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In the 1980’s and into the 1990’s, the Boston Celtics and the Los Angeles Lakers defined and completely revived the NBA.

The primary stars of that rivalry, of course, were Magic Johnson and Larry Bird, but both teams were full of great players. L.A. had Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, James Worthy, and others, while Boston also featured Kevin McHale and Robert Parish. All of these players are in the Hall of Fame.

But there were more great players on those teams, including Michael Cooper for L.A., and the late Dennis Johnson for Boston.

In this video, Dee Brown, who joined the Celtics in 1990, talks about his teammate, Dennis Johnson, and tells Cooper something he never would have imagined.

Johnson, he explains, counted opponents dribbles, and watched how they dribbled when they were relaxed and under stress. Basically, he was applying his own form of analytics to opposing ball handlers.

Cooper marvels at this, and says that it explains why Johnson – who Bird called his favorite teammate ever – was constantly getting steals in the fourth quarter.

It’s a level of basketball intellect that, until Brown revealed it, no one knew about Johnson.

Cooper, still amazed, says that even at 70, he’s still learning things about the game that surprise him.

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Jahmir Young is making his case for a roster spot for the Miami Heat this summer.

Surrounded by teammates wearing jerseys numbered in the 60s and 70s, Young has taken the NBA Summer League by storm. His latest outing saw him drop 30 points and 12 rebounds in the Heat’s 99-90 loss to the Toronto Raptors.

DOUBLE-DOUBLE ALERT 🚨 Jahmir Young WENT OFF for the @MiamiHEAT summer league squad with a game-high 30 PTS and 12 REB 👏 pic.twitter.com/6YmgdGpxEZ

— NBA G League (@nbagleague) July 17, 2026

Young shot 12-of-24 from the field and 5-of-13 from 3-point range while also contributing three assists, two steals and a block across 33 minutes.

However, his seven turnovers in the game also led his team, something that could hold Young back from getting on the court alongside Giannis Antetokounmpo and crew come October.

Young and the Heat finished 1-3 in the Summer League, placing 22nd in the standings. They are set to next play either on Sunday or Monday, depending on the results of other games.

In other news

Maryland women’s basketball alum Chloe Bibby scored a career high 14 points in the WNBA.

Former Terp Chloe Bibby had a career-high 14 points for the Chicago Sky 🐢 pic.twitter.com/oQS6gLBjvp

— Inside Maryland Sports (@Terrapins247) July 16, 2026

We are less than a month away from college sports being officially back.

One month away from being back! ⏰

Terps season and home opener against Fordham is August 16th! 📆 pic.twitter.com/BPxreGwRKJ

— Maryland W. Soccer (@TerpsWSoccer) July 16, 2026

Former Kentucky Basketball standouts Tyler Herro and Bam Adebayo have found themselves in the headlines for an unexpected reason after reports surfaced of a physical altercation between the two former Miami Heat teammates in Las Vegas.

According to ESPN’s Shams Charania, the incident occurred on July 10 after Adebayo confronted Herro over comments made on social media following Herro’s offseason trade to the Milwaukee Bucks in the blockbuster deal that sent Giannis Antetokounmpo to Miami. The confrontation escalated, with reports stating Adebayo struck Herro before others stepped in to prevent the situation from worsening.

Days later, ESPN’s Ramona Shelburne reported that Herro is ready to leave the incident behind.

“Honestly, I’m just trying to move past all of it,” Herro told Ramona Shelburne of ESPN. “I’m focused on Milwaukee and building something special.”

Herro also expressed excitement about returning to his hometown team.

“I’m ready to come home and not prove everyone wrong,” Herro said. “But just be able to represent the city and the state because I wanted to do that coming out of school as well.”

The situation is disappointing for Kentucky fans, as both players remain among the program’s most recognizable NBA alumni. Adebayo starred on Kentucky’s 2016-17 Elite Eight team alongside De’Aaron Fox and Malik Monk before becoming a multi-time NBA All-Star. Herro helped lead Kentucky to the Elite Eight in 2018-19, the Wildcats’ most recent appearance that deep into the NCAA Tournament.

