NBA: 'Psychotic' Butler driving Heat in playoffs

LOS ANGELES—Three years after leading the Miami Heat to the brink of an NBA championship, Jimmy Butler is once more inspiring his team on an epic playoff journey.

The 33-year-old NBA star produced the latest in a series of jaw-dropping performances on Wednesday to send the top-seeded Milwaukee Bucks crashing out of the postseason in the first round.

Butler's 42-point masterpiece in Milwaukee was the sort of inspirational display that has earned him multiple nicknames over the years that reflect his unerring knack of delivering under pressure, from "Playoff Jimmy" to "Jimmy Buckets."

On Wednesday night, Butler forced overtime with a sensational alley-oop, draining an acrobatic two-pointer while falling backward in mid-air under pressure from two Bucks players.

"The game plan was simple: Get the ball to Buckets and let him do what he do," was how teammate Gabe Vincent described Butler's tying shot.

Incredibly, Butler's game-winning performance came just two days after another of his logic-defying displays, a 56-point gem in game four.

In the five playoff games against Milwaukee, Butler averaged 37.2 points, with 4.8 assists and six rebounds.

Butler, who endured homelessness as a teenager before eventually being drafted by the Chicago Bulls in 2011, is the figurehead of a Miami team that has proven fearless in adversity.

Their last two wins over Milwaukee were earned after overturning double-digit leads late in the game.

"We're a resilient group. We stick together through everything," Butler said on Wednesday.

"We're a good group of basketball players and we're out there having fun playing basketball the right way. Good things happen when you do that.

"We just play hard. We know what we're capable of. We don't listen to the outside noise. We're going to do what we do, learn from our mistakes and get better."

'DESPERATE, MANIACAL, PSYCHOTIC'

Asked to explain his own incredible run of form, Butler reflected: "I'm just in a groove, in a rhythm. I've been shooting the ball an incredible amount in this series, but I feel like they're shots I can make – and my teammates keep telling me: 'Shoot the ball, shoot the ball.'

"When push comes to shove, I always remember why I do what I do. For my kids, for my family, for my guys. I know if I'm doing things the right way they have to follow suit."

Miami coach Erik Spoelstra meanwhile says Butler is the personification of the Heat's team culture.

"I've said it many times -- he is us and we are him," Spoelstra said after Wednesday's win.

"I just respect him so much being such a unique, world-class, elite competitor. A lot of guys play the game of basketball in this league. He competes to win. And that's a different language.

"He's desperate, and urgent, and maniacal, and sometimes psychotic, about the will to try to win. He'll make everybody in the building feel it.

"And that's why he is us and we are him. We needed every bit of every play that he made tonight."

Butler's indomitable spirit has been a recurring feature of his NBA career.

In the NBA Finals in 2020, Butler went head-to-head with LeBron James and the Los Angeles Lakers in a do-or-die game five that ended with a 111-108 victory.

The enduring image of that encounter was an exhausted Butler, doubled up on the side of the court near the end of a game in which he played almost the entire 48 minutes, finishing with 35 points, 12 rebounds and 11 assists.

"I left it all out there on the court," said Butler, who would ultimately see his hopes of a championship end in a 4-2 series defeat to the Lakers.

Spoelstra meanwhile said Butler should be an example to every young player entering the NBA.

"Every young player coming into this league should study footage of Jimmy Butler, a definition of a two-way player competing on both ends," Spoelstra said at the time. "His will to win is remarkable."

Agence France-Presse

NBA: Nuggets take 3-0 lead over Timberwolves

LOS ANGELES -- The Denver Nuggets, fueled by a Nikola Jokic triple-double, beat Minnesota 120-111 on Friday to take a 3-0 stranglehold on their NBA Western Conference playoff series.

Jokic scored 20 points with 11 rebounds and 12 assists, and when he was limited by foul trouble in the third quarter his teammates kept the pressure on.

