Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports As the Philadelphia 76ers seek to win their first NBA championship since 1983, here’s what they’ll hope to accomplish in the coming months. The Philadelphia 76ers won’t find out who they face in the first round of the 2021 NBA playoffs until Thursday, but it ultimately shouldn’t matter. Regardless of whether
7:46 PM ET Tim BontempsESPN Denver Nuggets center Nikola Jokic, Philadelphia 76ers center Joel Embiid and Golden State Warriors guard Stephen Curry are the finalists for this year’s NBA Most Valuable Player award. The top three vote-getters for each of the NBA’s major end-of-season awards — MVP, Defensive Player of the Year, Rookie of the
Steph Curry, Golden State Warriors. (Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-USA TODAY Sports) 3 controversial calls that cost the Warriors against the Lakers by Ian Levy The Golden State Warriors may have lost, but at least Steph Curry won on the internet. Steph Curry channeled his inner Alonzo Mourning during the Golden State Warriors play-in tournament game loss
12:57 AM ET LOS ANGELES — The Los Angeles Lakers‘ postseason run opened with Wednesday’s winner-take-all play-in game against the Golden State Warriors. And it took everything the defending champions had to win it, 103-100. LeBron James‘ 34-foot 3-point heave to beat the shot-clock buzzer fell through the net with 58.2 seconds remaining, breaking a
1:30 AM ET LOS ANGELES — By all accounts, the play-in tournament has been a resounding success for the NBA this year. It created exciting new scenarios toward the end of the regular season and mostly stemmed the widespread tanking which had made a mockery of the final month of play for the 14 teams
NEW YORK, NEW YORK – MAY 15: Kyrie Irving #11 of the Brooklyn Nets dribbles during the second half against the Chicago Bulls at Barclays Center on May 15, 2021 in the Brooklyn borough of New York City. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User
The Golden State Warriors are looking to upset the Los Angeles Lakers in their play-in game on Wednesday night. There are two keys to getting it done. What will it take for the Golden State Warriors to take down the Los Angeles Lakers in the NBA Play-In Tournament? Los Angeles may be the favorite in
BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS – JANUARY 08: Tacko Fall #99 of the Boston Celtics defends Russell Westbrook #4 of the Washington Wizards during the first quarter at TD Garden on January 08, 2021 in Boston, Massachusetts. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the
Jeremy Lin, Beijing Ducks. (Photo by STR / AFP) / China OUT (Photo by STR/AFP via Getty Images) Stephen A. Smith goes nuclear on abysmal Shohei Ohtani take (Video) by Alicia de Artola NBA veteran Jeremy Lin just hinted on Twitter that he’s getting ready to hang up his sneakers and call it a career.
7:59 PM ET NEW YORK — After a regular season riddled with injuries, the Brooklyn Nets are entering the NBA playoffs as close to fully healthy as they’ve been all season. Star guard James Harden, who missed over five weeks with a hamstring strain, was available to play in just two games during the final
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. Defending Zion Williamson is, increasingly, becoming one of the most complex strategic challenges in the NBA. His size, agility and touch around the basket give him at least one
The Pelicans are hoping a great final week can allow the team to sneak in to this year’s play-in tournament. It is easy to lose track of time given the late start to the 2020-21 NBA season. But the regular season ends next weekend, and the New Orleans Pelicans are one team playing with a
7:00 AM ET The 2021 NBA postseason officially tips off Tuesday with the play-in tournament followed by the first round of the playoffs on Saturday. After a thrilling end of the regular season with seeds finally decided on the last day, the Charlotte Hornets and the Indiana Pacers will start things on Tuesday in the
Photo by Maddie Meyer/Getty Images Several realistic goals stand out for the Knicks now that the long postseason drought is over. The New York Knicks are back where they belong in the NBA Playoffs. The team did well enough to secure the No. 4 seed and thus home-court advantage in the first round against the
Alex Rodriguez. (Photo by Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images) Heather Hardy returns to boxing and looking for answers by Jeremy Herriges Alex Rodriguez and Marc Lore have purchased the Minnesota Timberwolves from Glen Taylor. After spending over a month at the negotiating table, former MLB star Alex Rodriguez and tech entrepreneur Marc Lore have agreed to buy the
