Category: NBA

NBA history spans 80 seasons, and as CelticsBlog readers well know, the Boston Celtics have won a league-high 18 championships. This month, we are recapping each of those title years.

The regular season

When the 1958-59 season began, Bill Russell was in an unfamiliar position: he was not a reigning champion.

From his junior year in college through his rookie year with Boston, Russell’s teams won two NCAA titles, an Olympics gold medal, and the NBA championship. In his second season as a pro, the Celtics again made the NBA Finals but lost a rematch with the St. Louis Hawks – largely because Russell badly sprained his ankle in Game 3, missed Games 4 and 5, and gave it a try in Game 6 but was too injured to continue.

The Hawks took their four wins by the point margins of two, three, two and one. In the closeout game, St. Louis superstar forward Bob Pettit took full advantage of Russell’s predicament, scoring 50 points on 19 of 34 from the field and 12 of 15 free throws, while also grabbing 19 rebounds. All for the Hawks to win by one point.

So, when the next regular season began, it was clear the Celtics were on a mission. Little did they know, they were taking the first step toward making history and beginning a stretch where they would not be beaten for a long, long time.

In December, they ripped off 11 straight wins, and in January they tacked on an eight-game streak. They were the highest-scoring team in the league, including smashing league records with a 173-139 onslaught of the Minneapolis Lakers. Tommy Heinsohn scored 43 points, and Bob Cousy set a new league record with 28 assists.

The Celtics finished with 52 wins and 20 losses, the NBA’s best one-season record to date. Red Auerbach had built a loaded roster, as represented by the backcourt: starters Cousy and Bill Sharman, backed up by Sam Jones and rookie K.C. Jones. All four are now in the Hall of Fame. Boston even had a two-sport star you may not have heard of (see sidebar below).

Eastern playoffs

Even with all that talent, the Celtics needed seven games to beat the Syracuse Nationals (now the Philadelphia 76ers), who had their own go-to guys in Dolph Schayes, one of the top players in the fledgling years of the league, and George Yardley, All-NBA and one season removed from being the league’s scoring leader.

Through six games, the series was tied as each team won all its home games. In Game 7 in Boston, Schayes and Yardley combined for 67 points, but the Celtics prevailed with seven men in double figures. Sixth man Frank Ramsey was Boston’s high scorer with 28. In addition, the Celtics outrebounded the Nats, 89-62 (Russell grabbed 32), leading to 20 more field goal attempts in a game Boston won, 130-125.

NBA Finals

The Celtics expected a rematch with St. Louis, which led the Western Division at 49-23, but the Hawks were stunned in six games by the Minneapolis Lakers. Thus, the first-ever installment of the Celtics vs. Lakers rivalry was set.

The Lakers were led by sensational rookie Elgin Baylor, a 6-foot-5 forward who was a gifted scorer. Baylor was a deft finisher around the rim, and his herky-jerky dribble moves consistently got him to the basket or to the free throw line. He won Rookie of the Year, was first-team All-NBA, placed third in MVP voting, and averaged 28.3 points per game during Minneapolis’ upset of St. Louis.

However, Baylor couldn’t carry the Lakers to victory against the more talented, motivated Celtics. Boston’s defense, backstopped by Russell, held the rookie to 33.3% shooting from the field and the Celtics swept the Lakers, 4-0.

It was over when…

The series truly might have been over before it began. As author George Sullivan noted in his book, “The Picture History of the Boston Celtics,” Minneapolis came into the series having lost to Boston 22 consecutive times over the previous two years.

Despite that, the Lakers gave it their best shot in Game 1. Baylor dropped 34 points, but the Celtics prevailed at home, 118-115. Minneapolis had no answer for Ramsey, who notched 28 points.

Turning point

If the Lakers still had a chance, it vanished in Games 2 and 3, when Baylor was held to 13 and 14 points, respectively. The Celtics won both by double digits to take a 3-0 series lead.

The heroes we needed

In Game 4, Heinsohn, Ramsey and Sharman combined for 76 points on 33 of 67 shooting for a 118-113 closeout.

