LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. — Kyle Kuzma rang in his first career playoff series win with a glass of wine during Sunday’s early morning hours. The 4-1 series win over the Portland Trail Blazers wasn’t just the sweet cap of an especially long and tense week in the NBA bubble, but also a marker of…
Kyle Kuzma, Alex Caruso have built defensive confidence after Lakers’ first-round win — Daily News
Brown and Kanter were captured on video helping Fall learn how to swim on Monday at the Walt Disney World Resort.
Jaylen Brown, Enes Kanter helping Tacko Fall learn how to swim — The Rookie Wire
Cody Taylor August 31, 2020 5:37 pm00:00 of 01:48Volume 0%00:0301:48 Hide video
After posting a 112-94 win over the Toronto Raptors in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference semifinals on Sunday, some Boston Celtics players spent their day off on Monday in the pool for some fun and extra work.
Jaylen Brown and Enes Kanter were captured on video helping Tacko Fall to learn how to swim. The rookie has previously said in the past that he does not know how to swim and previously took part in lessons at the Boys & Girls Club in Boston.
Fall said he grew up near a beach in Senegal but never went to the water much. However, Fall has, like most players, participated in aquatic exercises, and given his 7-foot-5 frame, he can stand up in most pools so learning how to swim likely hasn’t been a priority.
Tacko Swim Class
Senegalese Phelps
pic.twitter.com/BjiwnF21ZB
— Enes Kanter (@EnesKanter) August 31, 2020
The Celtics have often done several activities together during their time at the Walt Disney World Resort. The group has previously hit the golf course together and they have also taken bike rides around the bubble and other related things.
Nick Nurse of the Toronto Raptors as he wins the 2019-20 NBA Coach of the Year… The last time the Toronto Raptors had a head coach of the year, he got fired in a series of shocking changes in personnel. 2 years later, they have a championship and another coach of the year. This time, […]
The NBA Coach of the Year is a Rockstar – and everyone finally knows it — Unbenched Sports
The last time the Toronto Raptors had a head coach of the year, he got fired in a series of shocking changes in personnel. 2 years later, they have a championship and another coach of the year. This time, he is here to stay. Embed from Getty Imageshttps://embed.gettyimages.com/embed/1164573676?et=S6W6knFGTl53GmtW-JwFMA&tld=com&sig=6OSmlnrw6b0HTcenDtLW7wdrImNmM8PDAW6J9s-60-k=&caption=false&ver=2
Nick Nurse has quite a resume to his career that most people may not know about. After a successful run in his university experience, Nurse decided to take on coaching as a career. For 11 seasons, he coached in the European League. He made his way to the NBA through the G-League, where he had plenty of success, leading the Iowa Energy to the best record in the League as well as obtaining a championship with them, before going on to coach the Rio Grande Valley Vipers. The next year, he won a championship with them too (as if he couldn’t be any more awesome).
Nick Nurse Head Coach of the Iowa Energy is sprayed with champagne as he celebrates their NBA Development League Championship after defeating the Rio Grande Valley Vipers…
He moved into the NBA in July of 2013, working as an assistant coach for the Toronto Raptors, under Dwane Casey. Although he worked on offense, he became a staple for defense when he became the head coach in 2018.
The media has a history of doubting the Raptors. When Kawhi Leonard left the team in the offseason to go home to the LA Clippers, many analysts didn’t even have the Raptors making the playoffs.
Raptors fans are used to being overlooked, and have learned to appreciate what they have. Nick Nurse is a perfect example of this. Initially, Nurse was among the finalists for the COTY award, along with Billy Donovan of the OKC Thunder and Mike Budenholzer of the Milwaukee Bucks before getting the proper recognition in the official vote. Many may have underestimated the Raptors and what Nick Nurse has done for the team. They have the second best record in the league this year, a record that is better than the LA Clippers and Kawhi. They are about to play in the second round after sweeping the Brooklyn Nets and are looking to reach their second championship.
The Toronto Raptors are championship contenders, and they have a powerful force at the wheel: Nick Nurse. Now that everyone knows, it’s time to defend the north.
Mental health of the players in the NBA has become an even more consistent topic inside the bubble.
LeBron James admits to wishing he could leave NBA bubble a few times — LeBron Wire
The mental health of all the NBA players has become a hot button topic this week after Paul George spoke about his own struggles with anxiety and depression, as well as the Milwaukee Bucks-led walkout earlier in the week in reaction to the shooting of Jacob Blake by police in Kenosha, Wisconsin. In the immediate aftermath of the NBA work stoppage on Wednesday, there were reports that LeBron James was considering leaving. After closing out the Blazers on Saturday night, LeBron opened up about his mental state, saying it wasn’t the first time he thought “I’ve got to get the hell out of here.”
