Category: NBA

Last year at this time, I wrote a piece entitled End-of-summer Disjointed Basketball Thoughts. Among other things, I wrote that school should start after Labor Day as God intended, questioned the NBA’s “max” and “supermax” contracts (how can something be more than the maximum?), and (most importantly), why the Spurs’ three excellent guards was a good thing, not a problem.

Little did we know in August of 2025 that those three guards would propel the Spurs to a completely unexpected and joyous regular season and playoffs.  Until, of course, well, you know.

DBT 1. I will start this season’s End of Summer Disjointed Basketball Thoughts with a DBT from last August: 

DBT 6. The Portland Trailblazers were just sold to a guy who owns the Carolina Hurricanes in something called the “National Hockey League”. Never heard of it. Anyway, the Blazers have a long history in Portland and a passionate fan base. I am sure that Blazer fans have nothing to worry about just because their new owner is based in another state. Hold that thought just one second — one of my ex-players from Seattle is on the line…

Like San Antonio, Portland has only one professional sports team. (Don’t tell me that soccer or hockey teams count.) I was born in Portland and still have family in Oregon, which makes the arena turmoil surrounding the Blazers and their cheapskate owner doubly distressing. Once again, a billionaire owner doesn’t want to pay for stuff that will make his asset more valuable — with the implied threat to move elsewhere if he doesn’t get his way.

I really hope that the Blazers cut some sort of a deal to stay where they belong — Portland losing the Blazers would be terrible. One thing working in Portland’s favor is that Portland is surely a better and more proven market than the alternatives. I don’t think the NBA would allow the Blazers owner to poach either Seattle or Las Vegas – the other owners surely want the massive expansion fees from those locations. If those cities are off the table, what’s left? Kansas City or St. Louis? Louisville? Kansas City and St. Louis? No thank you. Portland wins. Unfortunately, Seattle won too — but lost their team anyway.

DBT 2. I recently met a guy at a beach party wearing a Ken Griffey Jr. baseball cap.  He was from Cincinnati and said one of the best moments in his life was when Griffey came home to sign with the Reds after years of playing in Seattle. Griffey Jr. grew up in Cincinnati because his father Ken Griffey Sr. played for the Reds for many years. The guy with the Griffey hat and I decided that Griffey Jr. may be the most universally beloved baseball player of the past 50 years.  

That got me thinking about whether basketball has had a similar player: someone that everyone admires, even fans of other teams.  The first player I thought of is Dr. J.  Among present players, probably Steph Curry.  On a much smaller scale (in every way), maybe Patty Mills? Anyone else?

DBT 3. You may have heard that LeBron James signed with the 76ers.  Yeah, it was in the news. While it would have been more fun if he had teamed up with Curry in the over-35 league Warriors, Philadelphia was clearly the best spot for him to maximize possible basketball success. 

I told my buddy TD, a 76ers fan, that the NBA should allow the team to play with two basketballs. Another new 76er, Jaylen Brown, took the most shots in the league last year: 1,543.  Another 76er, Tyrese Maxey, took the second most shots with 1,501. If Joel Embiid had played 82 games, his 18.3 shots per game would have put him in third with 1,500 shots.  Of course, Embiid didn’t play 82 games, never has and never will.  That, and LeBron’s age might be the only things keeping the 76ers from being a powerful team (if the league does allow the two-ball thing). 

And if they somehow keep Embiid and LeBron healthy for a long playoff run, the 76ers start two small guards who will have a tough time matching up in the NBA Finals against a team with two big powerful guards.  Just saying…

DBT 4. The team LeBron left, the Lakers, has a guy who led the league in shots per game in 2025-26. Luka Doncic averaged over 22 shots per game. Several guys from my Sunday morning game beat that easily — and our games only go to 19, counting by twos and threes.  

DBT 5. One last LeBron comment.  I promise.  While the GOAT argument will go on forever (or until Victor Wembanyama surpasses both LeBron and MJ), “best career” has been resolved in LeBron’s favor. Kareem Abdul-Jabbar had it for a long time, especially if you include his three NCAA titles at UCLA.  He also won Finals MVP at 38 years old, after averaging 25.7 points, 9.0 rebounds, 5.2 assists, and 1.5 blocks per game in the 1985 Finals.  But LeBron’s seasons in his 40’s have put him over everyone, including Kareem.

DBT 6. All Spurs fans loved seeing those videos of much of the team working out with Victor in France. My invitation and Air France plane ticket must have gotten lost in the mail. 

The Spurs players who made the trip had a much better time than several friends who ventured to France this summer, only to arrive during the hottest July in France’s history — with much of the country on fire.  As is Spain. And Greece. And Canada.  Closer to home, Colorado, Oregon and Spokane Washington have had devastating wildfires, some of which are still burning. A few days ago, the worst air quality in the world was in Portland, Oregon. Other parts of the country, including South Texas, have suffered from massive flooding, while tornadoes have stormed through the midwest. El Nino is cooking the Pacific Ocean. 

I know Pounding the Rock is about hoops, but we also need to pay attention to what is happening in the world. It is burning. It’s not too late to fix things, but “too late” is getting a lot closer. Let’s go renewable with solar and wind so Spurs fans can worry about the opposing team’s shooters getting hot, not the planet.

DBT 7. OK, back to hoops. In November of last season, I was able to attend a Spurs game in LA and wrote this:

All of which led to this from the Pulse (on the Athletic) picking Wednesday’s Spurs vs. Lakers as the game of the night:

NBA: Spurs at Lakers
10 p.m. ET on ESPN
Wemby-powered San Antonio (5-1) heads West to meet an impressive Lakers team that’s 6-2 despite missing LeBron James for the entire year thus far and Luka Dončić for half of those games. For now, outside of Oklahoma City, this is the class of the Western Conference. Good game.