Notable facts and stats

• The Celtics and Lakers franchises have gone on to meet for the championship 12 times. Boston leads the rivalry, 9-3.
• It wouldn’t be true in all those meetings, but in this series, it was the Celtics who had an advantage at the free throw line. Boston made 111 of 158, while Minneapolis made 86 of 117.
• This championship began Boston’s eight-peat — eight consecutive titles from 1959 through 1966. No other NBA franchise has won more than three straight.

Gene Conley: The two-sport star who made history with Boston

You’ve probably heard of Bo Jackson and Deion Sanders, who were major stars in both professional baseball and football. You may also know that Celtics legend Danny Ainge played three seasons with the Toronto Blue Jays before going to basketball full time.

But do you know the name Gene Conley? He was a two-sport star who arguably topped them all.

Conley was a 6-8 forward selected by the Celtics in the 1952 NBA Draft. As a rookie, he came off the bench for 12 minutes per game, averaging 2.3 points and 4.4 rebounds. However, also in 1952, Conley won 11 games as a pitcher in the Boston Braves minor league system and made his Major League Baseball debut by pitching in four games for the Braves.

That modest start led to bigger things. For the next five seasons, Conley stepped away from the Celtics to pitch full-time for the Braves, who had relocated to Milwaukee. The highlight of that stretch was winning the 1957 World Series in seven games over the New York Yankees. His most notable teammate was Hank Aaron, who went on to hit 755 home runs, breaking Babe Ruth’s career record. Conley pitched 11 seasons in the majors (including three with the Boston Red Sox), finishing with a 91-95 won-lost record and four all-star game appearances.

Conley returned to play for the Celtics in 1958 and was a member of the 1959 championship team led by Bill Russell. Conley also won titles with the Celtics in 1960 and 1961, all while simultaneously continuing his pitching career, since at that time the baseball and basketball seasons did not overlap. His NBA career totals were 5.9 points and 6.3 rebounds per game over six seasons.

To sum up, Conley won four pro sports championships and remains the only athlete to win titles in both MLB and the NBA. He beat the Yankees in the World Series and the Lakers in the Finals. Moreover, he was a teammate of arguably the greatest home-run hitter of all time and the basketball star who won more championships (11) than any other individual in the four major U.S. sports. That resume has never been matched by any other two-sport athlete, and it never will be.

Banner Years continues tomorrow with a review of the 1959-60 season and the road to winning Banner #3.

Welcome to SB Nation Reacts, a survey of fans across the NBA. Throughout the year we ask questions of the most plugged-in Cavaliers fans and fans across the country.

It’s time for another poll. Today we want to know whether Fear the Sword readers prefer Jonathan Kuminga or Peyton Watson as trade targets for the Cleveland Cavaliers. Please make an account and go to our feed posts to vote.

Both Kuminga and Watson have been linked to the Cavs this summer. Cleveland is reportedly showing interest in the two 23-year-old wings as they would fill a glaring hole on the roster.

The Cavs are searching for a way to recoup some of their wing depth after losing Dean Wade to the Philadelphia 76ers this summer. They also lost Keon Ellis to the Brooklyn Nets. This leaves Cleveland with few options to play the wing.

Mario Hezonja is a worthy but unproven fit at small forward.

Hence, the need for a trade.

The assets required to get either Kuminga or Watson are similar. The Cavs would need to sign-and-trade in both scenarios, likely meaning Max Strus or Dennis Schroder are involved. The Denver Nuggets reportedly want at least one first-round pick attached for Watson — raising the price compared to Atlanta.

Watson is a more complete player who translates to winning basketball. Cleveland could plug-and-play Watson as a 3-and-D forward with little to no issues.

Kuminga isn’t as straightforward. He comes with more raw potential, but isn’t as polished or consistent as Watson. Though his upside as an on-ball creator feels higher at this stage of his career. It’s unclear if Kuminga can ever reach that potential, however.

It might be splitting hairs to determine which player is a better fit in Cleveland. That’s why we wanted to hear your opinion. Vote in our poll and leave a comment explaining your decision. We’ll react to the results later this week in a follow-up story.

Klay Thompson, Draymond Green chirp Kevin Durant for his 2017 Warriors take originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area

Kevin Durant was a key part of, arguably, the greatest team in NBA history.

