Category: Basketball

NBA owners approve exploring expansion bids for teams in Las Vegas and Seattle originally appeared on NBC Sports Philadelphia

Seattle and Las Vegas are one step closer to having NBA teams.

The league’s board of governors voted Wednesday to approve a plan that will allow NBA officials to “formally explore potential team expansion” to those two cities, which have long been thought of as the front-runners to land franchises.

“Today’s vote reflects our Board’s interest in exploring potential expansion to Las Vegas and Seattle — two markets with a long history of support for NBA basketball,” NBA Commissioner Adam Silver said. “We look forward to taking this next step and engaging with interested parties.”

Silver will hold a news conference later Wednesday to discuss next steps. The league said investment bank PJT Partners has been brought on “as a strategic adviser to evaluate prospective markets, ownership groups, arena infrastructure, and the broader economic implications of expansion.”

Expansion isn’t a done deal. But it’s not just a dream anymore, either.

New Orleans guard Dejounte Murray was 11 years old when Seattle last had an NBA team. He grew up with hopes of being like Gary Payton, Ray Allen and Shawn Kemp, and even remembers a rookie who played for the SuperSonics named Kevin Durant.

It’s been nearly two decades since those days ended. That said, Wednesday’s vote should finally fuel real hope of a basketball revival for Seattle — and a new chapter in Las Vegas.

“It’s a basketball city, basketball culture, so it’s mandatory I think that they get it back over there,” said Murray, a Seattle native.

Added Orlando’s Paolo Banchero, another Seattle native: “I think it’s been a long time coming for the city. I think everybody was pretty bummed out when they left. And since then it’s just been waiting and hoping that one day they will come back. I’m sure with the news, everybody’s excited. I know I’m excited for all the kids growing up because Seattle’s a really big basketball city.”

It is, and so is Las Vegas — which has become a major part of the NBA ecosystem even without a team.

The NBA’s Summer League is held in Las Vegas each year and has become a can’t-miss event for league executives, coaches, media, agents and even players who aren’t taking part in the games. The championship round of the NBA Cup, the in-season tournament, has been held in Las Vegas as well. And the city used to play host to the occasional regular-season game; for example, in 1984, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar of the Los Angeles Lakers broke the league’s career scoring record in a game against the Utah Jazz — who used Las Vegas for some of their home games at that time.

The idea of putting a franchise there might have seemed unlikely a couple of decades ago. Not anymore, especially not with the NFL’s Raiders, the NHL’s Golden Knights and the WNBA’s Aces all already there and with Major League Baseball on the way.

“I think Seattle and Las Vegas are two incredible cities,” Silver said in December, speaking about expansion while in Las Vegas for the NBA Cup.

Assuming owners will eventually decide to actually expand the NBA past its 30-team footprint, there will be much to figure out. On the short list: the expansion fee (expected to be at least $6 billion), the timeline for adding the clubs (2028-29 would almost certainly be the earliest this could happen) and how the Western Conference will be realigned (at least one team is likely to join the Eastern Conference).

Golden State Warriors coach Steve Kerr said the SuperSonics were “one of the iconic franchises in the NBA.” The team left in 2008 and became the Oklahoma City Thunder.

“I was shocked when the league left Seattle,” Kerr said. “Incredible fan base. Great basketball market. A ton of talent coming from Seattle. Top 10 media market. Incredible sports city. So, it was kind of shocking to all of us when the league left Seattle. And I think we all hoped it would be a lot sooner than 18, 19 years, whatever it’s going to be, before they got back in the league.

“They belong in that city, and a team belongs there,” he added. “Those fans deserve it.”

___

AP Basketball Writer Brian Mahoney and AP Sports Writers Schuyler Dixon and Joe Reedy contributed to this report.

Hours after it was announced that Hubert Davis would not return as basketball coach next season, we already have our first name removed from the list. Matt Norlander of CBS Sports reports that President of Basketball Operations for the Celtics, Brad Stevens, has removed his name from consideration for the job.

Bringing Stevens back to college basketball was an intriguing idea to many Carolina fans in the wake of the Davis news. Stevens is widely regarded as a brilliant basketball mind and his success with the Celtics has been impressive. Still, the college game is markedly different now than it was when Stevens was coaching it and navigating the world of NIL and the transfer portal has not come easily for everyone. It’s easy to understand by UNC would be interested in Stevens and equally easy to understand why Stevens would want to stay put in the NBA.

Stevens was definitely one of the bigger long shots on the list of names that Carolina might be interested in. The other NBA-connected name on the list has been Billy Donovan, which does not have nearly the support of bringing in Stevens. The most likely outcome is that a current college coach ends up in Chapel Hill.

Just have to figure out the who.

Last summer, the Houston Rockets pulled off the blockbuster trade of the offseason, acquiring Kevin Durant from the Phoenix Suns, for the nominal outgoing package of Dillon Brooks, Jalen Green and the 10th pick of the 2025 NBA Draft. Houston has been at a near identical pace to last season’s team but is on pace to finish with right at 50 wins, which would be just two wins short of last season’s 52-win finish.