Michael Porter Jr scored 25 points to lead six Nuggets players in double figures and Denver's reserves out-scored the Timberwolves bench 29-10.

They kept the Timberwolves at bay despite a sparkling 36 points from Anthony Edwards, whose three-pointer early in the third pulled Minnesota within three points.

They were down by five with less than five minutes remaining, but couldn't break through.

Jokic, who led the league with 29 triple-doubles in the regular season, said he knows they'll be even more determined on Sunday to prevent a sweep on their home floor.

"We know they're going to go even more aggressive in two days," Jokic said. "So we just need to keep our composure and we know what to expect."

Agence France-Presse

NBA: Morant likely to be game-time decision for Grizzlies

LOS ANGELES — Memphis guard Ja Morant has bruised his already-injured right hand and his status for Wednesday's NBA playoff contest will be a "game-time decision," Grizzlies coach Taylor Jenkins said Tuesday.

An MRI exam showed the soft-tissue injury was aggravated by Morant late in the fourth quarter of the Grizzlies' 128-112 home loss to the Los Angeles Lakers in Sunday's opener of their first-round best-of-seven series.

"Symptoms are slightly improving from the other night," Jenkins said. "He's going to be a game-time decision."

Morant, whose hand was already taped after being injured the week before, leaped into the air driving to the basket against Lakers big man Anthony Davis and after their collision fell awkwardly, injuring his hand.

Morant rose, grabbed his hand and ran off the court to the locker room.

Morant dribbled and took some shots with his right hand during a Tuesday workout, but the practice offered no clear answers on Morant's availability for the rematch with the Lakers.

"He's progressing," Jenkins said. "He is dribbling and shooting as much as he can.

"He has got some pain he's dealing with, so it's kind of a tolerance thing. He has got some stiffness in his hand that he's kind of slowly getting through."

Morant said after the game that his ability to play in game two was "in jeopardy" with Jenkins saying x-rays were negative but Morant was in pain.

Morant scored 18 points against the Lakers before his early exit.

Agence France-Presse

NBA: Bulls hold off Bucks to tie series at 1-1

The defending champion Milwaukee Bucks tried to rally from 18 points down but visiting Chicago got an NBA playoff career high 41 points from DeMar DeRozan in a 114-110 triumph that leveled their series at 1-1.

DeRozan, who had a private extra shooting session Tuesday, lifted a Chicago squad that lost all four times this season to Milwaukee and in the playoff opener.

"We came together," DeRozan said. "We had some man to man talks as a team. Everybody has to man up. We just took on the challenge."

Greek star Giannis Antetokounmpo had 33 points, 18 rebounds and nine assists in a losing cause.

The Bucks pulled within 112-109 late on a three-point play by Brook Lopez, but DeRozan made a late driving layup and Antetokounmpo had an offensive foul to doom Milwaukee.

Agence France-Presse

NBA Playoffs: Tatum beats buzzer, as Celtics escape Nets in Game 1

Jayson Tatum spun in for a buzzer-beating layup to give the Boston Celtics a dramatic 115-114 victory over the Brooklyn Nets on Sunday in the first game of their NBA Eastern Conference playoff series.

Tatum scored 31 points to lead the Celtics, who thwarted a fourth-quarter comeback bid by the Nets to take a 1-0 lead in the best-of-seven series.

Tatum added eight assists and two blocked shots, Jaylen Brown added 23 points and Al Horford and Marcus Smart scored 20 apiece for Boston, who took a 96-85 lead into the fourth quarter but trailed 114-111 with less than a minute to play.

Former Celtic Kyrie Irving, booed throughout by Boston fans who still resent his departure for Brooklyn, led the Nets with 39 points. Kevin Durant was the only other Nets starter in double figures with 23.

Irving will no doubt hear from the NBA after a middle-finger salute to heckling fans in the third quarter, but he saved his best gesture for the fourth period, when he scored 18 points to key the Nets' comeback bid.