We know now that the Spurs did indeed remain among the elite.  Indeed, they became the elite. This season they will be the hunted, not the hunter.  

I am happy to see that the other two teams in the elite may have taken a small step backwards.  OKC traded away some of their depth, including Lu Dort. I won’t miss that guy. The Knicks lost key back-up center Mitchell Robinson, and moved back a bit by replacing him with Andre Drummond.  Both Robinson and Drummond are below 50% career free throw shooter, but Drummond is 4 years older, and frankly just not as good.

We will have much more to say about this later, but for now, I will just say that the Spurs should be even better than last season’s joyous success.  For many reasons.  We are all looking forward to it.

Let the record show that in answering the first question of his first news conference as a 76er last Thursday, Jaylen Brown invoked the word “process.” And if you listened closely, you could just about hear reporters’ eyes rolling as they hunkered down in the sweltering Francis J. Myers Recreation Center in West Philly.

Full context: Asked about a whirlwind offseason that brought him by trade from the Celtics to the Sixers, he said the following: “It’s been a process. To be honest, I’m still processing to some degree, just one, the excitement of coming to a new city, new place, new expectations, new energy, then also leaving somewhere that you’ve been for a very, very long time.”

That word again – process. Lord help us all.

Brown continued on from there. Asked how he might incorporate his game into a nucleus featuring LeBron James, Tyrese Maxey, Joel Embiid and VJ Edgecombe, he said, “My focus is winning. … At this point in my career, nothing else just really moves me.” Asked about a possible schism with Jayson Tatum, his co-star in Boston, he said, “On my end, it’s nothing but respect. Besides when he plays the Sixers, I hope he does well.”

So rote. So predictable.

Brown did admit that when he learned of the deal that brought him to Philadelphia, he “just threw (his) phone across the room.” He also said that he and Tatum haven’t spoken since the move – make of that what you will – and that he didn’t appreciate some of the things others said in the wake of the trade.

“I think,” Brown said, “people attacked my character.”

But beyond that, it was a pretty workmanlike presser – not quite out of the Crash Davis handbook, but certainly on the same library shelf. Brown said what needed to be said, addressed what needed to be addressed. No harm, no foul.

In a larger sense, his approach figures to serve the Sixers well, as they embark on a most fascinating chemistry experiment. They need a buttoned-down, steady-as-he-goes guy like him. They need the consistency and reliability of someone who scores a ton, guards hard and speaks tactfully.

What they don’t need is a prima donna. And they certainly don’t need any drama. They’ve had enough of that in recent years, with James Harden and Ben Simmons and, let’s be honest, Embiid. With everything from Markelle Fultz’s thoracic outlet syndrome to Tobias Harris’ playoff disappearances to the outlook of Jimmy Butler, perhaps the only person on the planet who didn’t like Brett Brown.

Now the focus is on melding the talents and egos of a bunch of guys (many of them new) who don’t lack for either. And certainly Jaylen Brown would seem to be the one who will have to make as big an adjustment as anyone.

With Tatum missing most of last season due to an Achilles tear, Brown put up a career-high 21.7 shots a game, second-most in the league to Luka Doncic (22.8). Brown also attempted nearly 16 two-pointers a night, an NBA high, which resulted in a red alert at stat-nerd headquarters. One individual in the pocket-protector crowd went so far as to tell ESPN’s Bobby Marks that Brown was viewed as “the seventh-best player on a team.”

And, well, sure. All of us can see that. It’s a wonder the guy is even in the league.

Back in this galaxy, he finished sixth in MVP voting and made All-NBA Second Team, having scored at a 28.7 point-per-game clip. That too was a career best, and led to a surprising No. 2 seed for the C’s in the East (which went for naught, since the Sixers came from 3-1 down to upset them in the first round of the playoffs).

But now he might be second, third or even fourth fiddle. Maxey took the third-most shots in the league in 2025-26 (21.4), which like his scoring average (28.3) was a career high. Combine that with the fact that Embiid (26.9 ppg) put it up over 18 times a night (albeit in 38 regular-season appearances) and Edgecombe (16 ppg) fired nearly 14 times a game, and the full scope of the challenge becomes clear.

That would appear to be where LeBron comes in. He squeezed off just over 15 shots a game for the Lakers in 2025-26, fewest in any of the 23 seasons he has played to date, while averaging about 21 points a game. Given his skill as a passer, he will have an enormous say in how successful (and happy) everyone is.

“Obviously on paper we look great,” Brown said, “but let’s all slow down. It takes real work every single day in order to make something like this happen.”

Work, he added, that has already begun. The five starters have been communicating on a text chain, which among other things led Brown to suggest that everybody go skydiving if the Sixers win the title – and James to dismiss that idea out of hand.

Some of them have also begun showing up in the gym at the practice facility. (That includes Embiid, whose physique looked Wildwood-ready in a photo that made the rounds on social media.)

As for Brown, he said he is “looking forward to doing whatever it is I need to do,” while adding that he will talk to  “whoever I need to talk to, to make sure that we get on the same page and that everybody’s focused on the same thing. Because we do that, then we’ll be where we want to be.”

He sees the big picture, in every sense. When he was coming out of Cal before the 2016 draft, an anonymous personnel guy told Andscape’s Marc J. Spears that Brown “might be too smart for the league,” a nice way of asking, Does he want it badly enough?

Understandable, since he took actual courses during his year at Berkeley (even a graduate course), and has a wide range of off-court interests beyond skydiving, like anime, chess, learning foreign languages (he speaks Spanish and Arabic) and music (he plays acoustic guitar and the piano). His philanthropic pursuits during his decade in Boston – pursuits centering on curtailing income inequality and increasing opportunities for young people in underserved communities – drew praise, and he pledged to continue that work here. (The site of last Thursday’s presser was hardly a coincidence, and as he entered the Myers Center’s gym beforehand he dapped up the dozens of kids who had lined up to greet him – each wearing a blue Sixers T-shirt with his name and No. 7 on it.)