The Basketball Hall of Fame Class of 2020 — headlined by the late Kobe Bryant, Tim Duncan and Kevin Garnett — is the most accomplished class in history. After more than a year of delays due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, finally, this weekend, the Basketball Hall of Fame will enshrine the star-studded Class of 2020
May 15, 2021 The season has been a slog for the Boston Celtics. There was a spate of COVID-related absences that shut down practice for a stretch, a knee injury that hampered Kemba Walker, nine straight games missed by key mid-season acquisition Evan Fournier, and finally a devastating season-ending injury to Jaylen Brown. The Celtics
The Washington Wizards may have what it takes to make some postseason noise this spring. After struggling out of the gate, the Washington Wizards played strong enough basketball down the stretch that they project as the last team into the Eastern Conference Playoffs this season. Washington finished in eighth place in the East this year, meaning the Wizards
The 2020-21 regular season was a strange one for many reasons, but especially for the Golden State Warriors. Shortly before the NBA Draft, the team’s championship aspirations took a major hit with the injury to Klay Thompson. The best backcourt in the league would not be on full display this season, but they still had
Bucks forward Giannis Antetokounmpo. (Journal Sentinel) Cubs getting healthy at right time with latest roster moves by Alicia de Artola Milwaukee Bucks forward Giannis Antetokounmpo and his girlfriend Mariah Riddlesprigger are due to welcome a second child into their lives. Congratulations are in order for Giannis Antetokounmpo and his girlfriend, who announced a second baby on
7:37 PM ET LOS ANGELES — The Los Angeles Lakers‘ defense, ranked No. 1 in the NBA during the regular season, will be tested by the league’s leading scorer, Stephen Curry, right away to begin the postseason in Wednesday’s play-in tournament game against the Golden State Warriors (10 p.m. ET, ESPN). “We know who the
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. The official 16-team field for the 2021 NBA Playoffs isn’t set just yet, but postseason basketball is technically upon us thanks to this year’s ingenious play-in games! We saw
Victor Oladipo played just four games with the Miami Heat before a season-ending injury to his right quadriceps tendon. It’s the same devastating injury that knocked him out for over a year with the Indiana Pacers, leading ESPN’s Brian Windhorst to speculate about his availability for the 2021-22 NBA season. “They haven’t announced it yet
NEW YORK, NY – JANUARY 10: Chris Bosh #1 of the Miami Heat and Paul Pierce #34 of the Brooklyn Nets battle for the ball during their game at the Barclays Center on January 10, 2014 in New York City. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this
12:20 PM ET Phoenix Suns coach Monty Williams has been voted as the National Basketball Coaches Association’s Coach of the Year, sources told ESPN on Tuesday. The league’s 30 head coaches vote on the award, which was named in honor of late NBCA executive director, Michael Goldberg. Williams resurrected the Suns’ floundering franchise, leading Phoenix
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. The NBA’s play-in tournament kicks off Tuesday and every team will need stars and role players to come up big. Here’s the secret weapon each team will count on.
11:44 PM ET The Sacramento Kings will bring head coach Luke Walton back for a third season, sources confirmed to ESPN. The Kings extended their record-tying 15-year playoff drought after a second consecutive 31-41 season under Walton, who has two years left on his deal. Sacramento is in the midst of a multiyear rebuilding process
A look back at the NBA playoff history for each of the four play-in tournament matchups, including two teams meeting for the first time ever. Over the NBA’s storied history, numerous changes have been made to the NBA postseason. The reasons for the change vary, sometimes it’s to create more excitement, sometimes it’s to level the
Stephen Curry and LeBron James. (Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images) Packers reveal what they want in return for any potential Aaron Rodgers trade by Brad Berreman LeBron James believes Steph Curry should be named NBA MVP this season. Ahead of their No. 7 vs. No. 8 play-in tournament game on Wednesday night, Los Angeles Lakers
The Los Angeles Lakers will look to defend their NBA title by leaning on improved depth while hoping stars like Anthony Davis and LeBron James can stay fit. The Lakers are one of the most intriguing teams vying for glory in the 2021 NBA Playoffs. They have the make-up of a juggernaut but the seeding