Irving's long three-pointer over Smart put Brooklyn up 114-111 with 1:04 to play.

But the Celtics clamped down defensively and pulled within one on Brown's driving layup. After Durant missed a three-pointer, Tatum, fed by Smart from across the lane, willed his way through traffic for the game-winner.

A first half that featured 17 lead changes ended with the score knotted at 61-61, but the Celtics, who had been idle since their last regular-season game as the Nets battled through the play-in tournament, pulled away with a 39-24 third quarter.

"Our aggressiveness was great," Celtics coach Ime Udoka said of his team's third-quarter performance. "It was different from the first half. I felt like, offensively, we got going as well, knocked a little bit of the rust off in the first half."

Agence France-Presse

NBA: Hawks' Trae Young to have MRI on sprained right ankle

Atlanta Hawks star Trae Young is headed for an MRI on his sprained right ankle.

The Hawks lost Game 3 to the visiting Milwaukee Bucks 113-102 in their Eastern Conference finals series on Sunday night, but they hope they have not lost Young for Game 4 on Tuesday, also in Atlanta. The Bucks lead the series 2-1.

Young said he would undergo an MRI on Monday.

He suffered the injury when he stepped on an official's foot late in the third quarter.

Young had made a pass near the 3-point line and took a step back when he inadvertently got too close to the official. Young sat on the court for a few moments before hobbling to the locker room with 29.3 seconds left in the third quarter having scored 32 points.

He returned to the court with 8:44 left in the fourth quarter but wasn't able to regain his effectiveness, hitting only one 3-pointer the rest of the way.

"It's hurting, it's frustrating ..." Young told reporters after the game. "I got some treatment on it. I'm gonna go get some more in the morning. That's all I can do right now, is get treatment.

"When I came back in, it was just kinda sore. It made me mad; I couldn't really go as fast as I wanted to. And when I did, it hurt."

Young referenced his "blow-by speed" was missing.

"That's a big part of my game is my ability to blow by anybody. When you're on the left side and you're trying to blow by, you've got to use your right foot."

Pending the MRI results, Young's status remains uncertain.

"I'm going to get as much treatment as I can," Young said.

-reuters

NBA: Lakers pull away in second half to take 2-1 lead on Suns

Behind another strong defensive performance, the host Los Angeles Lakers smothered the Phoenix Suns for a 109-95 victory Thursday and 2-1 series lead in the opening round of the NBA playoffs.

Los Angeles had about 7,500 fans in attendance as Staples Center hosted a Lakers playoff game for the first time since 2013.

Anthony Davis led the way for the Lakers with 34 points and 11 rebounds. LeBron James chipped in 21 points, nine assists and six rebounds. Dennis Schroder added 20 points and four assists.

Deandre Ayton led the Suns with 22 points -- his third straight game with at least 20 points. Devin Booker added 19 points and Cameron Payne contributed 15 points.

The Lakers opened the second half on a 16-6 run, taking control of the game and the series. Los Angeles took a 13-point lead with just over six minutes left in the third quarter and held onto a 76-63 advantage at the end of the third.

Los Angeles extended that lead to 21 points with 7:24 left on a reverse lay-in by James that brought the crowd to its feet and seemingly put the game away.

The Suns kept things interesting, cutting L.A.'s advantage to eight points with 2:47 left on Jae Crowder's 3-pointer. But they got no closer.

Booker was ejected from the game for pushing Schroder to the ground on a drive to the basket with 35 seconds left. Crowder followed Booker to the locker room when he received a technical and was ejected for jawing with Schroder.

The Lakers bottled up Phoenix defensively, holding the Suns to 42.7 percent shooting. Los Angeles also held a 51-35 rebound advantage and 58-38 edge in paint points.

The Suns led, 28-27, after the first quarter, but the Lakers overtook them in the second and opened a 43-40 lead at halftime.

Davis paced the Lakers with 12 points and five rebounds in the first half.

