7:25 PM ET SAN FRANCISCO — Stephen Curry has seen the Golden State Warriors bounce back before multiple times this season and has confidence they will do it again in Sunday’s Game 2 of the NBA Finals. Citing how the Warriors rebounded from their 39-point loss in Game 5 at the Memphis Grizzlies in the
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8:13 AM ET Not one uniformed member of the Boston Celtics had played in an NBA Finals game before Game 1 on Thursday night. Much was made of this, partly because of the vast Finals experience of the Golden State Warriors but mostly because storylines at this stage must be truffle hunted until no soil
Smart GMs mine the NBA Draft for potential All-Stars. These five prospects fit the bill in this year’s class of talented prospects. Free agency is important to NBA front offices but most teams need to grow their own All-Stars via the draft. That’s why the best league decision-makers are often tempted to take big swings
7:28 PM ET Tim BontempsESPN SAN FRANCISCO — Boston Celtics star Jayson Tatum said he isn’t spending time worrying about his 3-for-17 shooting performance in Game 1, saying it’s not the first time he’s had a bad game and that he’s confident he’ll bounce back in Game 2. “Once you’ve done something before, you know
2:36 AM ET SAN FRANCISCO — Not long after the Golden State Warriors‘ fourth-quarter meltdown to drop a rare Game 1 in the coach Steve Kerr era, a relaxed Draymond Green began setting the tone for the team entering Game 2. “It’s fine,” Green said after the Boston Celtics stunned the Warriors 120-108. “You get
The Miami Heat were one win away from reaching the NBA Finals for the second time in three years. Here are three players who will not be back for next season. The Miami Heat finished the regular-season with the best record in the entire Eastern Conference. They got through the Atlanta Hawks and the Philadelphia
Jimmy Butler seems simultaneously driven by vibes and bottom-line results. How do we reconcile his impeccable intensity with his love for life? Jimmy Butler will drop 40 points. He will let fly. It will rain. A rivulet will become a torrent. He will flood the court. But the most devastating thing about Jimmy Butler is
No one was happier to see the Boston Celtics reach the NBA Finals than actress Nia Long, who is the fiancee of head coach Ime Udoka. It was a long journey for the Boston Celtics since they lost Game 7 of the 2010 NBA Finals to the Los Angeles Lakers. They have not been able
1:48 AM ET Tim BontempsESPN SAN FRANCISCO — After yet another ugly third quarter in a playoffs full of them for the Boston Celtics, it looked to all the world like the Golden State Warriors were on their way to claiming Game 1 of the NBA Finals at Chase Center on Thursday night. But then
The Whiteboard is The Step Back’s daily basketball newsletter, covering the NBA, WNBA and more. Subscribe here to get it delivered to you via email each morning. Much has been made of the way the Warriors and Celtics NBA Finals matchup represents a high-water mark for a more traditional mode of team-building. For the past decade
SACRAMENTO, CALIFORNIA – APRIL 03: Head coach Steve Kerr of the Golden State Warriors complains about a call against the Sacramento Kings in the first half at Golden 1 Center on April 03, 2022 in Sacramento, California. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this photograph, User is consenting
After losing to the Golden State Warriors in six games, Memphis Grizzlies guard Dillon Brooks made a bold statement about the future. The Grizzlies think it’s their time, but the Warriors aren’t ready to relinquish the Western Conference throne just yet. Despite losing to the Dubs in six games in the Western Conference Semifinals, Dillon
Iowa Hawkeyes forward Keegan Murray (15) rests during the first half of the Big Ten championship title game Sunday, March 13, 2022, at Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis. Iowa won, 75-66.Iowa Hawkeyes Versus Purdue Boilermakers In Big Ten Men S Championship Title Game On Sunday March 13 2022 At Gainbridge Fieldhouse In Indianapolis Hype is a
4:06 PM ET Orlando Magic executive Matt Lloyd has agreed to become senior vice president of basketball operations for the Minnesota Timberwolves, sources told ESPN on Friday. Lloyd, who spent a decade with Orlando as assistant general manager and VP of basketball operations, is the first significant hire by Timberwolves’ president of basketball operations Tim
Welcome back to Above the Break. This week we’re looking at the Sun vs. Aces matchup, the Wings rotation and NaLyssa Smith beginning to flex her range. The Aces finally lost another game on Thursday. The Liberty finally won another game on Wednesday, giving us three teams that now sit at two wins. It’s early,
Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports NBA insider says Tyrese Maxey is ‘close to untouchable’ in 76ers’ trade talks by John Buhler Zach LaVine is set to become an unrestricted free agent, and he made some interesting comments about potentially playing for the Los Angeles Lakers. The Chicago Bulls made it to the NBA playoffs for
Luke Walton will be joining J.B. Bickerstaff’s Cleveland Cavaliers staff as an assistant coach. Former Los Angeles Lakers and Sacramento Kings head coach Luke Walton will work alongside J.B. Bickerstaff as the newest addition to the Cleveland Cavaliers coaching staff. Walton is best known for his playing career, as well as his coaching career, in Los Angeles.