The fact that Houston is even on track to finish that close to last season’s Cinderella team is a testament to Durant, as the team has been without three starters from last season’s starting five in Fred VanVleet, Jalen Green and Dillon Brooks. Not to mention Steven Adams, who has been the key to Rockets coach Ime Udoka’s offensive strategy of getting additional high-percentage bites at the apple, by way of second-chance scoring opportunities.

Houston is clearly in need of more consistent, high-level play. Teams have found it rather easy to neutralize Durant by either double-teaming him at halfcourt or sending traps and blitzes at him. According to Chris Mannix of Sports Illustrated, the Rockets could make a pursuit for Milwaukee Bucks superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo.

Mannix took to his signature Open Floor: SI’s NBA Show to elaborate on Houston’s potential summer plans.

“Look, the Giannis thing that’s out there. I know…I believe that they’re going to try to make a run at him in the offseason. So that looms.”

Mannix continued.

“I was up and down there a couple of times and I have talked to Rafael Stone about this and the front office people there, like they made a great deal for Durant. They didn’t give up all of their assets. They’ve still got a treasure trove of assets that they can use to make a deal. So, if they can make one more big swing, whether it’s Giannis or someone else, to get another player that fits the timeline of Kevin Durant, what they did this season was worth it.”

From a salary standpoint, an outgoing package of Alperen Sengun, Jabari Smith Jr. and Clint Capela would clear enough salary for the 31-year-old two-time MVP.

The Milwaukee Bucks wrap up their four-game West Coast road trip against the Portland Trail Blazers tonight at Moda Center. Embarrassed by Brook Lopez and Los Angeles Clippers on Monday, the Bucks look for better fortune against another former franchise icon, Jrue Holiday. But the task will be anything but easy against a Trail Blazers team that has won four out of its past five. The Bucks and Blazers have played once already this season, with the Blazers claiming a 115-103 victory behind 35 points—including 16/19 free throws!—from Jerami Grant.

Where We’re At

Prior to the Clippers game, I likened the Bucks’ season to Cormac McCarthy’s TheRoad. As it turns out, I may have been too kind. Down by as many as 46 points against the Clippers, things looked bleaker than ever. Ryan Rollins and Ousmane Dieng, saviours against the Phoenix Suns, tied for a team-worst—and personal season-worst—plus/minus (-37), while committing five and four turnovers, respectively. And after several minutes-long stretches where the Bucks couldn’t buy a basket, Cam “I’m a bucket” Thomas’ waiving just hours earlier seemed cruelly poetic. On the plus side, Pete Nance’s conversion to a standard, multi-year NBA contract is well deserved and a testament to the work he’s put in all year long (and prior to that). Additionally, Gary Trent Jr. (20 points, six threes) had his most prolific outing since dropping 20 points against the Brooklyn Nets in December.

The Blazers, meanwhile, have put themselves in the thick of play-in action. Currently sitting ninth, just half a game behind the Clippers, Portland has benefited from a career-year from Deni Advdija (24.1 PPG, 6.9 RPG, 6.7 APG), internal growth from the likes of Donovan Clingan (12.4 PPG, 11.7 RPG, 1.7 BPG), and the steady veteran presence of Holiday (15.8 PPG, 4.5 RPG, 6.7 APG). Most recently, they demolished the Brooklyn Nets 134-99 behind 35 points (9/11 from three) from 2024-25 All-Defensive Second Teamer Toumani Camara and 15 rebounds and a season-high seven blocks from Clingan.

Injury Report

For the Bucks, Giannis (Left Knee; Hyperextension; Bone Bruise), Kevin Porter Jr. (Right Knee; Synovitis) and Gary Harris (Left Groin; Contusion) are out. Kyle Kuzma (Right Achilles; Soreness) and Bobby Portis (Right Wrist; Sprain) are questionable.

For the Blazers, Damian Lillard (Left Achilles Tendon; Injury Management), Shaedon Sharpe (Left Fibula; Stress Reaction), and Yang Hansen (G League – On Assignment) are out. Jerami Grant (Left Foot; Soreness), Vit Krejci (Left Calf; Contusion), and Robert Williams III (Left Knee; Injury Management) are all questionable.

Player to Watch

Hours after the world discovered Pete Nance’s contract conversion, he put up a career-high-tying 12 field goal attempts (in a team-high 32 minutes). Granted, the game was over early, and it’s not within Nance’s character to suddenly become a gunner. Still, it will be interesting to see how Nance’s new contract—and the security that comes with it—impacts his overall play. Even more interesting is how Nance’s role evolves moving forward. Does Nance remain in his current role, handy but often out of the rotation when everyone is healthy, or do the Bucks envision him as something more and look to simulate that for the remainder of the season? Either way, Nance has earned his spot, making the most of the minutes he has played—13.3 PPG, 6.4 RPG, 2.1 APG, and 1.4 stocks per 36 minutes, while shooting 55% from the field and 47% from three.