But basketball is the platform that allows him to do all that, and he seems well aware of that, too. In Boston he was a five-time All-Star, a two-time All-NBA selection and in 2024 a Finals MVP, when the Celtics beat Dallas for the title. Now he’s here, and part of an ensemble cast that has the entire city buzzing.

That includes a man named Lovelace Acquaye, my cabbie on the way to Thursday’s news conference. A native of Ghana, he said he’s been driving for 20 years. He has warm memories of Allen Iverson and is a fan of Embiid’s, seeing as Cameroon is not far from his homeland.

And what of this season?

“No excuses,” he said. “They got to make us proud this time.”

A little while later, the last thing Jaylen Brown said in his first presser as a 76er was this: “Let’s get to it.”

Yes, the time is fast approaching when they will “throw the ball up,” something he has been saying on social media since the trade went down. And by all means let’s do that. Let’s throw it up and see if the Sixers can meet the moment. Let’s see if they can soar so high that skydiving becomes a realistic possibility.

Yesterday, news broke that NBA and Milwaukee Bucks legend Don Nelson had passed away at the age of 86.

Hall of Famer Don Nelson, three-time NBA Coach of the Year and five times a champion as a player with the Boston Celtics, has died at age 86.

The family has issued this statement:

“On Sunday morning our beloved husband, dad, grandfather and great-grandfather Don Nelson… pic.twitter.com/MkDMNugYcu

— Marc Stein (@TheSteinLine) August 9, 2026

Nelson, affectionately known as “Nellie,” was a hugely successful player and coach whose ingenuity helped shape the game into what it is today. 

Player 

A 14-year pro, Nelson played his rookie season with the Chicago Zephyrs, then his next two for the Los Angeles Lakers before signing as a free agent with the Boston Celtics. There, he went on to play 11 seasons, winning five NBA Championships. In Game 7 of the 1969 NBA Finals, he famously hit a clutch shot with just over a minute to go to give the Celtics the lead in what would become their 11th title in 13 seasons.

An ironman on the court, Nelson played all 82 games six times across his career, including an unfathomable five times in a row from 1967-68 to 1971-72. In total, he accumulated 10,898 points (10.3 PPG), 5,192 rebounds (4.9 RPG), and 1,526 assists (1.4 APG). He recorded a personal career-high 40 points against the San Diego Rockets in 1970 and posted a career-high 22 rebounds against the Boston Celtics in 1968.

Coach 

While a quality player and pivotal member of many championship teams—you don’t get your jersey number retired in Boston if you’re not—Nelson arguably left his biggest mark on the league as a coach. When it comes to Milwaukee, there’s no doubt about it. 

Nelson moved to the Bucks as an assistant coach immediately after his playing career finished and, after head coach Larry Costello resigned following a 3-15 start, took over the reins. In his second season at the helm, he led the Bucks back to the playoffs; in his fifth, he took them to 60 wins, third most in the league. It was the beginning of a golden era of basketball in Milwaukee, with the Bucks winning at least 50 games in each of the next six seasons. In that time, the Bucks won seven straight Central Division championships and reached the Eastern Conference Finals three times, losing to the eventual champion Philadelphia 76ers in 1983 and succumbing twice to Nelson’s former Celtics, who would also go on to win the NBA Championship, in 1984 and 1986.

Nelson finished his time in Milwaukee as the longest-tenured and winningest coach in franchise history. With 540 regular season wins (61% win percentage), he sits comfortably ahead of second-place Costello (410 wins, 61%), and has nearly twice as many wins as third-placed Mike Budenholzer (271, 69%). He also owns the most playoff victories as a coach in Bucks history (42, compared with 39 for Budenholzer and 36 for Costello).

Following his tenure in Milwaukee, Nelson went on to coach the Golden State Warriors (on two separate occasions), New York Knicks, and Dallas Mavericks. While unsuccessful in his first stop in Golden State and fired early in his stint in New York, Nelson transformed a floundering Dallas franchise into a legitimate contender—largely on the back of a pair of draft day moves that netted the Mavs Dirk Nowitzki (via the Bucks) and Steve Nash (via the Phoenix Suns)—and later led the 2006-07 “We Believe” Warriors to a historic upset series win against the first-seeded, 67-win Mavericks.

In total, Nelson coached 2,398 games, going 1,335–1,063 (56%), and remains second in NBA history for wins as a coach. For his efforts, he was a three-time recipient of the NBA’s Coach of the Year award (1983, 1985, 1992), and was named to both the Top 10 Coaches in NBA History and the 15 Greatest Coaches in NBA History during the league’s 50th and 75th anniversary celebrations. Nelson was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Hall of Fame as a coach in 2012.

Revolutionary 

Beyond his raw success as a coach, Nelson was nothing short of a pioneer. Always looking for a strategic advantage, he was inventive in a number of ways across his coaching stops.

In Milwaukee, this came to fruition through “Nellie Ball” which relied on positional versatility and athleticism. In this system, centres were less pivotal and scoring guards were given the green light through Nelson’s invention of the point forward position, which was made famous by Bucks legends Marques Johnson and Paul Pressey. If this sounds like the forerunner for modern NBA offences, it’s because it was.

In both stints with the Warriors, Nelson leaned into small ball, often employing three-guard lineups, and would frequently forego a centre altogether. Then, with Nowitzki and the Mavs, he helped transform the power forward position into the perimeter-oriented one it has become today—and also brought to prominence the “Hack-a-Shaq” strategy that coaches still utilise to exploit poor free throw shooters (see the San Antonio Spurs’ treatment of Mitchell Robinson in last season’s Finals).

