Miami Heat All-Star forward Bam Adebayo says that his fingers went numb on his game-saving block of Jayson Tatum in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Finals. Heat forward Bam Adebayo had one of the most impressive blocks in NBA playoff history on Tuesday night, sealing a Miami win with a rejection of a Jayson
LAKE BUENA VISTA, FLORIDA – SEPTEMBER 19: Bam Adebayo #13 of the Miami Heat (Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images) 5 candidates to replace Dan Quinn as Atlanta Falcons head coach by Brad Berreman Bam Adebayo insists that his shoulder and wrist are fine. The Miami Heat pulled out another win in pulse-pounding fashion last
7:20 AM ET LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. — In the NBA bubble, a quality cup of coffee is hard to come by. The sweets shop in the El Centro lobby on the way to the practice facility — which offered bitter dark roast — closed soon after players arrived in early July because it wasn’t
LeBron James #23 of the Los Angeles Lakers celebrates with teammates after their win against the Denver Nuggets in Game Five of the Western Conference Finals during the 2020 NBA Playoffs at AdventHealth Arena at the ESPN Wide World Of Sports Complex on September 26, 2020 in Lake Buena Vista, Florida. NOTE TO USER: User
1:44 AM ET A year ago, the hardest thing in front of LeBron James and the Los Angeles Lakers was resurrecting a storied franchise that had missed the playoffs six consecutive seasons. And at the time, that seemed like a pretty steep hill to climb. There was no way to know what awful events lay
Anthony Davis gave the Lakers a scare in the fourth quarter Davis limped around with an ankle injury after coming down hard in the fourth quarter of Game 4. AD lucked out, ironically, as his ankle didn’t bend at a harsh enough angle to sprain or break completely. Davis scored 34 points in 41 minutes
The modern NBA player isn’t willing to dethrone the King, per Paul Pierce Pierce is a notorious King James hater, but he has a decent point here. On ESPN’s NBA pregame show, the analyst discussed the difference between modern NBA players and old heads of the mid 2000’s in terms of defending LeBron. “Players today
12:59 AM ET Tim BontempsESPN LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. — After the Boston Celtics walked into the locker room at halftime of Game 5 of the Eastern Conference finals against the Miami Heat, having produced a second straight lackluster first half in a series they trailed 3-1, they knew something had to change. So, before
The Los Angeles Lakers took a 3-1 lead on the Denver Nuggets in Game 4. Taking a 3-1 lead in the Western Conference Finals Thursday night, the Los Angeles Lakers are one win away from the NBA Finals. However, the Denver Nuggets won’t be deterred facing a deficit they’ve faced before, against a team they
The sports world makes for a beautiful palette but individual images can get lost in the constant shuffle. Here are the best Getty Images sports photos from this week. Maddie Meyer / Getty Images DJ LeMahieu of the New York Yankees throws to first to force out Cesar Puello of the Boston Red Sox during
The Clippers were stunned by the Nuggets in Game 7 on Tuesday night, and Twitter had a field day after Kawhi Leonard and Paul George disappeared late. The Los Angeles Clippers were sent packing by the Denver Nuggets in Tuesday night’s Game 7, completely one of the NBA’s most shocking choke jobs of all time
LAKE BUENA VISTA, FLORIDA – AUGUST 19: Montrezl Harrell #5 reacts after being called for a foul as Paul George #13 looks on (Photo by Kim Klement-Pool/Getty Images) Texans pushing to get 15,000 fans in attendance at home games by Steven Kubitza The Los Angeles Clippers have some chemistry issues stemming from a Paul George
7:00 AM ET All four teams are still afloat in the NBA’s conference finals — and things just keep getting spicier. The Boston Celtics kept their season going by beating the Miami Heat in Friday’s Game 5 121-108. The Denver Nuggets, meanwhile, are hoping to make yet another improbable comeback from a 3-1 series deficit,
11:13 PM ET For the Boston Celtics, the first half of Game 5 of the Eastern Conference finals was a tractor pull. They shot 25 percent from the field in the first quarter. Coming off a simple pick-and-pop with Jayson Tatum, Kemba Walker sent the pass into the hands of assistant coach Scott Morrison on
Heat star Jimmy Butler showed some respect for rookie teammate Tyler Herro, whose incredible Game 4 brought Miami within one game of the NBA Finals. Miami Heat star Jimmy Butler gave props to teammate Tyler Herro for his outstanding Game 4 performance during practice on Thursday, wearing the rookie’s high school jersey. With the 20-year-old