How To Watch

Tune in at 9:00 p.m. CDT on FanDuel Sports Network Wisconsin.

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The only thing keeping the Golden State Warriors in the Play-In is the absolute trash heap beneath them in the standings.

They look for back-to-back wins for the first time in the Steph Curry injury run as they host the Brooklyn Nets, a team that’s lost eight straight and is already eliminated from playoff competition.

However, my Nets vs. Warriors predictions and free NBA picks have Brooklyn taking advantage of all those extra points against a Golden State team that is lost without Curry on Wednesday, March 25.

Nets vs Warriors prediction

Nets vs Warriors best bet: Nets +11.5 (-110)

Add another critical injury to the Golden State Warriors’ woes.

Moses Moody suffered a torn patellar tendon in a non-contact injury during the Dubs' OT win in Dallas on Monday, joining Jimmy Butler in the out-for-the-year gang.

Meanwhile, Steph Curry will miss his 23rd straight game. Golden State has gone 7-15 without Curry, and is just 8-14-0 against the spread in those games. The Warriors have also failed to cover in 10 of their last 11 home games.

The Brooklyn Nets aren't exactly a clean bill of health, with Noah Clowney, Danny Wolf, Michael Porter Jr., and Nolan Traore all out tonight.

Despite losing eight in a row, the Nets have gone 4-4-0 ATS.

The Warriors are just a shell of themselves without Curry, though, scoring just 111.4 points per game in the last 22 sans their star, the seventh-worst mark in the league.

The Dubs only have one win by 12 points or more during Curry's extended leave. Yes, Brooklyn is bad, but Golden State is not the team to bet on to exploit that.

Nets vs Warriors same-game parlay

Quite literally, where is the offense going to come from for the Warriors? Brandin Podziemski is the only player left standing who can create offense for himself or others, and is coming off a 20-point game against the Mavericks.

Kristaps Porzingis has hit at least two triples in four of his last six games, including last time out against Dallas. The other two games he missed the Over were by one make each.

Nets vs Warriors SGP

• Nets +11.5
• Brandin Podziemski Over 15.5 points
• Kristaps Porzingis Over 1.5 made threes

Our "from downtown" SGP: Cobbling Together Points

It was a forgettable one against Dallas for De’Anthony Melton, who failed to score on 0-for-6 shooting, including 0-for-3 from downtown. But he’s shot well from distance against BK, nailing at least two in six of nine career games.

Ziaire Williams rounds out this SGP, and he’s been on one of his best scoring stretches this season, averaging 17 points in his last three games. He’ll top his 11.5 scoring line.

Nets vs Warriors SGP

• Nets +11.5
• Brandin Podziemski Over 15.5 points
• Kristaps Porzingis Over 1.5 made threes
• De'Anthony Melton Over 1.5 made threes
• Ziaire Williams Over 11.5 points

Nets vs Warriors odds

• Spread: Nets +11.5 (-105) | Warriors -11.5 (-115)
• Moneyline: Nets +450 | Warriors -600
• Over/Under: Over 215.5 (-110) | Under 215.5 (-110)

Nets vs Warriors betting trend to know

Golden State has failed to cover the spread in 10 of its last 11 home games. Find more NBA betting trends for Nets vs. Warriors.

How to watch Nets vs Warriors

Nets vs Warriors latest injuries

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The Denver Nuggets are a formidable opponent, and on Tuesday night, the Suns had a real shot to take one from them. They were down by 12 at one point, and against a team like Denver, that can get away from you quickly. Especially when you are dealing with a multi-time MVP who drops 23 points, grabs 17 rebounds, and hands out 17 assists. Yeah, Jokic had the kind of stat line that bends the entire game around it.

Even with that, Phoenix stayed in it. They competed, they responded, and when the fourth quarter arrived, it turned into a back-and-forth battle that felt like something bigger than a late-season game. Possessions carried weight, execution mattered, and you could feel the intensity rise with each trip down the floor.

If you are searching for something to get you ready for the postseason, this is the kind of game that does it. It had that edge, that urgency, that sense that every decision mattered.

The Nuggets are a tough solve, and on this night, Phoenix did not quite crack it. You can trace it through the small moments, the possessions that tilt a game one way or the other, and one of the more interesting threads was how Jordan Ott handled Khaman Maluch’s minutes. He saw only 11, and they were impactful. You could feel it. He gave Nikola Jokic a bigger body to navigate, he brought a presence inside, and for stretches it nudged the game in a different direction.

Denver made it clear where they wanted to go. They leaned into the interior. They tested the Suns there repeatedly. Oso Ighodaro does a lot of things well, but interior protection is not where he makes his living. And free throws are not his forte. Denver astutely went to hack-a-Oso, and I thought we’d see some Khaman minutes, but alas, I was wrong.

In his minutes, Malauch looked comfortable and engaged. And it leaves you wondering what it might have looked like if he was out there in the final five minutes, learning in real time, growing through those possessions.

