achilles.

The Celtics are expected to move at least one of their championship-winning starters this offseason as they look to escape the second apron and ease their overwhelming luxury tax burden. Could they flip Brown for a haul, accepting a reset year in exchange for assets and long-term financial relief? It’s possible.

But if Stevens chooses a less aggressive roster-building path and retains Brown, Boston’s longest-tenured player will have an opportunity to do something he’s never done in his NBA career: enter a season as the Celtics’ unquestioned No. 1 player.

Reflecting on the Timberwolves after playoff elimination

The Timberwolves went about as far as they were expected to go in the playoffs, before losing to the Thunder, who more games this regular season than anyone in the league. Minnesota deserves praise. They only lasted five games in the Western Conference Finals, But they were up against the squad that looks like the clear title favorite.

Still, getting bounced from the playoffs is always tough.

Via the Star Tribune:

Wolves guard Donte DiVincenzo said a series like the one Minnesota just endured “gives you perspective that you’re not far off and you’re right there. We just have to be ready to try to get another bite at the apple.”

Was that a bite? It felt more like a nibble. Like, Minnesota tasted a smidge of the peel and thought maybe there was a drop of juice on there. That’s not to belittle this year’s team. Minnesota did post a net rating of plus-5.0, just below the title-winning threshold. Post Jan. 1, that number was plus-7.0.

A year ago, the Wolves were plus-6.3. That’s title-contending stuff. And Minnesota certainly looked like more of a championship-caliber team last season, armed with its top-tier defense. That felt more like a legitimate bite, like a crack at the crown that just didn’t go the Wolves’ way for matchup and injury reasons.

This did not. A few things lined up in the Wolves’ favor by season’s end, and it simply didn’t matter. It rarely will when you simply aren’t in the same caliber as the conference’s top contender.

Thunder advance to 2025 NBA Finals

The Oklahoma City Thunder are the NBA Western Conference champions and have advanced to the NBA Finals after defeating the Minnesota Timberwolves, 124-94, winning the series 4-1.

With its second NBA Finals appearance, the Thunder will now play the winner of the Eastern Conference finals series matchup between the Indiana Pacers and the New York Knicks.

With the Thunder’s home-court advantage, the Finals schedule begins at Paycom Center and is as follows:

Game 1, Thursday, June 5, 7:30 p.m. in Oklahoma City
Game 2, Sunday, June 8, 7 p.m. in Oklahoma City
Game 3, Wednesday, June 11, 7:30 p.m. (away)
Game 4, Friday, June 13, 7:30 p.m. (away)
Game 5 (if necessary), Monday, June 16, 7:30 p.m. in Oklahoma City
Game 6 (if necessary), Thursday, June 19, at 7:30 p.m. (away)
Game 7 (if necessary), Sunday, June 22, 7 p.m. in Oklahoma City

Nuggets name David Adelman as Head Coach

The Denver Nuggets have named David Adelman as the 13th Head Coach in Denver Nuggets NBA franchise history, Vice Chairman of KSE Josh Kroenke announced today.

Adelman was named Interim Head Coach on April 8th with three games remaining in the regular season. Adelman helped lead the Nuggets to a 3-0 record (1.000) to end the regular season, earning the fourth seed in the Western Conference and home court advantage in the first round against the Los Angeles Clippers. Denver secured a first round series victory by beating the Clippers in seven games, advancing to the Conference Semifinals to face the Oklahoma City Thunder where they were defeated in Game 7 on the road. Adelman concluded his first postseason run with a 7-7 record (.500), becoming just the sixth Head Coach in Nuggets NBA history to lead his to team to a playoff series win.

Adelman entered the 2024-25 campaign as Denver’s lead assistant, his eighth season as an assistant coach with the organization. Prior to Denver he served as an assistant coach with the Orlando Magic during the 2016-17 season and also spent the previous five seasons (2011-16) with the Minnesota Timberwolves. Before joining the Timberwolves, Adelman spent five seasons as head basketball coach at Lincoln High School in Portland, Oregon.

Adelman went 83-53 (.610) during his five seasons at Lincoln, leading the Cardinals to three Portland Interscholastic district championships (2006-07, 2009-10, 2010-11). He also guided Lincoln to the Oregon Class 6A state championship final in 2009. Adelman was named PIL Coach of the Year three times.