However, he believes the 2026-27 Philadelphia 76ers might just be better, on paper, than the historic 2017 Warriors team that dominated the league on their way to their first of two consecutive NBA Finals victories over the Cleveland Cavaliers.

Durant, replying to Instagram user tevstakes in the comment section of his post criticizing Durant’s recent comparison of James joining Philadelphia to him joining Golden State in 2016, stated, in response to a comment about the talent on the 2017 Warriors vs. the 2026-27 76ers, that this year’s Philadelphia squad, with James, is more talented on paper than his iconic Golden State team.

“Joel [Embiid], MVP recently,” Durant wrote. “Jaylen [Brown], recent finals MVP, Tyrese Maxey, all-star the last 3 years. We all know what bron does. Klay Thompson, never a MVP candidate in nothing, 22ppg. Draymond [Green], 14ppg 7 rebounds 6 assist, Steph [Curry] a MVP just like Joel was. I don’t get how the Warriors team is better on paper”

Thompson, who caught a slight stray in Durant’s comment, seemingly took exception to it, and perhaps jokingly, called out his former teammate in an Instagram story post on Tuesday morning.

The frequently online Green, unsurprisingly, also got in on the fun, responding to Durant’s take on Threads, joking that his former teammate might have forgotten to comment that from his alleged burner account, instead of his main account.

Thompson and Green’s comments likely are in good fun, since there doesn’t seem to be any current beef, at least publicly, between the former teammates. But who knows.

While Durant’s take could be considered a bit premature, given Philadelphia’s squad has yet to play a game together, it certainly is not outlandish. The résumés of James, Brown, Embiid and Maxey speak for themselves, and compared to what Durant, Curry, Thompson and Green did in their careers leading up to the 2017 season, but in the prime of their careers, there at least is an argument to be made.

However, it’s not a surprise that many Warriors fans, and even current and former players, disagree with Durant’s take.

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The New York Knicks will enter their championship defense without one of the executives who helped build their title-winning roster we all came to enjoy and love.

Knicks senior vice president of basketball operations Gersson Rosas is leaving the organization after four seasons in New York.

Rosas announced his departure through an Instagram post celebrating New York’s first NBA championship in 53 years and describing his work with the franchise as complete.

“Celebrating an NBA Championship and the successful completion of our New York chapter with FAMILIA,” Rosas wrote. “Fulfilling the vision of bringing a championship back to New York after 53 years is a legacy I’ll always be proud to have helped build.”

Rosas also reflected on helping create a roster that connected with New York and the Knicks fanbase.

“Being part of assembling a team that represented the city, connected with its fans, and brought people together was one of the most meaningful and cherished parts of this journey,” Rosas wrote.

The 48-year-old thanked the organization while acknowledging the difficulties involved in completing the Knicks’ long-term, title-winning plan.

“All love to my Knicks family,” Rosas wrote. “The peaks and valleys, the sacrifices, and our relentless commitment to making this plan a reality made the achievement even sweeter. Grateful for every moment of this legendary milestone.”

The Knicks initially hired Rosas as a senior basketball consultant in February 2022. He was promoted to senior vice president in September 2023 and worked alongside team president Leon Rose and senior adviser William Wesley.

Given his role as Senior VP and being the closest thing to a general manager — the Knicks don’t have a GM proper — in New York alongside Rose, Rosas had a major impact in the Knicks’ draft process (both choosing players and dealing them, as well as draft picks) for much of his tenure in Manhattan. No, the Knicks have not drafted a superstar nor a hidden gem buried late in a second round, but they convinced Pacome Dadiet to sign for less money than usual to then facilitate the KAT trade, traded for Tyler Kolek, Ariel Hukporti, and Kevin McCullar, Mo Diawara on draft night, and lastly picked Tyler Nickel and Jack Kayil after a flurry of moves in this year’s draft.

While Rose deserves his flowers and then some, Rosas was also a key figure in some of the most impactful transactions the Knicks pulled off (and did not) during the last few seasons.