There is risk in that. Denver has spent years putting Phoenix in the blender with Jamal Murray and Nikola Jokic in the two-man game, and it does not take much for that action to start humming. It is a brutal test for any big, especially one still finding his footing. And if you need a reminder of how that matchup has gone historically, Jamal Murray is 19–2 in 21 career games against Devin Booker. That tells its own story.

It was a good, competitive game, and you can feel this Suns team starting to move toward something healthier, something more whole. When you get 21 points from Grayson Allen off the bench, when Royce O’Neale is knocking down 5-of-8 from deep on his way to 17 points, it tells you something is lining up. The supporting pieces are finding their rhythm, and that matters as you inch closer to games that carry real weight.

With the postseason sitting just beyond the horizon, every opportunity to sharpen iron has value. You take these games, you absorb them, you learn from them, because they mirror what is coming. This one did not shift anything in the standings — Phoenix still holds that seventh spot — but it felt like more than a routine loss.

They were right there. One clean look, a wide-open three from Devin Booker, and the outcome could have flipped. That is how thin it was. So you walk away from it seeing the positives, recognizing the growth, understanding where a few tweaks could have made the difference. It was a good game, one that showed progress, even if it stopped short of becoming a great one.

Bright Side Baller Season Standings

The efficient 25-point performance against the Bucks gives Book his 17th Bright Side Baller of the season!

Bright Side Baller Nominees

Game 73 against the Nuggets. Here are your nominees:

Devin Booker
22 points (5-of-14, 1-of-4 3PT), 3 rebounds, 8 assists, 11-of-13 FT, 0 turnovers, +1 +/-

Jalen Green
21 points (6-of-13, 3-of-6 3PT), 6 rebounds, 6 assists, 2 turnovers, +9 +/-

Grayson Allen
21 points (8-of-19, 5-of-12 3PT), 5 rebounds, 3 assists, 0 turnovers, -16 +/-

Royce O’Neale
17 points (5-of-8, 5-of-8 3PT), 5 rebounds, 3 assists, 1 steal, 0 turnovers, 3 blocks, +10 +/-

Oso Ighodaro
15 points (6-of-7), 6 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 steal, 0 turnovers, -7 +/-

Collin Gillespie
11 points (4-of-11, 2-of-7 3PT), 3 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 steal, 0 turnovers, -1 +/-

Time to cast your vote.

Just last year, this rivalry was so legendary that Adam Silver had to personally step in and punish these teams by giving them the mathematically worst outcome on draft lottery night. The embers are still in the air, but these organizations are no longer the juggernauts of Tankathon. They’re retired, choosing to pave their own way and gaining a new appreciation of life, more importantly the Playoffs.

Take the Jazz for instance, who are far past the days of Kira Lewis Jr., Luka Samanic, Kenny Lofton, Talen Horton-Tucker with the exception of that one time he dropped 41 — that was pretty cool. Jaren Jackson Jr. was the character progression Utah needed to reject their life of ruthless loss mongering.

The Wizards once tried to do right by the code and made several attempts of postseason success in the olden days with supermax no-trade clause Bradley Beal and Kristaps Porzingis, before wrecking it all down to capture a Flagg. Trae Young, and half of Anthony Davis is certainly…an improvement-ish? No, no it’s nice and all, but I have mixed feelings considering I would’ve avoided these guys like the plague in a Jazz fan perspective.

But I’ll stand up for what is right, and that’s tanking actually creates more winners. These teams would have, in fact, been chasing for wins right now if they weren’t personally screwed in the lottery year after year. Instead, they’re taking part of the 10-way deadlock for the bottom to put the finishing touches on their rosters.

And tonight will be no exception. Only one can remain defeated. It’ll be a tough cookie to crack. Washington is on the verge of snapping their loss-streak record with a staggering 16 LOSSES IN A ROW. Tonight would make it 17. If I could print out both team’s injury reports on paper, I’d be able to build us a new Archie and Lois Archuleta Bridge.

D’Angelo Russell is just ‘out’ — I mean, sure, why not.

The Jazz would technically have six players available if all choose to sit out of tonight’s blood fest. They’ll have to get creative, and restart the cogs of Kevin Love and Svi Mykhailiuk. Make sure they don’t overdo those joints, they haven’t been put to good use since January.

But let’s talk about what has been active, like the dominant force that is March Ace Bailey. Who has, in fact, netted more three-pointers (42) than Kon Knueppel (32) in the month of March. His 37-6-3 performance against Toronto tied him for the most points by a 19-year old with 30+ points and 5+ three-pointers. Sure, I’m a firm believer in the March theory, where nearly all statistics are fabricated by the fact that half the teams are putting in about 70% effort. But just watching him with your own two eyes is enough evidence you need to know Ace Bailey is legitimately legit.

On the Wizards’ end, I’ve been struggling to find a player who’s actually been consistently available. Bub Carrington is cool, I suppose. That game-winner he hit to solidify our Ace Bailey hopes earned him respect in my book. And on the basketball court, he’s been a nice fill-in for the Wizards for the other half of the game Trae is missing.