In brief, Nelson’s fingerprints are all over the modern game.

Tributes

Nelson’s passing has reverberated across the NBA landscape, such was his impact. Here’s how some notable figures paid their respects, in their own words:

Nellie… You didn't just draft me. You believed in me. You saw things in my game before I ever realized I could do them. I've said it a million times and I will always say it: I don't think my career could have turned out how it did without you being my first coach and giving me…

— Dirk Nowitzki (@swish41) August 9, 2026

RIP, Don. A basketball genius among basketball geniuses. A legend among legends. https://t.co/RmxosU0sHf

— Michael Redd (@MichaelRedd_) August 9, 2026

What makes his legacy special is that he didn’t just coach — he expanded the way it could be played. His fingerprints on the modern NBA; space/movement/creativity.
great player-knows how to play
great coach-knows how to teach. Truly special ones change how the game is played. pic.twitter.com/GEgARSrgtY

— Brent Barry (@Barryathree) August 9, 2026

It’s times like these that truly remind us all of what’s important. Yes, this beautiful game draws so much of our attention—the wins and the losses and everything in between—but, really, it’s the people who matter. And so whether it’s the person across your desk right now or your loved ones at home, be sure to spend that extra moment with them. Tell them what they mean to you. Laugh, cry, connect. Fill your cup. Like Nellie would. 

May he rest in peace.  

There’s a moment in every young player’s development where the conversation changes. It doesn’t happen because of one highlight or one box score. It happens when enough people, watching from enough angles, begin to agree on the same thing. John Voita’s piece on Bright Side captured that moment for Khaman Maluach, and it did so with a clarity that Suns fans have been waiting for.

The emotional thesis is simple. We’ve stopped asking if he’ll be good. We’ve started asking how much responsibility he should get.

That shift matters. It’s the kind of shift that pulls a player out of the developmental shadows and into the center of roster conversations. And after Maluach’s four‑game stretch in Las Vegas — 19.5 points, 12.8 rebounds, eight blocks, eight made threes, and a 40% mark from deep — the question isn’t whether he’s ready for more.

It’s whether the Suns can afford to wait.

The praise wasn’t local. It was national.

Voita’s article didn’t just recap the numbers. It cataloged the chorus of voices around the league. CBS Sports called him “one of the best sophomores at the event.” Bleacher Report placed him on their First Team and highlighted the identical number of blocks and threes — a rare statistical symmetry that speaks to a two‑way profile few centers can claim.

This is the kind of praise that accelerates timelines. This is the kind of praise that forces conversations.

And it’s the kind of praise that makes tomorrow morning’s coffee chat a little louder than usual.

What does this mean for Phoenix?

Let’s be careful here. Careful to remind ourselves of the obvious: that Summer League roles don’t mirror regular‑season responsibilities. That’s true. But it’s also true that some performances demand reconsideration. Some players show enough growth that the old plan no longer fits the new reality.

Maluach didn’t just look improved. He looked structurally impactful. He looked like a player who changes what your offense can be.

And that brings us to the lineup question.

The 5‑out possibility Phoenix has never truly had

For years, the Suns have flirted with spacing but never fully committed to a true five‑out identity. They’ve had shooting. They’ve had skill. They’ve had guards who can bend defenses. What they haven’t had is a center who can both protect the rim and stretch the floor with real credibility.

Maluach’s emergence changes that.

A lineup of:

• Khaman Maluach
• Miles Bridges
• Dillon Brooks
• Devin Booker
• Jalen Green(or Collin Gillespie as the connective wildcard? Green as 6th man is a completely different conversation)

This finally gives Phoenix a version of spacing that doesn’t compromise size or defense. Booker gets cleaner driving lanes. Bridges gets more second‑side opportunities. Brooks gets matchups he can bully. Green gets a runway. And Maluach becomes the hinge, the piece that allows the offense to breathe without sacrificing the back line.

This isn’t theoretical. It’s built on the numbers we just watched.

The 40% from three: what it really means

Summer League shooting can be noisy, but Maluach’s 40% wasn’t a fluke. It came on eight makes across four games, with attempts integrated into the offense rather than thrown up in desperation. Trail threes. Pick‑and‑pop looks. Spot‑ups created by ball movement.

The volume matters. The comfort matters. The repeatability matters.

If you extrapolate that into a regular‑season role — even a modest one — the implications are significant. A center taking three or four threes per game at a league‑average clip forces opposing bigs to defend in space. It pulls rim protectors out of the paint. It opens up the floor’s geometry in ways Phoenix hasn’t had access to.

And if he maintains anything close to the confidence he showed in Vegas, the Suns suddenly have a center who can anchor both ends of the court while stretching defenses thin.

That’s not a developmental luxury. That’s a rotation‑shaping skill.

So has his Summer League success forced the starting conversation?

Yes. Because the conversation isn’t about hype anymore. It’s about structure.

Voita’s piece captured the emotional turning point — the moment the fanbase collectively realized that Maluach’s growth isn’t just encouraging, it’s actionable. The Suns don’t need to rush him, but they also can’t ignore what he just proved. The team’s best version of itself might already be sitting on the bench, waiting for the door to open.

And if Phoenix wants to explore a true five‑out identity, if they want to maximize Booker’s prime, if they want to build a lineup that can defend, run, and space all at once, then the question isn’t whether Maluach should start.

The question is how soon the Suns decide to try it.

QUESTION FOR READERS:

Does Maluach start now?

Former Steph Curry teammate wants him to leave Warriors to join Celtics originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area

After missing out on LeBron James this NBA offseason, there is an unsettling feeling about the Warriors running back a nearly identical roster to last season when Steph Curry is approaching the end of his career.

Former teammate D’Angelo Russell wants to see Curry join a contender in the Eastern Conference to solidify his legacy.