Phoenix guard Chris Paul still seemed to be feeling the effects from a bruised right shoulder that limited him in the first two games of the series. Paul finished with seven points and six assists in 27 minutes.

Kentavious Caldwell-Pope suffered a left leg injury in the third quarter and had to go to the locker room for further evaluation. The Lakers announced that Caldwell-Pope suffered a left quad contusion. He did not return.

According to ESPN, Caldwell-Pope will undergo an MRI on Friday.

-reuters

Thompson hot hand carries Warriors into Game 7 with Rockets

OAKLAND, Calif. — Klay Thompson flashed back to a night he left the arena still in uniform, furious about his forgettable performance against Denver.

It used to be he struggled to shake off a bad night, or even a bad start to a game.

Now, he just keeps shooting. Whenever he feels like it, from wherever. No conscience. A hand or two in his face, no matter.


“I was not always like this. I used to be so hard on myself, especially early in my career,” Thompson said. “… I learned, as I get older, if you play with passion, you play hard, and you leave the game saying I gave everything I have tonight in those 48 minutes, you can live with the result.”

The Warriors’ season lives on largely thanks to Thompson’s shooting touch. Golden State is one win from a fourth straight NBA Finals, headed back to Houston for Monday night’s Game 7.

He came through with the defending champions’ season on the line in another do-or-die Game 6, just as he did two years ago at Oklahoma City. This time he scored 35 points with nine 3-pointers as the Warriors rallied with a huge second half to beat the Rockets 115-86 on Saturday night to force a deciding game in the Western Conference finals.

His defense shined, too. Oh, and the typically subdued Thompson let his emotions flow for all to see: He flexed his biceps Draymond Green style, pumped his arms like Kevin Durant and yelled out the way Stephen Curry often does at Oracle Arena.

Thompson has long been content to be the understated All-Star among the four in Golden State’s starting lineup.

“I just wanted to play with as much passion as I could tonight. Probably sounded more vocal than I usually am,” Thompson acknowledged. “When your back’s against the wall, if your shot’s not falling, you can always control your passion and how hard you play. Usually when I do that, it trickles over to other aspects of my game.”

Curry’s Splash Brother did it in 2016 when he scored 41 points against Durant’s former Thunder team with the Warriors facing elimination. They went on to win Game 7 before falling to LeBron James and the Cavaliers in a seven-game NBA Finals.

Durant had no interest in recollecting, smiling and laughing with Curry as he said, “next question.”


As for Curry?

“I think we both blocked that whole year out of our memory,” the two-time MVP quipped.

No arguing they both appreciate Thompson’s no-fear shooting approach and ability to almost single-handedly turn the tide of a game with a timely 3-pointer or two — or nine.

Once Golden State got going in transition, following clutch defensive stops, Thompson found the looks he so prefers from long range.

“I feel like we’re the best team in the world and most fun team in the world to watch when we’re pushing that ball, getting defensive stops and making plays,” he said. “We’ve got too much talent not just to hit singles like Coach always says. Trust the next man ahead of us. It will end up working in our favor most of the time.”

Thompson shot 13 for 23 and 9 of 14 from deep as the Warriors responded from an early 17-point deficit to dominate James Harden and Houston the final three quarters, outscoring the Rockets 93-47 after trailing 39-22 at the end of the first.

Thompson went a combined 20 of 32 from 3-point range in those two impressive Game 6 shows, Saturday and in 2016.

“I think Klay doesn’t worry too much about repercussions. He doesn’t worry about judgment and results. I think he just loves to play,” coach Steve Kerr said. “He’s so comfortable in his own skin. I just think he wants to go out there and hoop, and he doesn’t worry about much else. So the pressure doesn’t seem to bother him much. He just competes and plays. As I said, the two-way ability of this guy hounding the MVP of the league, most likely, all game, and continuing to rain down 3-pointers, he’s amazing.”

source: sports.inquirer.net

It happens every spring: LeBron forced to carry Cavaliers

INDEPENDENCE, Ohio — LeBron James recovered quickly from his neck strain. There’s still too much stress on his back.