Lakers’ LeBron James on whether he was ready to leave bubble after Bucks refused to play: “I’ve had numerous nights & days thinking about leaving. I think everyone has, including you (media) guys. There’s not 1 person who hasn’t (thought), “I’ve got to get the hell out of here.’” pic.twitter.com/qKIZzlzRp1
— Ben Golliver (@BenGolliver) August 30, 2020
James has been more open over the past week in talking about his own struggles inside the bubble. He shared how much he misses his family on Instagram on Saturday, with he and the Lakers closing in on their second full month inside the NBA bubble.
The Lakers will have a few days more to rest as they wait to play the winner of the Rockets-Thunder series, which the Rockets now lead 3-2 heading into Monday’s Game 6.
Toronto and Boston have been two of the hottest teams in the playoffs, coming off first-round sweeps of Brooklyn and Philadelphia, respectively, in the first round.
Tone of Raptors-Celtics matchup changes amid shooting unrest — Lowell Sun
LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. — It took three days longer to close the series than the Lakers expected, and for three-and-a-half quarters, the Trail Blazers kept hope alive that it would take more. But that very faint flame was extinguished by a cruising Anthony Davis, driving into a clear lane in transition on the other…
LeBron James, Anthony Davis dazzle as Lakers top Trail Blazers in first-round series — Daily News
The Boston Celtics will likely be without the services of Tremont Waters in Game 1 of their second-round series with the Toronto Raptors, who have upgraded Kyle Lowry to probable.
Kyle Lowry PROBABLE in Game 1 vs. Celtics; Hayward, Green, Waters OUT — Celtics Wire
The Toronto Raptors have officially listed starting point guard Kyle Lowry as probable for Sunday’s Game 1 of their second-round matchup with the Boston Celtics, but the short break created by the Milwaukee Bucks’ protest on Wednesday has actually made the Celtics’ health a little worse.
While it has moved the team a little closer to the dates wings Gordon Hayward and Javonte Green will potentially be available to return to action, both would be seen as extremely unlikely to make it back on the court during the time frame this series is expected to occur within.
In the interim, floor general Tremont Waters has added his name to the injured list with a left knee sprain, per Boston Sports Journal’s Brian Robb, while Lowry has been upgraded from “questionable” after the unexpected rest, according to ESPN’s Andrew Lopez.
Raptors officially list Kyle Lowry (sprained ankle) as questionable for Game 1 against Celtics.
Tremont Waters (left knee sprain) joins Gordon Hayward and Javonte Green as Celtics ruled out for Game 1.
— Brian Robb (@BrianTRobb) August 29, 2020
Neither Waters nor Green were expected to play significant minutes in this series, even if their loss does ding some of Boston’s relatively thin bench; how Boston will play with Hayward out and Lowry available figures to be a much more critical theme in this series.
And we are less than a day away from finding out how it begins, with tip-off scheduled at 1 p.m. Eastern Time this Sunday, August 30th.
Stuck inside the NBA’s bubble for nearly two months, the video of 29-year-old Jacob Blake getting shot seven times in the back marked a boiling point for the NBA and its players this past week.
Nuggets approaching Sunday’s Game 6 with raw emotions: “We can’t be one foot in, one foot out” — The Denver Post
By Brian Mahoney| Associated Press Cliff Robinson guided UConn out from the bottom and almost helped take the Portland Trail Blazers to the top. He was one of the NBA’s best sixth men, a versatile player who became a predecessor of the modern center. Not bad for a guy who was warned he might not…
Ex-UConn star, top NBA sixth man Cliff Robinson dies at 53 — Times-Standard
Though Westbrook is now healthy after a strained quad, he says he didn’t want to play at all without further action on social justice.
Russell Westbrook didn’t want to play without social justice action — Rockets Wire
After weeks of dealing with a strained right quad, All-Star guard Russell Westbrook is finally healthy and ready to return to the Houston Rockets for Saturday’s Game 5 of their playoff series versus Oklahoma City.
But without the NBA’s latest actions related to social justice, he says he wouldn’t be on the court at all — even when healthy.
“I’m excited to play. But I’m more excited that we’re playing for a cause, that we’re in agreeance to make sure that there’s action,” said the 31-year-old Westbrook, who spoke at Friday’s team practice.
It was the first media availability for the former MVP and nine-time NBA All-Star since an Aug. 12 MRI revealed his quad strain. “If there wasn’t any agreement, there’s no action moving towards some of the things that we talked about as players… me personally, I wouldn’t be playing,” he said.
Earlier Friday, the NBA and National Basketball Players Association (NBPA) jointly issued a statement with action items to be taken to further support social justice and racial equality. One of those — converting arenas to voting sites for the 2020 U.S. presidential election — has already been confirmed by the Rockets to take place in Houston.
Joint NBA and NBPA statement: pic.twitter.com/EFp6fG9oZs
— NBA (@NBA) August 28, 2020
Following the recent police shooting of Jacob Blake, an unarmed Black man in Wisconsin, NBA players effectively went on strike Wednesday in a bid to push the league and its owners to further assist them on issues related to social justice. As Westbrook sees things, it clearly worked.
