Category: Basketball

The NBA coaching carousel is spinning today, and Dub Nation needs to take a second to look at the full picture.

Jason Kidd is out in Dallas after five seasons, and before we say anything else, let’s give J-Kidd his flowers. He’s a Bay Area legend and Hall of Famer. He’s absolutely one of the greatest point guards to ever lace them up. He took the Mavs to the 2022 Western Conference Finals and the 2024 NBA Finals. That’s generational work for a franchise that hasn’t sniffed success since Dirk Nowitzki and Kidd won a title 15 years ago as players.

But this just shows exactly how cold this business is. New president Masai Ujiri got full authorization to determine his future per ESPN, and after taking your franchise to the Finals two years prior Coach Kidd is out of the picture. And with that, Kidd, Jalen Brunson, and of course Luka Doncic are now gone from a team that the Warriors knocked out of the Western Conference Finals in 2022, at a time when the Mavs looked like a team that was up next.

EXCLUSIVE: Jason Kidd didn't just part ways with the Mavs—a league source tells me simply:

“He wanted out.”

So what’s next? Think a J-Kidd & Giannis reunion in Minnesota?

“Not out of the question,” says a trusted league fixture.

Plus, Anthony Edwards is privately pushing… https://t.co/16bgb7ygaRpic.twitter.com/gDaNrWHbkC

— 👑 Brandon “Scoop B” Robinson (@ScoopB) May 20, 2026

REPORT: On top of Jason Kidd being fired, multiple coaches, execs, and scouts have been let go, per @ShamsCharania

(via @GetUpESPN)

— MFFL NATION (@NationMffl) May 20, 2026

Now look across the league at what’s happening in San Francisco.

In the final moments of the Warriors’ season, Steve Kerr quietly told Steph Curry and Draymond Green that he loved them both, then sat in a hotel lobby bar in Phoenix with his coaching staff counting the years they’d all spent in the game together. And after a month of genuine internal conflict, walks with Lulu through the Presidio, sandwiches at Golden Gate Deli, and real conversations with Steph, Dray, Joe Lacob, and his own family, he said yes to coming back.

That contrast should hit different right now.

Kerr’s loyalty isn’t blind sentimentality. It’s earned, deliberate, and mutual. Lacob and Dunleavy sat with him and asked one shared question: what honored the Warriors’ past while setting the franchise up for the best future? The four Larry O’Brien Trophies in Lacob’s office are standing monuments to what this relationship is about. That’s a front office that treats its coach like a partner, not an employee with an expiration date.

Dallas handed J-Kidd a 26-56 season after trading Luka Doncic for Anthony Davis, a deal that Kidd insisted he wasn’t aware of until the eleventh hour, then showed him the door when a new regime walked in. Ujiri will build something in Dallas eventually. He always does. But don’t let the business language of “new direction” fool you into thinking a Finals trip two years ago didn’t happen. I’ll be interested to check out the opinions of those who watched his coaching tenure; will Coach Kidd get another landing spot soon?

Now you know who he is. 😭😭😭 https://t.co/5HFLJK8IT0pic.twitter.com/9wXYu2kAm1

— Omer Osman (@OmerOsman200) May 19, 2026

I covered Jason Kidd when he played for the Nets. I know one of his childhood friends. I've been to his house, met his kids, then-wife, and Pilates Instructor. And I have insight from many people who worked with him in his coaching years. This is a great firing.

— Henry Abbott (@TrueHoop) May 20, 2026

Meanwhile, Steve Kerr is coaching Steph Curry hopefully until the end of both of their careers.

Kerr himself said he was the luckiest coach in NBA history because he lucked into over a decade of Steph. I’m definitely gonna believe J-Kidd deserves better than what Dallas gave him. LET HIM COOK, DAMN!

Dub Nation, we don’t take this for granted.

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The Garden is in full bloom.

Following their nine-day (!) hiatus from playoff basketball, Jalen Brunson and the New York Knicks miraculously triumphed over Donovan Mitchell’s Cleveland Cavaliers in a comeback victory for the ages at Madison Square Garden in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Finals.

“Find a way,” Brunson said after scoring 38, including a heroic layup to send the game into overtime. “We got some stops, kept fighting, kept believing. We just kept chipping away.”

Next up, Brunson, Bridges, Anunoby, Hart and KAT will start from scratch and attempt to do it all over again in Game 2 at MSG on Thursday, May 21 at 8 p.m. EST.

If you’d like to be there, last-minute tickets are still available for the sure-to-be electric contest at the Garden the House that Brunson Built.

At the time of publication, the lowest price we could find on tickets for Game 2 was $715 including fees on SeatGeek.

Potential home Games 5 and 7 back in NYC — if the series goes that far — are quite a bit pricier starting at $878 including fees.

While prohibitively expensive, it’s hard to put a price on playoff basketball- especially when it’s this good.

Case in point, Yahoo! Sports described witnessing the Knicks’ already historic fourth-quarter rally where Jalen Brunson led the team on an improbable 44-11 run as “something akin to a full-scale collective out-of-body experience.”

