Growing up in South Florida, my first memory of winning came in 2001. The Miami Hurricanes went undefeated and beat Nebraska in the national championship game. Look at this roster. Stacked. That was my first championship, but the last for the once-dynastic Hurricanes. My next memory was only a few years later, in 2004. The
6:00 PM ET Tim BontempsESPN MILWAUKEE — The Boston Celtics have known for the better part of three months now that, if they were going to make it to the NBA Finals, they were going to have to go through the Milwaukee Bucks. And, more specifically, they were going to have to try to slow
Forever stuck in his feelings, Kevin Durant delivered a 50-point masterpiece Friday night as the Golden State Warriors eliminated the L.A. Clippers from the postseason and stepped over what had at times looked like an unlikely threat to the Warriors’ dynasty. The Clippers took them to six games and the Warriors seemed shell-shocked, even insulted,
3:45 AM ET DENVER — The Denver Nuggets watched a 17-point lead shrink to two with 52 seconds left Saturday night against San Antonio Spurs, and suddenly Game 7 and what had been an incredible 54-win season was on the verge of slipping away. But then Nuggets guard Jamal Murray rose up and sank a
The Nuggets made just enough plays down the stretch to hold off the Spurs in Game 7, moving on to face the Trail Blazers. It was an ugly, bricky Game 7 between the Nuggets and Spurs. No one made mistakes with the ball, the two teams combined for just 12 turnovers. But both teams shot
By the end of the night, the NBA’s postseason second round will be officially set — first from 30 teams to 16 and soon just nine shall remain. Throughout the regular season — and for much of the last two years, actually — the biggest, most important question has been repeatedly asked ad nauseam: Can
Meeting with Tyronn Lue was inevitable, but the Los Angeles Lakers seem ready to take their coaching search to a different level now. The worst-kept secret in the NBA was the Los Angeles Lakers letting coach Luke Walton go, even if it was framed publicly as a mutual parting of ways. Tyronn Lue immediately surfaced as
As the Los Angeles Lakers look for a new head coach, their apparent desire to keep Kurt Rambis in a prominent role stands to put a handcuff on the search. Leaving aside the hints of behind the scenes issues, Magic Johnson’s sudden resignation as team president gave the Los Angeles Lakers an opportunity to extend
1:19 AM ET TORONTO — Five minutes into the Toronto Raptors‘ 108-95 win over the Philadelphia 76ers in Game 1 of their Eastern Conference semifinals series, the crowd at Scotiabank Arena roared in anticipation. The player with possession wasn’t Kawhi Leonard, Kyle Lowry or Pascal Siakam, because Toronto was defending in half court. Sixers center
The best high salary and value picks for DraftKings fantasy basketball on Saturday, April 27. Saturday’s DraftKings slate: 7:30 p.m. ET: Philadelphia at Toronto10 p.m. ET: San Antonio at Denver My favorite plays of the day can be found on the following slides in FanSided’s DraftKings daily picks. Each day in order to offer a variety
Previewing the first-round series between the Golden State Warriors and Los Angeles Clippers with shot charts, assist maps, offensive style charts and expected win probabilities. Shot charts In a tremendous underdog story, the Golden State Warriors once again finished with the number one seed in the Western Conference playoffs. As always, they were led by
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA – APRIL 18: Patrick Beverley #21 of the LA Clippers reacts to his foul on Kevin Durant #35 of the Golden State Warriors during Game Two of Round One of the 2019 NBA Playoffs at Staples Center on April 18, 2019 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Harry How/Getty Images) NOTE TO
5:16 PM ET TORONTO — The Philadelphia 76ers won’t have one of their most prominent fans in the stands when they open up the second round of the playoffs on the road against the Toronto Raptors on Saturday, and Sixers limited partner Michael Rubin is not happy about it. Meek Mill, the popular Philadelphia-native rapper
Another offseason, another Phoenix Suns head coaching search is underway. After a year with Igor Kokoskov at the helm, the Suns felt as if they had seen enough. A longtime NBA assistant and head coach of the Slovenian national team, Kokoskov had a rough go of it in Phoenix. The team limped to a 19-63
8:46 AM ET Which two teams will win the Eastern Conference semifinals, and how many games will each series go? Our ESPN Forecast panel predicts Celtics-Bucks and 76ers-Raptors. Note: All predictions made before Game 1 of each series. Forecast predictions represent percentage of total votes. BPI and 538 predictions represent likelihood to win. (2) Raptors