Also, don’t forget about Utah’s original selection in the 2025 NBA Draft, before being sent to Washington for Walter Clayton Jr., that being Will Riley. He’s another rookie who’s been climbing up the rookie rankings in the latter part of the season. He’s knocked down the fourth-most three-pointers (21) in the month of March. There’s the concern of him being disproportionately light (180 lbs) for his 6’10” frame. He has certainly been the Washington Wizards version of Ace Bailey, if Danny Ainge ended up being scared by the Omar Cooper tactic.

Let’s all come together, hold hands, and truly witness the final tank-off between these two franchises. You will truly be missed by basketball sicko watchers.

How to watch:

Who: Utah Jazz (21-51) vs. Washington Wizards (16-55)

When: March 25th, 6:00PM Mountain Time

Where: Delta Center, Salt Lake City

Channel: Peacock, Jazz+, KJZZ

Radio: 97.5/1280 The Zone

HAFJELL, Norway (AP) — Mikaela Shiffrin wins record-tying sixth women’s overall World Cup skiing title.

The NBA landscape is populated by different classes. There are rich teams and there are penny-pinchers. Some rise above expectations to reach great heights, both of the temporary and permanent kind. The chronic underachievers exist too. 

But out of all the different archetypes, the one that might be the most frustrating – at least to sports fans – is the team that becomes boring and predictable. 

Without drama, or more importantly, hope, it becomes challenging to support a franchise. 

For the Toronto Raptors, it looked like they were destined for an excruciating slow burn. 

But ahead of their matchup with the Los Angeles Clippers on Wednesday, a new source for optimism has manifested in the form of Ja’Kobe Walter. 

On the surface, it doesn’t look like the second-year guard is having a breakout season. His minutes, points, rebounds, and assists per game are all down across the board, but that’s primarily due to the Raptors actively conceding the 2024-25 season after the Brandon Ingram trade. During that transition year, Walter had more low-leverage opportunities to find his footing in the league. 

Recently, Walter has become one of the most important players on the team. It makes sense considering Walter’s strength as a shooter on a team devoid of consistent shooting ability. Toronto ranks 21st in three-point percentage (34.9) and 25th in three-point makes (11.5). 

Walter is a skilled shooter and his numbers back that. The six-foot-four guard is averaging 39.3 per cent from three and 44.1 per cent from the field. He’s shooting better from the perimeter than all but one teammate, that being Jamison Battle, who averages nine minutes a game. 

With the Raptors only 2.5 games from falling into the final play-in spot, and the roster in a constant state of flux, the team needed a role player to take the next step. Walter has answered that call. 

He’s shooting a blistering 48.8 per cent from three on 3.9 attempts in March – both season-high marks for monthly splits. Walter has also reached double-digit scoring in the last four games, his longest stretch of the year. The sophomore recorded at least 10 points in seven consecutive appearances during his rookie year, but that was while the team was in an intentional free-fall. 

In addition to the desperately needed scoring boost, Walter has also demonstrated his defensive prowess. While the latter has been more of a constant throughout the year, the recent showcase of Walter’s complete skill set has potentially piqued the curiosity of some Raptors fans. 

The last time Walter was this effective for the Raptors this season was during a thrilling 141-127 overtime victory over the Golden State Warriors on Dec. 28 and in a 107-106 win against the Orlando Magic on the following night. During the back-to-back contests, Walter averaged 14.0 points, 4.5 rebounds and 1.5 steals while shooting 50 per cent from the field and 45.4 per cent from the arc. 

Every time the Raptors have shown some fight in the opening round of the playoffs, they’ve had at least one resourceful two-way player come off the bench. Fred VanVleet and Norman Powell come to mind during the 2019 championship run and in the bubble playoffs. There was an entire bench mob during 2017-2018. Corey Joseph and Terrence Ross held it down during a few of ‘We The North’ seasons. Even back in 2001, the Vinsanity era needed the fun trio of Chris Childs, Dell Curry, and Jerome Williams.

If the Raptors find any morsel of success in the post-season, it’ll mean that Walter excelled in his first playoff environment. But before that can happen, he’ll need to string together more impressive regular-season performances, beginning with the Clippers. 

The 2026 Men's NCAA Tournament is down to 16 teams and the injury report remains an important part of sifting through the remaining games in the bracket. Nearly one-third of the teams to qualify for the Sweet 16 are dealing with a significant player hobbled by injury, including No. 1 overall seed Duke.

Several played through the pain to advance through the round of 32, while others are attempting to return from injury as fast as possible with the win-or-go-home element of March Madness looming over their recovery. In most cases, their potential replacement has already been thrust into a bigger role after lingering uncertainty through the first weekend of this year's tournament.

Here's a look at the injuries that could most affect the Sweet 16 of the 2026 NCAA Tournament, as well as the potential replacements to watch if these injured stars can't play when March Madness resumes:

SWEET 16 PREDICTIONS: Experts pick who will advance in March Madness bracket

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John Starks isn't holding back.

