The Boston Celtics looked poised to become the Eastern Conference’s next great dynasty. But is it possible their window is already closing? For 180 million years, dinosaurs roamed the earth. Forget the Bill Russell Celtics or the Michael Jordan Bulls — this was the dynasty. They had size and speed, they defended tenaciously, and if
BOSTON, MA – NOVEMBER 1: Jayson Tatum #0 exits the court with his son Deuce (Photo by Kathryn Riley/Getty Images) Astros finishing season with losing record should bring you comfort by Scott Rogust Aaron Rodgers gives teammate friendly assist after scoring drive (Video) by Steven Kubitza Deuce Tatum, Jayson Tatum’s son, broke out a homemade
10:49 PM ET Tim BontempsESPN LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. — NBA commissioner Adam Silver said Friday night that it is unlikely the league will take a break next summer for the Olympic Games, a decision that could dramatically impact the tournament if it is able to be played. “We’ll consider it. I think it’s unlikely,
LAKE BUENA VISTA, FLORIDA – SEPTEMBER 30: Andre Iguodala #28 of the Miami Heat and Kendrick Nunn #25 of the Miami Heat defend LeBron James #23 of the Los Angeles Lakers during the fourth quarter in Game One of the 2020 NBA Finals at AdventHealth Arena at the ESPN Wide World Of Sports Complex on
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 Miami Heat are in a deep dark hole — trailing 1-0, looking to shake off an 18-point Game 1 loss and probably do it without two of
8:00 AM ET THE OTHER DAY in practice, Miami Heat forward Andre Iguodala caught the ball on the wing, looked toward the corner and fired a pass to Derrick Jones Jr. under the basket for an easy dunk. It was not what he was supposed to do. The ball was moving and finding energy with
6:55 AM ET The Miami Heat and Los Angeles Lakers have combined to play in nine of the past 15 NBA Finals series — including seven consecutive from 2008 to 2014 — without ever facing each other. That is, until Game 1 on Wednesday, the first time the two teams met on the NBA’s biggest
The star of the Philadelphia 76ers expressed pure happiness after the team hired Doc Rivers as their new head coach. This past Monday, the Los Angeles Clippers announced the they and head coach Doc Rivers agreed to mutually part ways. Rivers immediately became the top commodity on the NBA’s head coaching market, and the Philadelphia
10:58 PM ET On Thursday, Doc Rivers snatched an opportunity to sculpt a young tandem — Joel Embiid and Ben Simmons — whose stardom would tantalize any coach, but who have yet to make good on their talent. Rivers enters a Philadelphia 76ers organization with title aspirations that believes an upgrade on the bench can
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. It’s hard to take many insights from a game that was essentially over at halftime and saw three of the Heat’s most important players suffer injuries — Goran
Toronto Raptors win Game 3 (Photo by Douglas P. DeFelice/Getty Images) Deshaun Watson offers to pay rent of elderly woman struggling due to COVID-19 pandemic by Amy Kaplan OG Anunoby hits improbable buzzer-beater to save Raptors from 3-0 deficit (Video) by John Buhler OG Anunoby won Game 3 for the Toronto Raptors and saved their
6:50 AM ET THERE’S A PLAY in today’s NBA that can produce everything from a cut to the basket to a high-value 3-point shot. It’s a side out-of-bounds box set that features interchangeable positions and multiple options. And whenever the Golden State Warriors run it, they have to pantomime. “I didn’t want my guys yelling
Sep 30, 2020; Orlando, Florida, USA; Miami Heat guard Goran Dragic (7) shoots the ball against Los Angeles Lakers guard Alex Caruso (4) and forward LeBron James (23) during the second quarter in game one of the 2020 NBA Finals at AdventHealth Arena. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports Lakers demolish Heat in injury-stricken Game
12:47 AM ET The Los Angeles Lakers made a loud statement with a 116-98 Game 1 win over the Miami Heat in the NBA Finals. LeBron James recorded 25 points, 13 rebounds and 9 assists, Anthony Davis added a game-high 34 points and 9 rebounds, and the 3-pointers were dropping for the Lakers, who turned
It doesn’t sound possible, but did you know that the crazy NBA summer of 2019 was, in fact, over a year ago? Wildly, in any normal, non-pandemic season, it all would have been over three months ago and, usually, media days would be right around the corner, but not this time. The 2019-20 NBA season