After another season of treading water, is it time for the Houston Rockets to abandon their ideological purity? After losing to the Warriors four of the last five postseasons, the Rockets decided it was time to take a big swing last summer, trading Chris Paul, two first-round picks, and two pick swaps to the Oklahoma
A dramatic overhaul seems like it could be coming to the Philadelphia 76ers. The staff of The Step Back put together five of our favorite trade ideas. A disastrous playoff appearance has put the Philadelphia 76ers in a tough spot. They are already looking for a new head coach and trade rumors are beginning to
6:43 PM ET LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. — The Los Angeles Lakers are one win away from going to the NBA Finals for the first time since Kobe Bryant led them past the Boston Celtics a decade ago. So, it was apt when, in describing how the Lakers are tempering their emotions in the moment,
The Denver Nuggets have been the comeback kids of the NBA Playoff bubble, but the Los Angeles Lakers are looking to take their lunch money. From the mostly blank spaces at the top of their jerseys to the hope-crushing defeats of their previous playoff opponents, the Los Angeles Lakers are in Orlando for business. They
WASHINGTON, DC – FEBRUARY 03: Isaiah Thomas #4 of the Washington Wizards looks on against the Golden State Warriors in the first half at Capital One Arena on February 03, 2020 in Washington, DC. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the
6:51 AM ET DWYANE WADE SPENT just one season playing alongside Jimmy Butler in Chicago, but that was all that was needed to form a deep — and familiar — impression. “He’s a Heat guy,” Wade later told Erik Spoelstra, the coach of Wade’s longtime franchise, the Miami Heat. Spoelstra probably didn’t need the future
(Photo credit should read RHONA WISE/AFP via Getty Images) Bam Adebayo says his twisted wrist is fine by Mike Luciano A new episode of the Over and Back podcast celebrates the NBA’s conference finals with a look at fan favorites to suit up for the Heat, Celtics, Lakers and Nuggets. The NBA’s conference finals are
2:44 AM ET LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. — If Jamal Murray was going add yet another comeback victory to the Denver Nuggets’ dream postseason run, he was going to have to go through LeBron James to do so. With the Los Angeles Lakers clinging to a four-point lead with just more than five minutes remaining
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
In this week’s NBA Power Rankings, Tyler Herro’s stock is rising, Jamal Murray is feeding a wolf and the non-traditional big man is having a moment. Our new look NBA Power Rankings are back, a non-traditional structure for a non-traditional era of professional basketball. The world is no longer just about wins and losses and
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. So many players have changed their reputations in the NBA Bubble, taking leaps and making statements about ceilings raised. And perhaps no trio has forced more perceptual change
8:50 PM ET LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. — Dwight Howard will start at center for Game 4 of the Western Conference finals, the Los Angeles Lakers announced shortly before tipoff Thursday. Howard replaced JaVale McGee in the first unit to begin the second half of Game 3. L.A. leads the Denver Nuggets 2-1 in the
(Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images) Trevor Bauer shatters the perception of pitchers on short rest by David Salituro Tyler Herro’s Game 4 explosion spawned a million terrible puns and moved the Heat one step closer to an NBA Finals berth. Tyler Herro is a wispy mustache and a bottomless fountain of swagger. He’s Scott
Los Angeles Lakers point guard Rajon Rondo added to his playoff legend on Tuesday night, passing Kobe Bryant on an impressive career leaderboard. Los Angeles point guard Rajon Rondo moved into ninth place on the career playoff assists leaderboard on Tuesday night, passing Lakers legend Kobe Bryant and adding to the mystique of “Playoff Rondo”
Kristaps Porzingis, Luka Doncic, Dallas Mavericks. (Photo by Ashley Landis-Pool/Getty Images) Celtics complete first-round sweep of 76ers by Scott Rogust 4 fights fans should be looking forward to in September & October by Chad Porto Kristaps Porzingis will not play for the Dallas Mavericks on Sunday. Though Luka Doncic is good to go on Sunday