“I would love to see Stephen Curry go to Boston,” said Russell on “The Backyard Podcast.” “Yeah, I would love to see that. I just think he needs that type of help around him now. Who’s taking the load off him in Golden State? The rookie? Healthy Jimmy (Butler)?”

The chances of Curry being dealt to the Celtics aren’t realistic, but it is an interesting hypothetical scenario. Boston has a much more competitive roster and would give the 38-year-old a better chance at a fifth ring on paper.

“I think you have a veteran team that’s going to know how to win the last three minutes of a game,” Russell continued. “They’re going to know how to win. Just getting to the last three minutes is where they’re going to struggle.”

The Celtics lost Jaylen Brown in a trade to the Philadelphia 76ers, but they added draft capital along with forward Paul George. George and Jayson Tatum are seasoned veterans who have been leaders on caliber teams. Adding Curry would only strengthen their odds to win it all.

Russell, who was traded to the Memphis Grizzlies in July, played with Curry for 33 games during the 2019-2020 season.

Seeing Curry in green would be off-putting, especially after his jaw-dropping performance against the Celtics in the 2022 NBA Finals.

The Celtics have a much deeper bench after a busy offseason, but losing Brown still is the headline. Acquiring Curry would take a huge haul, but general manager Brad Stevens never has backed away from big moves.

Assuming Curry stays with Golden State to finish his career, it’s going to take some roster reconstruction to make this team a contender again.

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The basketball world lost a giant. The great Don Nelson died on Sunday at the age of 86 after suffering a stroke three weeks ago.

Nelson was drafted by the Chicago Zephyrs in 1962. A year later he headed to Los Angeles to join the Lakers and the Zephyrs moved to Baltimore to become the Bullets (modern-day Washington Wizards). He played fourteen seasons in the NBA including eleven season with the Boston Celtics. In his time with the Lakers and Celtics, Nelson accumulated five championship rings. His number 19 was retired by the Celtics.

Immediately upon retirement, Nelson moved to Milwaukee to serve as an assistant coach with the Bucks. After a 3-15 start to the 1976 -77 seasons, head coach Larry Costello resigned and Nelson began a head coaching career spanning thirty-one seasons over thirty-three years. He is the second winningest coach in NBA history behind Gregg Popovich and coached coached the second most games behind Lenny Wilkens.

Nelson was the NBA Coach of the Year in 1983, 1985, qne 1992 and served as head coach in the All-Star Game in 1992 and 2002. He is credited with the creating the “Hack-A-Shaq” during his time with the Dallas Mavericks.

NBA Chairman Adam Siver released this statement:

Nelson will be remembered for his accolades both as a player and as a coach. His name will come up again and again for years to come in discussions of the greats for his stellar record, his longevity, and his inspiration.

Welcome to the Thread. Join in the conversation, start your own discussion, and share your thoughts. This is the Spurs community, your Spurs community. Thanks for being here.

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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 1962-63 season would be Bob Cousy’s 13th in a Boston uniform – and his last, as he had announced his retirement. The Celtics without Cooz was almost unthinkable. He was their first superstar, coming from Holy Cross as an NCAA champion. He would end his career as the Celtics captain, a six-time NBA champ, 12-time All-NBA, 13-time All-Star, 1957 league MVP, eight-time league assists leader, and a Hall of Famer.

That same season was John Havlicek’s first in a Boston uniform, the ninth overall pick from Ohio State, where he also won an NCAA title. Havlicek would play 16 seasons, becoming Celtics captain, an eight-time NBA champ (notably, 8-0 in the Finals), 11-time All-NBA, 13-time All-Star, 1974 Finals MVP, eight-time All-Defense, the franchise’s career scoring leader (26,395 points) and a Hall of Famer. And his nickname, Hondo, came from the title of a John Wayne movie, because he was said to resemble the actor.

Stringing their careers together, Cousy and Havlicek gave the Celtics nearly three decades of greatness. And during this one season as teammates, they would help the Celtics win their fifth straight NBA championship, and the sixth overall, making Boston the league’s top franchise, passing the Lakers’ five titles.

The regular season

As they had done every year since Bill Russell’s arrival, the Celtics posted the league’s best record at 58-22.

Russell was voted the league MVP for the third straight year and fourth overall. (Russell, Wilt Chamberlain and Larry Bird are the only players to win three consecutive MVPs). Russell also was named All-NBA first team, as voters cast ballots logically this year and dropped Chamberlain to second team behind the MVP. Cousy and Tommy Heinsohn joined Russell as All-NBA choices.

Red Auerbach’s veteran acquisition this season was trading a second-round pick for 6-foot-9 center Clyde Lovellette. Entering his 10th NBA season, Lovellette was a double-double scorer and rebounder who won a title with the Minneapolis Lakers as a rookie, and was a four-time All-Star who also played for Cincinnati and St. Louis. He would finish his career with two rings as a Celtic.

The highlight of the regular season occurred on St. Patrick’s Day, when Cousy was honored before his retirement. Surrounded by family and teammates, an emotional Cousy couldn’t speak through his tears. In a now-famous Boston sports moment, the arena fell silent until a loud fan boomed out, “We love ya, Cooz!” Ever since, fans at similar sports ceremonies have tried to match that moment with their own shouts. No one has succeeded.

Eastern playoffs

Following their customary bye in the first round, the Celtics were matched up with the Cincinnati Royals — not Chamberlain’s Warriors, who missed the playoffs. But no Wilt did not mean breezing to the Finals. In addition to superstar point guard Oscar “Big O” Robertson, the Royals had All-Stars in center Wayne Embry and forward Jack Twyman.