All the way back in 2022, in a whiff some folks saw as yet another failure by the Knicks, Rosas couldn’t complete a trade for then-Jazz franchise player Donovan Mitchell. A few years later, and thanks at least partially to not landing DoMi and retaining some of the assets that would have gone the other way, Rosas was the man behind the Karl-Anthony Towns trade. Marc Stein reported Rosas was the leading executive pushing the rest of the Knicks brass to attempt a trade for the then-Wolves star.

“Mission accomplished. On to the next chapter. Knicks in 5. Kings of New York. It Is Written,” Rosas finished.

Good luck and thanks for everything, Gerson!

A key Knicks executive is leaving the organization after helping to put together the squad that captured the franchise’s first NBA championship in 53 years. 

Senior vice president of basketball operations Gersson Rosas is departing after four years with the Knicks, according to multiple reports on Monday night. 

HoopsHype’s Michael Scotto was first to report the news. 

Rosas first joined the organization as a senior basketball consultant in February 2022 and was promoted to senior vice president in September 2023. 

View this post on Instagram

The exec hinted that he was moving on to the next chapter of his life when he posted photos on his Instagram account of himself with Knicks president Leon Rose and senior advisor William “Worldwide Wes” Wesley. 

“Celebrating an NBA Championship and the successful completion of our New York chapter with FAMILIA,” Rosas wrote in the caption. “Fulfilling the vision of bringing a championship back to New York after 53 years is a legacy I’ll always be proud to have helped build. Being part of assembling a team that represented the city, connected with its fans, and brought people together was one of the most meaningful and cherished parts of this journey.

“All love to my Knicks family. The peaks and valleys, the sacrifices, and our relentless commitment to making this plan a reality made the achievement even sweeter. Grateful for every moment of this legendary milestone.

“Mission accomplished. On to the next chapter.”

Rosas worked for the Rockets before a short stint with the Mavericks as their general manager that lasted three months.

He then returned to the Rockets organization, where he remained for an additional six years. 

The 48-year-old joined the Timberwolves front office in 2019, but was fired in 2021, reportedly after concerns about a consensual relationship with a staff member along with issues while working with then-Minnesota executive Sachin Gupta.

The best part of the upcoming season for the Utah Jazz is that there are many potentially great outcomes for multiple players. For Keyonte George, he has a chance to take another step in his development, and it’s exciting to think about what that means. Jaren Jackson Jr. gets to be on a winning basketball team again, and we’ll see if he can reach the same levels he was at when he won DPOY years ago. Ace Bailey has a chance to take a step in his development and could really shine in whatever role the Jazz give him. Oh, and the Jazz have a player they were lucky enough to draft, Darryn Peterson, who has a great shot at winning ROY.

That’s the inspiration of the latest Utah Jazz Reacts survey: what is the most likely best-case scenario next season for each of these players?

Welcome to SB Nation Reacts, a survey of fans across the NBA. Throughout the year we ask questions of the most plugged-in Jazz fans and fans across the country.

In the modern era of the NBA, teams and fans have become far more intelligent when it comes to team-building, rosters and salaries and the CBA.

To that point, we’ve partnered with SalarySwish to use their data to provide information and answers for every question you may have about the Lakers’ financial situation.

Listed below is our constantly updating, living article that will provide answers to questions you may have. It will update with team moves, from trades to signings and anything in-between. So bookmark the page to stay up to date on the latest changes as the team moves forward!

Lakers Roster, Salaries, Draft Picks, Cap Space and More

Here is a table with all of the Lakers’ salary information, courtesy of our friends at SalarySwish:

Because that is a lot of data, let’s dive into a few key pieces of context, what it means and answer any questions may all lead to.

FAQ

Here are some answers to some of your most frequently asked questions about the Lakers’ salary cap and draft pick situations moving forward.

How close are the Lakers to the aprons? Are they hard-capped?

The Lakers are hard-capped at the first apron after acquiring Walker Kessler via sign-and-trade this offseason. That means their payroll cannot exceed$209,015,000 until the start of the 2027-28 league year on June 30, 2027.

For now, that shouldn’t be much of an issue for the Lakers. They’re currently more than $8.1 million below the first apron with 16 players on standard contracts.