Damian Lillard sent the Thunder packing and his Trail Blazers to the second round with an all-time great playoff performance. One of the feistiest first-round series in this year’s playoffs was ended by one of the greatest shots in playoff history. With the score tied at 115, Damian Lillard calmly dribbled the ball just this
LOS ANGELES, CA – APRIL 26: Golden State Warriors Forward Kevin Durant (35) warms up before game six of the first round of the 2019 NBA Playoffs between the Golden State Warriors and the Los Angeles Clippers on April 26, 2019 at Staples Center in Los Angeles, CA. (Photo by Brian Rothmuller/Icon Sportswire via Getty
Utah staved off elimination Monday night with a victory over a Houston team that went cold when it mattered most, but they still face an impossible task. For three quarters, it didn’t matter that the Utah Jazz were the team that came out with more urgency, more intensity, and far more like the one down
1:01 AM ET LOS ANGELES — Golden State Warriors superstar Kevin Durant scored 50 points in a dominating 129-110 series-clinching win over the LA Clippers on Friday night in Game 6 of their Western Conference first-round playoff. Durant’s performance put him in rarefied air within NBA history. With his 38 first-half points, Durant tied Phoenix
It’s easy to overlook Zhaire Smith considering he missed 76 games in what should have been his rookie season. But overlooked and unimpactful are very different things. And it’s hard to argue the potential impact Smith can have on the basketball court. In college, Smith was a reliable contributor in his lone season at Texas
Containing high-powered offensive weapons in the NBA often starts away from the point of attack, before a play really even starts. Make a scorer uncomfortable before he catches the ball, and he might become less threatening when he makes his move. Against elite shooters, that process often involves denying access to the screens and cuts
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA – APRIL 05: Luke Walton of the Los Angeles Lakers looks on during the first half of the game against the Los Angeles Clippers at Staples Center on April 05, 2019 in Los Angeles, California. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User
8:33 AM ET ESPN.com Facebook Twitter Facebook Messenger Pinterest Email print Will the Milwaukee Bucks coast through another series? Are the Toronto Raptors and Philadelphia 76ers destined to go seven games? Our experts make their picks for the Eastern Conference semifinals. Note: Experts’ picks for the Western Conference semifinals will be added following the Nuggets-Spurs
Previewing the second-round series between the Toronto Raptors and Philadelphia 76ers with shot charts, assist maps, offensive style charts and expected win probabilities. Shot charts Despite an early slip-up, the Toronto Raptors handled the Orlando Magic with relative easy in Games 2-5, with an average margin of victory of 18.25 points. While the Raptors offense
DETROIT, MI – APRIL 22: Giannis Antetokounmpo #34 of the Milwaukee Bucks dunks the ball against the Detroit Pistons during Game Four of Round One of the 2019 NBA Playoffs on April 22, 2019 at Little Caesars Arena in Detroit, Michigan. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this
Blake Griffin experienced a career renaissance this season. Can the Detroit Pistons build around him and on their playoff experience? This was the season Blake Griffin found his career’s second wind. Griffin, 30, averaged 24 points and played in 75 games for the first time since the 2013-14 season — when he finished third in
7:59 AM ET While the East gets ready for the conference semifinals this weekend, spots in the West are still up for grabs. What are the biggest things to watch in Game 6 of Golden State Warriors vs. LA Clippers (10 p.m. ET, ESPN)? Do the Warriors have a defense problem, and are their title
OAKLAND, CA – APRIL 24: Patrick Beverley #21 and Montrezl Harrell #5 of the LA Clippers talk during Game Five of Round One of the 2019 NBA Playoffs against the Golden State Warriors on April 24, 2019 at ORACLE Arena in Oakland, California. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or
It’s easy to overlook Zhaire Smith considering he missed 76 games in what should have been his rookie season. But overlooked and unimpactful are very different things. And it’s hard to argue the potential impact Smith can have on the basketball court. In college, Smith was a reliable contributor in his lone season at Texas
Working against a mathematical disadvantage, the Spurs couldn’t muster the offense to counter a beautiful performance from Nikol Jokić and the Nuggets in Game 5. After falling behind twice in its first playoff series since 2013, the Nuggets defeated the Spurs soundly to take a 3-2 series lead Tuesday night. While Denver holds just a