While emotions boiled over following their split in Miami, Herro’s latest comments suggest he’s eager to turn the page. Kentucky fans will now hope both former Wildcats can move beyond the incident and continue thriving in their NBA careers.

The Cleveland Cavaliers will wrap up what has been a successful Summer League on Friday when they take on the Chicago Bulls for their fifth and final game.

You want to see your recent draft picks flash in Summer League. Meleek Thomas has certainly done that. He proved that he can be an efficient, high-volume scorer in this environment. What that means in the grand scheme of things is anyone’s guess. Summer League success doesn’t always translate to the NBA, but it’s a good starting point as we inch closer to training camp in the fall.

Thomas didn’t play in the last game and presumably won’t be playing this one either. The main selling points to this contest will be the battle for a two-way spot. Even though all three spots are currently filled by Tristan Enaruna, Riley Minix, and Ernest Udeh Jr., two-way deals don’t count against the cap, so players can be cut at any time.

Enaruna has missed the majority of Summer League due to an illness.

Minix has struggled mightily to find his shot. He’s averaged 8.3 points on .308/.005/.667 shooting splits in four games.

Udeh has shown to be a good rim protector and rebounder, but the lack of scoring has been concerning. He’s averaging just 4.5 points per game on 40% shooting.

The latter two’s struggles have opened the door for someone else to lay claim to that role.

It’s worth mentioning here that Malaki Branham, who’s had an impressive showing this summer, isn’t eligible for a two-way spot because he has four years of NBA service time.

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Who: Cleveland Cavaliers vs. Chicago Bulls

Where: Thomas & Mack Center – Las Vegas, NV

When: Fri., July 17 at 7 PM

TV: ESPN

Point spread: Cavs -1.5

Cavs notable players: Meleek Thomas, Ernest Udeh Jr., Riley Minix, Tristan Enaruna, Malaki Branham

Bulls notable players: Caleb Wilson, Dailyn Swain, Noa Essengue, Jaylin Sellers, Tobe Awaka

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The Washington Wizards play the Atlanta Hawks tomorrow night in the NBA Summer League. Let’s preview one last game before we have no more Wizards games until the preseason.

Game info

When: Saturday, July 17 at about 7 p.m. ET

Where: Cox Pavilion, Las Vegas

How to watch: ESPN, Monumental Sports Network

What to watch for

The Wizards finished their four game NBA Summer League record with a 2-2 record. That is clearly not enough to get to the semifinals so the consolation round it is. There’s only one consolation game based on seeding, where they will play against the Hawks who have a 3-1 record.

Atlanta’s Roster is headined by numerous rookies by Kobe Johnson, the No. 8 pick in the 2026 Draft; Zuby Ejiofor, the No. 23 pick and Henri Veesaar, all of whom are averaging double digits in scoring. Johnson and Veesaar have also played every Summer Leauge game for Atlanta.

Assuming this holds, the Hawks will likely be favored to beat the Wizards, who won’t have AJ Dybantsa, Tre Johnson or Will Riley. Chris Livingston, Seth Trimble, Kadary Richmond and Reece Beekman have been the only Wizards to play in all four games so far. Expect them to get significant minutes tomorrow night as they look to make one last good impression before the front office decides on training camp invites and potential G League moves with the Capital City Go-Go.

He’s not a legendary championship coach holding on too tight and for too long. Not Bowden or Beamer or anyone else in their twilight whose next move is retirement. 

Dabo Swinney’s next job could be his best job yet. 

“You get a lot of love, you get a lot of hate in this (coaching) world,” Swinney said Thursday at ACC media days. “I’ve had bunch of both, enough for a lifetime.”

And now it might be time to move on.

Let’s get something perfectly clear from the jump: this isn’t a Dabo hot seat diatribe. It’s not about how many wins he needs to feel safe (whatever that means), or how many losses he can endure in what has become a crossroads season. 

That it’s even a nonsensical narrative right now is utterly laughable. 