If the Lakers swing a sign-and-trade for Jonathan Kuminga using Jarred Vanderbilt’s contract, that could push them much closer to the first apron. They’re allowed to take back roughly $9.1 million more in salary than they send out in a trade using Vanderbilt’s contract, although they’d go over the first apron if they took back that full amount. That means they’d have to dump salary elsewhere first.

Long story short: Just because the Lakers have plenty of breathing room under the first apron for now doesn’t mean that they will for the entirety of the 2026-27 campaign. If they take advantage of their trade flexibility, they could bring themselves much closer to their hard cap.

How much will the Lakers pay in luxury taxes this year?

As of now, the Lakers are $469,322 over the tax line. Since they’ve paid the tax in each of the past six seasons, they’re subject to the dreaded repeater tax, which comes with far stiffer tax rates.

For the first $6.1 million that they go over the tax, they’d owe $3 in tax for every dollar that they’re over. As a result, they’re currently projected to owe $1,407,966 in tax this year.

To escape from the repeater tax, the Lakers would need to stay under the tax line in each of the next two seasons. They’d still be subject to the repeater tax rates in both 2026-27 and 2027-28 — although that would be a non-issue for them if they’re below the tax both seasons — but they would reset the clock on the repeater tax starting in 2028-29 if they do stay out of the tax in each of the next two years.

Given how close they are to the tax line and how beneficial it would be to them to get out of the repeater tax, don’t be surprised if the Lakers do try to duck the tax both this year and next.

How much is Luka Dončić making and how long is he under contract?

Dončić is set to earn $49.5 million in the 2026-27 season. He’s under a guaranteed contract in 2027-28 for $53.4 million, and he has a $57.4 million player option in 2028-29 that he figures to decline for a longer deal.

When Dončić signed his extension in August 2025, he chose the option that could help maximize his earnings. He was ineligible to receive a 35% max contract once the Dallas Mavericks traded him to the Lakers—thanks again, Nico Harrison!—so he had to wait until he had 10 years of NBA service to qualify for that starting salary.

And wouldn’t you know it? Dončić conveniently has a player option in 2028-29, which is exactly when he’ll have 10 years of NBA service.

Now, that doesn’t mean Dončić will leave the Lakers in 2028. They can offer him an extension beginning at 35% of the 2028-29 salary cap as soon as Aug. 2, 2027. It’s still far too early to know where the cap will land that year, but based on the current projection of $182.7 million, Dončić would be eligible for a four-year, $286.5 million max extension.

If Dončić instead chooses to become a free agent in 2028, the Lakers could offer him a five-year, $370.9 million max deal with 8% annual raises, while other teams could offer him no more than a four-year, $275 million max deal with 5% annual raises. In other words, the Lakers will have a clear financial advantage over any other Dončić suitors.

What draft picks can the Lakers trade?

After trading two first-round picks and two first-round swaps in the sign-and-trade for Kessler, the Lakers are extremely limited when it comes to tradable draft picks.

Thanks to the Stepien Rule, which prohibits teams from being without first-round picks in back-to-back years, the Lakers do not have a single tradable first-round pick at the moment. They owe their top-four-protected 2027 first-rounder to Memphis, their 2029 pick to Dallas and their 2031 and 2033 picks to Utah. However, they can trade the following swaps:

• 2028 swap (less favorable of their own pick and more favorable of Jazz/Cavaliers pick)
• 2030 swap (less favorable of their own pick and Jazz pick)
• 2032 swap

The Lakers have also burned through most of their tradable second-round picks in various transactions in recent years. They did acquire two second-rounders from the Washington Wizards for Deandre Ayton, but other than that, they only control one of their own second-round picks from now through 2033.

• 2031 Wizards pick
• 2032 Wizards pick
• 2033 Lakers pick

In recent years, the going rate for even a half-decent rotation player at the trade deadline tends to be two or three second-round picks. The Lakers might be able to pull a deal off by exchanging their 2032 swap instead, but they’ll otherwise have their work cut out for them if they hope to sweeten a trade offer with draft capital. (That is, of course, until they extort the Sixers into giving up a second-round pick to reunite Bronny James with his dad.)