They immediately showed what they could do, winning the opener, 135-132. Robertson hit Boston with a triple double of 43 points, 10 assists, 14 rebounds. Embry and Twyman combined for 42 points as the Royals overcame a 10-point halftime deficit. Oddly, each of the first four games of the series went to the visitors, so it was 2-2 going to Game 5 in Boston. Robertson scored 36, but Heinsohn offset that with 34 and Boston won, 125-120. Game 6 in Cincinnati was another Big O show: 36/15/14 for his third triple double of the series.

In yet another Game 7 on the parquet floor, it seemed that the only way to stop Robertson was for someone to match his scoring. And Robertson made that tough, delivering his second 43-point night of the series. On this night, however, Sam Jones was just better. Coming through in the clutch as usual, Jones scored 19 points in the second quarter alone. For the full game, he made 18 of 27 shots plus 11 of 12 free throws for 47 points, a new personal best and a record for an individual in a Game 7. (That record stood for nearly six decades until broken by Luka Doncic. Jayson Tatum holds it now with 51 versus the Sixers in 2023.) Heinsohn added 31 points and Cousy 21 points and 16 assists.

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NBA Finals

With their seventh straight trip to the Finals, Bob Cousy now had a golden opportunity to retire as a champion. The opponent would once again be the Lakers, and this time Boston took care of business, winning the first two at home, then prevailing in a close Game 4 in Los Angeles for a 3-1 lead.

In Game 5, the packed Boston Garden wanted to see Cooz celebrate one more time on the parquet. Except Elgin Baylor and Jerry West combined for 75 points and forced the Celtics to fly back to California one more time. Even going for their fifth straight title, the Celtics were not infallible.

After outscoring the Lakers 33-17 in the second quarter, Boston held a 14-point lead at halftime of Game 6. They remained up 12 going to the fourth. The lead was nine with 10:57 to play (an eternity, for sure) when Cousy had to be helped off the floor with a serious foot injury. The LA fans gave him a standing ovation. The timing could not have been worse. After the injury, the Lakers dug deeper and Boston’s lead became thinner.

Turning point

With 4:43 to play, Cousy surprised everyone by coming back on the court. The Lakers continued to apply pressure and got to within one point of Boston, 108-107. Even so, the Celtics having their captain back to stabilize the team was crucial.

The Hollywood ending

The captain being injured in what could be his final game, but making a valiant return and leading the team to victory. Cheesy movie script? Not this time.

The hero we needed

Tommy Heinsohn made several key plays in crunch time. With the Celtics protecting a two-point lead, he stole a pass and went all the way for a layup. Celtics by 4. Moments later, when the margin was down to one and the Lakers had to foul to stop the clock, Heinsohn swished four straight from the line to boost the lead to five.

It wasn’t over until…

Seconds before the final buzzer, Cousy heaved the ball toward the rafters. When it came down, the rebound was grabbed by…Bill Russell. Of course.

Notable facts and stats

• It’s possible Boston’s defense finally slowed down the Baylor/West combo. In the 1962 Finals they averaged 71 points combined. This time they combined for 60 in the closeout game and 63 on average combined for the series. That dropoff may have cost the Lakers because Boston’s winning margins were 3, 7, 3 and 3.
• Over the six Finals games, the Celtics were led in points per game by Jones, 24.7; Heinsohn, 23.3; and Russell, 20.0. Russell was the rebound leader with 26 per game.
• The rookie, Havlicek, appeared in four of the six games, scoring a total of 34 points – but 18 of them came in Game 6. A sign of where he was headed.
• Third-year forward Tom Sanders also scored 18 points. Heinsohn led Boston with 22.
• In his final line, Bob Cousy played 30 minutes, shot 8 for 16 and 2 of 2 from the line, with 7 assists.

Banner Years continues tomorrow with a review of the 1964 season and the road to winning Banner #7.

Don Nelson, who died Sunday, was an unlikely candidate for a historical basketball figure.

He was not particularly gifted. He didn’t run fast or jump high. At 6-6, in his day, he was kind of too tall for a guard and verging on too small for a forward.

Nonetheless, he built a remarkable career, first as a player, then as a coach and an executive who constantly challenged convention.

He was one of the first, if not the first, to use the idea of a stretch-four or stretch-five. He had versions of small ball with Golden State, but he also let 7-7 Manute Bol rain threes. No Nellie, No Durant, No Nowitzki, no Karl-Anthony Towns.

Current Golden State coach Steve Kerr said this about him:

“Don Nelson was a true innovator whose influence on the game of basketball is still felt today. He consistently challenged conventional thinking, experimented with different lineups and styles of play and saw possibilities in the game that others often did not. So much of what is now commonplace in the modern NBA can be traced back to the way Nellie approached the game.”

Celtics patriarch Red Auerbach said this about Nelson: “He has great knowledge of the game. Someday he’s going to be a coach, and a very good one. He knows the game, and he plays it hard.”

Before he was a coach, Nelson played with the Chicago Zephyrs, then the Los Angeles Lakers, before signing with the Boston Celtics in 1965. He helped Boston win five NBA championships, and in Game 7 of the 1969 Finals, he had a moment most players would kill for.

John Havlicek dribbled the ball down the right side of the lane, then turned, and Keith Erickson of the Lakers made a brilliant defensive play from behind, swiping the ball loose from Havlicek.

Unfortunately, he knocked the ball straight to Nelson, who caught it almost exactly where you would want to start a shot.

Elgin Baylor was close but was slow to react as Nelson rose up. His shot hit the rim, then took a dramatically high bounce before dropping through to put Boston up 105-102, with just 1:33 left.

You might not notice this right away, but as soon as Nelson took the shot, he bolted for the defensive end, suggesting one of two things: coach Bill Russell had instructed him to do so, or Nelson was sure the shot was going in.

As it turned out, Boston won 108-106, for their 11th championship in 13 years.