He’s carrying the Cavaliers. It’s a springtime tradition.

As has been the case for much of his 15-year career, James has had to perform at an extraordinary level throughout these playoffs, most recently in Cleveland’s Game 2 loss at Boston.

Bouncing back after taking a blow to the jaw from Jayson Tatum’s shoulder that violently twisted his head and sent a chill down the spines of Cleveland fans, James finished with 42 points, 10 rebounds and 12 assists.

It was not enough, however. His teammates failed him and the Cavs fell into a 2-0 hole in the Eastern Conference finals.

Kevin Love (22 points, 15 rebounds) helped, so did Kyle Korver (four 3-pointers) and Tristan Thompson (8 points, 7 rebounds). But too many other Cavs ranged from mediocre to awful.

If Cleveland is to even the series at home, that has to change starting in Game 3 on Saturday.

“We have to ramp it up,” said J.R. Smith, who didn’t score in Game 2 and committed a critical flagrant foul. “We’re playing too slow. We’re making ‘Bron play hero ball, which is tough to do, especially in the Eastern Conference finals. We got to help him. With that said, we have to give him an opportunity to make him feel confident to give us the ball so we can make the right plays. We got to help him and he’s got to help us.”

Cavs coach Tyronn Lue said James “did everything” in practice Thursday, but the 33-year-old had left the floor by the time media members were allowed in for interviews. James was spotted in the fitness and training area inside the facility.

Lue said the Cavs spent time breaking down video of the two losses. There was plenty to dissect.

Cleveland has had puzzling defensive lapses, and Lue said there were up to nine instances in Game 2 alone where communication breakdowns led to easy baskets or open shots for the Celtics.


On offense, Lue feels Smith and point guard George Hill, who have been outscored 72-12 in two games by Jaylen Brown and Terry Rozier, need to be more aggressive and attack the basket.

Smith believes it’s simpler than that.

“Make shots, that’s the only thing we can do,” said Smith, who is 2 for 17 and 0 for 7 on 3-pointers in the series. “I mean obviously we can do more on the defensive side, but our main focus is to make shots right now when we get it. If we don’t have them, try to make the next-best play. Right now ‘Bron and Kev are working overly hard, trying to carry us. We just got to step up and do our job.”

But talking a good game is one thing, playing one is another. The Cavs don’t have time for speeches or excuses. With their season inching toward danger, results are all that matter.

Hill didn’t record an assist in 28 minutes in Game 1 and had three points in Game 2. He missed time in the opening round against Indiana with back spasms and has been puzzled by his drop-off after playing so well in Cleveland’s sweep over Toronto.

“I’m trying to figure it out myself,” he said. “I think a little bit of just trying to be more involved offensively, trying to be more involved defensively, not waiting until a play is possibly called and things like that to go do it. I’ve just got to be more assertive, I’ve got to play with that edge like I did in the second series

“There’s no one to blame but myself. You’ve got to look yourself in the mirror and say, ‘What can I do better?'”

The Cavs know they need to be more physical after the Celtics took the fight to them in Boston.

Lue raised some eyebrows following Game 2 when he described Boston’s players as “gooning up” the series. Lue explained he wasn’t being critical.

“It’s not a bad thing to goon it up,” he said. “Like, they’re taking hard fouls, they’re being physical. They’re playing playoff basketball. So that’s all I meant by it.”

Thompson said he loves that Boston is playing “hard and chippy.” But he knows if the Cavs don’t ease the burden on James, this fight could be over sooner than expected.

“Other guys have to contribute and other guys have to step up,” Tristan Thompson said. “Of course, it’s a huge luxury having LeBron on our team. At the same time, we have to be ready to play and we have to do our job.”