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Former Los Angeles Lakers assistant coach Lionel Hollins raised eyebrows with a comment he made during an appearance on Sirius XM’s “NBA Today” show on Sunday.

“I’ve got a story to tell you: We got [Anthony Davis] in a trade, and AD comes into the weight room in the morning, and he said, ‘[LeBron!] You said if I came in, we were gonna work out together! Man, we haven’t worked out yet!'” Hollins recounted.

“[Lebron] said, ‘Well, you’ve got to get up a little earlier to come and work out with me.’ And it was a true statement, because LeBron’s a morning person. He gets up, he does when he needs to do. And AD is sleeping in a little bit later. But he’d get there, and he’d do work. But it couldn’t be with LeBron, because LeBron was already done,” Hollins continued.

Hollins’ story — specifically when he said, “LeBron told him ‘you’ve got to get up a little earlier to come work out with me” — went viral on social media.

And it caught Davis’ attention, who responded with the   emoji on X Monday morning.

Davis’ use of the emoji is a way for him to “call cap” on this story, asserting that it isn’t true.

There’s no way of knowing whether Hollins or Davis is telling the truth. Not to mention that the story would’ve taken place about seven years ago at this point.

Regardless, it’s easy to see why Davis would be upset about Hollins sharing this story, as it subliminally makes him seem like not as hard a worker as James.

Then again, nobody is as hard a worker as James. That’s why he’s the (arguable) GOAT.

SB Nation’s Ricky O’Donnell, who along with the excellent James Dator comprise about 100% of the site’s NBA “staff,” wrote about seven teams he expects to be much improved this season. The Knicks are not one of the seven; their only mention in the piece is to say Philadelphia can match up with anyone in the East now, including New York. Usually that sorta schtick angries up my blood.

I want to hear my favorite team is better than I think, than anyone thinks, better than any anything in the history of everything. Don’t tell me Jalen Brunson isn’t the best player alive. Don’t gimme that “OG Anunoby never turned water into wine” blasphemy. Now that the Knicks are on top of the basketball world, I figure let them stay there. I want constant coronation. Endless adoration. Give them the key to the city. And the keys to Atlanta, Philadelphia, Cleveland and San Antonio. They owned them joints, too.

O’Donnell’s piece centers on who he thinks will show the greatest leap from last year to this, all teams who added All-NBA talent(s) this summer or a top-three draft pick — and also the Nets, likely to level up by finally fielding an actual professional team. As far as games won in 2027 versus 2026, the Knicks are unlikely to improve dramatically on 53 wins (if they do, they’ll make history). And what could they possibly do for an encore after the title run they just staged, anyway?

And yet — what if they are a lot better?

Why not?

Think of all the lessons the 2025 team learned that benefited the 2026 team. Last year’s squad won together and learned together, and everyone from that team is back this year minus Mitch. The better defenses around the league will spend the offseason preparing for the offense the Knicks unleashed starting with Game 4 in Atlanta. But nearly half the league doesn’t even make the playoffs. Opponents may have a better idea what the Knicks will throw at them, but that doesn’t mean there’s much they can do about it. And the Knicks will have had an offseason to work some new wrinkles into their play style.

What if last spring was only the beginning? Odds and evens fit together; odds and logic, not so much. The odds are against the Knicks, if only because the last seven teams to win it all failed to defend their crown. Maybe the Knicks don’t repeat as champs. Probably not, even. But there’s logic that says they can.

Of those prior seven champions, only one, the 2025 Celtics, had continuity at the top of their rotation for their title defense: the five players who led them in minutes in ‘25 also did in ‘26. The other six champs all lost a top-five player from one year to the next. Four lost two. From Kawhi leaving the Raptors to the Bucks shipping Donte DiVincenzo to Sacramento to the Thunder’s Jalen Williams’ year-long injury struggles, the group tasked with repeating usually isn’t the same one that peated in the first place.

Every championship team is freakish in some way. The Heatles were freakishly athletic. The Warriors went on freakish scoring runs. The Bubble Lakers were freakishly big. The Bucks were led by a literal Freak. The five Knicks who led them in minutes in 2025 did so again last season. Is it asking too much for them to threepeat? If there’s a lineup that can, it’d be the New York Five. And while title-winners usually empty the tank in their pursuit, the Knicks took their foot off the gas, relatively.