He’s the guy with 13 seasons of double-digit wins in 17 full seasons as coach at Clemson. He has won 11 championships in the last 15 years, including two national titles. 

His players don’t get in trouble, his program has never been in the NCAA crosshairs.

Yet there he was this entire offseason, and during his time at ACC media days, playing defense. The six losses in 2025 were his fault, he said, blame him. 

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Bad coaching, bad execution. Just bad all around. 

All that just months after staring down detractors during last year’s shocking regression, and daring Clemson to fire him. If they don’t want him, they can hire someone else.

At one point, he looked dead in the press conference cameras and declared, “I ain’t going to the beach. I gotta long way to go.”

Swinney breathes Clemson. The community, the people and what it has done for him — professionally and personally. A more than two-decade love affair as an assistant and head coach. 

But that doesn’t mean it can’t or won’t end. He’s 56, he’s in fantastic health and has a plan that’s been wildly successful at the highest level of the sport.

You’ve got to be kidding if you think Swinney couldn’t take Tennessee and build an absolute monster. Or Florida State. Or North Carolina or Oklahoma. 

Or any job with the money and will to make it all happen. Any job, any year, is available in this volatile age of win or walk or leave for the NFL.   

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Now think about this: the very thing that fueled those elite Clemson teams is on the verge of circling back. If college sports legislation currently working its way through Congress leaves players with one free transfer in a five-year playing window, Swinney’s high school recruiting and development takes center stage again.

C.J. Spiller and Da'Quan Bowers. DeAndre Hopkins and Sammy Watkins. Vic Beasley and Shaq Lawson ― and so many more we've all forgotten in the wake of Deshaun Watson and Trevor Lawrence.

When players are given one free transfer, it’s no longer about annually turning over rosters with the transfer portal, of which Swinney has never been a fan. It’s about organic recruiting and development, about finding the best players and the best fit.

The last thing Swinney should be doing is apologizing for a six-loss season. Or letting the frustration of such a season push him to telling Clemson if you don’t want me, I’ll find the door.

“I’ve been dead, I’m gone,” Swinney said. “I think I’m still here, all right?”

But that doesn’t mean his best days aren’t still in front of him. Doesn’t mean he can’t start over at another school and take his plan and passion and beat the brakes off everyone again.

In a perfect world, Swinney gets the ship righted, the Tigers are back in the College Football Playoff and it’s Nehis and Moon Pies for everyone in Clemson. If it only it were that simple. 

When you’re a victim of your own remarkable success, there’s only one way to go. It may just be time to start over. 

That, or eventually become the guy holding on too tight for too long.    

Matt Hayes is the senior national college football writer for USA TODAY Sports Network. Follow him on X at @MattHayesCFB. Listen to him daily on 1010XL-Jacksonville.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Why Clemson coach Dabo Swinney's next college football job will be his best job

The SummerKnicks wrapped up their scheduled Las Vegas slate with an 87-77 loss to the SummerWarriors, ending their Sin City run with a 1-3 record and a consolation game against the SummerMavs later today.

No recap nor scenes, so here’s a kinda sorta summary of the most important performances we watched, along with a bunch of other links and notes.