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

This week’s question asked you about Jabari Smith Jr. Many had him pegged as the best pick in the 2022 NBA Draft. He was slated to go number one overall to the Orlando Magic, who actually ended up taking Paolo Banchero, allowing Smith to fall all the way to the Rockets at three.

He’s been a mixed bag since, but he is coming off of the best season of his career. That being said, he hasn’t quite lived up to his draft status. Does that make him a Rockets bust?

Here is what you said:

Only 13 percent of Rockets fans think Smith is bust, and I do think that’s fair. Many of you know that I’ve always been high on Smith, and while he hasn’t quite lived up to my expectations either, he appears to be on his way up, averaging the most points and best three-point percentage of his career.

Smith is also still just 23, meaning he still has plenty of time to keep growing. When he hits 27 or 28, I do think he can be a force, particularly defensively. I still see the potential.

Don’t forget to check out or sponsor FanDuel for the basektball odds. The Rockets are +165 to win 50 games, meaning but $100 to win $165, and they are +3300 for the NBA Finals if you’re feeling really positive.

Thanks for voting, Be back soon!

STORRS, CT – Norman Dale, the fictional coach at the center of "Hoosiers," had his five starters.  

Dan Hurley has his roster, and on Friday, the UConn men’s basketball coach made clear he has no intention of shopping for any more players, even as college basketball’s portal chaos rages on around him. 

"My team is on the court," Hurley said after Friday’s practice, riffing on the "Hoosiers" line to make clear the Huskies are done making changes to their roster.  

More: Dick Vitale announces he's progressing well in latest cancer battle

The quip doubled as a statement of contentment, with Hurley closing UConn’s summer practice slate by saying he’s not looking to add any new players to his roster following the recent pool of players who were granted eligibility.

Last season, the Utah Jazz brought on Kevin Love as part of the John Collins three-team trade that helped continue the tank last season. Before the season started, it was rumored that Kevin Love might not be too interested in joining the Jazz once he got there. In fact, we’re almost exactly a year away from when it was rumored that Kevin Love wanted to be traded away from the Jazz. It’s probably good to take that into consideration with the latest rumors regarding Kevin Love from Dave McMenamin.

McMenamin mentions that Love’s agent has been in contact with the Sixers since the acquisition of LeBron James, but it would require the Sixers to drop a player from their roster, which is full.

McMenamin then mentions the connection between Kevin Love and the Jazz:

Though Love has interest in pairing with James to pursue a championship, he has maintained a strong relationship with Jazz coach Will Hardy, serving as a veteran voice with that young group, sources said. Utah, however, also has a full roster.

As McMenamin mentions, the Jazz also have a full roster. Just looking at the Jazz roster, to bring on Love they’d either have to make a trade, or waive someone. They just signed Mo Bamba to a two-year deal with a team option the second season. Would the Jazz want Kevin Love enough to waive Bamba and pay two third-string centers? Or would they be willing to make a trade? The players that aren’t trade-eligible are Bamba, Jaxson Hayes, Josh Okogie, and Jusuf Nurkic. It’s ironic that three of those players happen to be centers so waiving a player might be the necessity.

Personally, I think that Love is worth it. His leadership on the team would be valuable, and he did a lot to help the young players, especially Ace Bailey. With a top-tier rookie like Darryn Peterson joining the team, it might be worth bringing on Kevin Love. The fact that the Jazz are in contact means there is interest, we’ll see if something materializes.

Stephen Curry, if you remember, was no sure thing.

Six teams passed on him in the draft.

There were questions about his size. About his playmaking ability. About his ankles.

But he had one big, boisterous, influential fan: Don Nelson.

“One of the big reasons I was drafted by the Warriors was because of Don Nelson,” Curry said in a statement Sunday, remembering the life of the larger-than-life coach shortly after Nelson’s family announced his peaceful passing at the age of 86.

Nelson, the second-winningest coach in NBA history, spent only 11 of his 31 seasons with the Warriors but oversaw the two most memorable eras of basketball in the Bay Area before Curry’s arrival in the “Run TMC” and “We Believe” teams. Then, he spent retirement growing pot in Maui with Willie Nelson.

He was an iconoclast. Somebody Steve Kerr described as a “true innovator” for the fast-paced, small-ball style that was unorthodox at the time but now is commonplace.

But “Nellie ball” wasn’t the only way Nelson shaped the modern-day NBA.

He helped lay the foundation of the Warriors’ dynasty.

Before Kerr, before four championships and a glistening new arena, there was Curry. 

And before Curry, there was a long-forsaken franchise with a fledgling ownership group and an aging coach about to be nudged into retirement that possessed the No. 7 pick in the 2009 draft.

Curry was considered such a longshot that he refused to set up a workout or take a meeting with Golden State’s front office. After all, the Warriors already had a star point guard, Monta Ellis. Curry has since said that he was all but certain he would be taken by the Knicks at No. 8.

Despite his soon-to-be-lame-duck status, Nelson was a figure of stability in a draft room that featured first-year general manager Larry Riley. It wouldn’t have been very much like him to do the conventional thing or to not have his voice be heard.

He urged the Warriors to take Curry with the No. 7 pick.

The rest, as they say, is history.

“The story is he never liked rookies,” Curry continued in the statement, “but from Day 1 he challenged me and gave me an opportunity to be my best self on the court. He taught me a lot during our one season together and I’ll never forget the night he became the winningest coach in NBA history in Minnesota. We were so happy for him.

“He had an immeasurable impact on the sport and will go down as one of the greatest minds in the history of the game. He’s a true icon and will be missed by the countless number of people he touched, including myself, during a legendary career.”

Curry would only go on to play one season for Nelson, and it would take another coaching change to unlock his full potential alongside Draymond Green and Klay Thompson under Kerr.

But ever since Nelson witnessed Curry in-person in the 2009 NIT at Saint Mary’s College, he knew he had something special on his hands. 