The former NBA All-Star and Sixth Man of the Year believes the New York Knicks are the best team in the Eastern Conference.

Starks is remembered for his long Knicks tenure, helping lead the team to the NBA Finals in 1994 along with Patrick Ewing.

The former undrafted guard became an All-Star the year the Knicks advanced to the Finals and he became the first player in NBA history to make at least 200 three-pointers in a single season when he accomplished the feat in 1994-95.

“We’re the best team in the East.”

While the Knicks have been behind the No. 1-seeded Detroit Pistons during the entirety of the season and have gone 0-3 against the Pistons.

However former NBA Sixth Man of the Year, John Starks said the Knicks, not the Pistons, are the team to beat in the East.

It's worth noting that Detroit's best player, Cade Cunningham, is out indefinitely due to a collapsed lung.

"I feel like we're the best team in the East," said Starks in an exclusive interview. "I really do. I know Detroit has the record over us, and I know Boston is ahead of us right now. But when I saw that San Antonio game, it’s almost like when you dangle some meat in front of some guys and they go get it. That's what it looked like to me. That told me that they can beat anybody in this league."

Starks is referencing the New York Knicks' 114-89 victory over the San Antonio Spurs on March 1 when New York vastly outplayed the Victor Wembanyama-led squad.

However, he does preach that the Knicks need to be more consistent against the top teams in the NBA.

"They’ve got to be consistent when you're playing against these good teams, and they haven't shown that, obviously... But I think when it comes to playoff time, all these guys are going to lock in, because they've been there. Sometimes you start to look ahead and you forget you’ve got to play Detroit and you’ve got to play the Celtics. You’ve got to play the Cavaliers. You’ve got to play the Lakers. You’ve got to play all these good teams. But that San Antonio game showed me that they're a championship-quality team."

Starks: Knicks can make NBA Finals run

The former Knicks star said that he's confident that the team can make an NBA Finals run this year. It would be the first time since 1999 - when Ewing was still on the team - that they'd be in the championship round.

New York would have to go on the road and likely get through the Pistons in Detroit if they want to get to the Finals. They defeated the Pistons in six games in the first round in Detroit last season.

"No question," said Starks about the Knicks making a Finals run. "Understand one thing about this team: they know they can go on the road and beat anybody. The playoffs is all about going on the road and winning on your opponent's home court. That's the most important thing."

"You can always shift the home court. If you go seven games, then that game - that's the only thing the home court advantage means. Other than that, you can go in and just like what they did to Detroit last year. They had the home court, and then went in and shifted it in our favor. We're good."

Knicks Legend: “He's back to being Jalen Brunson.”

Starks gives tremendous credit to the Jalen Brunson and Karl-Anthony Towns pairing. The duo is in their second season together and previously led the squad to the Eastern Conference Finals last year.

"I think Karl is doing a tremendous job and making conscious efforts on the defensive end of the court," said Starks. "He's starting to get a little bit more in that post where you like your big man. He's just not settling for jump shots. Now he's been more aggressive going to the basket. I like where he's at in his thought process."

"Jalen is going to do what he's going to do. I think he struggled over the last three or four weeks because teams are starting to play him differently. They're starting to take the ball out of his hand, and everybody's starting to double him early in the game. I think he was kind of struggling with that: how to be aggressive on the offensive end, how to get his teammates involved, and keep his teammates involved. I think he didn't figure that part out. Now I think he's back to being Jalen Brunson."

Starks: Knicks have turned up defensive intensity in recent weeks

The Knicks are currently hot right now, riding a six-game win streak entering their Tuesday night game against the New Orleans Pelicans.

"I like where we are headed and I like the way we are playing right now. We're getting back to our DNA, and that's on the defensive end of the court. I think we lost a little bit of that during that losing streak. Guys got so worried about the offensive end that if you're struggling on offense, you can get it on the other end."

"We kind of turned the corner when we played against San Antonio. We started off from a defensive standpoint. I haven't seen these guys move that fast in awhile. It was like eight guys out there on the court on defense. That's how you could see that intensity level step up."

Starks does mention the recent back-to-back losses to the Los Angeles Lakers and Los Angeles Clippers, but said that's probably just the Los Angeles effect of having to travel all the way from the east coast to the west coast.

"Obviously, we took a step back against the Lakers and the Clippers, but that could be the Los Angeles effect and the driving and flying. But after that they got back to playing aggressively. On the defensive end, Golden State woke us up again.

“You gotta play hard, and you can't go out there and underestimate anybody in this league because they can beat you, and they just carry that over into the next game and the next game."

"I like where we are from a mentality standpoint. A couple of guys have to get going with their shots, but other than that, defensively, I like where we are heading into the playoffs."

Defense Should Lead For The Knicks

The former All-Defensive Second Team guard said he believes the team's identity is on the defensive end. If they can execute on that end, the sky's the limit for the Knicks. New York is fifth in points allowed per game and in defensive rating.

"You have to have an identity. You can't just go into the game and say one night we're going to play defense and one night we're not. Offensively, we're going to shoot the ball great, one night we're not."