In Tom Thibodeau’s last year in charge, that quintet averaged a combined 181.6 minutes per game. Last year Mike Brown cut it to 162.2, an 11% drop. Presumably his years with defending champs in San Antonio and Golden State clued him in to the benefits of load management, even as the owners continue to insist the sun revolves around the Earth. One would expect the Knicks to be as mindful of the big picture this year as last.

Just like we knew 12 months ago the roster wasn’t finished, what we see today is not the end-product. The last time we saw the Knicks best lineup — after two years of plus/minus angst — they were freakishly dominant against the best the league had to offer. They’re freakishly resilient, with more 20-point comebacks the past two postseasons than the other 30 playoff teams combined. They won the most lauded, longed-for championship possible in the Association, in the most impressive way possible. And their top-seven in minutes and 11 of their top-12 are back. What if they are a lot better?

Why not?

Not many NBA stars can fight, but how many UFC fighters can play ball?

Interim UFC Heavyweight champion, Ciryl Gane — coming off a technical knockout win over Alex Pereira — showed off his basketball skills on social media.

Gane didn’t just go against any Average Joe, either. On the contrary, UFC’s two-time title holder went 1-on-1 with four-time NBA Defensive Player of the Year, Rudy Gobert. Mixed martial arts (MMA) fans are used to seeing the 6’4” Gane tower over his Heavyweight foes, but he was completely dwarfed by the Minnesota Timberwolves center in this playful session.

He did show some decent skills, though.

Watch Gane get a couple of buckets, including a pretty smooth looking step-back three over the 7’1” NBA star:

Crossing over to other sports isn’t easy even for high-level athletes, whether it’s NBA vets Michael Beasley and Lance Stephenson fighting each other, or Gane’s former opponent in Jon Jones embarrassing himself in this classic video with five-time All Star Al Horford:

Gane and Gobert are popular French athletes and friends, who have trained together in the past. They sparred one year ago, with the UFC star helping Gobert with his boxing.

Gane’s next fight is expected to be a Heavyweight title unification rematch against one-eyed division champion, Tom Aspinall, later this year; however, an official date has not yet been locked in (details here).

Unless, of course, Dana White and Co. decide to go in a different direction.

Anything is possible.

To checkout UFC’s upcoming schedule of events click here.

Welcome to SB Nation Reacts, a survey of fans across the NBA. Throughout the year we ask questions of the most plugged-in Suns fans and fans across the country.

Hypotheticals and projections. That’s what’s keeping us engaged at this point in the offseason. It’s August, the regular season is still two and a half months away, and we’re all wondering what the Phoenix Suns are going to look like. We speculate about the three-point shooting. We debate the defense. We try to project the rotations.

Devin Booker will lead the Suns in scoring. If he doesn’t, that will create an entirely different conversation. But the odds overwhelmingly favor Booker finishing as the team’s leading scorer once again. The balance this organization has worked to build is a welcome sight, especially when you think back to two seasons ago, when the roster was so heavily tilted toward a handful of players.

That balance is a good thing. At the same time, it leaves you wondering one simple question. Who’s going to be the second leading scorer on this team? Yeah, you might be thinking, “Who cares?” I care. I think it’s an interesting thought exercise, and the results could reveal something interesting.

Allow me to introduce the candidates.

First up is Jalen Green. He is the explosive, athletic, and at times inconsistent shooting guard who will certainly have every opportunity to fill up the stat sheet. Last season with the Suns, he averaged the third-most field-goal attempts on the team at 16.0 per game and finished third in scoring at 17.8 points per game.

By Green’s standards, it was a quiet season. It was his lowest scoring average since his rookie year in 2021–22, and he also posted the lowest three-point percentage of his career at 31.3%. You can certainly point to the circumstances. Green played only 32 games and started 27 of them as he battled multiple hamstring injuries throughout the season. He never truly found a rhythm or the consistency needed to get his game rolling.

The question is whether he can return to the level he reached in Houston during the 2022–23 season, when he averaged a career high 22.1 points per game. That year, he also averaged a career high of 17.9 field goal attempts per game.