“I don’t know if I’ve seen that in a playoff game,” Knicks Head Coach Mike Brown said afterwards. “I don’t know if I’ve been a part of it.”

“What did I just see? Let’s gooooo,” Oscar nominee and Knicks diehard Timothée Chalamet shared in an Instagram Story.

Kicking yourself for missing Game 1?

No need to worry, Knicks fans.

Our team has everything you need to know about Game 2 of the Knicks vs. Cavaliers Eastern Conference Finals series at Madison Square Garden below.

New York Knicks playoff home game tickets

A complete calendar, including all announced Knicks Eastern Conference Finals home game dates and the best prices on tickets, can be found here:

New York Knicks home game dates	Ticket prices start at
Game 2 Thursday, May 21	$715(including fees)
Game 5 Wednesday, May 27 (if necessary)	$878(including fees)
Game 7 Sunday, May 31 (if necessary)	$1,124(including fees)

Cleveland Cavaliers playoff home game tickets

All Cavs Rocket Arena playoff home game dates and the cheapest tickets available can be found below.

Cleveland Cavaliers home game dates	Ticket prices start at
Game 3 Saturday, May 23	$257 (including fees)
Game 4 Monday, May 25	$160 (including fees)
Game 6 Friday, May 29(if necessary)	$233 (including fees)

How to watch the Knicks and Cavs on TV

Fans hoping to catch Brown’s ballers on the tube can watch all first-round playoff games on MSG, ABC, ESPN, TNT, Prime Video, NBC, and NBA TV.

Just make sure to review your local listings before tuning in.

If you don’t have cable, your best bet may be DIRECTV.

2026 NBA playoff schedule

Been meaning to see how the postseason has shaken out?

Check out the NBA’s 2026 playoff bracket here.

Huge concerts at MSG in 2026

Not sure what to do once the final buzzer sounds on the 2025-26 NBA season?

MSG has you covered.

The legendary venue has booked a number of exciting acts to entertain audiences all summer long.

Here are just five of our favorites you won’t want to miss live.

• Bon Jovi (July 7-9, 12, 14, 16, 19, 21, 23, 26)

• Earth, Wind, and Fire with Lionel Richie (July 11)

• Phish (July 22, 24, 25, 27, 29)

• RUSH (July 28, 30, Aug. 1, 3)

• J. Cole (Aug. 2, 4)

Want to see who else is Big Apple-bound? Check out this list of all the upcoming events at Madison Square Garden to find the show for you.

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Why you should trust ‘Post Wanted’ by the New York Post

This article was written by Matt Levy, New York Post live events reporter. Levy stays up-to-date on all the latest tour announcements from your favorite musical artists and comedians, as well as Broadway openings, sporting events and more live shows – and finds great ticket prices online. Since he started his tenure at the Post in 2022, Levy has reviewed a Bruce Springsteen concert and interviewed Melissa Villaseñor of SNL fame, to name a few. Please note that deals can expire, and all prices are subject to change.

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When the Minnesota Timberwolves were blown out in Game 6 of their Western Conference Semifinals series against the San Antonio Spurs to end their season, one thing was abundantly clear: the team needs to get better.

It was the third straight season in which the Wolves got demolished in their final game of the season. In 2024, it was the Dallas Mavericks, and last year, the Oklahoma City Thunder demolished the Minnesota Timberwolves en route to the championship, both in the Western Conference Finals.

This time, against the Spurs, the end of the season came a round earlier, and against a seven-foot-six Frenchman who seems primed to dominate the league, with a cast of 26-and-under players who are all years away from their primes.

Timberwolves President of Basketball Operations Tim Connelly spoke to the media Tuesday to put a bow on the Timberwolves’ 2025-26 season and discuss where the franchise is heading moving forward.

“Our goal to start the season was to be a home playoff team. We weren’t,” Connelly said. “Our goal was to get further than we did last year. We didn’t. So those things kind of demand action, and we’ll see how those things take shape. We want to win more than we won this year.”

Connelly made it clear that the Timberwolves need to get better, saying, “We finished sixth in the West again, and it didn’t end the way we wanted, so I think everything is on the table.” Connelly continued, “We have to be realistic about what we have, which is way more good than bad, but know that we’re not good enough right now.”

Tim Connelly on the Timberwolves moving forward: “It would be disingenuous for me to be sitting here in front of this crew and say, 'Hey we're happy with the sixth seed. We're happy with not be a home court playoff team. We're happy that our last three closeout games have been… pic.twitter.com/A2yuas5Iem

— Ryan Eichten (@REichten) May 19, 2026

With the last two teams to eliminate the Timberwolves, the Spurs and Thunder, currently battling it out in this year’s West Finals, the goal is clear. Minnesota needs to make moves to improve the roster, or else be destined to be taken out by one of the same two teams every year.

“I think the equation changes when you see the two teams playing in the Western Conference [Finals] right now,” Connelly explained. “We got smacked by Oklahoma City last year, we got smacked by San Antonio…We know our competition is not gonna sit still, and nor will we.”

While the Spurs and Thunder are certainly the measuring stick in terms of quality, the Timberwolves president pushed back on the idea that the Wolves need to build their team with the sole focus of taking down one or both of those teams.