3:27 PM ET Philadelphia 76ers ownership — including Josh Harris and David Blitzer — will meet with Doc Rivers in Philadelphia on Wednesday night on the franchise’s head-coaching job, sources tell ESPN. Rivers talked earlier Wednesday with general manager Elton Brand. Other top candidates — including Mike D’Antoni and Ty Lue — also met with
The Lakers and Heat are an NBA Finals matchup with all sorts of historical ramifications and interesting questions. These are the lineup, matchup and strategic issues that will decide a winner. The NBA Finals are finally here. It’s been a long, strange road, so let’s not bother with a long preamble. Here are the tactical questions
The Miami Heat win with depth and versatility. The Los Angeles Lakers win with star power. Which style will win out in the NBA Finals? When LeBron James left Miami to rejoin the Cavaliers in 2014, creating a still unrepaired rift between James and his former team, neither the Heat nor the Lakers appeared remotely
7:30 AM ET After much springtime bloviating, there will be no asterisk on this NBA championship. If anything, it will be more badge of honor — a mark of perseverance through isolation, mental strain, and the internal discord of performing a job in the entertainment industry while issues of social and racial justice roiled outside
6:09 PM ET LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. — Like a parent being asked to rank their favorite children, Los Angeles Lakers star LeBron James wanted no part in assigning special value to a 2020 NBA championship, should he win it against his former team, the Miami Heat. “It’s no extra meaning to winning a championship,
MIAMI, FL – MAY 24: LeBron James #6 and head coach Erik Spoelstra of the Miami Heat (Photo by Marc Serota/Getty Images) Twins fan trolling Astros with trash can outside Target Field (Video) by Steven Kubitza LeBron James had a lot of good things to say about Miami Heat coach Erik Spoelstra. Miami Heat head
Joel Embiid and his girlfriend welcomed their first child on Thursday. Joel Embiid and the Philadelphia 76ers had NBA championship aspirations this season. But that never came to fruition, as the 76ers were the first team eliminated from the playoffs in the Orlando bubble after getting swept by the Boston Celtics. While getting sent home early
6:45 AM ET An hour before the 2019 NBA Finals tipped off in Toronto — the first time the league’s showcase event had been played outside the United States — commissioner Adam Silver reminded those watching that basketball’s founder, James Naismith, was a Christian missionary who brought the game to China and Europe in the
Miami Heat rookie Tyler Herro has made a small leap during the playoffs to help his team reach the NBA Finals in Orlando. The signature bucket of Tyler Herro’s 37-point Game 4 performance will be remembered as the deep, bravado-driven step-back triple he netted over All-Defensive First Team member Marcus Smart. It pushed Miami’s lead
11:38 AM ET Ramona Shelburne Close ESPN Senior Writer Senior writer for ESPN.com Spent seven years at the Los Angeles Daily News Ohm Youngmisuk Close ESPN Staff Writer Ohm Youngmisuk has covered the Giants, Jets and the NFL since 2006. Prior to that, he covered the Nets, Knicks and the NBA for nearly a decade.
The LA Clippers have parted ways with Doc Rivers. Who should replace him as head coach? Doc Rivers is a well-respected NBA head coach with championship experience. He’s 11th on the league’s all-time wins list, has won nearly 60 percent of his games over 21 years in the association and is one of the biggest
5:18 PM ET Doc Rivers is out as head coach of the LA Clippers, sources told ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski, following a season that fell well short of championship expectations after the team landed All-Stars Kawhi Leonard and Paul George last summer. Against the Denver Nuggets, the Clippers squandered a 3-1 lead in the Western Conference
7:50 PM ET The risk profile on next season, already trending toward the red, just got hotter for the LA Clippers. After a devastating postseason collapse along with the crashing realization that both Kawhi Leonard and Paul George can become free agents next summer, parting with Doc Rivers Monday has only increased the stakes. This
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. In 2015, with backs to the wall and 1.5 seconds left on the clock, LeBron hit a buzzer-beating baseline jumper to give the Cavaliers another playoff win. It
12:43 AM ET Tim BontempsESPN LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. — This season, the Boston Celtics reached the Eastern Conference finals for the third time in four years. Now, although there was one obvious difference about this trip — it came inside the NBA’s bubble at the Walt Disney World Resort — they find themselves facing