And get off James’ back.

source: sports.inquirer.net

Down at half, Raptors eliminate Wizards thanks to reserves

WASHINGTON — For a team that had been 0-23 when trailing at halftime in road playoff games, the Toronto Raptors sure went about ending that drought and advancing in the playoffs in an usual way: The second unit, led by Fred VanVleet, created the comeback.

Using a tremendous effort at both ends of the court from reserves, and 24 points from Kyle Lowry, the Raptors came back to beat the Washington Wizards 102-92 in Game 6 on Friday night and end their Eastern Conference first-round series.

“Those guys have some ugly possessions, but most of the time, they figure it out,” Toronto coach Dwane Casey said about his bench players, who overwhelmed Washington’s in points, 21-6, and rebounds, 15-3, in the second half. “We trust them. We trusted them all year.”


Toronto fell behind by 12 points in the first quarter and by 53-50 at the end of the second.

The Raptors’ first lead did not come until the third quarter, and they were back down by five points entering the final period.

Never in franchise history had the Raptors won after trailing at halftime in a postseason away game, the team said, citing the Elias Sports Bureau.

“It’s a different year. It’s a different team,” VanVleet said. “We’ve just got to keep our composure going forward and leave the past in the past.”

With star guards Lowry and DeMar DeRozan, who had a personal series-low 16 points, resting to begin the fourth, VanVleet steered the turnaround, and the Raptors outscored Washington 29-14 in the last quarter. Bothered by a bad right shoulder, VanVleet had played a total of three minutes in the series until Friday, but he was just what Toronto needed in this game, with five points, four assists and four rebounds.

“On the road, in a hostile environment, I just wanted to be another support guy out there, that can ease the starters a bit,” VanVleet said. “You know, me running the team and playing defense and stuff, I can do those things in my sleep.”

It allowed DeRozan to play only 33½ minutes total, and Lowry 31½, compared with more than 40 each for Washington’s All-Star guards, John Wall and Bradley Beal, who looked tired by the end.

“It was great to have our full bench back. Freddie back out there with the guys,” DeRozan said. “Just a testament to what they did all year.”


Pascal Siakam had 11 points and eight rebounds and used his length to hound Wall, while VanVleet was a pest to Beal.

Jakob Poeltl and C.J. Miles each scored seven. It was VanVleet’s 3-pointer with center Marcin Gortat in his face that tied the game at 78, and Miles’ 3 with about 8½ minutes remaining that gave Toronto its first lead of more than a single point, at 84-80.

“I’m still looking for that manual that says you can’t play that second unit. They’re too young. They’re too this. They’re too that,” Casey said. “They closed it out for us tonight.”

The home team had won each of the first five games, but the Raptors were finally able to break that road hex. The East’s No. 1 seed will face LeBron James’ Cleveland Cavaliers or the Indiana Pacers next. The Pacers forced a Game 7 on Sunday by avoiding elimination with a 121-87 victory over the Cavs on Friday night.

Asked whether he has a preference for the upcoming opponent, DeRozan answered with one word: “No.”

This marks the Raptors’ third consecutive trip to the second round of the playoffs; they last failed to get that far in 2015, when they were swept in the opening round by the Wizards.

But this time, Washington bowed out earlier than it was hoping when the season began with grandiose talk of a run to the conference finals. Instead, the Wizards were without Wall for 41 games and wound up with the No. 8 seeding.

Wall had 23 points and eight assists in Game 6; Beal scored 32. But none of that mattered to the fans who started heading to the exits early as the Wizards’ run of eight home playoff wins in a row came to a close.

“We got some looks,” said Wall, whose entire team had only 12 assists. “We just missed them.”

TIP-INS

Raptors: After averaging 18.5 turnovers in Games 3 and 4 at Washington, Toronto had only seven in Game 6.