“I think it’s dangerous because if they were specific solely to the San Antonio matchup, you take your ball and go home a little bit right now,” Connelly stated. “We’re not going to sit here for the next two months and solely focus on our ability to match up with the Spurs.”

“I think on the most simplistic level, if you have enough good players, and we have a great, great one in Anthony, you’re going to be a good team. So I don’t think you want to lose sight of that.”

Connelly has made his opinion clear; it is more important to stack as much talent as possible than to chase certain players that might have an advantage in a certain matchup. In Connelly’s eyes, it makes more sense to acquire the best players possible and retrofit the team’s identity around who is on the roster.

The Timberwolves President didn’t get into specifics about how he would improve the roster or what players may be a target for the team this offseason, but did give an insight into his philosophy around putting together a championship team.

“The risk is all self-induced pressure,” Connelly said. “I’d rather get fired for trying than just sit here and be in job survival mode.” He continued, “We’re not going to have a blind appetite for risk just because. But until you win it all, I think you’ve got to just keep playing hands.”

Two years ago, on the night of the NBA Draft, the Timberwolves took a risk and traded their 2031 first-round pick unprotected, along with a first-round pick swap in 2030, for the draft rights to Rob Dillingham. That risk did not pay off, as at the recent trade deadline, the Wolves traded Dillingham to the Chicago Bulls for Ayo Dosunmu.

Dosunmu has shined in his brief stint in Minnesota, including a 43-point performance in Game 4 against the Denver Nuggets after both Donte DiVincenzo and Anthony Edwards went down with injuries.

With Dosunmu’s contract expiring this offseason, Connelly made it clear that retaining Dosunmu was one of his priorities heading into the summer, stating, “Ayo’s our most important free agent.” Connelly finished his answer about Dosunmu, saying, “We’re pretty optimistic that we’ll get something done there. He’s everything we thought and more.”

The other piece of the organization that Connelly is intent on keeping is Head Coach Chris Finch. While many fans online may want a new look in that position, Connelly and the Timberwolves organization have total confidence in Finch.

“I think Finch is great. I think we have a fantastic coaching staff.” Connelly said. “It’s not an easy job. He was masterful, I think, in the Denver series. We’re not here without Finchy. The playoff success we’ve had. I’m just thankful that he’s a partner and thankful that he’s our head coach.”

It is unclear exactly which direction the Timberwolves will take. Will they trade one or both of Julius Randle and Rudy Gobert, who have been key players during their time in Minnesota? Will they be able to make a big swing for a player like Giannis Antetokounmpo, which would be sure to make waves both in Minnesota and across the NBA?

What is clear is that Connelly and the Timberwolves know they cannot just stand pat. They have to improve the team and cannot let continuity further devolve into complacency. While Minnesota is expereinceing it’s golden age in the franchise’s history, one thing was made apparent by Connelly at Tuesday’s press conference at the Wolves’ practice facility: the team needs to get better.

“We’ve had success the last couple years, and we have to take that next step.”

What. A. Game.

The Knicks were down 93-71 with 7:40 left in Tuesday’s series opener at Madison Square Garden. No matter how optimistic you are, this game was over.

At that moment in time, I was just trying to mentally move on to Game 2, the same way I did after that stunning loss to Indiana last year in Game 1. Splitting at home is not the end of the world, and regardless of how this game went, I knew that the Knicks were capable of picking themselves up and making the adjustments they needed to come out firing on Thursday.

Well, I was right in my belief; it just happened two days sooner. It was the most unbelievable stretch of basketball I’ve ever watched in my entire life.

Jalen Brunson outscored an entire team by himself over the last 14 minutes of the game.

The Knicks, who have had some incredible runs and quarters in this playoff run, somehow topped themselves with a 44-11 run to end the game.

I don’t care if the average NBA fan might prefer the true avalanche of triples that willed the Pacers to a win in Game 1 last year. This game completely erased the stench of one of the most mortifying losses I’ve experienced as a sports fan. Regardless of what happens in this series and beyond, the Knicks got their getback from the utter humilation they experienced at the hands of Aaron Nesmith and Tyrese Haliburton.

But how did they do this? Was it as simple as finally making their threes and Cleveland cooling off? While, of course, a comeback of that caliber is impossible without certain things that don’t necessarily require schematic shifts, there were several things that the Knicks managed to pick up on during the game that helped them rally.

Even if they hadn’t come all the way back. Even if Sam Merrill’s in-and-out shot in the final seconds of regulation went in to let Cleveland escape with a win, these changes are something that they’ll absolutely be able to apply moving forward and do to prevent themselves from falling into such a large deficit in the first place.

No Longer Doubling The Ball

The adjustment that the Knicks made after falling behind 1-2 to the Atlanta Hawks four weeks ago was pretty straightforward.

We’re not going to let CJ McCollum beat us. Blitz every screen, show every action, make him make a play.

It worked to a tremendous degree, so they applied it again to Tyrese Maxey in the next series.

It worked again, so they decided to stick with it against a turnover-prone James Harden to start this series.

