Author: Jordan Samar

Boston Celtics head coach Joe Mazzulla doubled down on Jayson Tatum’s eye-opening response to those who continue to question him and the team’s toughness. The 35-year-old tactician praised his superstar forward even if he hasn’t put up his usual playoff numbers thus far. In five games against the Miami Heat, Jayson Tatum averaged 21.8 points, 10.4 rebounds, and 5.4 assists per game on 41.6 percent shooting from the field and 29 percent from three-point land.  But instead of focusing on the box score numbers, Mazzulla pointed out the intangibles that the five-time NBA All-Star brought to the table, which helped…

It seems that Ty Lue will likely stay in California, with the Los Angeles Clippers, amid reports of him linking to a potential transfer to the Los Angeles Lakers, who fired Darvin Ham and his coaching staff. ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski reported that the Los Angeles Clippers are keen on giving Ty Lue a new long-term deal this summer to keep him beyond at least the 2025-26 season, even if the team is coming off yet another early playoff exit. “I didn’t come here to bounce around and go all over the place,” Lue said after Game 6. “And Mr. (Steve)…

The Cleveland Cavaliers missed their chance to close out the Orlando Magic and move on to the Eastern Conference semifinals, as they lost in Game 6 with a score of 103-96. Donovan Mitchell did all he could to carry the Cleveland Cavaliers by dropping 50 points, four rebounds, and four assists on 22-of-36 shooting from the floor, but that wasn’t enough. “I wanna preface this by wanting to give credit to Orlando. This is not an excuse – Credit to Orlando, they beat us,” Mitchell said after Game 6 via Brett James on X (formerly known as Twitter). “Especially in…

The Minnesota Timberwolves need all hands on deck as they prepare for their second-round matchup against the Denver Nuggets, and they recently got good news surrounding their injured head coach, Chris Finch. Finch suffered a torn patellar tendon on his right knee toward the end of Game 4 against the Phoenix Suns when he collided with his point guard, Mike Conley, in a freak accident. According to The Athletic’s Shams Charania, there’s an “increased optimism” that Chris Finch will be available in the Western Conference semifinals, starting on Saturday. Either way, assistant Micah Nori is expected to lead the Minnesota…

Boston Celtics forward Oshae Brissett isn’t ducking any smoke, particularly from the Miami Heat fans who came after him when his team officially advanced to the second round of the 2024 NBA playoffs after five games. Oshae Brissett is a vlogger in his spare time, and during one of his live sessions, the 25-year-old swingman called out those who sent him distasteful DMs in the past few days and provided the ultimate clapback. “I didn’t say anything crazy— we’ll continue the conversation after the first round. How is that warranted for all the DMs I got?” Brissett asked via CelticsUnite…

One of the reasons the Dallas Mavericks are one win away from the Western Conference semifinals is because of the underrated play of Derrick Jones Jr. The 2020 Slam Dunk Contest champion averages 9.4 points and 4.2 rebounds on 55.9 percent shooting in this playoffs, and he is coming off a superb Game 5 performance on Wednesday where he had 12 points, three rebounds, and three blocks on 5-of-7 shooting from the floor. This is remarkable for Derrick Jones Jr. because he wasn’t supposed to be here in the first place, as he has bounced around the league and was…

The Los Angeles Lakers have seen their season ended by the Denver Nuggets for the second straight year, and according to reports, the team could part ways with head coach Darvin Ham this offseason. Although nothing is confirmed for now, there have been speculations on who will potentially replace Darvin Ham, and two rival officials believe that Ty Lue is a strong candidate, given his relationship with LeBron James. “There are a lot of factors there, Ty (Tyronn Lue) is under contract (for the 2024-25 season), but if the Clippers decide they need some changes, he could be one of…

The NBA announced Thursday that Chicago Bulls guard Alex Caruso won the 2024 Hustle Award, becoming the second player in franchise history to win the trophy. Before Caruso, Memphis Grizzlies guard Marcus Smart won the award thrice in back-to-back seasons in 2021-22 and 2022-23 and 2018-19. The other previous winners of the award were former Chicago Bulls forward Thaddeus Young (2020-21), Montrezl Harrell (2019-20), Amir Johnson (2017-18), and Patrick Beverley (2016-17). The NBA Hustle Award is given to players who consistently make the effort plays that go beyond the traditional box score but impact winning for their teams. In the…

The New Orleans Pelicans might have won at least one game in the first round of the 2024 NBA playoffs if Zion Williamson was available to play. After his 40-point explosion against the Los Angeles Lakers in the play-in tournament, the 23-year-old forward was sidelined due to a hamstring injury. So now that the offseason has started for him, Zion Williamson told local reporters that he plans to work on his defense and jump shot, particularly in the midrange area. “I gotta give my respect to Naji, Dys, Jose, and y’all know 5. Watching them dudes do what they do,…

Golden State Warriors forward Draymond Green recently shared a bold take about the defending champions, the Denver Nuggets that may have raised some eyebrows. During his latest podcast episode, the four-time NBA champion opined that the Denver Nuggets will have a tougher time dealing with the Minnesota Timberwolves in the second round because of their perceived lack of depth. “The Nuggets took the series, but I think they’re in trouble, and the reason I think they’re in trouble, and I said this before, I just don’t think their bench is good enough,” said Green on his podcast. “As you move forward,…