• The Knicks roster is mostly settled, but there are still a couple openings in the 15-man squad and one of those must be filled before the start of the regular season:
  • It keeps looking like Tyler Nickel has the cleanest NBA skill and could contribute buckets off the pine with gusto.
  • German will-he-won’t-he-stash Kayil has the most intriguing upside and has had the highest of highs and lowest of lows through Summer League.
  • Jaden Akins had the biggest scoring game and explosion, but that might as well had been a one-off thing.
  • Big man Liam Robbins fits the biggest positional need, but he hasn’t been any convincing.
  • Dillon Jones was already in tow last season has the Brown’s trust advantage.
  • Pacome Dadiet looked good for a minute but not so much the rest of the way, as well as having a fourth-year option deadline looming.
• Akins was the man of the minute on Thursday, coming off the bench and dumping 21 points on 9-of-20 shooting and 3-of-8 from three, but his late case for one of New York’s two-way slots might have come, well, too late. At the end of the day, Akins had scored two points in his previous appearance.
• Nickel scored nine points, all from three, and remains the most reliable shooter and perhaps even all-around player in the SummerKnicks roster at this point, even though he’s got a clear 1A skill and then a bunch of Ds elsewhere is his toolbox. The defense looks competitive enough—against similar SummerTeam opponents, mind you—but it’s increasingly likely we see Nickel here and there from October on.
• Robbins continued to make his own case to land one of the spots as the Knicks third-string center with 13 points, nine rebounds, four blocks, and two assists, in a cool performance with numbers across the board.
• Kayil came down to earth and looked like a 20-year-old second-round pick, finishing with four points on 2-of-9 shooting and missing all seven of his threes. That said, put up a solid stat line with five rebounds, four assists and one steal, but the offensive shine disappeared a bit and he committed three turnovers.
• Dadiet had another rough shooting night, scoring nine points on 3-of-12 from the field and 1-of-7 from deep. The Knicks have until Oct. 31 to decide on his fourth-year option, and the evidence so far has not exactly made the $5 million question easier. If anything, New York could pick it up to move him later if they fear/don’t want to lose him for free in free agency next July. Not sure if you can dump Paco for anything in return, though.
• Jones finished with five points, seven rebounds… and seven turnovers. Not six, seven. He remains valuable to Mike Brown behind the scenes and has two championship rings in two seasons, but Summer League point-forward Dillon Jones may need to return to the laboratory.

Greatness respects greatness 🏆 @nyknickspic.twitter.com/mTxafYZnIE

— Fanatics (@Fanatics) July 16, 2026

• Jalen Brunson spoke at a Wall Street Journal’s sports event, per the New York Post, and revealed the biggest challenge facing the Knicks as the reigning champs. Target on thy back! Also, as for Mitchell Robinson, Brunson said he will always love him, except for a very precise 192 minutes.

“How are we going to evolve as a team? How are we going to figure out what’s the next step for us? And that’s going to be a really big, important question coming in the training camp: How are we going to be better? How are we going to literally look at the trophy, know that was last year and then forget about it? And so, it’s going to be a very interesting training camp to see where our mind’s at. But I’m excited for the challenge.”

• The New York Post dropped their early NBA power rankings following the end of free agency—pending LeBron James’ decision—and ranked the Pacers as the biggest threat for the Knicks in the East… while burying the ECF Cavaliers all the down to No. 16.
• LeBron James gave the Knicks some significant praise during his live Mind the Game appearance at Fanatics Fest, naming the Knicks’ “unsung hero” of the entire championship run and giving Mike Brown big kudos for his tweaks.
• Tyrese Haliburton tried to get LeBron to announce his decision during Thursday’s live “Mind the Game” podcast, without luck.
• A Queens kid got more out of LeBron than Haliburton did.
• Adam Silver revealed why the NBA has not finished next season’s schedule.
• Pat Riley is not being subtle about Miami’s intentions.

Jon Elmore celly got me weak pic.twitter.com/ucz9dG1ma7

— … (@MindOfBron) July 16, 2026

LJ Cryer made it to the Final Four twice in his college career, going to the finals each time. His five three-pointers lifted the Golden State Warriors to a date with the Los Angeles Lakers in the semifinals of NBA Summer League on Saturday night in Las Vegas.

LJ Cryer is putting on a show!
He's got five from deep 👌

📺 @NBCSAuthenticpic.twitter.com/flhsuJDuww

— Golden State Warriors (@warriors) July 17, 2026

The Warriors defeated the New York Knicks, 87-77, on Thursday, behind Cryer’s 17 points and five assists. That raised their record to 3-1 in summer contests, and earned them the No. 4 seed in the summer playoffs thanks to a +6.3 point differential (nine teams went 3-1). The second seed is the Memphis Grizzlies, who rode their roster of 23-year-old and four-year Summer League veterans to a 3-1 record and a +11.5 differential, and the third seed is the Houston Rockets (+11.0), who have gotten huge scoring efforts from No. 31 pick Bruce Thornton.