In the first half, it did work. Harden was making bad decisions and the Cavs were missing the good looks they were getting when good ball movement left the Knicks helpless on a 4-on-3, but when Cleveland drained six of their last seven threes to end the half, the warts really started to show.

Out of the locker room, the Knicks kept at it, and the Cavs continued to beat it with excellent precision. You could tell it was their emphasis coming out of the locker room. If the Knicks’ offense didn’t heat up and Cleveland was able to abuse this defensive coverage, they had Game 1 in the bag.

Look at how Harden finds Jarrett Allen in the center of the court and collapses the defense. On every one of these possessions, there’s a shooter open. Dennis Schroder, Max Strus, and Sam Merrill, it didn’t matter. You had to choose one of them to leave open because of the 4-on-3 and they kept making you pay.

If it wasn’t an open three, it was an open layup. Hard closeouts on shooters led to driving lanes and cuts to the rim by Allen and Evan Mobley that the Knicks couldn’t stop. There were also times where Donovan Mitchell was just able to drive straight to the rim with ease.

No timeout effectively stopped the double-teaming, but after Merrill’s three-pointer with 3:05 left in the third quarter, the Knicks primarily switched their coverage to straight-up. The rest of the way, Cleveland scored just a grand total of 27 points in 20 minutes.

The only times I noticed the Knicks doubling the ball after that were on sporadic possessions, but also during Cleveland’s collapse. The blitzing worked in the first half when their offense was out of sorts, so returning to it when the sky is falling on them can work.

Ultimately, the Knicks cannot enter Game 2 thinking that Cleveland won’t abuse this coverage if attempted. I know it’s a scary proposition to deal with Harden or Mitchell 1-on-1, but it’s as rare as a blue moon when both of them are on their game at the same time, and we saw that again today. It’s enticing to try to force turnovers at half-court, but they have too much shooting to let them continue to exploit it.

Attacking James Harden

Through three quarters, I was pretty impressed watching how Harden was holding up defensively. After all, his reputation is certainly not the best on that end.

Mike Brown:

"It was no secret we were attacking Harden" pic.twitter.com/50zhBwiEgD

— Oh No He Didn't (@ohnohedidnt24) May 20, 2026

But a nearly 37-year-old man did not suddenly wake up and become good defensively, no matter if he has three inches and 30 pounds on Brunson. The final eight minutes of the first half were a schematic masterpiece for a Knicks offense that was abysmal in the first 40. The Cavs were voluntarily giving up a switch between Dean Wade and Harden and allowing Brunson to get to his spot repeatedly against the former MVP. Just watch this masterpiece.

Jalen Brunson Hunting James Harden pic.twitter.com/rlyEGCbdlf

— Coach Gibson Pyper (@HalfCourtHoops) May 20, 2026

OG Anunoby and Mikal Bridges repeatedly drew Wade away from the action to leave Harden on an island, and it wasn’t until the Knicks had come all the way back that they finally sent a double team with Merrill. By that time, Brunson was willing to give the ball up to OG Anunoby, who further opened up the offense with hard drives to the rim that opened up three-point looks for Landry Shamet and Mikal Bridges.

Give the Knicks enough time, and they’ll find your defensive weakness. They did it with Joel Embiid; they figured out how to do it with Harden. The Cavs will certainly adjust one way or another, but the game plan into Game 2 is clear: Let Jalen Brunson go to work against single coverage all day, every day.

The Knicks got Harden to switch into 9 isolations in the 4th quarter and OT, getting an obscene 1.9(!!) points per direct action. https://t.co/TWDE9I9L4vpic.twitter.com/Ni9TVU4Xzr

— ALL NBA Podcast (@ALLCITY_NBA) May 20, 2026

Benching Josh Hart

I love Josh Hart. He’s an extremely important part of this team, both on and off the court. If the Knicks are going to end a 53-year long championship drought, their glue guy is going to be a massive part of it.

But sometimes, it’s not your series. It’s really early, but all of the data suggests that Hart might be out of place here. After all, if he’s not a willing shooter who’s able to somewhat consistently make shots, it freezes up the Knicks’ offense with the ghost coverage that opponents are able to play.

Hart was minus-23 in 31 minutes. The Knicks outscored the Cavaliers by 34 points in 22 minutes with him on the bench. That entire run in the fourth quarter and overtime was with him on the bench. He wasn’t providing enough defensively to make up for what he was doing to the offense.

Update:

+34 with a 154.3 ORTG with Hart OFF

-23 with a 72.1 ORTG with Hart ON https://t.co/Uw2TeVCG0y

— XJ (@xavierjdesigns) May 20, 2026

There’s value to Hart in this series, but he needs to be used differently. The starting lineup has now been absolutely decimated in three combined matchups against the Cavs this year, putting up a net rating worse than -30 in 43 combined minutes, getting the team off to a slow start on Christmas, and struggling in February and last night.

I believed that Mitchell Robinson was the answer if the Knicks ever needed to change the starting five in this series, but the answer might be the likes of Deuce McBride or Landry Shamet after what we just witnessed.

