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Cleveland Cavaliers head coach Tyronn Lue has been fined $25,000 for public criticism of officiating, it was announced today by Kiki VanDeWeghe, Executive Vice President, Basketball Operations.
Lue made his comments during the postgame press conference following the Golden State Warriors’ 108-97 victory over the Cavaliers in Game 4 of The Finals on June 10 at Quicken Loans Arena.
Golden State Warriors forward Draymond Green has been assessed a Flagrant Foul 1 upon league office review, it was announced today by Kiki VanDeWeghe, Executive Vice President, Basketball Operations.
In accordance with NBA rules, Green will serve a one-game suspension without pay for accruing his fourth Flagrant Foul point of the 2016 postseason. He will serve his suspension Monday, June 13 during Game 5 of The Finals at Oracle Arena.
The incident occurred when Green made unnecessary contact with a retaliatory swipe of his hand to the groin of Cleveland Cavaliers forward LeBron James with 2:48 remaining in the fourth quarter of the Warriors’ 108-97 win in Game 4 of The Finals at Quicken Loans Arena.
Under league rules, any player who accumulates four flagrant foul points over the course of the playoffs will be automatically suspended for one game, and every additional flagrant foul will result in either a one-game suspension (for a Flagrant Foul 1) or a two-game suspension (for a Flagrant Foul 2).
“The cumulative points system is designed to deter flagrant fouls in our game” said VanDeWeghe. “While Draymond Green’s actions in Game 4 do not merit a suspension as a standalone act, the number of flagrant points he has earned triggers a suspension for Game 5.”
James has been assessed a technical foul upon league office review for his role in the altercation, which included a physical taunt.
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The Los Angeles Lakers have announced today that Hall of Famer Earvin “Magic” Johnson has asked the team to remove his honorary title of Vice President, and to remove his name from the team staff directory in publications and other sources. Their explanation is as follows:
The change is being made in hopes of clarifying any confusion over Johnson’s involvement with or representation of the team.
“Earvin will always be a revered and beloved member of the Lakers family, but he does not have a position or role with the organization at this time,” said team spokesman John Black. “He is not an advisor or a consultant, and his opinions, comments and social media posts are solely his, and do not represent or reflect those of Lakers ownership or management. Hopefully this will eliminate any confusion over this issue in the future.”
Anthony Mason was an awesome NBA player. A versatile, rugged forward with handles like a guard. Super fun to watch. And he passed away far too soon. Mase will be remembed in many ways, one of which now comes in the form of a street named in his honor. Here’s the New York Daily News reporting:
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Fans, friends, civic leaders and former teammates gathered Saturday in Jamaica, Queens, to honor Anthony Mason, the late, great Knicks’ bruising forward, renaming the street where he grew up, for him.
“Anthony Mason Way,” was added to 147th St. at Rockaway Blvd. for the player who died last year at 48 of congestive heart failure.
“This is a beautiful event,” said his son, Antoine Mason, 23. “The tough thing is, it’s not about anybody else here. It’s about the guy who’s up there.”
A city hoops legend and a graduate of Springfield Gardens High School, Mason was feverishly dedicated to the game. He’d break into the school gym to practice his game through the night, his son said.
The Cavs are in big trouble in the 2016 NBA Finals. You know that, because they are down 3-1 to the Warriors, who were the best team in the league this season. But having some historical perspective is often helpful. Here’s the News Herald reporting:
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The Cavaliers are trying to do something historical in the NBA Finals, as in first-man-to-row -a-bathtub-across-the-Atlantic-Ocean-from-the-United-States-to-England historical.
Ten teams in the 70-year history of the NBA have triumphed after being down 3-1 in a playoff series. But it has never happened in the Finals. The most recent team to do it, the Cavs don’t need to be reminded, was the very Warriors they are trying to beat. Oklahoma City had a 3-1 lead and then lost in Oakland, lost at home and lost Game 7 in Oakland last month in the Western Conference finals.
As if that isn’t bad enough for the Cavaliers, who trail the Warriors, 3-1, heading into Game 5 on June 13 in Oakland, only twice in the 10 comebacks did the road team prevail in Game 7, which is what the Cavaliers would have to do to topple the defending champions.