“I think we all needed a pause,” Westbrook said Friday. “Emotionally, physically, mentally. I think the pause was for a greater cause, for all the social issues in our world today. Based on recent police killings and shootings, it allowed us to use our platform.”
Westbrook noted that the hiatus quickly extended to other U.S. professional sports leagues including the WNBA, MLB, and NHL.
“Once the NBA stopped, everything else [in sports] stopped,” Westbrook said. “Our voices were heard. That shows the power. … We see the impact, we see the change that is happening.”
Russell Westbrook on the NBA’s hiatus:
“I think we all needed a pause. Emotionally, physically, mentally. I think the pause was for a greater cause, for all the social issues in our world today. Based on recent police killings and shootings, it allowed us to use our platform.”
— Ben DuBose (@BenDuBose) August 28, 2020
No NBA playoff games were held on Wednesday, Thursday, or Friday, and the initial postponed games from the first day (including Game 5 of the first-round series between the Rockets and Thunder) will finally be played on Saturday. That game will serve as Westbrook’s 2020 playoff debut.
But Westbrook wasn’t in the mood to talk much basketball on Friday. He wanted to keep the focus of his discussion to the bigger issues at hand, as well as the progress that he believes is being made.
“It’s an unbelievable blessing,” Westbrook said of this week’s protest events. “God has put me in this position for a reason. Not just to play basketball, but to use my platform to help other people.”
#KHOU11 @russwest44 talks about the protest this week by #NBA players. “It’s an unbelievable blessing. God has put me in this position for a reason. Not just to play basketball but to use my platform to help other people.” pic.twitter.com/vH80jLQxU2
— Matt Musil (@KHOUSportsMatt) August 28, 2020
Westbrook became personally involved with the “Black Lives Matter” movement after the death of George Floyd in late May, even speaking in person at a protest near his hometown of Los Angeles. With the movement on the minds of NBA players more than ever after the Blake shooting, Westbrook says he’s determined to use his immense platform to continue pushing for change in the weeks and months ahead.
“I watched the video,” Westbrook said. “It’s heartbreaking. It’s something you can’t explain, and it’s something that’s just not right. … It hits home for many reasons. I grew up in South Central Los Angeles. I have family and friends that have been subject to police brutality. I’ve been privy to it all. … I wanted to find a way to help and make change.”
“What does your legacy mean? Is it just about basketball? I don’t think mine is about basketball. I believe mine is about giving back.” @russwest44 discusses using his platform to affect social change. pic.twitter.com/NbAttx1ISJ
— NBA TV (@NBATV) August 28, 2020
Even above his extremely long list of NBA accomplishments, that change is what Westbrook wants to be most remembered for.
“I’ve always thought about legacy,” Westbrook said. “What does your legacy mean? Is it just about basketball? I don’t think mine is about basketball. I believe mine is about giving back, and impacting and inspiring, and finding ways to be able to do what’s right.”
“Our Black communities have been hurting for many years,” he said. “I feel like it’s my duty to make sure that our Black people and underserved communities are heard, and I’m going to do everything in my power to make sure that happens. I’m making sure that I’m part of history, in a positive way. Whether it’s five years, 10 years, 20 years down the line, I can look back and say ‘I was a part of that. I put my best foot forward.’”
The complete video of Westbrook’s poignant commentary before Friday’s Rockets practice can be viewed below.
Draymond Green is getting a jump start on his media career. Green, whose Golden State Warriors haven’t played since the NBA shut down in mid-March and who weren’t a part of the restart, has been making media appearances during his off time, including as an analyst with the NBA on TNT studio show. Now it […]
Former Michigan State star Draymond Green signs as a contributor with CNN — Spartans Wire
Draymond Green is getting a jump start on his media career.
Green, whose Golden State Warriors haven’t played since the NBA shut down in mid-March and who weren’t a part of the restart, has been making media appearances during his off time, including as an analyst with the NBA on TNT studio show.
Now it appears he will be leaning a bit more into the news and political world, signing on with CNN as a contributor.
Jake Tapper announces on CNN that Draymond Green is now a CNN contributor
— Max Tani (@maxwelltani) August 28, 2020
CNN and TNT are both owned by Turner Broadcasting Systems, so the marriage of Green appearing on networks under the same company umbrella jives. Green has been outspoken on subjects such as racism, police brutality, and social injustice and I’m sure will be right at home talking on CNN about where those issues intersect with sports.
LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. — After two days of protest, angst and deliberation, the NBA and National Basketball Players Association have agreed to resume the playoffs Saturday, with numerous stipulations from team owners and the league to proactively tackle voting and social justice causes. Commissioner Adam Silver and NBPA executive director released a joint statement…
NBA, NBPA agree to resume playoffs, focus on voting, social justice initiatives — Press Telegram
The view from left field 