Granted, it’s one game. It’s statistical noise. The Knicks didn’t just find a lineup that turns the Cavs into goop on both ends of the floor, but there are stylistic reasons why a change there could be beneficial.

For one, Shamet did a great job on Mitchell when he defended him, and it allowed Bridges to frustrate Harden with his length, while Anunoby did what he does best off the ball. If you go to Mitch, you match up with the Cavs’ double big lineup and take away any rebounding disadvantage that the Knicks seemed to have early in this game.

There are multiple factors that Mike Brown is going to need to consider over the next two days heading into Game 2, but you have to hope that a guy who was hired to be innovative with the lineups won’t revert to something that doesn’t work for extended stretches.

The NBA is bringing Victor Wembanyama back to where he grew up for a European showcase next year.

The league announced on Wednesday, May 20, that Wembanyama and the San Antonio Spurs will play two games against the New Orleans Pelicans next season in France and England as part of the NBA's multi-year slate of regular-season action planned for Europe.

The two NBA teams will first face one another on Jan. 14, 2027 at Accor Arena in Paris and then play again on Jan. 17 at Co-op Live in Manchester, England. This will be the sixth time the NBA has contested a regular-season game in Paris and it will be the first regular-season game in Manchester.

NBA PLAYOFFS: Wendy's proposes name change to honor Wemby's epic Game 1

The Spurs also played two regular-season games in Paris against the Indiana Pacers during Wembanyama's second season in January 2025. The 7-foot-4 French superstar was born and raised in the city's suburbs and began his professional career playing for clubs in the area before debuting in the NBA. Next year's trip will represent the first time the Spurs have appeared in a game in England.

The NBA has been playing games abroad since 1978 and ramped up its presence internationally more than 30 years ago. But it is seeking greater influence in European basketball at the moment, with plans on starting an NBA Europe league also backed by FIBA that could could begin play as soon as October 2027. The NBA is also scheduled to play regular-season games in Berlin and Paris in 2028.

Wembanyama's international profile, meanwhile continues to grow as he leads the Spurs through the 2026 NBA playoffs. He had 41 points, 24 rebounds and three blocks in their Game 1 overtime win over the Oklahoma City Thunder to start the Western Conference Finals. There's a chance the Spurs cross the pond next year as NBA champions featuring a young nucleus led by Wembanyama, Stephon Castle and Dylan Harper Jr.

The Pelicans finished with a 26-56 record and traded away their 2026 first-round pick to move up in last year's draft and select promising rookie Derik Queen. They also have veterans Zion Williamson, Trey Murphy III and guard Dejounte Murray, but could see the roster change this offseason under new coach Jamahl Mosley and lead executive Joe Dumars.

This will be the first time the franchise plays games in France and England.

"These games provide a unique platform to showcase our team, our culture and our community to global audiences while building meaningful relationships with fans, partners and communities abroad," Dumars said in a statement. "We are grateful to be part of the NBA’s continued international growth efforts, and we are excited to help grow the game globally and connect with new generations of basketball fans."

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Victor Wembanyama, Spurs, Pelicans to play Paris, Manchester games

The NBA Draft Combine is now over, and there are three Tar Heels that could have their name called on draft night should nobody withdraw their name. Two of those Tar Heels have already fully committed, but Matt Able is the guy that may or may not decide to return to college and play under Michael Malone. There is also the Seth Trimble situation, but that situation is somewhat complicated.

But now that we’re done with the combine, ESPN released their latest NBA Mock Draft yesterday, and there was some movement that UNC fans may be interested in. That said, let’s take a look at where ESPN has each player landing in the draft.

Caleb Wilson —1st Round, 4th overall pick to the Chicago Bulls

There was a lot of speculation before the combine that Caleb Wilson could potentially move into the top three of the NBA Draft, but that possibility has disappeared according to most outlets. While NBA scouts have stated there’s no real order when it comes to the top four players of the draft, it is feeling more and more like Wilson is destined to become a Chicago Bull.

The Bulls have finally decided to tear everything down to the studs and are officially in rebuild mode. With a new front office, a new head coach that hasn’t been named yet, loads of cap space, and two first-round picks, the Bulls are in an ideal situation to build their team around Wilson. He could end up being their best draftee since Derek Rose, so he’ll have big shoes to fill in the Windy City.

Henri Veesaar — 1st Round, 25th overall to the Los Angeles Lakers

The Estonian center could find himself in an interesting situation to start his NBA career should things play out the way that ESPN is projecting. Henri Veesaar could potentially get drafted by the Lakers, a team that seemingly will be without LeBron James for the first time in years. Of course they still have Luka Doncic, but what they don’t have is depth at center, which is where Veesaar comes in.

What’s worth noting is that media outlets do not seem to agree when it comes to their projections for Veesaar. For instance, Yahoo Sports has Veesaar going 20th overall to the San Antonio Spurs, which is a pretty big jump up the boards compared to ESPN. As long as he lands somewhere within the 20-30th pick range, he’ll likely be satisfied with his decision to stay in the draft. The excitement may wear off if he is picked up by the Dallas Mavericks, though. If you know you know.