Next up is Dillon Brooks. Brooks took more shots than he ever had in his career last season, averaging 17.1 field goal attempts per game. The previous high came in 2021–22 with the Memphis Grizzlies, when he averaged 16.4 attempts on a team that finished 56–26 and earned the second-best record in the Western Conference.

He responded by posting a career high 20.2 points per game for the Suns despite shooting 34.4% from beyond the arc, the fourth lowest mark of his career. He also attempted a career high 6.6 three pointers per game. 

Was last season an outlier for Brooks? You can certainly make that argument. Jalen Green missed 50 games and Devin Booker missed 18, forcing Brooks into a much larger offensive role than anyone anticipated. His usage climbed accordingly, and so did his shot attempts.

Then there’s the newly acquired Miles Bridges. Bridges averaged 21.0 points per game during the 2023–24 season with the Charlotte Hornets while taking a career high 17.5 shots per night. He’s entering a new system with new teammates and new opportunities, so we don’t yet know exactly how he’ll be utilized offensively. But as someone who can attack the rim and who once shot 40% from three during the 2020–21 season, he certainly has the ability to elevate his offensive production and put points on the board.

So who do you think will finish as the Suns’ second leading scorer this season? That’s the question at the heart of this week’s Suns Reacts survey. Go cast your vote, then head to the comments and tell us why you made your choice. I’m curious to see where everyone lands on this one, because there’s a legitimate case to be made for all three candidates.

While the Lakers have more players than can be rostered once the season starts, it doesn’t mean they have a complete team.

The obvious need for a wing has fueled their chase for Jonathan Kuminga. However, as more time passes, the less likely it feels that an agreement will be reached.

That means the Lakers may have to look elsewhere to fill that void, which could include revisiting old friends. All reports this summer have indicated there’s no interest from the purple and gold in frontcourt players from the Mavericks, but there hasn’t been anything about Klay Thompson.

Notably, Thompson picked Dallas over the Lakers in the 2024 offseason, a time when Luka Dončić was still on the Mavericks. However, things changed quite a bit in a short time for both franchises and Thompson has long felt like someone who doesn’t make much sense in Dallas.

However, a mixture of his big contract and declining play made it nearly impossible to move him. Much like the Lakers, the Mavs are in a bit of a roster crunch and the aging Thompson, who is in the last year of his deal and is due $17.5 million, is an obvious candidate for the team to part with.

On Monday, Christian Clark of The Athletic wrote about the Mavs’ situation and had some insight on Thompson, noting that it is unclear if he returns next season. According to Clark, Dallas has explored trade talks, but nothing has come of it.

It is not known whether the Lakers were among the teams that have spoken with the Mavs about Thompson, but Clark did reveal that Thompson would be open to playing in Los Angeles.

My understanding is that Thompson would welcome a return to Los Angeles, where he spent part of his childhood and still owns a home. The Miami Heat are another team frequently mentioned in NBA circles as a potential landing spot for the future Hall of Famer.

As things stand, multiple things would have to happen before Thompson playing in LA became a realistic scenario. Similar to their links with Jericho Sims, the Lakers need to make a consolidation trade just to be roster-compliant, let alone make a move for another player.

Unlike Sims, though, this scenario could end in a buyout and a free-agent signing. Thompson being a veteran and the Mavs being a non-contender is the perfect equation for a buyout. From there, it would depend on whether he wants to go to Miami to potentially play a bigger role with the Heat or return to California. And in that last scenario, you would imagine the Warriors would be an option, too.

If you’re getting the sense that this doesn’t feel likely, then you’re not alone. A trade feels quite unlikely in this scenario and if free agency is the route, the Lakers would seemingly be down the list of suitors. He’d have to really want to play in LA or alongside Luka again, to say nothing of LA’s interest.

But crazier things have happened. Klay doesn’t fill a direct need for the Lakers, but it’s hard to say no to a player with his pedigree and shooting, even if it’s tailed off, especially if it’s on a minimum deal.

You can follow Jacob on Twitter at @JacobRude or on Bluesky at @jacobrude.bsky.social.

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