8:00 AM ET SAN FRANCISCO — A year ago, Boston Celtics owners Wyc Grousbeck and Steve Pagliuca executed an audacious move: They made their successful coach a rookie team president and replaced him with a rookie coach. Had anyone on the dais the day the move to elevate Brad Stevens was formalized — June 2,
Led by Al Horford’s two-way versatility, the Celtics blitzed Golden State in the fourth quarter to steal Game 1. Plus, more observations from the opener of the NBA Finals. The NBA Finals offered hope of change from the lopsided contests that have dominated the playoffs, and Game 1 delivered with a crisp, tightly contested game
ESPN’s Stephen A. Smith made a bold prediction about how many more NBA titles the Golden State Warriors and Steph Curry will win in the future. The 2022 NBA Finals officially begins on Thursday, June 2, with the Boston Celtics taking on the Golden State Warriors. Even though the Warriors have missed the playoffs the
11:58 PM ET SAN FRANCISCO — Like two heavyweights feeling each other out in the opening round of a championship bout, the Golden State Warriors and Boston Celtics opened the 2022 NBA Finals, with the Celtics striking the first blow with a 120-108 comeback victory. The Celtics won Game 1 with a scintillating 17-0 run
Darius Garland, Cleveland Cavaliers. (Photo by Rick Osentoski/Getty Images) Watch: Willson Contreras calming down Christopher Morel before his walk-off is everything (Video) by Josh Hill New Cleveland Cavaliers logos have been leaked online and we so have to see them right now! The Cleveland Cavaliers have new logos that have been leaked and are out there
The Brooklyn Nets believe the Philadelphia 76ers will be worse next year than this past season. By deferring the Philadelphia 76ers‘ 2022 first-round pick from the James Harden–Ben Simmons trade to 2023, the Brooklyn Nets are telling everyone to short the 76ers next NBA season. ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski informed everyone of the Nets’ intentions of the pick
10:55 PM ET Tim BontempsESPN SAN FRANCISCO — Commissioner Adam Silver said the NBA is considering switching the voting process for All-NBA selections each season from the current position-based system to one where voters select the 15 best players regardless of position. Silver said it is something he plans to address with the National Basketball
The Celtics and the Warriors show that you don’t have to spend multiple years tanking to build a winner through the draft. With the Boston Celtics facing the Golden State Warriors in the NBA Finals, there are stakes at play for both franchises. A Warriors win would mean four titles in eight seasons, something only
The Whiteboard is The Step Back’s daily basketball newsletter, covering the NBA, WNBA and more. Subscribe here to get it delivered to you via email each morning. From all indications, the first two picks in the NBA Draft are already locked in. It sounds like the Orlando Magic have already decided on Jabari Smith and the
3:35 PM ET Nike founder Phil Knight and Los Angeles Dodgers part-owner Alan Smolinisky have delivered a written offer of more than $2 billion to purchase Portland Trail Blazers and are in serious talks to acquire the team, sources told ESPN on Thursday. Knight and Smolinisky have been engaged in discussions with the Paul Allen
COVID is making things challenging for ESPN to broadcast Game 1 of the 2022 NBA Finals. ESPN will be short-handed in the broadcast booth ahead of Game 1 of the 2022 NBA Finals between the Boston Celtics and the Golden State Warriors on Thursday night. The New York Post reported on Thursday analyst Jeff Van Gundy and
The Golden State Warriors’ latest injury update should scare the Boston Celtics ahead of the NBA Finals. Golden State has fought through injuries this season, but the latest injury update should cause the Celtics’ to shake in their sneakers. The Warriors will list Gary Payton II, Andre Iguodala and Otto Porter Jr. as questionable for Game
All things eventually fade to black. Which squad is best prepared to eventually become the next NBA dynasty when the Golden State Warriors “Big Three” leaves “The Arena”? After a two-year hiatus, the Golden State Warriors have returned to where they surely believe they belong — the top of the NBA mountain, once again preparing