Matt Able — 2nd Round, 33rd overall to the Brooklyn Nets

Here is the projection everyone has been waiting for. Former NC State guard Matt Able is currently projected by ESPN go very early in the second round should he stay in the NBA Draft. Much like the Veesaar situation, though, this one isn’t easy to figure out — Yahoo Sports has Able as the 42nd pick to the San Antonio Spurs, which is significantly lower than ESPN is predicting.

While I would love to say that Matt Able returning to UNC feels likely, the truth is that we just don’t know. Taking second round money in the NIL era is really hard, but also some players are more than willing to take the risk if they’re just done with the school aspect of their careers. Able would have a chance to develop and get drafted higher should he stay in college, but let’s be honest: he’d develop in the league too. There’s no wrong decision for Able, but it would be awesome if Michael Malone didn’t have to go back into the portal to get someone that is inevitably less talented than Able to fill out his roster.

What do you think of ESPN’s latest NBA Mock Draft? How are you feeling about Matt Able’s impending decision to leave or stay in the draft? Let us know in the comments below.

Jason Kidd was shown the door in Dallas. Will he be out of work for long?

The 53-year-old was fired by new Mavericks president of basketball operations Masai Ujiri on Tuesday in a move that sent shockwaves through the NBA.

The Magic, Bulls and Trail Blazers are the teams still looking for head coaches, and NBA reporter Marc Stein noted that Orlando had interest in Kidd in 2021 and is looking for an experienced head coach, though whether the Magic will pursue him is still to be determined.

The Magic fired Jamahl Mosley after blowing a 3-1 series lead against the top-seeded Pistons in the first round of the playoffs, marking the third straight year Mosley’s Magic were eliminated in the opening round.

Mosley, who was at the helm in Orlando for five years, is now the Pelicans’ head coach.

Orlando hoped to take a step forward after acquiring Desmond Bane last offseason, but went 45-37 and settled for the Play-In Tournament before coming close to taking down the top seed.

Kidd, who has a 388-395 record as a coach including his one season with the Nets and four years with the Bucks, led the Mavericks through tumultuous times over five campaigns, including last season’s trade of Luka Doncic to the Lakers for Anthony Davis, who immediately went down with a season-ending injury.

Stein reported before the Mavericks fired Kidd that former Knicks head coach Jeff Van Gundy and Billy Donovan are expected to be candidates for the Magic’s vacancy.

After drafting eventual Rookie of the Year Cooper Flagg with the No. 1 overall pick last year, the Mavericks went 26-56 this season.

First things first: The Nets are not talking about Draft strategy. They are notorious in that regard. Unlike other teams, they don’t announce who they have in for workouts and interviews. They even frown upon agents who reveal which clients have traveled to HSS Training Center. (Last year’s SCOUT series on the Draft was remarkable in that it gave some insights into the process but really kept the most sensitive info off camera, fuzzing out every screen, whether the big board in the Draft room or someone’s laptop.)

That said, fans and draftniks want to know the latest. Among them Jeremy Woo who compiles ESPN’s mock drafts. In his latest mock, out Tuesday, Woo speculates that the Nets pick is, in the minds of NBA executives, a “wild card,” meaning it’s possible that we could see it move.

After a second straight disappointing lottery result dropped the Nets three spots, this pick is viewed around the league as a potential wild-card spot, with Brooklyn needing star power and still developing young players at every position after rostering five first-rounders a year ago. What direction the Nets wind up going might offer insight into how they view their current prospects. They also have cap space and a supply of tradable future firsts at their disposal. Acuff Jr. doesn’t fit Brooklyn’s established positional-size philosophy, but he has a best-available case if this is how the board falls. It’s not viewed as a given that the Nets select a guard, however, and they could find value in trading back.

Acuff was helped by his combine measurements, standing 6-2 barefoot with a plus-4 ½ wingspan. While still on the smaller side, those dimensions are solid for a starting point guard, and his sturdy build should help him keep up with NBA physicality. None of that assuages the concerns around his poor defense, but his offensive bona fides vaulted him into this range of the draft and will keep him there. The Kings at No. 7 are viewed by rival teams as Acuff’s floor: Sacramento needs a point guard, and there are existing connections, including the fact that GM Scott Perry coached Acuff’s father at Eastern Kentucky.

A lot of what Woo talks about is not that new. The Nets have options. In order of degree of difficulty, they could stay where they are, they could move down, they could acquire a second first rounder using their multitude of draft assets or finally, they could (try to) move up. Four days ago, Brian Lewis reported this:

Whispers going around the combine suggest Nets general manager Sean Marks is open to moving up or down from the No. 6 spot. 

And in his latest mock draft, Kevin O’Connor implies that the Nets universe of possibilities may not be limited to the four or five guards linked to them by draftniks: in alphabetical order, Darius Acuff, Mikel Brown Jr., Brayden Burries, Kingston Flemings and Keaton Wagler.

The Nets shocked a lot of people when they took Egor Dёmin with the eighth pick one year ago. And maybe they will shock again this year. Multiple league sources have connected Brooklyn to Michigan center Aday Mara and Tennessee freshman forward Nate Ament. But in this mock, we’re sticking with the best guard available.