Wizards: Were without starting SF Otto Porter Jr., who had a medical procedure Friday to prevent permanent muscle damage because of compartment syndrome in his left leg. … Kelly Oubre Jr. started in place of Porter and hit his first 3-point attempt, before missing all six other shots he took.

UP NEXT:

Toronto will host Games 1 and 2 in the second round, no matter the opponent. The Raptors lost to the Cavaliers each of the past two seasons — swept in the second round a year ago, and beaten in six games in the conference finals in 2016.

source: sports.inquirer.net

Warriors’ Iguodala has a knack for big playoff performances

OAKLAND, Calif. — Andre Iguodala knocked down another clutch 3-pointer and let out some rare emotion, triumphantly reaching his arms out wide as he ran back to the defensive end. The Golden State swingman had thrown down a spectacular alley-oop dunk only 31 seconds earlier, and he was feeling it as the clocked ticked away on a second straight lopsided playoff win.

There’s something about Iguodala in the postseason. He paces himself through the regular season to be fresh and ready — and sometimes dominant — on the big stage for the defending NBA champions.

“Everyone gets hyped when Andre gets hyped because that’s a rare occurrence,” teammate Klay Thompson said. “You might see it on the golf course.”


It’s just what the short-handed Warriors were hoping to see.

Iguodala is back in the starting lineup for Golden State’s first-round series against the Spurs, filling in for Stephen Curry as the two-time MVP recovers from a sprained left knee. That’s how versatile Iguodala is: the 6-foot-6 swingman can be inserted in place of a point guard. The Warriors will go for a 3-0 lead Thursday when the best-of-seven series shifts to San Antonio.

At 34, Iguodala knows how to take care of himself over the long grind of an NBA season, all to be prepared to do whatever is asked of him in the playoffs.

“For us to be able to throw Andre out there really 1 through 4 both offensively and defensively, it’s an incredibly valuable weapon,” coach Steve Kerr said.

That’s when he has been at his brilliant best for the Warriors — and they are getting their money’s worth from a major investment last summer.

Many feared he might leave, but Iguodala received a $48 million, three-year contract to stay put and chase another championship. Even if he could have landed a bigger role elsewhere.

“Well, we met with him and we gave him our pitch and lots of money so we were hoping he wasn’t going to leave,” Kerr said. “I didn’t anticipate him leaving because he knows this is a great situation for him and we rewarded him for everything he’s done and for what we think he can do for us. I think this year was a good example of that. A lot of people were grumbling about he’s not shooting the ball well or whatever. … It’s the incredible defense, amazing awareness, intelligence, leadership.”

Iguodala keeps it simple, whether he’s in the lineup or coming off the bench: “Just try to do whatever it takes to help the team get over the hump and get a win.”

In 2015, Kerr moved Iguodala into the starting lineup, and he became Finals MVP as the franchise captured its first championship in 40 years.

Golden State is hoping for the same this spring. Iguodala had only started seven times before Game 1 of the playoffs Saturday, when he had seven rebounds, four assists and three points.

That’s after he missed four of the final five regular season games with a sore left knee.

“He’s definitely got to pace himself, the man’s played so much hoops in the last 15 years,” Thompson said. “Andre is a gamer. He is going to step up in the biggest moments, and right now it’s the playoffs. We have all the trust in the world for him, that’s why he’s a Finals MVP.”

On Monday, Iguodala finished with 14 points on 5-of-7 shooting with four 3-pointers, seven rebounds, five assists, a steal and a block.

And he can guard anybody.

“His hands are so good. That’s the small thing that people don’t realize, he’s got great hands when he gets steals,” Kevin Durant said. “So guys are just thinking about that when they’re trying to score on him. As a scorer you’ve got to think about something other than getting to your spots or getting into your rhythm and it throws you off just a little bit. And that’s all you need to guard the best player, just for them to think just a tiny bit and Dre does that.”

Iguodala was part of the Warriors group that traveled to the Hamptons to persuade Durant to join a super team in July 2016.