“I was marveling at his skill from shooting and passing and ball handling,” the Hall of Fame coach recalled to ESPN.com in a 2021 interview. “I just thought he was a star. I never dreamed we were going to be able to get him.”

Even before Curry had sunk a single NBA 3-pointer, Nelson took an interest in the shot that would go on to set a record with 4,248 and counting. The sharpshooter recalled a story from his rookie season on the “Mind the Game” podcast with LeBron James and Steve Nash.

“They were trying to get me in the weight room doing all these lifts and stuff. I’m shooting like trash in training camp, the first week, and [Nelson] walked in there and cussed out everybody in the room,” Curry said. “Like, ‘Y’all killing his shot! He’s lifting too much weight!’ I didn’t even know that was a concept. I just wanted to get stronger.”

In case there was any concern about revisionist history, Nelson went on the record about his view on Curry in a little-seen interview during a summer league game shortly after he was drafted.

“Well, I’m a big fan of his,” Nelson said. “I think he’s going to be a terrific player. He’s just starting.”

When Nelson retired, he was the NBA’s all-time leader in wins (only since surpassed by Gregg Popovich). And when Curry hangs them up, he will be considered the greatest shooter of all time.

Who knows how it all would have played out had Nelson not made speaking up for Curry one of the final acts in his legendary coaching career.

Since Steph Curry joined the Golden State Warriors 17 years ago, they have been the blueprint for success in the NBA. But according to one of Curry’s former teammates, the team would have had the same level of success even without him.

“If you switched me and Steph out with the team that won championships, it’d be the same thing,” Ellis told ESPN. “So you’ve got to take the good with the bad, and that’s cool. It put me in a position to make money for me and my family.

“I ran with that.”

Ellis was selected by the Warriors in the second round of the 2005 NBA Draft and played with the team until 2012, when he was traded in the middle of the season to the Milwaukee Bucks.

During his first six seasons with Golden State, Ellis averaged 35.7 minutes, 19.6 points, 4.4 assists, and 3.7 rebounds per game. He won the NBA’s Most Improved Player in 2007. But the franchise was unable to break through during his tenure by the bay.

“Real people that know basketball and all that, …They know the team that I was dealt with.”

Ellis’ career went on to last another six years, during which he still saw regular time as a starter for the Bucks, Dallas Mavericks and Indiana Pacers.

The Warriors only made the playoffs once during his tenure in Golden State, losing in the second round of the Western Conference playoffs to the Utah Jazz.

Meanwhile, Curry was selected seventh overall by the Warriors in the 2009 NBA Draft and saw regular playing time during his first two seasons.

Curry’s time on the floor shortened in 2011, and he appeared in only 26 games for Golden State as he was dealing with an ankle injury, after having surgery on it during the offseason.

From that point forward, Curry blossomed into arguably the greatest shooter the game of basketball has ever seen.

In 2015, Curry won his first of two NBA MVP awards, when he averaged 30.1 points per game, knocking down 5.1 three-pointers per game.

He would go on to revolutionize the sport of professional basketball. Today’s NBA is a direct consequence of Curry’s ability to stretch the floor and shoot from anywhere. Very few people in history have had the type of impact Curry has, let alone Monta Ellis.

Curry, alongside Klay Thompson and Draymond Green, would go on to win four NBA titles. Ellis, on the other hand, did not garner a single All-Star nomination throughout his career.

Dirk Nowitzki and Luka Doncic have joined the basketball world in mourning the death of Don Nelson.

Nelson, the second-winningest coach in NBA history and a prominent Mavericks figure, died on Sunday at the age of 86.

“On Sunday morning our beloved husband, dad, grandfather and great-grandfather Don Nelson peacefully went to be with the Lord, surrounded by his loving family,” Nelson’s family said in a statement, according to long-time NBA reporter Marc Stein, who is connected closely to Dallas.

The Dallas Morning News reported that Nelson suffered a stroke a few weeks ago and had been admitted to hospice during his recovery.

“Throughout his last week, friends and family encircled him with love, sharing the blessing of his friendship and revisiting treasured memories,” the family statement continued.

Nowitzki wrote an emotional tribute to Nelson, who was his first and longtime NBA coach.

“Nellie… You didn’t just draft me. You believed in me,” Nowitzki wrote on X. “You saw things in my game before I ever realized I could do them. I’ve said it a million times and I will always say it: I don’t think my career could have turned out how it did without you being my first coach and giving me the freedom to play my game. I can only say THANK YOU. For everything.”

Nelson was hired as the Mavericks’ head coach and general manager ahead of the 1997-98 season and is credited with the development of Dirk Nowitzki, controversially selected No. 9 overall in the 1998 NBA Draft, and Steve Nash, whom the Mavs acquired prior to the 1998-99 season after he flopped in Phoenix for the first two seasons of his career.

Doncic, who played for the Mavs from 2018 until he was infamously traded in early February 2025 to the Los Angeles Lakers, reflected on Nelson’s legacy in a social media post. Nelson was team president when Dallas traded for him on draft night.

“It’s a sad day for basketball with the passing of Don Nelson,” Doncic wrote on X. “I have so much respect for him and everything he did for the game, especially the way he believed in international players. I’m grateful for the time I spent with him. Thinking of the entire Nelson family today. I loved getting to know you, Coach.”

Before becoming one of basketball’s great coaching innovators, Nelson spent 14 seasons as an NBA player and won five championships with the Celtics.

He later became much more accomplished from the sideline.

Nelson coached 31 seasons in the NBA, leading the Bucks, Warriors, Knicks and Mavericks.

He finished with 1,335 regular-season victories, which stood as the league record until Gregg Popovich surpassed him in 2022.

Nelson remains second on the NBA’s all-time coaching wins list and was named NBA Coach of the Year three times before eventually being inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 2012.