In his opinion, that’s Wagler, but is there another implication from KOC: that the Nets could add a second first and take the 7’4” Mara or 6’10” Ament or, as Erik Slater speculated, the 6’9.5” Karim Lopez or the 6’10” Yaxel Lendeborg? A league source told ND before the trade deadline that of course the Nets have interest in adding a second first with such a deep draft. But he added that teams were unlikely to answer calls until after the lottery when they know the lay of the land. Of course, we’re there now. Another league decision-maker told us that he thought with all those assets 32 picks — including nine tradeable firsts — they could move up.

Indeed, Bobby Marks on Wednesday ranked the Nets draft assets at the top of the NBA. Breaking things down into seven tiers, the former Nets assistant GM put Brooklyn at the top of Tier One.

Brooklyn has four unprotected first-rounders over the next seven years, acquired in two separate trades (Mikal Bridges to the Knicks and Cameron Johnson to the Nuggets). Three are from New York (2027, 2029, 2031) and one from Denver in 2032.

Brooklyn also has the most favorable pick in 2028 among Philadelphia (if 9-30), New York and Phoenix.

The downside? Houston has the right to swap picks next year, the final condition from the James Harden trade in 2021.

Marks ranked the Charlotte Hornets, Memphis Grizzlies, Oklahoma City Thunder, San Antonio Spurs, Utah Jazz and Washington Wizards in Tier One as well. In overall numbers, the Nets’ 13 firsts were tops by his count, two more than the Grizzlies 11 while their overall total of 32 was eight more than the next biggest cache, the Hornets 24. The nine tradeable firsts were two better than three other teams, the Grizzlies, Hornets and Thunder.

Who’s ranked 30th? The Denver Nuggets.

Again, if you’ve been following this site, that’s not new either. Sean Marks (no relation) & co. have accumulated picks willy-nilly. They have seven in 2029 — three firsts and four seconds — and six in 2032 — two firsts and four seconds. As the league decision-maker said, there’s only one reason to husband all those assets: to be able to move quickly and opportunistically when the time comes, but that time may is unlikely to come till a month from now and if history is any guide, as a surprise.

Stay tuned.

France's Victor Wembanyama and his San Antonio Spurs side will face the New Orleans Pelicans in a double-header in Paris and Manchester next season.

The two sides will face twice in Europe in the space of 72 hours in January 2027.

They will play first at the Accor Arena in Paris on Thursday, 14 January. Then they will take each other on again at Co-op Live in Manchester on Sunday, 17 January.

It is the first time that Manchester has played host to a regular-season NBA match.

French centre Wembanyama finished third in this season's vote for the NBA Most Valuable Player award. He is also one of the sport's most popular figures.

The Spurs are currently leading 1-0 in this season's Western Conference finals against reigning NBA champions the Oklahoma City Thunder.

Earlier this year, the first European double-header between two teams across multiple European cities took place. The Orlando Magic and Memphis Grizzlies faced each other twice in Berlin and London in the space of three days in January.

Another double header has been scheduled to take place across Berlin and Paris in 2028.

When it was confirmed last year that Manchester would host a 2027 NBA game, Mayor of Greater Manchester Andy Burnham said: "This is great news for the city-region and is an exciting opportunity for us to see some of the best basketball players in the world on our doorstep."

The move comes alongside the NBA's plans to launch a European NBA-run league.

"Playing games in Paris and Manchester reflects the strong momentum we're seeing for basketball and the NBA in France, the UK and across Europe," said George Aivazoglou, NBA managing director for Europe and the Middle East.

"As interest in the game continues to grow across the continent, we look forward to working with the Pelicans, the Spurs and our partners to deliver unique experiences for fans, aspiring players and the local communities."

The NBA has focused on both Paris and Manchester as part of its plans to launch an independent European league, with both cities attracting interest from investors over having franchises in an 'NBA Europe' league, which could start as early as the 2027-28 season.

2027 and 2028 NBA fixtures in Europe

2027

• Thursday, 14 January: San Antonio Spurs v New Orleans Pelicans - Accor Arena, Paris
• Sunday, 17 January: New Orleans Pelicans v San Antonio Spurs - Co-op Live, Manchester

2028

• One match at Uber Arena, Berlin
• One match at Accor Arena, Paris

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LONDON (AP) — The New Orleans Pelicans and the San Antonio Spurs will play in Paris and Manchester next year as part of the NBA’s multiyear slate of regular-season games in Europe.

The league announced on Wednesday that the teams will meet in Paris on Jan. 14 and in Manchester three days later.

The NBA revealed last year that it planned to play at least six regular-season games in Europe over three seasons.

That started with a pair of games between the Memphis Grizzlies and Orlando Magic last January, in Berlin and London. The games in the 2027-28 season will take place in Berlin and Paris.

“Playing games in Paris and Manchester reflects the strong momentum we’re seeing for basketball and the NBA in France, the UK and across Europe,” George Aivazoglou, the NBA’s managing director for Europe and the Middle East, said in a statement.