“I always knew what Andre could do,” Durant said. “I played two USA teams with him, so I kind of knew his value. He’s not one of those guys that’s going to go out and say, ‘Here, Dre, give us 30 points.’ He’s one of those who can do just about everything good — he can shoot, he can pass, he can dribble, he can defend, he can rebound, he can do all those things really good. It’s not like he wants to do one thing more than the other.”

source: sports.inquirer.net

Warriors advance with rout of Trail Blazers

LOS ANGELES—The Golden State Warriors punched their ticket to the second round of the NBA playoffs in emphatic style on Monday (Tuesday, Manila), with a 128-103 victory over the Portland Trail Blazers.

Stephen Curry scored 37 points with eight assists and seven rebounds before sitting out the fourth quarter as the Warriors wrapped up a four-game sweep of the best-of-seven Western Conference first-round series.

The Warriors’ 45 first-quarter points tied the NBA record for the most points scored in the opening period of a playoff game.

Kevin Durant, sidelined the past two games with a left calf injury, scored 10 points in 20 minutes on the floor.

In the next round the Warriors will face either the Los Angeles Clippers or Utah Jazz, whose series was knotted at two games apiece.

source: sports.inquirer.net

Spurs rout Mavs to set up clash with Trail Blazers

SAN ANTONIO –The San Antonio Spurs ended a hard-fought first-round series in emphatic style Sunday, routing the Dallas Mavericks 119-96 to advance in the NBA playoffs.

The Spurs, top seeds in the Western Conference, were pushed to the brink by the eighth-seeded Mavs, but with their season on the line responded with the blowout win that gave them a four-games-to-three triumph in the best-of-seven first-round series.

Tony Parker scored 24 of his 32 points in a first half, when San Antonio connected on a sizzling 68.4 percent of their shots from the field to build a comfortable cushion.

“We have a lot of respect for Dallas, they’re a great team,” Parker said. “They made it very hard on us. The whole series it was a hard fight.”

Manu Ginobili finished with 20 points, five assists and six steals and Danny Green added 16 points for the Spurs, who will host the Portland Trail Blazers on Tuesday in game one of their second-round series.

“I think our movement was good today and I think we’re getting back to playing Spurs basketball,” Parker said. “We’re going to need it against Portland, they’re a very good team.”

The Mavericks were trying to become just the sixth number eight seed to knock off a top seed.

But on Sunday they struggled offensively, with Dirk Nowitzki’s 22 points leading the way and Devin Harris contributing 17 points off the bench.

Monta Ellis, who had averaged 24 points over the previous five games, contributed only 12 points on 3-of-11 shooting.

The game was the last of a record five game sevens in the opening round of the playoffs.

The total already matches the NBA record for the most seventh games in all rounds in any playoff year.

source: sports.inquirer.net

LeBron denies staring at Jordan during playoff game

MANILA, Philippines—LeBron James, arguably one of the decade’s best athletes, has already etched his chapter in the basketball annals but still lacked the “greatest” tab.

And he somehow managed to take a stare at the man holding it—Michael Jordan.

During Sunday’s Game 3 between the James-led Miami Heat and the Jordan-owned Charlotte Bobcats of the Eastern Conference, The King had a breakaway dunk in the 7:37 mark of the third quarter and appeared to stare at the vicinity of the player dubbed as the Greatest of All Time (G.O.A.T).

James, though, denied accusations that he did an insulting look to Jordan on his way to the hoop for the tomahawk jam.

“No, no. Don’t start that. Absolutely not, man,” a humbler King told the Charlotte Observer. “I was able to read (Johs) McRoberts, get a steal and push the lead back up.”

“I absolutely didn’t look at MJ for sure.”

Jordan, though, was still unhappy after the game as his franchise dropped to 0-3 in a best-of-seven series against the Heat and remained the sole team in the 2014 National Basketball Association Playoffs who still has to win a game.

source: sports.inquirer.net