"I think when you want to hang your hat for any team, you hang your hat on the defensive end of the court, because that keeps you in the games until your offense gets going."

"That's always been our mentality when I was here, and it's going to continue to be that way here in New York, because when this crowd gets going and is hollering, 'Defense! Defense!', they want you to go out there and guard."

"I think we got enough on the offensive end of the court. Our shooting has been a little erratic lately, but I think overall once playoff time comes, we'll work out the kinks and we should be fine."

John Starks spoke exclusively with DJ Siddiqi on behalf of Covers.com. All quotes in this article are taken from an exclusive interview conducted by Covers.com. Journalists and media outlets are welcome to use these quotes, provided they are attributed to Covers.com. Please ensure links back to the original article to provide full context for readers.

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MADRID (AP) — Real Madrid will try to close in on a first semifinal appearance in the Women’s Champions League when it hosts three-time champion Barcelona in the first leg of the quarterfinals on Wednesday.

Manchester United will make its debut in the last eight against Bayern Munich.

Barcelona will try to make it to a record-extending eighth consecutive semifinal appearance, and a sixth straight final in the competition that it has dominated in recent years.

The Catalan club is playing in its 11th straight quarterfinal and seeks to reclaim the title it lost to Arsenal last season. Barcelona topped the league phase with an unbeaten campaign that included 20 goals scored and three against.

Madrid, in its second consecutive quarterfinal, was eliminated by Arsenal in the last eight last season. If finished seventh in the league phase.

Man United has been thriving in its first European experience since a defeat to Paris Saint-Germain in qualifying in the 2023-24 season. Bayern recovered from a 7-1 loss at Barcelona at the start of the league phase to finish fourth and qualify for the quarterfinals for the eighth time in 10 seasons.

On Tuesday, Arsenal defeated English rival Chelsea 3-1 in their first leg of the quarterfinals. Wolfsburg took a 1-0 lead over record eight-time champion Lyon in a meeting of two of the competition’s most storied names.

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AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer

HAFJELL, Norway (AP) — Norwegian skier Atle Lie McGrath secured the World Cup slalom title on home snow Wednesday to conclude the season on a positive note after losing his temper at the Olympics when he squandered a big first-run lead.

McGrath broke down in tears during a long, emotional embrace with childhood friend and Olympic giant slalom champion Lucas Pinheiro Braathen of Brazil, who straddled a gate early in his second run to pave the way for McGrath's title.

McGrath, who won three slaloms this season, earned his first discipline title.

Timon Haugan, another Norwegian, won the race by finishing 0.44 seconds ahead of Olympic champion Loic Meillard and 1.03 ahead of Eduard Hallberg of Finland.

McGrath, who came eighth in the race, finished 64 points ahead of 2022 Olympic champion Clement Noel and 73 points ahead of Pinheiro Braathen.

McGrath, who was born in Vermont but grew up in Norway, entered the final run of the slalom at the Milan Cortina Games with a big lead. But after straddling a gate, McGrath angrily threw his ski poles away and ventured toward the woods to gather himself.

Marco Odermatt, who does not compete in slalom, secured his fifth straight overall title before the finals. He was awarded the large crystal globe after the slalom.

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AP skiing: https://apnews.com/hub/alpine-skiing

The Boston Celtics’ head coach, Joe Mazzulla, is a very odd man. He is also a very good coach.

Take, for example, a story Celtics guard Derrick White told in an interview last November. According to White, the first sound at one Celtics practice wasn’t a whistle.

It was gunfire.

“[Mazzulla is] like, ‘Play the music!’… and next thing you know, it’s just machine guns going off … you’re in a war zone,” White said. He was laughing – but not really laughing.

The 37-year-old coach scored the sweat session with the sound of death, bullets rat-a-tat-tat over 10 straight minutes of zigzags and full-court pickups. He wanted players’ lungs burning. He wanted them to taste the vomit.

Mazzulla believes – and he believes many things – repetition under stress rewires your brain. Psychologists have spent decades studying how stimuli paired with intensity create recall that bypasses deliberation. The military industrialized it: conditioning, desensitization, immersion. The principle underneath it is simpler and more universal: the brain learns fastest when it’s overwhelmed. Adapt or die.

There’s something unsettling about it all. Basketball borrowing from the logic of war. Every coach will give platitudes about stress inoculation. Mazzulla puts sensory overload into practice. The goal is the same: strip decision-making down to instinct.

Mazzulla’s version of controlled chaos is the sound of gunfire, hence the practice session. Why? So, when weeks later, in the fourth quarter, a guard brings the ball up full court, the crowd is loud, and the game is tight, any player wearing green and white can turn into the Manchurian Candidate: synapses snapping into place to deliver the kill shot into the hoop.