Here’s the Sacramento Bee reporting on Kings center DeMarcus Cousins, who may wind up as the key big man on a global bball stage this summer:
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DeMarcus Cousins is presented with a golden opportunity. For several reasons that include injuries to other candidates, his steadfast commitment to USA Basketball and his prodigious abilities, the Kings’ All-Star center will be named to the U.S. Olympic basketball team later this month.
Anyone within shouting distance of a hoop and a net knew this was coming.
Cousins might not be USA Basketball’s favorite big man – that would be the injured Anthony Davis – but he is coming off his best season and essentially forced his way onto the roster. He participated in four consecutive training camps, never wavered in his desire to compete for his country, and when Davis got into foul trouble in the finale of the 2014 FIBA World Cup, Cousins controlled the interior with his blocks, his rebounds, his defense.
The Cavs are down 3-1 to the Warriors in the 2016 NBA Finals. Game 5 is Sunday in Oakland. The first three games of the series were blowouts, so a few free throws in either direction wouldn’t have made much of a difference, but Game 4 was close. Did LeBron James deserve more free throw attempts? Here’s the San Francisco Chronicle reporting:
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LeBron James barked plenty toward Warriors Stephen Curry and Draymond Green on the court during the second half of Friday’s Game 4, and the Cleveland All-Star forward transferred some of his ire toward the officials after the 108-97 loss.
“I’m not quite sure what I can do to get to the free-throw line, but I’ve got to continue to be aggressive for our team,” James said. “I’m getting hit, but the refs are not seeing it that way on my drives. I’ve got to continue to be aggressive. That’s who I am for our team. That’s what opens up the floor for a lot of our shooters.” …
“He never gets calls,” Cleveland head coach Tyronn Lue said. “He attacks. Outside of Russell Westbrook, he’s one of the guys who attacks the paint every single play, and he doesn’t get a fair whistle all the time because of his strength, his power and guys bounce off of him. But those are still fouls. We’ve got to play through the officiating.”
The 2016 Olympics are coming this summer, and the USA squad needs to finalize their roster. Not just yet. There’s still time to sort things out. But lately, some top USA candidates have been dropping out. Here’s CSN MidAtlantic with more:
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The field for the U.S. Olympic team for the Rio Games grew even thinner after James Harden pulled out, increasing the odds of Wizards shooting guard Bradley Beal to make the cut.
Chris Paul, Stephen Curry and Russell Westbrook already have backed out of the event that begins in August. Beal’s teammate John Wall had to get surgeries on both knees after the regular season May 5 and won’t be ready for the event…
Harden didn’t mention any particular reason recently there has been a rash of high-profile NBA players pulling out.
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Oklahoma City Thunder guard Russell Westbrook issued the following statement on his decision to withdraw from the 2016 Olympics: “After speaking with my family, I have decided to not participate in this year’s Olympics. This was not an easy decision, as representing my country at the World Championships in 2010 and the Olympics in 2012 were career highlights for me. I look forward to future opportunities as a member of USA Basketball.”
The final 12-man Team USA roster for the 2016 Olympics hasn’t actually been finalized yet, from but Westbrook was certainly a favorite to make the cut.
New Memphis Grizzlies head coach Dave Fizdale needs some assistants, and Keith Smart is reportedly in the running. Here’s the South Florida Sun Sentinel reporting:
The Miami Heat have granted permission to the Memphis Grizzlies to interview assistant coach Keith Smart for a position on the staff of former Heat assistant David Fizdale.
The Heat confirmed Thursday they have been contacted by Memphis since Fizdale took over as coach last week regarding Smart, who was added to Erik Spoelstra’s staff in 2014 on the recommendation of Fizdale. Fizdale and Smart previously had coached together with the Golden State Warriors.
Fizdale was denied permission to interview Heat assistant coach Dan Craig, who is expected to take an elevated position on Spoelstra’s staff next season after this past season coaching the Heat’s minor-league affiliate, the Sioux Falls Skyforce, to the NBA Development League championship. Craig previously had served as a Heat assistant coach before the D-League assignment.