The Grizzlies handed the Warriors their only loss in Las Vegas with a dominant effort, helped in part by having a team full of players who were born while “Friends” was still on the air. Memphis suffered their only loss when Jaden Springer, who has played in the NBA for five seasons, had a big game for the Dallas Mavericks off the bench. That’s really the best way to win at Summer League: Be too old for the tournament.

That’s especially true for the top-seeded, undefeated Lakers. They overwhelmed the Chicago Bulls Thursday thanks to three three-pointers and five assists from 30-year-old Calgary Surge star Jon Elmore, who debuted perhaps the first baldness-based celebration in NBA history after one huge shot.

Jon from DOWNTOWN pic.twitter.com/DgwU7QJDSV

— Los Angeles Lakers (@Lakers) July 16, 2026

How did the rest of the Warriors do? Will Richard appears to have graduated from Summer League after three games, so second-round pick Lajae Jones started in his place and scored 13 points on 6-for-16 shooting, with three steals. He threw down a very nice alley-oop from Yaxel Lendeborg early in the third quarter.

Yaxel meets Lajae at the summit‼️

📺 @NBCSAuthenticpic.twitter.com/SlZQXdEs8U

— Golden State Warriors (@warriors) July 17, 2026

As for the Warriors’ first-round pick, he had only three points and shot 1-for-9, but added six rebounds, six assists, a steal, and two blocks. Two of Lendeborg’s misses came on chasedown blocks from Pacome Dadiet, and in our opinion the rookie gets a pass since he couldn’t see him either time.

Pacôme Dadiet with two great chasedown blocks on Yaxel Lendeborg (with replays) pic.twitter.com/F4IvMlHKX3

— MrBuckBuck (@MrBuckBuckNBA) July 17, 2026

But he didn’t get frustrated and kept playing hard, including a number of plays where he swallowed up Knicks players. Dadiet hit the side of the backboard trying to get free of Yaxel on one play.

Replays of Yaxel Lendeborg lockdown defense.

He has 0 points on 0/5 FG, but he is doing well defensively. pic.twitter.com/vBlPgo1pO8

— MrBuckBuck (@MrBuckBuckNBA) July 17, 2026

When Lendeborg finally hit a three in the 4th quarter, the crowd at the smaller Cox Pavilion gym went wild.

Yaxel had the arena HYPED 😮‍💨

📺 @NBCSAuthenticpic.twitter.com/l2Z4FswycS

— Golden State Warriors (@warriors) July 17, 2026

Graham Ike continued his solid, unspectacular Summer League with 15 points, nine rebounds, and three blocks. He’s averaging 10.3 points and seven rebounds while shooting 45.2%. Malevy Leons had 13 points and six rebounds while Chase McMillian added 11 points and three triples off the bench and is now shooting 8-for-16 from behind the arc for Summer League and 57.1% in his last three games.

Deivon Smith remains a bit of a summer disappointment, going scoreless with two turnovers. He may still be coming back from a right wrist fracture that ended a short-but-stellar season with the Santa Cruz Warriors. Smith had two triple-doubles in nine game for the Sea Dubs, averaging 17.2 points, 6.7 rebounds, and 6.6 assists. Expect to see him back at Santa Cruz and in training camp, where he’ll be a longshot to earn a two-way contract, based on how Cryer and McMillian have shot the ball in Las Vegas (Cryer has made 13 threes in 100 Summer League minutes, tied for 5th-most in Summer League).

Now the Warriors have to get past first-rounder Cameron Carr, 2025 second-rounder Adou Thiero, and the ageless Elmore if they want to reach the Summer League promised land. As of 2022, they’ll even get rings for winning it all.

For the first time, rings will be handed out to the Summer League champions. We got an exclusive look on NBA Today. What do you think? pic.twitter.com/HovjFNXKFE

— Malika Andrews (@malika_andrews) July 8, 2022

We know these are exhibition games. Still, firing up Amazon Prime on Saturday at 5:30 might be your best chance to see a Warriors team make a deep playoff run this season.