“As interest in the game continues to grow across the continent, we look forward to working with the Pelicans, the Spurs and our partners to deliver unique experiences for fans, aspiring players and the local communities.”

Next year’s Paris game will be the NBA’s 16th in France since 1991 and the league’s sixth regular-season game in Paris. Manchester has never previously hosted a regular-season game, although it will mark the 20th game featuring an NBA team in England since 1993.

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AP NBA: https://apnews.com/hub/nba

The Knicks seemed dead in the water. After a cold shooting night and an out-of-sorts defensive performance through three-and-a-half quarters, the Knicks were down 93-71 to the Cleveland Cavaliers with just 7 minutes and 52 seconds remaining in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Finals. 

It would’ve made sense to take the loss and fight another day. But Jalen Brunson had other plans. The All-Star guard led New York to an epic comeback win in the series opener, 115-104. New York went on a 44-11 run over the final 12 minutes and 49 seconds of the game. 

After the wondrous comeback, there are three keys to think about ahead of Game 2 on Thursday. 

Brunson Burner

What else is there to say about Brunson? The Knicks' All-Star had 38 points, five rebounds, and six assists in Game 1. He took over the fourth quarter and overtime, scoring 17 points. 

As he hunted James Harden to defend him on switches, Brunson became the conductor, directing where everyone was on the court. By the final possessions of the fourth quarter, he forced Cleveland to double-team him, leading to three-pointers from Mikal Bridges and Landry Shamet. 

Though there’s always been some criticism toward his defense, and his reliance on isolation basketball, it’s clear that Brunson is still one of the best shot-creators in the NBA. His excellent footwork and dribble moves are impressive. And he has great touch. 

Everything went wrong for the Knicks in this game. They couldn’t knock down a three for much of it, Karl-Anthony Towns struggled to find a rhythm, and the defense waxed and waned. But Brunson’s performance was an example of how a star can steer a team to a win regardless of the situation.

Bad blitz

The Knicks have often benefited from an aggressive defensive style during these playoffs. In the first round against the Atlanta Hawks, blitzing CJ McCollum proved to be the ultimate trump card. In the second round, New York slowed down guard Tyrese Maxey with the strategy.

But the Conference Finals might be the time for the team to dial back the overhelping. Cleveland’s guards Harden and Donovan Mitchell were both ready for the blitz, throwing pocket passes to the screener, who then would often find an open shooter from three. 

Cleveland didn’t overwhelm the Knicks from outside, shooting just 16-for-50 (32 percent) from the three-point line. Still, the Cavs have a dangerous pairing of outside shooters in Max Strus and Sam Merrill. Giving those players and the likes of Evan Mobley wide open three-point looks seems like a recipe for disaster.

New York went to the blitz less after the disastrous third quarter. How the Knicks defend Mitchell and Harden in the pick-and-roll will be a must-watch for Game 2.

Less Hart

Josh Hart is the heart and soul of the Knicks, but this might be a series where we see less of the wing. Hart’s role in this series was always going to be a major question. As expected, Cleveland had center Jarrett Allen defend him for much of the contest.

That strategy mucked up the paint for the Knicks. Hart was a -23 in 31 minutes on Tuesday night. He did have 13 points, but he was just 1-for-5 from the three-point line. Allen lurked on the backline as a rim-protector all night. 

New York’s run in the fourth quarter and overtime happened mostly with Hart on the bench, though he did step in for a couple of defensive possessions. 

Hart has been an important piece to this Knicks team the last few years, but it makes sense to go with high-volume three-point shooters Shamet or Miles McBride, who garner more respect on the perimeter. 

The logic in sports, when it comes to timeouts, is that they are for you to take them, and they don't carry over to the next game.

Some coaches adhere to that simple logic, especially when their team is scuffling or when they need to stop a significant run by their opponents.

But not Cleveland Cavaliers head coach Kenny Atkinson

Atkinson attempted to defend why he didn't call a timeout when his team was blowing a 22-point fourth-quarter lead Tuesday, May 19, to the New York Knicks in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Finals. The Knicks went on to win 115-104 in overtime.

"I like to hold my timeouts," Atkinson said after the game. "I didn't want to have one timeout at the end of the game, one- or two-point game. I tried to hold them.

"They hit some really tough shots in that fourth quarter. We got a little unlucky, quite honestly.

"My only regret, and this can happen when you get a little fatigued, I think it just stopped moving. We were pinging the ball all over the place, great ball movement, and then it just got a little stagnant."

The Cavaliers led 93-71 with 7:50 left in the fourth quarter. During the next 12 minutes of action, Cleveland scored a grand total of 11 points.

Even with a near-historic collapse, Cavaliers star guard Donovan Mitchell doesn't seem to be worried about it and insists the team will be ready for Game 2 on Thursday, May 21.

"It's the same. It's one loss," Mitchell said. "We've had some tough ones, but it's one loss. It's not like that loss gives them two or three games, right? It's one. So we have an opportunity to come back here in two days and steal one here, and that's really all it is.

"If you allow yourself to go down that path, you won't be ready for Game 2. So that's pretty much the mindset."

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Cavs' Kenny Atkinson defends not calling timeout vs Knicks in Game 1