Related: How Detroit’s New Bad Boys climbed from the NBA’s cellar to rule the East

A lot of this is odd. And a lot of what Mazzulla says is odd. He doesn’t really talk like other NBA coaches. His press conferences can sound more like philosophy seminars than strategy. Maybe Mazzulla’s deadpan delivery is Andy Kaufman performance art: half-jokes, half-koans, delivered with a straight face. Players have learned to stop trying to decode everything and just absorb the tone.

He has talked about wanting a wolf to guard his house, never sitting with his back to the door at restaurants in case anyone sneaks up on him and avoiding revolving doors because “if one of them gets stuck, then you’re just a sitting duck”. He wants his players to study the movements of orcas and hyenas to enhance their games.

The thing is, whether it’s because of his quirks or despite them, Mazzulla is a very effective coach. He’s already led the Celtics to one championship, and deserves the Coach of the Year award after leading the injury-riddled Celtics to the second seed in the East this season, while holding the second-best offensive rating, fourth-best defensive rating and third-best net rating.

It should be remembered that Boston were supposed to have a gap year after Jayson Tatum went out last postseason with an achilles injury. Starters Jrue Holiday and Kristaps Porziņģis were both traded. Bench bigs Al Horford and Luke Kornet left in free agency, a harsh cost of survival under the new collective bargaining agreement.

Most teams would have reset. But Mazzulla got in the lab and changed the Celtics’ DNA. He kept the offense organized around spacing, timing and reads, building a system that could function until Tatum’s return. And defensively, he pared it back to the bone: just the raw, flayed nerves of constant ball pressure. This kind of scalable infrastructure helps role players reach their ceiling without your best player.

As the team changed, so did Mazzulla. It would have been easy to ask Jaylen Brown to be Tatum. Instead, he uses every player to their strength.

That’s why Ron Harper Jr, Baylor Scheierman, Hugo González and Luka Garza have been able to step in and up. Even Brown is expected to rebound, run, defend and play with the same energy and physicality the Celtics ask of everybody.

What’s behind the new philosophy? This summer, Mazzulla went to France, where he met with Guillaume Vizade, a fellow basketball oddball and the head coach of Le Mans. Two coaches from different systems tried to crack the code of creating advantages before a defense can set.

Vizade talks about the meeting like a thinktank: “Our shared ideas about arriving into offense while playing, amplifying advantages and creating chaos in opposing defenses connected very quickly during those discussions. I felt both lucky and proud to be able to present some of our methods and actions, and in return, I received even more by exchanging ideas with Joe and his disruptive approach.“

Vizade’s teams don’t just run; they vibrate. Hard-wired into a single hive mind. Like fungi. It’s how Boston play now. When the first option on offense is cut off, the offense doesn’t flinch. It reignites into a sequence of cuts and relocations that open up scoring gaps.

Mazzulla’s COTY case also rests on how much he changed Boston defensively. Last season, the Celtics could let opponents play one-on-one, live with contested shots without fouling. This year, they pick up their opps full-court and pressure the hell out the ball.

When one defender takes a risk, another one fills the space. If someone gets beat, the next man rotates. If that pass gets made, another closeout comes behind it. That’s why Celtics corner-help blocks have become such a staple. Boston are rotating so well they’re forcing opponents to make that one extra pass. Mazzulla has done all this without a great rim protector.

Related: NBA’s bizarre ‘tanking’ problem has spewed theories but no solutions | Sean Ingle

The clearest example of Mazzulla’s approach came in the 2024 Finals, when Dallas kept their big men near the rim, helping off shooters on the weak side to crowd the paint. Early on, it worked. Boston drove into traffic and ended up kicking the ball out late.

Mazzulla’s adjustment was using that help against Dallas. Boston began pulling the help defender toward the ball, often using a guard like Holiday to drag the Mavericks’ big man across the floor. As soon as the help stepped over, they swung the ball to the other side before the defense could recover.

From there, the options were obvious: a layup, a post-up or an open corner three. What looked like simple ball movement was really a smart way to pick apart Dallas’s defense, turning it against itself. Mad scientist-level scheming.

Speaking to last year’s disappointing second-round playoff exit, he said: “Every season exposes yourself to yourself … third year you get a taste for what it’s like to lose.”

That’s how Mazzulla rolls. He shows his players film of orcas and hyenas, predators that never attack all at once. Instead, they circle, shift, waiting for just the right moment before closing in and snapping their prey’s neck. Boston’s offense works the same way. The ball moves from side to side until the defense finally gives up a good shot.

Other outlets have detailed that being a Celtic means embracing the Joe Mazzulla experience. We’re talking about a guy who roams the facility barefoot while delivering instructions in an icy, hyper-focused monotone. He operates the Celtics like a man who knows he’s in the Matrix and wants his team to warp the simulation to their advantage.

The league is in good hands. JB Bickerstaff is honing the blade in Detroit, Mitch Johnson fast-tracked the Spurs mutation, and Mike Brown is restoring Eden in the Garden. But Mazzulla has raced far ahead of the pack for COTY by retooling a depleted contender while staying contending. Insane.

That’s what elite coaching looks like.

That’s why Joe Mazzulla should win Coach of the Year.

Play the music.